the power of prayer

[Guest guest]

the story begins:

" Hello, I am the Blue Max, legendary song writer and story

teller. Perhaps you have heard of me. "

" I can't say I have. What songs have you written?'

" None. "

" Well then, what stories have you told? "

" None. "

" Then how can you be a legendary song writer and story

teller? "

" I can be. If you will allow me to tell you a story. A story

about a song. A special song and how that song came to me. And why

I have never told the story to anyone before and why I have to tell

it now to you. "

" You have made me curious. Tell me your story and I will

listen. "

" I have not always been the accomplished musician you see

before you now. When I first got this guitar for my twelfth birthday

and began to sing and play my own mother told me, " If you have to

make that noise, take it outside! " As I went into my back yard a

young man was rounding the corner near my house. He appeared to be

running for his life, and, in fact, not to far behind was a mob

chasing him. I had just begun to sing when this young man jumped the

fence and collapsed near my feet.

" What's wrong? " I asked. " Is there anything I can do? "

" Just keep singing. " he managed to say, all out of breath.

" Why? " No one had ever asked me to sing before.

" They're chasing me and I just need some time to recover.

Your singing will keep them from coming here. "

" Are you sure? "

" Yes. "

" Who are they, and why... " It was then that the mob arrived.

Throwing themselves at the fence in and effort to climb over it or

break it down. The crazy look in the eyes of these girls told me it

made no difference to them. They were coming in. I was so startled

that I forgot what song I had been singing, but I cleared my throat

and strummed my guitar and that sent the girls fleeing back where

they had come from. I sat down beside Joe and began to sing in

earnest so Joe could recover and tell me his sad story.

 

chapter 2 Sweet Loretta, the Goddess

 

" I just hope and pray that Joe gets over being so bashful! "

The girls had stopped to rest far enough away so my song was a feint

sound on the wind. " He's too fine a young man to suffer the way he

is. "

" Yeah, and he runs too fast. "

" And he runs every time he sees a girl coming. "

These prayers rose up to heaven and were heard by Sweet

Loretta, the Goddess of Love. " Now, that's interesting. So many

girls concerned about a boy. I wonder if he is for real. I think

I'll just go down and see. But I don't want to have to chase him all

over the world. I'll just slip into this magical cloak of

invisibility and go down and see if he is for real. You know, I know

what it's like to be bashful. He might be deserving of some help? "

" ...I'm no different from most guys. All I really want in

life is to meet the right woman, fall in love, get married and be

happy. But I don't see how that can ever happen. "

" Hey, Joe. If you should meet her, you'll be alright; if you

know this song. " I had jumped up as if someone had hit me with an

electric shock. In truth, I felt an aura of power flowing over me as

I began to sing a song I had never heard before. " Hey, Momma.

Hey, Momma.... "

Standing close behind me, unseen, the Goddess let me sing as

long as she could stand it and then she reached out and waved her

hand over me again. " If you should spend time with her, you'll be

alright if you know this song. `hey, Momma; hey, Momma.....' " I

sang the rest of the song before getting another dose of inspiration

and saying: " If you are tempted to fall in love, go ahead! But never

forget this song. "

Together Joe and I sang the `hey, Momma' song until Joe knew the song

by heart. We were completely unaware that Loretta was flying slowly

back to heaven . or that she had ever been there.

" Max, supper time! Come and get it. " I sort of hated to

withdraw my protection from Joe; but I had a hunch he didn't need it

anymore. And besides, I was hungry.

Loretta looked down from heaven as Joe mastered his fear of

girls by singing to them. They reacted quite differently to Joe's

singing than they had to mine. Instead of running away they were

drawn to him. He soon learned that any woman he sang the magical

song to fell in love with him and devoted her life to making him

happy. Satisfied that she had helped a deserving young man, Loretta

turned her attention elsewhere. She did not record the number of

women Joe seduced by singing the song, or the number of hearts he

broke in the process. But as this number rose the sound of their

pain and anguish eventually rose up to heaven to again awaken the

Goddess to Joe's conduct or misconduct..

" No! This has got to stop. That's not the way I meant the

magic to be used. "

 

chapter 3 the encounter with a curse

 

" Hey, Momma, Hey, Momma. You know my love is true. Hey,

Momma, Hey, Momma. You know my love is true... " Sorry. The story

can not be told without the song. " Hey, Momma, Hey, Momma. you know

I love you true. You know I love you so true; you never want to make

me blue. Hey Momma,...... " That's about all we have time for

because even as Joe sings into the Dancing Girls' ear as they whirl

over the lawn in a dance of love and ecstasy, and unseen Goddess is

swooping down on them and she is mad as hell. Striding towards

couple the Goddess carelessly allows the cloak of invisibility to

slip off her shoulders and slide to the ground. Feeling a chill she

pauses long enough to retrieve the magical cloak and redoning it,

continue on her way past the stunned man standing alone and the

fallen angel lying sprawled on the ground behind him.

