I am only a little Gypsy 1 - Reincarnation, does it exist? - 29. Chapter 29. Poisonous mushrooms; I am 'too young'.

This year, another cold and hungry winter showed up extremely early, as a few experienced Real Trappers had predicted in advance. Clearly, they had been right on the dot, as usual. Within a few days, the already freezing mountain wind turned out to be too chilly to go outside clad in only summer shorts. From now on, we had to wear our much heavier but also warmer winter garments whenever we left our caravans, at least during the chilly mornings and too cold evenings. To us kids, this felt like a brand new experience, because, for several months in a row, we had been used to strolling around almost naked. Soon, our uncomfortable winter garments started to itch, while their insides started to feel sweaty and stinky. Within a few hours, all the kids in our camp were complaining about the itchy and sweaty pieces of clothing we had to wear now, so that we wished from the ground of our hearts that next spring would show up soon. Obviously, I wasn't the only one who hated wearing too many or too heavy clothes.

By now, all the fattened marmots and other edible forest critters had already disappeared into our mountains or gone into hibernation in underground caves, or they had crawled into unreachable cracks. Therefore, from now on, setting any more traps would be useless. Still, morning after morning, we entered our surrounding woods, to scrutinize every single pothole, hidden crack, or almost invisible cave. Now and then, we found a hibernating fat marmot or a lethargic stray hare, and brotherly shared its little bit of meat. On rare occasions, we were able to find a cleverly hidden porcupine's lair and brought the fat animal home in triumph. Then, we had a real feast meal and shared its tasty meat with everybody else in our camp, including our grownups, always hungry 'infants', and little 'toddlers'.

Only now and then, we found a few still edible nuts or not too moldy sweet potatoes, and brought them home for our mothers to try to create some edible stew out of them. Then, everybody in our secluded camp gathered around our campfire, hoping to be able to fill their hungry stomachs with at least something warm that smelled good, thanks to a few still growing spicy herbs I had already gathered and dried in advance.

One day, our minors had been searching through a far-away part of our surrounding woods for any still edible nuts or not too putrid pods, when one of our oldest boys, Jock, unexpectedly stumbled upon an entire field of what looked exactly like the tasty mushrooms we had already prepared and eaten several times before! Looking elated, Jock returned to us, took a few empty baskets, and asked a couple of friends to help him gather the nicely scenting things. Together, they went to Jock's field and gathered all the mushrooms, to go home and ask our Wise Woman to test them. 'Safety first', as every grownup in our camp always told us, and our Wise Woman was a real expert in sensing and recognizing all sorts of edible vegetation.

Surprisingly, immediately after Jock and his friends returned with their filled baskets, I started to feel the same cautioning sensation in my inside that I always sensed whilst concentrating on any dangerous or poisonous herbs! Could Jock's gathered mushrooms be poisonous, although they looked tasty and absolutely resembled the ones we had already eaten many times before? Cautiously, I went to Jock's basket, sensed the energy of the nicely scenting and tasty looking things, and immediately warned him and his friends to discard their mushrooms and then wash their hands thoroughly, because their mushrooms were dangerously poisonous and would probably kill all of us within a few hours after we had prepared and eaten them!

Very much to my dismay, nearly all our minors refused to listen to my urgent warnings, while they went on touching and sniffing their mushrooms with hungry looks. Trying to hide their baskets from me, Jock told me that, although I was their appointed little Chef cookie, I clearly didn't have any experience with edible mushrooms, because they had already eaten these same species many times before without being poisoned, and therefore they would just take their unexpected bounty home anyway. Would I still want to accompany them and get my own share, of course after our Wise Woman had tested them first and then approved them without any problems at all?

Defiantly, I just kept on warning my too pigheaded friends to stop touching those dangerously poisonous mushrooms; until, at long last, they listened to me and reluctantly washed their hands in a foaming water stream, whilst promising me to let our Wise Woman test their mushrooms first before they would touch them again. Only my older friend Misha stayed at my side all the time, by warning his friends that I had already proven to be an excellent 'natural healer', and none of my former predictions had ever betrayed any of them!

