"T H E  T R U T H  O F  A
T H E O R Y  I S  I N  Y O U R
M I N D ,  N O T  I N  Y O U R
  E Y E S ."
Albert Einstein

"T A C T  I S ,  A F T E R  A L L ,
A  K I N D  O F  M I N D
R E A D I N G ."
Sarah Orne Jewett

"T H E  O N L Y  R E A L
V A L U A B L E  T H I N G  I S
I N T U I T I O N . "
Albert Einstein

This is the seventh episode in the series about Maximilian, a boy with magical thinking abilities who uses them to make things better.
____________________________________________________________

“You said what I was thinking about Horace,” Willow said, smiling brightly at Maximilian.

She leaned down quickly, pressed her cheek against the top of his head, and gave him a little hug.

“It was like you could read my mind,” she said. “Like magic.”

“About him needing serious treatment?” Maximilian replied in surprise.

“Yes, I thought if I treated Horace seriously, he would not act so silly, at least around Suzanne,” Willow said. “And he did act more grown-up.”

Willow is such a nice person, Maximilian thought. She cannot imagine that I could be mean enough to be sarcastic. He felt ashamed of himself, like he had let Willow down.

“Yes, you were able to make things much better,” Maximilian said quickly.

Without me having to use my magical thinking too, he thought.

“And I said what you were thinking all along?” he asked Willow, hoping that she did not really believe he could read her mind.

“Yes,” said Willow very excitedly. “Isn’t that just perfect?”

“Well, I, I, guess it is,” Maximilian stammered.

He felt confused. This is not how it usually works, he thought. People say what I am thinking when I want to make things better.

“Tell me what I am thinking right now,” Willow said. “I know you know.”

Maximilian suddenly felt very anxious.

Oh, no, what am I going to do, he thought. How will I ever guess what she is thinking? I do not want to tell her I cannot read her mind. I do not want to let her down, and I want her to really like me.

Willow had closed her eyes and seemed to be thinking very hard.

Maximilian peered at her closely, hoping that he would not let her down. He really liked her.

Willow sighed and smiled.

She is thinking something really good, I can see that, Maximilian thought.

What could it be, he wondered? I better hurry.

“You are thinking that we really like each other,” Maximilian said quickly, holding his breath and watching Willow closely, wishing hard that she had those thoughts.

Willow smiled and nodded her head as she opened her eyes and looked warmly at Maximilian.

“See, now do you believe it? You do know what I am thinking,” she said.

Maximilian let out his breath quietly.

Maybe if I try, I will be able to read her mind, he thought.

And I had better try really hard, because now she believes that I can, he suddenly realized.

“And I do really like you,” Willow said, looking intently at Maximilian and waiting.

Oh, oh. She is thinking that she wants me to tell her that I really like her too, Maximilian thought.

He blushed very red. He had never told a girl he really liked her.

“Me too,” Maximilian heard himself mumble into his chest.

He looked up slowly.

Willow had crossed her arms.

“ Try harder, right?” Maximilian said.

Willow nodded.

So far, so good, on the mind reading, Maximilian thought.

I have to tell her I really like her. I cannot let her down. His face burned.

“Really, I, I, like, really I, I really like you, really I do,” Maximilian said, forcing himself to look at Willow.

“Now that was not so hard, was it?” Willow said, her face breaking out into a very kind smile.

Maximilian could feel the beating of his heart and the perspiration in his armpits.

He was relieved when Suzy came to join them. Trying hard to read Willow’s mind was stressful, especially when he had to say out loud that he really liked her.

Suzy had decided that Willow was her close friend since Willow had become very popular, not only for being tall, but also grown-up.

“We are the two most popular girls in school,” Suzy liked to say. “We should be friends.”

Willow would just smile. She was willing to be a friend to Suzanne, not because Willow was popular, but because she was kind, and grown-up.

Having Suzy as a friend will require lots of patience, she thought. Like Horace with Maximilian. That is the way it is with friends. They require patience.

And Willow thought that people acted like they were treated. Like treating Horace seriously. I will treat Suzanne like she is more grown-up, she thought. That is what a friend would do.

“Hello, how are you today, Suzanne,” Willow said, speaking politely to Suzy, in a grown-up way.

Suzy smiled. She liked being called Suzanne.

“Maximilian can read my mind,” Willow said to her. “He can say what I am thinking.”

“That is so sweet,” Suzy, said, thinking that is what a very popular girl would say to her very popular friend.

“That is the way it is when two people really like each other,” Willow said as she turned to look fondly at Maximilian.

Maximilian was startled. He was embarrassed for anyone to know that he really liked a girl. He had hoped to keep it a secret.

It had been very hard for him to even tell Willow that he really liked her. Now Suzy knew, which meant everyone would know.

“Willow and Maximilian really like each other,” Suzy said to Horace, confirming for Maximilian that she would tell everyone.

Horse had just appeared. He was never very far from Suzy.

“Right, like nobody knew,” Horse said, with his usual smirk.

Suzy frowned at him. She thought that a very popular girl like her should always be first to know things before everyone else.

“It is not a secret,” Willow said, putting her arm around Maximilian. “Is it?”

Maximilian shook his head slowly, now realizing that everyone already knew what he was trying to keep secret.

“I tell everyone that Suzy and I really like each other,” Horse said.

“Great,” Suzy said, frowning.

“We do really like each other, don’t we?” Horse said, giggling at Suzy.

“Read my mind,” she replied, glaring at him.

Willow and Maximilian looked at each other and sighed heavily.

“I am sure Horace could read your mind if he tried,” Willow said seriously. “He just has to believe he can.”

“Like Maximilian,” she added, squeezing his hand.

Horse paused and looked closely at Suzy.

She looked back intently at him, waiting.

“You wish I would stop acting silly around you, right?” Horse said.

Maximilian squeezed Willow’s hand. He saw how Horse acted seriously when Willow treated him that way.

“And it is hard for you to be more grown-up, especially around me, when I am being silly,” Horse added.

What’s a little magical thinking among friends, Maximilian thought, as he heard Horse say what he was thinking.

Suzy looked at Horse in surprise.

“Why, why, yes, that is right,” Suzy replied. “I do want to be more grown-up. It is easier when people treat me that way, like Willow, not when they are silly around me, like you.”

Horse did not giggle or smirk.

“Maybe things will be better now between Suzy and Horse,” Maximilian whispered to Willow.

He looked closely at Willow. She smiled. He could see that she was thinking the same thing.