Continuity notes: This story is nominally a sequel to my previous story, "Shadow of the Past", in that chronologically it takes place two years later. However, because the charactors and events of that story really don't much influence this story, it isn't in any way necessary to have read "Shadow of the Past" before reading this.
Dust and Ashes
Prologue
By: Winston deLeon
"Oh how I wonder,
oh how I worry,
and I would dearly like to know,
How all this wonder
of earthly plunder,
will leave us anything to show?"
- Led Zeppelin, "The Rover"
Night was sweeping over San Francisco. As the sun was falling into the west,
setting over the pacific ocean in a cloudless sky, a lone mouse, wearing a pair
of black pants and a long dark grey shirt, sat on the beach watching as it created
a gorgeous rainbow of reds and oranges slowly fading into a deep indigo just
beginning to glimmer with the first visible stars.
Waves lapped slowly onto the sand, creating a pleasantly calm backdrop of soft rhythmic noise. At this late hour, the mouse had the beach all to herself, the human crowds of the day having all headed home some time ago. She sat on a large stick of driftwood far back on the sand, simply watching as the glow of the sun faded and the dark of night crept over the world. Breeze coming in off the water blew softly through her long dark brown hair. For a long time she sat in silence, gazing out over the ocean, until the sun had vanished completely under the horizon and night was fully upon the world. At last, she slowly got up, straightened the dark grey shirt she was wearing, and silently turned to leave. She exited the beach, walked down a nearby road, and began wandering into town.
A few minutes later, as she was walking down a sidewalk, she was stopped by an old male mouse in ragged clothes. He was holding a metal cup made from an old battered thimble, and he waved it around, rattling a few small rodent-size coins that were in the bottom of it. "Any spare change for an old guy down on his luck?" He asked the female mouse pleadingly.
She regarded him for a second with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Would it really make you happy?" she asked.
"Oh, yes ma'am." The old beggar said, looking at her hopefully.
"Oh?" She asked with a bit of surprise. "And why is that? You really should think hard about it."
The old mouse stood, thinking hard (or trying to look like he was thinking hard) for a moment or two. "Well... money makes the world go 'round, you know..." The old mouse ventured. "Can't do much without it, and I got none." He lamented.
She sighed and shook her head. "I see." She said, as she reached into a large pocket on her shirt and pulled out a big handful of gold coins, all of them crudely struck but fairly large and valuable. "I guess that's all I've got left." She mumbled as she dropped them into his cup casually, smiling at the solid, and somehow satisfying, metallic clanking sound they made against the thimble's bottom.
The beggar gasped and stood there gawking speechlessly as he stared into his cup, now overflowing with a small fortune. "I... uh... jeeze, thanks..." he choked out as he gazed in disbelief as his sudden change of circumstances.
"No need to thank me. In the long run, I haven't really done you much of a favor... as you may discover in time, if you're lucky." She said dismissingly as she turned and started to walk away. After a few steps, she stopped and spoke again. "You know, now you're rich and I'm the one who's poor," She commented, "or so many people would see it. But... many people are fools. Just try and keep that in mind."
There were a few more seconds of silence, as if she were waiting for him to
reply, but he was still silent with shock. "Oh well, maybe I'll see you
around again some day. Hope your luck gets better." She said pleasantly
as she waved and walked off into the night without looking back, leaving the
old beggar staring at her as if she was completely nuts.
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Disclaimer:
The charactors of Chip, Dale, Gadget, Monterey Jack, Zipper, Tammy, Foxglove
and any other charactor originally appearing the animated series "Chip
and Dale's Rescue Rangers" are all © Disney and are used here without
permission. Any other charactors appearing herein that are not © Disney
are my own creations. This story may be freely copied, transmitted, printed,
distributed, used as bird cage liner, or whatever, I only ask that it is not
modified from it's original form and it is not used for profit in any way. I
believe that that concludes the legal mumbo-jumbo for now... On to the story!
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