In procession, we returned to our camp, although several minors kept telling me, over and again, they hoped I would be wrong and that they would be able to enjoy their unexpected tasty feast meal anyway. With an offended looking Jock upfront, we went to our Wise Woman, waited until she opened her caravan door, and then Jock asked her:

"Wise Woman, could you please test our mushrooms for us? They are looking exactly the same as the ones we have already eaten many times before, but our pigheaded 'Chef cookie' keeps on saying they are dangerously poisonous and will kill us within a few hours..."

Immediately looking wary, our Wise Woman stepped down from her caravan and took one of the mushrooms out of Jock's baskets. When she sensed what it was doing to her extremely sensitive body, she quickly put the mushroom back into its basked. With a severely shocked face and a slightly trembling voice, she warned us:

"Oh my... Please, don't touch any of these mushrooms ever again, but burrow them into our surrounding woods as deeply as you can, without touching them, and then wash your hands thoroughly with lots of water and soap! Although these nice looking mushrooms seem to resemble the tasty ones you have already eaten many times before, in fact, they are deadly poisonous and will surely kill you within a few hours after eating them! Why don't you trust your 'Chef cookie' anymore, instead of calling him pigheaded? During several former incarnations, he has been a powerful Healing Shaman and a Cosmic Mage; and, during his present life, he still inherits his Inner Wisdom and amazing knowledge from then. From now on, please start trusting him absolutely, and always listen to his advice if he ever warns you again not to touch any too dangerous herbs or deadly mushrooms. I assure you that he knows exactly what he is doing, and therefore, a next time, just ask HIM instead of me. So, don't let me see you here ever again whilst your so-called 'Chef cookie' is around to answer your questions about any edible plants, pods, nuts, or mushrooms."

For quite some time, all our stunned looking minors remained speechless, whilst casting stealthy glances at me and at each other. Then, they woke up from their stupor and started to dance around me while ruffling my unruly blond hair or high-fiving me. Next, my again proud looking friend Misha took me onto his shoulders and horsed me around our campfire, followed by all the others. Clearly, our minors felt truly impressed by my now officially recognized abilities as their little Chef cookie who once was a powerful 'Healing Shaman' and a 'Cosmic Mage', although I was not even five years old.

After our enthusiastic minors finally calmed down, an ashamed looking Jock approached me and hesitatingly apologized:

"Sorry, Chief Cook, for calling you 'pigheaded', but I didn't really mean it. From now on, we will always listen to your advice, even if that means we will have to discard some nice looking food."

Sensing that Jock really meant what he said, I responded:

"Okay, apology accepted! Shall we now return to our surrounding woods, first bury your mushrooms and wash our hands with water and soap, and then just go on searching for any other edible things?"

From now on, anytime when any of our minors found something that might be edible, they first asked ME to test it. Time and again, I concentrated on their questionable food and sensed its aura. When the food felt good, I took it into my hands and concentrated on its energy, whilst sensing what it did to my own sensitive body. If any unknown food made me feel sick, wary, or queasy, we could NOT eat it, and I told my disappointed looking friends to throw it away or to bury it. When the food felt good, I talked to it in my mind and 'asked' if it could feed us, and how it wanted to be treated. Fortunately, my now officially recognized 'Healing Shaman and Cosmic Mage' abilities always worked infallibly, and even our grownups started to trust me unconditionally, although I was not even five years old.

While our mountain wind blew colder and chillier, we just went on scouring our surrounding woods and dense forests, still looking for any edible plants, buried roots, or not too moldy fruits or pods that I always had to approve first. Even the smallest amount of extra food could help keeping us healthy during the first period of our next cold winter, especially when we suddenly found a hibernating porcupine and enthusiastically brought it home, to let everybody in our always hungry camp enjoy a portion of its tasty roasted meat.

One time, after returning home empty-handed and feeling hungry, I slumped down on my wooden bench, put my head in my hands, and started to think. Why was I the only one in our entire group of minors who was able to test our food for being edible? This morning, I had stealthily 'scanned' a few minors that I thought could be sensitive enough to do the same things that I always did. The most important question was; would I be able to help them develop their dormant skills, just as Misha had helped me sense those earth energies that always warned me in advance before I approached a hidden crack or pothole? Suddenly feeling enthusiastic, I gathered our most sensitive minors around me and asked them:

"Tomorrow morning, I would like to start teaching you how you too could test any unknown food for being edible..."

Not surprisingly, all my gathered minors reacted enthusiastic and told me this was exactly what they had wanted to do all the time!

The next morning, immediately after following our winding paths and gathering in our usual cathedral clearing, all my sensitive minors sat down around me in a circle, with eager faces, while they waited for me to start my first lesson. Of course, I had already thought about what I should do to test them first. Now, I asked them to follow me into our surrounding woods, where I plucked a few slightly poisonous herbs and asked my eager looking students to take my herbs into their hands, one by one, and then describe what they felt or sensed in their insides. Unfortunately, two out of seven gathered kids didn't feel or sense anything at all, so that I had to disappoint them by telling them to go back to our other minors, because they had to develop their clearly still dormant sensitivities some more first.

Now that our two disappointed looking minors had left my group, I started to teach my five remaining 'gifted' pupils how they could develop their awakening sensibility more and more, by testing herb after herb whilst trying to open up for even more subtle sensations. Within a few days, all five gifted students were becoming real experts, so that even our most wary grownups in our camp started to ask them for help, at least during the times I wasn't around. Although my inside was already sure that my five students were both gifted and talented, I also took them to our Wise Woman, to test them even more thoroughly. After she had tested them, one by one, she congratulated them first, and then also told me I had done a more than excellent job! Her positive remark made me blush fiercely, as usual, although I knew she was right and that I really had done a very good job.

During our cold and hungry winter, morning after morning, our desperate looking grownups had left our secluded camp, to drive to a nearby 'gadjo' town, find some work, and hopefully earn some gadjo money. Near the end of the day, they returned, feeling dead tired and sometimes carrying a little bit of earned money after they had done some work. After they had gathered enough money, Michail always took it to a gadjo 'market', to buy some cheap food, used gadjo clothes, and a few other necessities. Then, we had a Big Feast, because we were finally able to fill our hungry stomachs properly, and to change out of any too old and too worn winter garments.

Now and then, Michail asked one of our oldest minors to join him to such a gadjo market, to help him carry a couple of necessary things. Of course, I always envied my lucky minor friend who was allowed to see some more of that mysterious gadjo world, while I had to stay at home. Near the end of such a day, our lucky minor always returned bubbling over with enthusiasm and telling us things like:

"At first, Michail had to bargain quite a lot, to be able to get their used clothes and food a bit cheaper. Until, near the end of the day, the gadjo's got tired and sold everything to us for a much lower price."

Of course, I too wanted to join my Big Friend to that mysterious 'gadjo market', to help him carry his necessary things. I was also sure I would be able to help Michail quite a lot, because I was always very good with words when switching into my 'brainiac mode' and using my deep baritone voice to impress my surprised listeners. Many times, I had already asked my Big Friend about joining him to such a gadjo market and helping him bargaining; but, up to now, he always told me I was still too young for such a risky adventure. Therefore, I had to stay in our camp until I would be at least a few years older and strong enough to be able to fend for myself if ever needed...

Time and again, Michail's refusal made me pout and feel sad, so that I stomped away and angrily kicked our big tree a couple of times. Although my body was still too immature for its age, my extremely bright 'brainiac' brain certainly was not! When would I finally have my first 'growth spurt', as Misha once predicted, so that I would be big enough to join Michail to such an interesting 'gadjo market'?

At last, even our shriveled roots, withered plants, and putrid nuts were disappearing from our menu. Day after day, our minors returned from scouring our surrounding woods and forests empty handed and feeling more and more hungry, secretly hoping that our grownups had returned from their gadjo work bringing home some much-needed money or perhaps some fresh food. Day after day, our more and more desperate looking grownups had been to many different gadjo towns where they had tried to get some work or money. Most of the time, they had been chased away, called nasty names, spit at, or told to disappear towards where they belonged immediately...

