The Advent Of Smouse - Chapter 1
Join Estelle as she presents, chapter by chapter, a metaphoric story, 'The Advent of Smouse'. This is a story, half-fantasy, half-reality, that uses non-violence as the solution. Its hero, Smouse and his companion Mentr, are armed only with the counsel of a tiny book called 'The Guide'. Within this drama, set in Melbourne, Australia, are subtle key guidelines to living a harmonious life.
Transcript
Within the fabric of the words and action of metaphoric stories are subtle,
And not so subtle,
Key guidelines to living a harmonious life.
Today I thought we'd try something new,
A story of drama,
A story that combines fantasy with reality,
For it's a very thin line that separates fantasy from reality.
A story where the hero,
Smouse,
Is armed only with the counsel of a tiny book,
The Guide.
A story that uses nonviolence as the solution.
A story in which,
As the drama unfolds,
Subtle changes in negative behavioural patterns are detectable.
A story in chapters.
Each week I'll present a new chapter.
So if you're ready,
Settle back comfortably,
Perhaps even close your eyes,
And we'll begin.
The Advent of Smouse.
The Prologue.
Dane Black,
Otherwise known as X,
Leans over his younger sister Perry's shoulder to watch a small,
Vibrant,
Red zigzag zap back and forth across the screen of her laptop.
A long tale ending in a flame-rimmed black hole streams behind it.
As they watch,
It starts pulling all of the icons into its void,
Until they all disappear.
The two teenagers are stunned.
They stare speechless at the blank screen.
Meanwhile,
In a far-off galaxy beyond the Milky Way,
On a small planet called Imperium,
Hag,
The Omni-Ruler of the planet,
And his granddaughter Angelica are exploring distant galaxies for signs of a U.
F.
E.
That is,
An unidentified energy force that is interfering with their intergalactic communication network.
Any breaks in this network can disrupt the balance of the universe.
It's usually a sign of Madrogue,
The universe's most negative force.
Suddenly,
As they watch,
Their 3D intergalactic laser space probe spots an unusual auroral glow.
Angelica feels a stab of fear shoot through her grandfather.
The probe has discovered the source.
It seems to be located somewhere in the Milky Way.
Chapter 1.
Imperium The small planet Imperium is one of two planets orbiting the Elysian Sun.
There used to be nine planets the same as our Earth's solar system,
But now there are only two.
Imperium and Tartarus.
Imperium is bathed in a luminous white light during the day and a soft,
Deep indigo glow at night.
Stars light up its night skies.
Its landscape is rather like Earth's.
Spectacular high mountains,
Snow-capped in winter,
Are covered in forests of tall,
Ancient trees.
Within their deep valleys flow rocky streams and wide,
Deep rivers.
The mountains gradually flatten into gentle rolling hills,
Covered in woodlands and verdant pastures which provide shelter and food for its inhabitants.
Once upon a time there were deserts,
But these have now been transformed into bountiful garden plains.
Deep lakes filled with pure fresh water cover about 20% of it.
Imperium is a model in harmonious,
Eco-friendly,
Interactive living.
Its technological advancement in energy channeling,
Communication and travel is light years ahead of Earth's.
The second planet Tartarus is located on the far,
Dark side of the Elysian Sun.
It is bathed in red heat during the day and total darkness at night.
It is hidden from the starlights of distant galaxies.
It is always very dry,
Windy and extremely hot.
Its landscape is dominated by rugged mountains and vast barren deserts.
Tartarus is the home of Madrog.
It is cloaked in secrecy.
Life is harsh.
Water is scarce.
Fire is sacred.
The control center of Imperium's government is a simple circular building perched high on a rocky outcrop.
It blends so well with its surroundings and the sky that even if you look for the building,
It's almost impossible to find.
There is no visible physical access path.
All visitors to the center must be able to transmute and transport themselves mentally.
This is where Ag,
The current Omni-Ruler of the planet,
Spends much of his time.
It is his sole responsibility to protect not only his planet but all other planets in the universe.
He is silver haired,
Aged and very wise.
He is the keeper of the guide and protector of the universe.
Today his granddaughter Angelica is helping him.
Her parents were killed defending the planet when she was just a toddler.
Ag and his wife Pax are her guardians.
Angelica is almost as tall as Ag.
On Earth she would be called a teenager.
She can already transmute and transport,
Skills not usually acquired until middle age.
She is a student of the guide.
She adores her grandfather and grandmother.
Inside the control center,
Ag and Angelica are both on high alert.
They were in the middle of their daily routine check of the universe through their 3D intergalactic laser space probe when they discovered the abnormal aurora shimmering.