" Hey, Bashful, hey Bashful, I hear you telling lies. Hey

Bashful, hey Bashful, I hear you telling lies. I hear you telling

all your lies. I know it's time to say my good byes. Hey Bashful,

time to say my good byes... " The voice of the invisible Goddess

faded away and marked the end of this strange encounter that had only

lasted a minute or two. But the lives of the two mortals who had

seen and heard her were forever changed, because when Joe had seen

Loretta in all her natural beauty he had reacted instantly and

instinctively. Shoving the Dancing Girl aside he had automatically

began to sing the `hey, Momma' song to the Goddess. The magic had

never failed him and he knew. he knew that he had finally found the

woman of his dreams. Of course he was wrong. Loretta is not a

woman. She is a Goddess! So the magic she had originally given the

song had no effect on her. Instead she had taken it in and magnified

it one thousand times and given it back to Joe. He would never

recover but would spend the rest of his miserable life searching for

the Goddess, who felt no love for him; no sympathy, no mercy as she

slipped back into the cloak of invisibility and disappeared from his

life forever. Oh, she would return occasionally to observe his

torment, knowing that even if she changed her appearance or made

herself invisible so that he could not find her, he would know she

was there close by. Maybe close enough to touch. Mortals who had

seen and heard her in life were left with sensitivity no one else

had. The could `feel' her prescience if she came near. This gift

would only add to Joe's torture. He, of course, would never sing

the `hey, Momma' song to another woman.

 

chapter 4: turning point.

 

Loretta would also return to the Dancing Girl, but first she

had important business to take care of.

Trusting Bashful Joe with a magical song had been a stupendous

mistake. Now she had to try to rectify the damage that had resulted

from that mistake. She went to each of the girls who had their

hearts broken by the song and consoled them for their pain and

loss. She then gave them something to compensate them.

Then she came to see me. It's true that I was just a boy, but I was

the only other male who knew the `hey, Momma' song, and some day I

would be a man. Young and innocent as I was, I needed to be told of

the magic in the song and of the curse. I need to be warned to be

very careful who I sang it to. And so here we are today. I am a

grown man telling the story for the first time because, as I have

said, the story can not be told without the song. And now, I sing

the song to you; `Hey, Momma. Hey, Momma... "

" Wait, Max. How do you know that I am not Sweet Loretta in

disguise? You said she could change her appearance. "

" It would make no difference. Sweet Loretta, the Goddess of

love herself, can do nothing to me that you have not already

done. `Hey, Momma... Hey, Momma.... "

" Wait, Max! "

" What now? "

" This is very flattering but I'd rather you didn't sing the

song to me. Truthfully, you may be a legendary song writer and story

teller but Max, you can't sing. "

" You don't want me to sing the song to you now? "

" Or ever. "

" I will do as you ask. I am, after all your slave, but know

this. I will never sing the `hey, Momma' song to another woman. You

will know I am keeping that promise because where ever you go in your

life you will never meet anyone who has ever heard of the Blue Max,

legendary song writer and story teller or of the magical song I tried

to sing to you today. " And Max got up to leave.

" What happened to her? "

" Who? "

" The Dancing Girl. "

" Are you sure you want to know? I mean, now you find the

story amusing , maybe even interesting; but you don't believe it for

a second. The Dancing Girl could change that. "

" I can't wait. "

" Well, the Goddess had given me my warning. She had given

the other girls effected by the song a gift to compensate them. She

had saved the Dancing Girl for last. Her case was unique. You see,

the other women had lost Joe to another woman. That's bad. But the

Dancing Girl, had lost her man to a Goddess. Who can compete with a

Goddess: It was the most unfair, you see. How do you compensate

a woman for that? "

" What did Loretta give the other girls? "

" Oh, the `big Daddy' song.

" What? "

" The woman's version of the `Hey, Momma' song. Any man you

sing it to falls madly in love with you. Devotes his life to

making you happy, until you break his heat by singing it to another

man. No limit. no curse. Destroy as many men's lives as you want. "

" Really! "

" There is one condition. "

" What's that? "

" Don't let another woman hear the song. If some woman who

has not had her heart broken by the song ever learns the song and

sings it the magic will go away for everyone. "

" So it wouldn't do me any good to know the song. "

" I could teach it to you. Then you would fall in love with

me. Later I could sing it to another and you would be broken hearted

but you could sing the `Big Daddy' song to anyone you liked. "

" No thanks, Max. "

" I couldn't do it anyway. "

" Teach me the song?'

" No. break your heart. "

" Back to the story, Max. "

" Great! " the Dancing Girl exclaimed. " Now all I have to do

is find Joe and sing the Big Daddy song to him. Thank you. Oh,

Thank you, Loretta. "

" Joe is suffering the curse of the Maximum Blues. Nothing

can help him. Forget Joe. There are thousands of good looking,

charming men out there. Take you pick. "

" I don't want them. I love Joe. Take back your dumb song.