This morning, nobody drove away, but our very sad looking Vice Leader, Michail, asked us to leave our caravans and gather around our campfire, where he explained with a sad sounding voice:

"Unfortunately, our extremely early winter is becoming colder and colder, so that even our most experienced Real Trappers cannot find anything edible anymore in our surrounding woods and dense forests. Day after day, our grownups are returning hungry and empty-handed from visiting both nearby and far-away gadjo towns. Because of this, our Gypsy community has already used all of our spare food; plus we are totally broke, so that we cannot buy anything edible anymore; and very soon we cannot even replete our cars' fuel tanks anymore..."

Because Michail suddenly started to sniffle and clearly couldn't talk anymore from his unexpectedly welling emotions, my Dad took over and told us with an even sadder sounding voice:

"Our Vice Leader has already explained that we are totally out of food, and we also don't have any more money to buy anything in the surrounding gadjo world. Because of this, every person in our camp is now hungry, including our youngest children, and both Michail and I simply don't know anymore how to go on from here. Therefore, I suggest that we will ask our Beloved Ancestors and Spirit Friends about forcing some rich gadjo's to help us, as we already did several times before in our difficult past. Wise Woman, could you please go into a trance and try to ask our Beloved Ancestors and Spirit Friends for advice, before everybody in our camp dies from hunger?"

Before our Wise Woman closed her eyes, she asked everybody in our camp to be absolutely silent for a few minutes. Next, she sat back on her wooden bench and quickly sank into a deep trance... A few minutes later, she woke up from her trance, and first drank a glass of water to recover. Then, she rose from her bench and told us:

"Because our Beloved Ancestors and Spirit Friends are sure that we have already done our utmost to survive, and none of this has been our own fault, they will again allow our minors to go to a gadjo town and beg there for food or money, just like they did it a few years ago. At the same time, they will also allow our grownups to do what they have done before whilst being in those same difficult circumstances. Again, we are allowed to force a few rich gadjo's to share a little bit of their so-called 'wealth' with us, by taking some things from them, but only from really rich gadjo people who clearly will not miss a few of their many 'possessions' anyway. Our Beloved Ancestors and Spirit Friends will stay around us and protect us if ever needed, although without intervening into our own free will, as usual. So be it!"

After thanking our Beloved Ancestors, Spirit Friends, and Wise Woman for their much appreciated help and advice, my Dad added:

"Tomorrow morning, our entire camp has to wake up a bit earlier, so that a few grownups can drive our minors to a nearby gadjo town, to start begging there for food or money. At the same time, all our other grownups will drive to a hitherto unvisited far-away gadjo town, where they will try to gather as many valuable things as they can, but only from really rich people who will not miss some of their so-called 'possessions' anyway. May our Highest Supreme Being stay with us and hopefully bless our important mission. So be it!"

Suddenly feeling excited, I nearly started to dance around with sheer enthusiasm. Because I was now a real minor, I would finally be able to join my older friend Misha to such a gadjo town and see the so mysterious gadjo world with my own eyes! Inwardly, I was already sure that I would be a very good beggar after switching into my clever 'brainiac mode'; and, of course, I could always use my deep baritone voice to impress those gadjo's even more. For a moment, I tried to picture some hitherto unvisited far-away gadjo town, where our grownups would gather lots of valuable things, but only from really rich gadjo's who wouldn't miss a few possessions anyway.

Although we Gypsies never had any 'possessions' but always shared everything amongst each other, I knew from our stories that gadjo's were calling this 'stealing'; and, if they could catch a 'stealing' person, they would arrest them and put them in jail for disobeying their laws! Therefore, I hoped and prayed that all our people would return near the end of the day unharmed and still in good health. My Dad had also asked everybody to wake up a bit earlier, so that a few grownups could drive our minors to a nearby gadjo town, to start begging there for food or money. And, of course, I WAS such a minor!!!

Unfortunately, my Dad suddenly went on and added:

"As usual, all our kids below the age of seven years old will stay in our camp, together with a few older women."