They need to keep a constant vigil for any unusual activities that might mean Madrog is on the move again.
He is continually sourcing supplies of negative energy to destroy his opponents.
His is the most destructive negative energy in the universe.
Madrog fears he has designs on controlling the universe.
The instant Ag and Angelica spotted the worrying unusual glow,
They sent an urgent telepathic message to Menta and Smouse.
Menta is Ag's quadripe pair.
She looks like a medium sized dog with floppy ears and large long-lashed eyes.
She has short pink hair with large black spots and a faint silver-pink aura.
Her tail is a beautiful curled plume.
She is an expert in transportation.
She is gentle and highly intelligent.
Smouse,
Angelica's paired quadripe,
Is tiny,
Small enough to sit in the palm of Ag's hand.
She's similar to an earth bilby,
But with a curled spring-like tail and larger rabbit-like ears.
His fine silver-beige fur has a faint aura of silver light.
Still young,
He is impetuous and inclined to be hasty.
Not only is he a master channeler of energy,
Very skilled in transportation and mental telepathy,
But he is a skilled healer,
Like Angelica.
He is also a student of the guide,
But unlike her,
Not very serious.
When the call comes,
Smouse is resting in his relaxation cocoon in Angelica's bedroom,
Heat up,
Air-supported,
With a glass of chilled H2O,
With a touch of whisky in one pour and a bowl of crunchy peanut butter in his lap.
He is dreaming of travelling to unknown planets in search of Madrobe.
Smouse the superhero,
Rescuing aliens from an evil menace.
He feels the message hum through the spiral of his tail,
Up his spine and into his mind.
It feels urgent.
It's Ag.
A call from Ag means it's urgent.
With a gentle sigh,
He puts aside the bowl of peanut butter.
Then he intuitively locates the message's source,
Transmutes and hastily transports himself to the control centre.
He disappears and reappears in a rush,
Seemingly out of nowhere,
Landing suddenly on Angelica's shoulder.
Taken by surprise,
She jumps and accidentally knocks him painfully to the floor,
Causing him to spill the chilled glass of water all over himself.
He ruefully peers up at her.
Would help if you'd give me some warning,
She murmurs,
Gently picking him up,
Wiping him down,
And perching him back on her shoulder.
Ag turns from the probe and fixes him with a stern look.
It would also help if you were a little less gung-ho with your transportation techniques.
His eyes twinkle as he adds.
Just a little less peanut butter and whisky,
And more practice.
Then serious once more,
He turns back to the probe.
Angelica explains the problems of Smouse,
That she and her grandfather have discovered an unusual auroral glow in a distant galaxy,
And that Ag thinks it is interfering with their intergalactic communication network.
Smouse knows that this is essential for the protection of the universe.
It's serious.
Anything that upsets the balance could be disastrous,
Not only for them,
But for the whole universe.
We think it's located in the Milky Way,
Ag turns to face Smouse.
Do you think you could locate the source?
Smouse nods.
As he activates his 3D luminal probe,
Which can fold through the planes of space to find the fault,
They are joined by Mentor.
Fascinated,
The watcher Smouse masterfully maneuvers the probe through the galaxies.
As it enters the Milky Way,
Its signal becomes more intense.
It finally tracks through to a small arm of the Milky Way into a nine planet solar system,
Where it comes to a halt,
Illuminating the planet Earth.
Can you get closer?
We need to find the exact location.
Smouse fine-tunes the probe's vision and zones in,
Searching for a more specific bearing.
The probe moves in closer and closer,
Focusing on the hot spot.
Once again it stops,
Revealing a large bay with a narrow opening to the sea.
More please,
Smouse.
Smouse zooms in closer and closer to get a better view.
The probe pinpoints a sharp red bluff of land which rises above a narrow beach of rock and sand.
Red bluff!
Mentor suddenly announces.
The other three look at her with raised eyebrows,
Even though they know they shouldn't doubt her incredible,
In-depth knowledge of the universe.
She smiles sweetly and continues.
It's between Black Rock and Sandringham,
About twenty kilometres south of Melbourne,
The capital of Victoria.
Australia,
She adds,
Unfazed by the continued expressions of disbelief.
A strange place I would have thought for any auroral activity that might interfere with our systems.
Ag nods.
That is his thought too.
One name passes between the four of them.
Madrogue.
A fizzle of fear flows through them.
Mentor shakes her head to clear her mind.
What is he after now?
As one,
Their minds suddenly flash with certainty.
Power.
Madrogue is constantly renewing and amplifying his power to corrupt,
Disrupt and spread fear,
Greed and hatred.
He has visited Earth many times before,
With some success.
But why has he returned now?
