The Charming Mind Thief

He was a charming mind thief. It was a secret that he was a mind thief, but it was no secret that he was charming. Leland Jeffery Dixon was a complete and utterly charming individual, and all the girls (and some guys) adored him. One would think that being so loved made it hard to find time to steal, but on the contrary, it made Leland’s work all the more easier.

But first I should tell you what a “mind thief” is. A mind thief is simply that; a thief of minds. Of course, they don’t really steal people’s minds. That’s simply impossible! No, a mind thief has the ability to delve into someone’s mind and read their secrets. Such a job is obviously quite risky and many made profits by supplying their skills to greedy businessman and high ranking officials. Leland, however, was a dignified mind thief-as dignified as a thief can be- and so kept his talent a secret.

It helped to be charming. The more people you could attract, the more minds you could happily pick through. Leland loved to pick through minds and find secrets that made him laugh out loud, or desires that made him shudder. If he read so much as a single homicidal thought in the mind of his groupies he would shun the owner. This behaviour caused everyone to think that hanging with Leland was a privilege, and that one must be worthy to do so. Secretly Leland found that idea hilarious.

One day Leland found a girl in the park. She was about 17 years old, with long straight hair. It was dyed a vibrant light blue, which seemed peculiar given the melancholic aura she was radiating. Intrigued, Leland decided to traverse this miserable girl’s mind to see what interesting titbits he could uncover.

But he found a firewall. This girl seemed determined to hide her thoughts, causing her mind to create a firewall, subconsciously blocking any mind thief. It was quite fancy too, adorned with warning messages such as “KEEP OUT” and “TRESPASSERS WILL BE PROSECUTED”. However, this certainly did not deter our Leland, not at all.

“A challenge!” He thought merrily as he watched the girl slyly over the top of a newspaper he had bought for thieving purposes.

But try as he might he simply could not unlock the keys to this girls mind. Frustrated, he scowled at the newspaper. A challenge indeed. Leland didn’t like losing. He would read each and every one of this girls secrets if it was the last thing he did! Determination flaring inside him like a majestic Olympic torch he rose and casually strolled towards the girl.

“Good morning,” He said, trying to sound as politely charming as he could.

The girl stared at him, not speaking. Her eyes were a cold... purple? “Contacts as well as dyed hair,” Leland thought, “what an exciting individual. I simply must have her mind”!

“It’s a lovely day, is it not?”

The girl shrugged as if she could care less about whether the day was lovely or mind numbingly horrid.

Annoyed, but not beaten, Leland tried a different approach. He sat down next to the girl and stared at her. “What pretty hair you have, my dear lady.” He remarked in a voice silky smooth. “Such a fascinating colour. Why, your hair seems as blue as the deep ocean.”

“Isn’t blue,” She grunted. Leland cocked his head before letting a wondrous smile spread across his face.

“What isn’t blue, my dear?”

“Ocean.” The girl said curtly, staring at her hands.

“Is it not? But it looks such a lovely shade of blue. The waves on the soft white beach... Ah, they are the most delicate colour.” Such charm would have normally won over any woman.

“It’s not blue. The ocean has no colour.” The girl remarked, suddenly forceful. She glared at Leland as if this was a very serious topic.

He raised a hand in peace and replied casually, “Oho! Is that so?” Inwardly he hoped this wretched girl would lower her firewall soon. Whilst chatting he had tried to invade her mind but to no avail.

“It’s reflected from the sky.” The girl continued in a deadly serious tone.

“Is that so...” The firewall was cracking. An opening! Closing his eyes in mock thought, Leland began to scurry through her mind, ready to devour her thoughts. But what he saw... Such a flash of colours and shapes. Something was wrong with this girl's thoughts, she was unstable. He had to abort; this bright and deadly mind was too much. But he couldn’t escape. He found himself lost in the colours, the sounds... He thought he heard laughter as his body slumped, his mind itself devoured by this odd, blue haired girl.

The charming mind thief was no more.