For a second, I almost didn't believe my own ears! Was really my Dad dictating that all our kids below the age of seven years old had to stay in our camp? But, how about ME; because I too was still below that age of seven years old? Would my Dad force me to stay in our camp too, together with our 'infants' and 'toddlers', although I was now one of our minors and had already proven to be mature enough to fend for myself? Yet, I was not even five years old and still the youngest kid ever in our group of minors. Most other minors were already between seven and fifteen years old, except for Jonno and two other small boys who were only six years old.

Feeling severely disappointed, I decided to defy my Dad, although he was our Beloved Leader and therefore every Gypsy in the world had to obey all his spoken or written words, always and everywhere. However, I was our Beloved Royal Gypsy Crown Prince and his own son; and didn't those facts make me more special? Therefore, my Dad had no right to keep his little Crown Prince here and thereby spoil all my fun, while nearly all our other minors would visit those interesting gadjo 'towns' and start begging there for food or money. Besides, in that unknown gadjo town, I would be together with my experienced friend Misha anyway!

Feeling more and more convinced that I was right and he was wrong, I went to my Dad, pulled at his arm to get his attention, and then told him:

"Dad? Keeping ME home would be very unfair, because I HAVE to join my minor friends to that gadjo town tomorrow! They will need me there, because I am already a valuable part of our group of minors. I am the youngest kid ever who caught a pig in his first snare, I am our Chef Cook, I am extremely bright for my age, I am certainly mature enough to fend for myself if necessary, and I will be together with my experienced older minor friend Misha anyway! Therefore, you just HAVE to let me join our other minors to that nearby gadjo town, to help them beg for food and money."

Looking surprised, my Dad first squatted down and pulled my tiny frame against his broad chest. Whilst enclosing my small body into his warm and safe feeling arms, he started to explain:

"My dear son, although you certainly have a few valid points, your body IS not even five years old and still a tad too small for its age! Before deciding on this, your 'Big Friend' Michail and I have already talked about what we should do, now that you belong to our minors. After some deliberation, we decided that we would just go on doing what we always did, sending only kids that are at least seven years old to that gadjo town, without any exceptions. Begging in such a hostile environment can be really dangerous, as many older minors will confirm from their own experiences. Therefore, I am very sorry for you, but you ARE too young, and therefore you HAVE to stay in our camp, together with three other too young minors."

Feeling disappointed, I became angry with my too pigheaded Dad. Why had he just discarded all my legitimate arguments, without really listening to them? Inwardly, I KNEW that I was right and he was wrong, although he was our Beloved Gypsy Leader and I too had to obey him always and everywhere. Just wait until I will be big enough to take over and it is MY turn to start reigning...

Angrily, I turned around and stomped towards our Royal caravan. After going inside, I slammed our front door shut with a loud bang and entered my sleeping den. Feeling full of self-pity, I slumped down on my bed and started to cry from sheer disappointment and frustration. Why had I to wait until I would be at least seven years old, while my inside already felt much older? My Dad should have taken into consideration that I was already nearly FIVE years old!

As usual, my silly moping never lasted long. Soon, I got tired of feeling miserable, left my bed, wavered to our kitchen, and gulped a lot of water. Fortunately, our electric water pumps were still working, because they were driven by Pietro's huge collection of rechargeable batteries and therefore didn't need any expensive fuel to make them work. Feeling refreshed and less miserable, I left our caravan and strolled towards our surrounding bushes, without looking at our still talking grownups. Perhaps, I would be able to find some edible plants or not too putrid carrots, to still my gnawing hunger...

Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything edible at all, and therefore sauntered into the winding paths that led towards our surrounding woods. In a far distance, I heard our minors who obviously left our camp to search for any hidden animals in hibernation! Forgetting my silly self-pity, I raced towards them to help them, hoping we would find an edible animal or some not too putrid pods to still our gnawing hunger. Fortunately, none of my friends made any comments about me being away, and even Misha didn't ask me why my eyes were looking puffy. Working closely together, we scrutinized every tiny crack, pothole, and hidden cave, hoping to find any edible animals or hibernating fat marmots. Unfortunately, we didn't find anything edible, but most of my silly self-pity was gone and I slowly started to feel better.