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                  THE MOUSE KING:   QUEST FOR A WEDDING
                                ,,,
                               (o o)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-oOOo-(_)-oOOo-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

                                                    o
                                                _---|         _ _ _ _ _
                                             o   ---|     o   ]-I-I-I-[
                            _ _ _ _ _ _  _---|      | _---|    \ ` ' /
 A long, long time ago,     ]-I-I-I-I-[   ---|      |  ---|    |.   |
 in a very old castle, a     \ `   '_/       |     / \    |    | /^\|
 king was dealing with a big  [*]  __|       ^    / ^ \   ^    | |*||
 problem.  His daughter, the  |__   ,|      / \  /    `\ / \   | ===|
 most wonderful, sweet,    ___| ___ ,|__   /    /=_=_=_=\   \  |,  _|
 bright, gentle, coura-    I_I__I_I__I_I  (====(_________)___|_|____|____
 geous and beautiful mouse \-\--|-|--/-/  |     I  [ ]__I I_I__|____I_I_|
 of the Kingdom -- was now  |[]      '|   | []  |`__  . [  \-\--|-|--/-/
 of age to be married,      |.   | |' |___|_____I___|___I___|---------|
 and the King wanted to    / \| []   .|_|-|_|-|-|_|-|_|-|_|-| []   [] |
 find the most perfect    <===>  |   .|-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-|   |    / \
 and worthy husband for   ] []|`   [] ||.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.|.||-      <===>
 her.  He wanted to marry ] []| ` |   |/////////\\\\\\\\\\.||__.  | |[] [
 her to someone special,  <===>     ' ||||| |   |   | ||||.||  []   <===>
 to someone strong and     \T/  | |-- ||||| | O | O | ||||.|| . |'   \T/
 powerful.  In fact, he     |      . _||||| |   |   | ||||.|| |     | |
 decided he would marry  ../|' v . | .|||||/____|____\|||| /|. . | . ./
 her to the *MOST* power- |//\............/...........\........../../\\\
 ful being on Earth.

 At this time, my little one, you have to understand that a princess couldn't
 choose herself who she wanted to marry. This would cause many princesses to
 have a very sad life, and thankfully today, we can marry who we want! :)
 So the princess mouse was very sad, for she knew that she had to marry
 the one her father choses, and she loved secretly a prince-mouse that
 lived in another kingdom.

               .     .  |   .      /  -- Surely, said the king to himself one
          \   ...   ... |  ...   /     night he couldn't sleep because he was
         ...\...........|..... /......    thinking about all that, surely the
        ......\... *      *../............   SUN is the MOST *powerful* being
     .......... ______________*_____.........  in all the world! I shall meet
       ....... (____________________>...    him tomorrow and ask him to marry
 - - - - - - -         (o     o)  - - - - - - - -                my daughter.
          ....*             \   *.....
      .........        ,____~   ..........        The day after, he had a big
          ...../.*           .*......      breakfast, and then he climbed the
             / ......*    *..... \       tallest tower of his castle (the one
           / ........... ..........\      that scratches the heavens with its
         /  ... . ..... |........... \      weather-vane) and said to the Sun
       /    ..     ...  |  ...  ...    \             from the tallest window:
            .       .   |   .    .       \
                        |                          "Oh Sun, Sun! You that are
                        |       the most *powerful* being in the world! Would
 you marry my daughter,    who is the most wonderful, sweet, bright, gentle,
 courageous and beautiful mouse in the Kingdom?"
 "I would be glad to do so," responded the Sun, "but alas! I am not the most
 powerful being in the world... look, look in the sky! Do you see the cloud?
 When he comes in front of me, he blocks my rays and stop my warmth...
 they are surely more powerful than I!"

 The King was very persistent, and decided to keep his hopes high. The day
 after, after eating a hearty breakfast, he climbed the highest mountain in
 the Kingdom, and met with the cloud:

 "Oh Cloud, Cloud! You that are more         (             (          )
 powerful than the Sun, who is the most     (              (           )
 powerful being in all the world! Would you (            (             )
 marry my daughter, who is the most          (_         (             )
 wonderful, sweet, bright, gentle,             (         (          )
 courageous and beautiful mouse in the          ^^^/^^^^/^^^^^^^^^^^
 Kingdom?"                                        /    /__
                                                  \__    /
   ?                                                 /  /__
    \   ( )( )________                              /__   /
        /00           \      _                         /  /
       O_\\--mm---mm  /_______)                        / /
                                                       \/

"I would be glad to do so," answered the Cloud, "but Alas! there is someone
 who is more powerful than I... look, look! Do you feel the wind? When he
 blows strongly, he pushes me far away and we can't do anything about it! He
 certainly would be the one worthy of your daughter."

 The king did not despair, and decided the next day, after a big, hearty
 breakfast, to meet with the Wind.

           .          .           .     .                .       .
  .      .      *           .       .          .                       .
                 .       .   . *        He traveled far, far away, to a land
  .       ____     .      . .       where only ice, mountains, cold and wind
         >>         .        .          live and play music all the time
 .   .  /WWWI; \  .       .    .  ____      between the    stars.    .
  *    /WWWWII; \=====;    .     /WI; \   *    .        /\_             .
  .   /WWWWWII;..      \_  . ___/WI;:. \     .        _/M; \    .   .         .
     /WWWWWIIIIi;..      \__/WWWIIII:.. \____ .   .  /MMI:  \   * .
 . _/WWWWWIIIi;;;:...:   ;\WWWWWWIIIII;.     \     /MMWII;   \    .  .     .
  /WWWWWIWIiii;;;.:.. :   ;\WWWWWIII;;;::     \___/MMWIIII;   \              .
 /WWWWWIIIIiii;;::.... :   ;|WWWWWWII;;::.:      :;IMWIIIII;:   \___     *
/WWWWWWWWWIIIIIWIIii;;::;..;\WWWWWWIII;;;:::...    ;IMIII;;     ::  \     .
WWWWWWWWWIIIIIIIIIii;;::.;..;\WWWWWWWWIIIII;;..  :;IMIII;:::     :    \
WWWWWWWWWWWWWIIIIIIii;;::..;..;\WWWWWWWWIIII;::; :::::::::.....::       \
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 "Oh Wind, Wind! You that are more powerful than the cloud, who are more
 powerful than the Sun, who is the most powerful being in the whole world!
 Would you marry my daughter, who is the most wonderful, sweet, bright, gentle,
 courageous and beautiful mouse in the Kingdom?"
 "I would be glad to do so... but alas! I am not that powerful... when you
 will travel back to your land, you will surly see this old tower on the
 the castle of the neighboring Kingdom... for centuries and centuries
 I have vainly blown on him.. and never would he move! This old tower is
 surly more powerful than I."

 The King decided to go see this tower and ask him to marry his daughter,
 since it was right on his way back to home: