The Amazing Mouse

The Amazing Mouse

by Damon Nomad

          "This is insane. We are already in way over our heads with this business. I thought this sounded like fun and we would make some money. Neither one of us has experience running a large company." I took in a deep breath, "Last year I had trouble sleeping most nights. I never imagined spending money on this scale."
          I was still suffering the remnants of a hangover from New Year's Eve, two nights prior. Steve had just sent my anxiety through the roof with his business objectives for 1980.
          Steve kicked his feet up on his desk with that smirk of his. "You need to spend money to make money. It's the future, I see it clearly. You need to trust me on this."
          "I've known you since you were in high school. Don't try coaxing me with your vision of the future stuff." I waved a finger at him, "I'm nearly thirty, I have a mortgage and wife. This goes bust and we lose everything. You want to bet our future on that darn mouse."
          I continued, "You'll be twenty-five this year. You need to start being more realistic. We can't take huge gambles like this. The business is already growing faster than we can properly manage. Be happy with where we are." Steve is like a younger brother, but he can infuriate me. Arrogant and self-centered and he has a Svengali-like effect on most people.
          Steve hissed, "You can be such a coward." He has a dark side that he didn't show in public.
          I held my ground, "The investors are clear, no increase in funding over 1979 spending levels. You need a lot of money to do what you propose. I'm not going to sign off on a business loan."
          He glared at me but stayed quiet. I knew it wouldn't be the end of things. Steve didn't like to lose at anything.
          ***
          Nearly a week later he came into my office and plopped down on the easy chair in the corner. "I came up with a way to get the money, without the risk of a commercial loan."
          I rubbed my chin and took in a deep breath, "Let's hear it."
          In classic Steve fashion, he made a completely preposterous proposal sound completely rational and sound. He finished up, with his usual, "What do you think?" What he really meant was you better agree with me.
          "I've got no objections in principle."
          He interrupted, "I sense one of your big buts coming."
          I continued, "But, there is no way you will be able to get an appointment with him. Most people haven't heard of us, outside our niche. Why would he listen to you? Most people don't share this grand vision of yours."
          I didn't say so, but I didn't believe in Steve's grandiose vision of the future. What we were selling would only appeal to hobbyists and enthusiasts. I was quite happy with that and we could make a good living.
          Steve answered, "He's going to be in town in two weeks. A real estate seminar where he is a featured speaker. He has a room booked at the hotel where the seminar is being held."
          "You are ruthlessly persistent. You're just gonna barge into the man's hotel room? He'll have you thrown out."
          Steve tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. "I have a more subtle approach in mind." He jumped up. "I'll let you know."
          Nothing much about Steve is subtle. Quiet cunning sure, but subtle, not so much. I wasn't going to interfere if there was a chance he could get the money with no substantial business risk. Seemed more likely he would end up getting rejected and possibly suffer a bit of embarrassment. A little dose of humility would serve him well.
          ***
          Steve dropped by my office nearly two weeks later. "Just got a call. I've been invited to meet with Mr. Crow tomorrow night at seven in his hotel room."
          Crow was one of the wealthiest people in America; an innovative Texas real estate entrepreneur with a reputation for being somewhat eccentric. Maybe his eccentricity explained the willingness to give Steve an audience.
          I nodded my agreement, "I'm going with you."
          "That wasn't part of the deal."
          "I don't want you saying anything that misrepresents the interest of the company. I'll just listen, so long as you don't cross any lines."
          Steve sighed with a shrug, "Fine. I will let him know."
          ***
          We arrived at the penthouse suite together the next evening. I was surprised that Steve was carrying Lisa in the transport box. I wasn't convinced that show and tell would work with Crow. It was his show so I kept my opinion to myself as he knocked on the door.
          The door swung open and we were greeted by a waiter who escorted us into a parlor. After brief introductions, we were seated. Steve put Lisa on the floor beside his chair with the lid propped open on the hinge. Positioned so that Crow couldn't see inside. I was curious to hear how Steve was going to pitch this, he had not shared it with me.
          Crow sat on a sofa with a coffee table between our chairs and the sofa. He nodded at Steve as the waiter served drinks, "You're quite a bit younger than I expected." He glanced at me. "Both of you." Crow was in his early sixties.
          He continued, "The note you left at the front desk got my interest and I had the evening open. Kind of bold, but I like bold."
          His eyes narrowed as he stared at Steve, "You promised a glimpse of the future and a chance to be part of it. That's all you said; I suspect it involves money. My money." He took a sip of his drink. "You got something in that box, I suspect."
          Steve took a sip of mineral water. "Lisa is in the box." He paused a moment. "Can you imagine how mice might transform the world?"
          "You got a mouse in there? That's a big box. Must be inside some kind of apparatus."
          "It's completely safe, I promise. You will want one in your home." Steve was falling into the rhythm and calm conversational tone that made people want to listen and believe. I could see that Crow was curious and I knew most of what he was about to hear. I heard the pitch many times and it was appealing. I was perplexed by the way he was introducing it to Crow.
          Steve kept going, "In less than thirty years they will be in every American home. People will integrate them into their daily habits and their lives will be enriched and many mundane tasks will be simplified."
          Crow smiled, "You're clever and did your research. I love animals and like to study their behavior." He leaned back in his seat, "My family has always had dogs in the home. We love them like members of the family and they do enrich our lives. I gotta say they don't help with any tasks."
          He shook his head, "I don't think people are gonna much take to some type of trained rodent. I thought this was some sort of innovative business proposal. Not some kind of animal curiosity."
          Steve pointed at Crow. "How about a wager of sorts? You get to decide who wins."
          "What are you proposing?"
          "I will show you what Lisa can do. If you are impressed then you will offer us an interest-free loan of fifty million dollars. The faster we recoup the investment then the faster we pay you back. If we go belly up, then you lose your money. If we succeed you will get your money back in about three years. We will keep paying you a million dollars a year after the loan is paid off, for ten years."
          I understood the unusual approach Steve was taking and he hadn't lied to Crow. It was quite unorthodox but clever.
          Crow tapped his fingers on the arm of the sofa, "That's nearly ten percent of my net worth. That's not chicken feed." He stared at Steve for a moment, "Sounds preposterous for something involving mice. Unless you've done something extraordinary. Some form of communication?" He waved a hand at Steve, "You're serious?"
          "Absolutely."
          "If I'm not impressed?"
          "I'll pay you ten thousand dollars for wasting your evening."
          Crow took a long sip of his bourbon, "Well, you've got my curiosity worked up and I don't have anything to lose by taking the wager. We would have to iron out the details if I'm sold on whatever you got, but the general terms are good for me."
          Steve looked at me and I nodded my agreement.
          I watched Crow's face as Steve pulled Lisa out of the box and put it on the coffee table.
          Crow stared for a moment, "Ain't no mouse. It's some kind of small computer. What's going on here?"
          I plugged Lisa into the wall socket and Steve powered it up. He turned the display towards Crow and tapped his finger on the mouse. "You ever see one of these?" Steve knew the answer; no one outside our small company and one other lab had ever seen a computer mouse.
          "Nope. I'm not much for computers. Never touched one, to be honest. Wouldn't know what to type into the thing."
          The system booted up and Steve used the mouse to open several windows. "This is the mouse, it's intuitive and easy to use." He clicked on an application that showed advertisement artwork for one of Crow's businesses. He used the mouse to quickly change color schemes and font types.
          Steve waved for Crow to take control, "This window has data for financials, it's called a spreadsheet program."
          Crow put his hand on the mouse. "What now?"
          Steve walked him through a few clicks to bring up financial data and graphically display it. Crow slapped a hand on his leg. "Hot diggity dog. This is easy."
          Crow leaned back and stared at the computer for several minutes. "I'm guessing these computers will get even smaller and more powerful in the future. With all kinds of capabilities."
          Steve smiled with a nod, "Business, educational applications for kids, games, drawing programs for artists, word processors for writers, movies, and music. The applications are unlimited. With this easy-to-use graphical interface and a mouse, personal computers will transform the world."
          Crow nodded his head in agreement, "I can see it. There will be a computer, at least one in every home." He chuckled, "People will have an extra mouse or two in their desk drawers."
          He pointed at Steve, "Why do you call the computer Lisa?"
          Steve's smile evaporated for a moment. "An acronym of sorts." That was a lie, but it was a deeply personal issue for him that few people knew about.
          Crow tapped on the company name and logo on Lisa. "You might want to rethink the name of the company if you want to go public. What do Apples have to do with computers? It doesn't seem like something people are gonna remember."
          I couldn't help but be impressed by Steve's ability to sell this vision of a computer in every home to someone like Crow. Maybe Steve was right and this small enterprise we started together in his parent's garage might amount to something much bigger than a niche market. That possibility brought a different kind of anxiety for me.
          He could be abrasive and petty but few people have visions that might change the world and the willpower and genius to see them through. The kind of person who is always in over his head.






Word Count: 1960
Prompt: A memorable character who quickly finds themselves in a situation where they're in over their head.
Acknowledgment: A fictional tribute to the life of an entrepreneurial and visionary icon.