Parade of the Mice
There lived a Mouse in the gutter under the street upon which the Horse did his parade. People gathered along the pavement to witness the majestic show of the Horse, while the Mouse watched the spectacle by pulling out its head from the gutter grill guard. The Mouse toiled hard to find ways to become like the Horse. Slowly but steadily the Mouse picked a carrier by singing laurels about the Horse. Sooner than the Mouse expected, several mice gathered around the Mouse and cheered along with it. The Mouse knew that it needed a greater push if it has to come out of its hole and become a champion just like the Horse.
Like every year, the leader of the society announced the festive event - a race. And the winner shall be the 'Pride of the Nation'. The Horse was honored every year, as more than its speed, the charisma it carried along extended its respect among the people.
The previous evening, the mice gathered around the Mouse and raised false confidence persuading the Mouse participates in the event that year:
"Just believe in yourself." "Don’t fear to be wrong." "You are brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous." "Doubt Kills. Dream wins." "There is none better than you". "The horse is old and no match for you."
The Mouse went into a deeper thought and with all respect for the Horse, it went to meet him.
"I am not sure if I am thinking or I am confused", confessed the Mouse, "All that I touch turns to stone. Now, my tiny community is biding me against you."
The Horse smiled at the Mouse. "Nothing is on purpose; as a stone can be turned into a beautiful statue", spoke the Horse, "Tomorrow you shall ride on me; well hidden inside my mane; and at the finish line you shall jump to victory."
The Mouse won. The Pride spun the minds of the mice. They raised slogans against the Horse. They shouted in groups stating that the Horse does not have the right to parade anymore and announced that the Mouse owned the famous street.
'From the gutter to the street', the thought of victory engulfed the Mouse that it fell silent as though enjoying the accusations made by the mice at the Horse. The new emotion called Pride completely blinded the past and projected itself as a bright future before the Mouse.
The Horse calmly watched the Mouse. It smiled and slowly walked away.
"They shall be crushed under our hoof that will remind the Head of the Mice his rightful place", growled a stallion.
"They sicken of the calm who know the storm", the Horse advised his followers to let the mice be.
Thus, the Parade of the Mice spread along the street. They were too many in number shouting out crazily. The people were suffocated by the absence of the Horse.
Suddenly a storm attacked with heavy rains, and flood conquered the land. Birds flew away. Large animals crossed the river. The ones who knew to swim swam across. Only the mice were left behind.
None came to aid the mice and the ones who reached the other side safely shouted at the Mouse, "The water only comes up to the knee."
"To you it is an ant, but to me it is a dragon", the Mouse shouted back, "There are great differences between one knee and another. If the water only reaches your knee, it passes a hundred cubits over my head."
The flood ran like a madman swallowing the mice one by one, when the scared group heard a vibrant neigh.
"Listen", the mice heard a compassionate voice, "Jump up and sit on my back. This passage has been entrusted to me; I would take across hundreds of thousands like you", assured the Devine Horse.
Dedicated to all the mice who expressed their freedom of speech fluently.
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