01.

[catarou]

Sender: Anonymous
To: Everyone
Subject: A simple fable

The recent festival has given me much to think about, particularly in the realm of gambling. If you will take the time to read on, I shall regale you with a tale that serves as an important lesson.

Once, there was a man who had been cursed by Lady Luck, for he had slighted her by allowing his pockets to become bigger than his fortune. It was a terrible curse; no matter what the man did, he felt the need to gamble day in and day out. Unfortunately, that was only one part of his curse. While the foolish gambler desperately needed to spend all of his time making bets he could not make good on, he also had terrible luck. Often, those who cared for him received messages that he required their help.

"Please, I need your help once more!" pleaded the gambler.

"I suppose it cannot be helped," replied his friends. After all, they could not allow their dear, foolish gambler to suffer. It was fortunate indeed that the gambler had such generous, kindhearted friends; they were not men who would allow someone so important to them to walk about the village in nothing but his smallclothes.

However... one day, when they arrived, they found the gambler in a precarious situation. He was locked up in a magical cage, and all he could do was meow, as if he were a cat. In fact, as they approached, they saw that he was becoming a cat! Indeed, a pair of fluffy cat ears had sprouted from his hair, and a fluffy cat tail had appeared at his backside.

"Oh dear," sighed his friends. "Well, it cannot be helped," they groaned, as the gambler started to meow loudly.

So, endeared by their gambler, the two friends worked together to break him free--both of his debts and his cat-curse. Of course, Lady Luck's curse was not so easily broken... Perhaps true love was the key?

And that brings us to our morals: Do not gamble when you know you cannot win; do not count your kittens before they are born; cherish your friends, for they will help you when all seems lost.

--Phantom

Comments

[chronicgambler]

Shit yeah get you some friends like those!

[catarou]

Oh? Do you, dear reader, have friends such as these?

[chronicgambler]

hell yeah i do! i aint dumb enough to turn into a cat tho

[catarou]

How insulting. Cats are exceptionally intelligent, you know.

[chronicgambler]

maybe cats are but that dude wasnt he got tricked right???

[galacticstar]

If you like to gamble that much you'll never win, mr gambler! ⊙︿⊙

And his friends being such enablers doesn't help either! ┐(´ー｀)┌

Did the gambler turn back from his cat form? OR did he stay forever a cute kitty? (☍﹏⁰)｡

[catarou]

You make an excellent point. However... the gambler simply cannot help himself. It is part of his curse, after all.

Perhaps his friends helping him is part of the key to break his curse?

He, luckily, turned back. He could not stay a cat forever, you see. During the full moon, his true form became clear...

He was more of a dog person.

[galacticstar]

But why help him to gamble more? (╯•ᗣ•╰)

He was a dog person! That's a big twist! (づ ◕‿◕ )づ

[catarou]

Oh? Do I sense a bit of rebellion? Fighting against one's fate and curses makes quite the story, I must admit.

[rebirths]

(*´艸`*)

[catarou]

ヾ(•ω•`)o

[rebirths]

Nya! (^・ω・^ )

[catarou]

Nya?! ✪ ω ✪

Sender: Noé

[archivaire]

Monsieur/Mademoiselle Phantom, thank you for sharing your tale with us.
It was a really interesting one!
I have a couple of questions, though.

1. Who put the gambler in the magical cage? Was it Lady Luck herself?
2. Is there any reason why the gambler was turned into a cat? Couldn't it be another animal?
3. Is giving money really what the gambler's friends should have done in this situation?
4. It's great that his friends wanted to help him break the curse. Will there be a continuation? Did they succeed?
5. Why true love would be the key?
6. What does true love mean?

This is just off the top of my head.
I would be very grateful if you could answer!

noé is so cute i can't

[catarou]

Oh, my. An active reader. How can I not appreciate that?

1. The oni he had foolishly bet everything on placed him there, but you could say Lady Luck had a hand.
2. The oni merely thought it would be funny.
3. As his friends had the blessed ability to turn whatever they touch into gold, they had no trouble coming into money.
4. Hmm... Asking for spoilers, are we? I think I shall leave that unanswered as of yet.
5. True love comes in many forms, you know. I would not underestimate its power.
6. I shall leave this unanswered as well.

he's, first and foremost, a dumbass 😳

[archivaire]

I should have asked if I should call you Madmoiselle or Monsieur Phantom, too...
But thank you for answering my questions!
Even if you left some of them unanswered.
Can I expect more stories from you?
It was an enjoyable read!
I'm not sure what are these "many forms" of true love you mentioned, but I'll keep reading your stories if you decide to share!

rip to him.....

[catarou]

Hohoh, how polite. Monsieur is correct.
Of course you may. Weaving stories is my special ability, after all. And should you make good on that declaration, all will be revealed in time....

Sender: Alastor

[lonelysmiles]

What a charming tale! Or should I say "tail"?

Ah, I wonder if this is one reason why dear Husker looks the way he does.

[catarou]

Why, thank you. I felt it was quite impurrsive, myself.

Husker? A friend of yours? Do you, purrhaps, value friendship as much as our dear gambler?

[lonelysmiles]

Oh, he's not a friend! He's an associate!

And as a matter of fact, he's a gambler himself! Upon his arrival in Hell, he was turned into a winged cat!

[catarou]

Oh, dear. It seems the truth is stranger than fiction. You are a denizen of Hell, then? How fascinating.

[66th]

[ narrows his eyes at this pompous narration. it feels familiar .... ]

This is boring. Don't you have an action/adventure story? 3/10, an effort was made.

i laughed oh my god

[catarou]

Oh, my. Are you always so rude when someone so graciously shares a story for free?

That being said, it certainly is not my fault you are incapable of appreciating more subtle stories. Perhaps I should have included more pictures.

[66th]

[ HE'S ENCOUNTERED THIS BEFORE ... HE CAN FEEL IT IN HIS BONES ... ]

Just because it's free doesn't mean I can't criticize it!

And even with pictures, it's not going to make it any more interesting. So it's a lost cause.

[catarou]

My apologies. I meant that I should have included pictures to make it easier to comprehend for our fellow dreamers who are not blessed with the ability to appreciate deeper literature.