I don't want it. My life might as well be over. Oh I wish it was.

And it`s all your fault. Joe and I were doing great until you came

along. boo hoo hoo. " she cried.

" Oh stop crying and let me think. O. k., what if I put all

the magic I can into the song and direct that extra magic to you as

you sing it you will become younger and bore beautiful. So that you

life is not over and need never be. Do you understand what I`m

saying, dear girl? "

" Perpetual youth? Eternal life?. Can you do that? "

" It's done, dear. Just don't sing it around other women.

They get hold of it and the magic will disappear for you and everyone

else. "

" But I'll have to sing the song. How can I keep it a secret

and sing it to? "

" Only to men. no women can be allowed to learn the song. "

" But the men. They might... "

" Might what? Sing the song. If they do I'll be there with

the curse of the Maximum Blues. No all you have to worry about is

you and the other exgirlfriends of Bashful Joe. And Max, of course. "

" Who's Max? "

" Don't worry abut him. He sings so bad no one ever listens

to him. "

" Oh, Max. That had to hurt. "

" Sweet Loretta can do nothing to me that you have not already

done. "

" I'm sorry, Max. But do you really expect me to believe that

there is a woman out there that can make herself young and beautiful

just by singing a song? "

" And steal any man away from any woman. That's the Dancing

Girl. "

" That's harder to believe than any other part of the story. "

" Tell her that when you see her. "

" When I see her?''

" I told you she would make a believer out of you. "

" What is she going to do, steal all my men away from me? "

" Until you either believe the story or are too old to attract

a man. And then she will still come to see you and she will be

younger and more beautiful than the day you first saw her because she

is applying the magic. Because she is taking men away from you. She

can take any man away from any woman. Any man, that is, accept me?

" Why not you? Is it because you love me too much? "

" Don`t joke. It is not a joking matter. "

" I'm not joking, I want to know why. Why did you even force

me to listen to this crazy story "

" Prayer. "

" What? "

" When you believe the story you will want to know what you

can do. I suggest prayer. Pray to Sweet Loretta the Goddess of

Love. "

 

chapter 5 conclusion: time passes. Max goes his own way.

After loosing one man after another to the Dancing Girl, she

confronts her, " Why are you doing this to me. To make a believer

out of me. Well, alright I'm a believer. You've convinced me. Now

will you get out of my life? "

" I'd love to. I don't enjoy this. But I can't. Not until

Max tells me to. "

" Do you mean the Blue Max. He put you up to this. "

" I'm sorry. But I have to do what he tells me to do. Take

it up with him. "

" I sure will. "

" I'll pray for you. "

" You'll what? "

" I'll pray for you. "

" Thanks a lot. "

 

" Well, Max. Here we are again. "

" Loretta. "

" You don't seam surprised "

" I've been expecting you. "

" I've been hearing a lot about you. About what you are

doing. "

" Just following your advice. "

" I told you to be careful who you sang the song to. I didn't

tell you to destroy a woman's life because she wouldn't listen to

your song. She won't you know. Even the pain and misery she has to

suffer for the rest of her life won't break that girl. I'm afraid

you can never have her love. I can't help you there. Damn it, Max.

The curse you put on her was worse than any I ever put on anyone and

she still would rather suffer the curse than listen to you sing.

" I wouldn't sing the song to her if she begged me to.

Singing the song to her wouldn't help. She was just a way to get you

here and hold you here for a little while. "

" You dare to think you can tell me what to do? I am no

Dancing Girl, I am Loretta the Goddess of Love. I'd watch your step

young man! "

" I am not young anymore. Unlike the Dancing Girl I can not

make myself younger Don't know if I would if I could. I can't make

the chosen one listen to my magical song. There doesn't seam to be

much that I can do. "

" Your beginning to bore me, Max. I have other things to do

and places to go. "

" You will leave when I say you leave. And you will take a

message with you when you go.

I want you to tell the Dancing Girl to leave the Chosen One alone.

Tell the Dancing Girl she doesn't have to worry about anyone taking

the magic away from her. Tell her she will have to share it though.

She will not be the only one with the power to regain her youth and

beauty and health. Then I want you to introduce her to Sweet MarI.

the only woman I ever sang the `hey, Momma` song to. "

" Who is this Sweet MarI? Have you been holding out on me,

Max? "

" She is my wife of thirty years. She knows the story but

does not really believe it, yet. She knows the song but hasn`t sung

it because I asked her not to. She loves me unconditionally. She

will do anything I ask. And she is dying. The doctors offer no

hope.. And tell my wife I love her and that this is the hardest

thing I have ever done. "

" What are you going to do "

" Break her heart by singing the `hey, Momma' song to you. It

will be my last gift to her/ "

" You will suffer the curse of the Maximum Blues! "

" So be it `hey, Momma. Hey Momma...