Soul Searching: Chapter 6
At first Cedric was terrified. He recognized Marvin as one of the most ardent of the students who would pelt the Groundskeeper with chestnuts and pine-cones. Who knew what else he was capable of doing? Then he remembered his mission, and understood that being the unsuspecting Marvin’s prisoner might actually be an opportunity to capture a soul.
Inside the gym bag Cedric thought about the soul-capturing methods he had researched together with Bobby. Many of them involved applying some form of physical force, and, of course, that was out of the question against his athletic captor. But he recalled an ancient esoteric Tibetan method of using mantras and invocations that might work against somebody physically superior like Marvin.
When it was bedtime Marvin took Cedric out of the gym bag and put him next to his pillow as a trophy. Cedric waited for him to fall asleep. Then he carefully crept up next to Marvin’s ear, and whispered the powerful Tibetan mantras into it.
Nothing happened. Marvin was fast asleep and snoring merrily, just like before. Cedric began to worry that the Tibetan method didn’t work, or that perhaps he hadn’t remembered how to perform the procedure correctly. Maybe he should take the opportunity to abort the mission while his captor was still asleep?
Just as Cedric began climbing out of the bed, he felt and odd sensation. Suddenly the moonlight coming through the open window gained a different brilliance, and sounds of the night became sweeter to his little pine-cone ears. Then he was filled with a sense of limitless joy, benevolence and compassion for all living things, even for the sleeping bully Marvin.
“So this is what it is like to have a soul!” he cried. “Oh, how marvelous!”