And for what purpose?
Apart from solar power,
Melbourne is barely on the map in terms of energy.
It has to be something he can utilise for negative purposes.
Something insidious that he can spread and create disharmony with.
We need to find the source.
They all contemplate the image.
Source expands their view to include more of the area.
There seems to be some sort of power build-up that creates strange surges of energy,
Resulting in red auroral displays.
At source is more concentrated just beyond the red blur.
He zooms in closer and projects the display as a hologram.
In the red is a faint image.
Smouse sharpens the image.
For a brief second,
They catch a glimpse.
Madrogue.
Ag is troubled.
Madrogue is once again building up a power source on planet Earth.
Earth in its current cycle with its existing conflicts and issues is not strong enough to overcome it.
Why Melbourne?
He makes a snap decision.
Someone will have to go and investigate.
Ag mentally and privately shares his concerns with mentor,
Smouse.
She agrees.
Smouse.
There will have to be Smouse.
Although immature and impetuous,
He has all the skills and the ability to blend in,
Communicate and discover the source.
They discuss the problem at length but can come up with no alternative.
There is no one on the planet they can spare.
After considering the pros and cons,
They concur.
Smouse will have to go to Earth to not only find the source but to nullify Madrogue.
Ag relays their decision to Angelica who has been monitoring the probe with Smouse.
Smouse is her pair so it's up to her.
She's not too happy.
She would rather go with him but she knows there is no way her grandparents will let her go.
They've already lost her parents.
Reluctantly she agrees that someone must go and that Smouse is the logical choice.
Even though he's young he has all the skills.
His ability to transmute is second only to Mentor's.
Smouse is nervous.
His telepathic fibres are vibrating intensely.
Even before Angelica gives her decision he knows.
Despite his fantasies of being a hero,
He's never even been off planet.
His fur fades to a sickly pale grey.
He's not confident that he can do this on his own.
He needs Mentor's skill and wisdom to guide him.
He begs Ag to let Mentor go with him.
Ag turns to Mentor.
She nods in agreement.
So Ag hesitantly says yes.
He insists they take a copy of the guide.
Angelica breathes a sigh of relief.
She trusts Mentor implicitly and the three days departure date set by Ag gives them ample time to prepare.
The trio leaves Ag in the control centre and transports themselves back to Angelica's home where she and Smouse immediately start pumping Mentor for all her information about the planet Earth,
Australia and Melbourne and especially the Red Bluff.
Smouse mentally sets up a small information transformer and connects it to them both.
Smouse and Angelica are mesmerised.
From this distance it looks so beautiful but more detailed the information the greater the contrasts appear.
The beauty of the planet is spoiled by pockets of violence and despair and damage.
Even as they tune in these seem to expand.
Smouse most comfortably seated in Angelica's lap suddenly tenses as an urgent message from Ag vibrates through his tail.
He jumps up in the panic causing Angelica to lose the images.
Mentor is instantly alert.
Got to go!
Smouse guffs.
Now!
We've got to go!
Now!
Smouse is in a stroke.
He nervously hops from foot to foot in a state of panic.
His fur stands on end.
Angelica gently lifts him and strokes his fur until he calms down.
Breathe,
She soothes.
A deep breath in and a long slow breath out.
Smouse slowly relaxes.
Angelica kisses him softly on his nose and sits him on Mentor's back.
Let's get you both packed and prepare the space orb,
She murmurs.
That's all for now.
See you next week for chapter 2 when we head for Earth.
4.8 (109)
Recent Reviews
Ariel
May 12, 2022
❤️💝
Becka
April 8, 2022
A little confusing but interesting!
Tania
January 1, 2022
Can’t wait for chapter 2!
Amy
December 27, 2021
I think it was good, I barely made it through a few minutes before I fell asleep haha, loved the pace of your reading and can't wait to listen to it again when I'm less tired this time
Lynne
December 18, 2021
Thank you Estelle ❤️
Rosanne
December 17, 2021
Love the story and narration.. looking forward to chapter 2!
Cathy
January 12, 2021
I love this fascinating story and going to chapter 2. Thank you.
Sarah
November 10, 2020
LOVE IT!!! Can't wait for the next chapter!
Rahul
November 5, 2020
Thank you for sharing part of this story Estelle :) Excited for the rest :) Sending good wishes to you and your family Stay safe and take care!
Neddie
October 31, 2020
So interesting & intriguing and such beautiful narration 💕 looking forward to the next chapter. Thank you Estelle
Wisdom
October 29, 2020
Estelle❣️I LOVE Stories and am SO Excited that you have this INTRIGUING Tale to offer! Looking forward to next week❗️🙏🏻💕