How to be a Magician
By Mutitoon90
Based from Mickey and the Magician
Chapter One: The Magician's Apprentice
You are running late... again. You might be a magician's apprentice, but that does not mean that you were the more punctual of people. You have always dreamed of being a magician, but you were not very good at even the most simple of tricks, earning much laughter from others at your own expense.
However, the failures and the mocking never stopped you from trying, and you had realized that the reason that you were not as good as you had hoped to be was that you were learning magic on your own. That was why you became a magician's apprentice.
As you leapt over curbs and dashed passed by people, saying "'Cuse me" and "Pardon me," as you made your way to the abode of the magician you were an apprentice to, knowing that he was understanding, but he had warned you about been late too many times.
"Look who's running late again." The unmistakable voice of 'Honest' John Foulfellow openly mocked you in your tradiness, "That (Your Name)'s always running late, and I'm surprised that magic hack hasn't dismissed (your gender pronoun) yet!"
You ignored the fox's comments and continued your way to the home of the magician. As you reached a certain store, a good friend of yours called out to you, causing you to stop.
"You're running late again!" A tiny, yet stern, voice called out, and you knew that it was your friend, Jiminey Cricket.
Jiminey Cricket was a cricket that was one of the few people that did not make fun of you for being a poor magician. He was even the one that suggested at becoming an apprentice to a magician.
"Sorry, Jiminey." You apologized to the tiny being, "I failed to notice the time until it was nearly too late."
"Let's get going then." Jiminy hopped from the store's window sill and landed on your hand, "You can't be late again, (Your Name).
"Right!" You nodded before putting the tiny friend into your (pants/skirt) pocket and resumed your dash to your employer's home.
The home of the magician was huge and sat within the outskirts of the town that you have called 'home' for most of your life. Most people in town thought he was a rich recluse, but you have found that he was a pleasant person that liked to make new friends. He was impressed with you upon your first meeting, and he made you his apprentice.
"I hope I'm on time!" You huffed out as you reached the door.
"Same here!" Jiminey shouted from your pocket.
Reaching into your other pocket, you pulled out a spare key that the magician had given you upon the start of your apprenticeship to him, and you used it to unlock the door. As you tried to put away the key, Jiminey called out to you again.
"Other pocket please!"
"Oops!" You gasped upon hearing your tiny friend, "Sorry about that!"
You opened the door and entered the manor. Inside, the manor was filled with artifacts and many things, but you knew better; the magician kept his magical items in a room of their own, trying anyone and everyone out of them and the room itself.
"Hey!" Jiminey whistled to you, "Look at the table!"
You looked at the direction where Jiminey's umbrella was pointing at and saw the little table that had a letter on it.
"I think Mister M must had to do something important to leave a letter out in the open like this." You guessed, since the magician rarely did this.
"So, read it." Jiminey suggested, and you opened the letter and read it aloud:
"'Dear (Your Name),
I had to leave suddenly due to an important business arrangement, and I knew that you would be here to do your usual lesson. (Your Name), I've left the key to my Magic Room in the envelope so you can learn it; it's a little dusty in there. If you do a good job, you'll be a step closer to being a magician yourself.'"
You paused for a moment, feeling happy to be closer to having her dream coming true.
Jiminey, who was one that did not like hearing one thing with interruptions, poked out of your pocket, hopped into the little table and looked at the letter as he pulled out his spectacles. Once his spectacles were over his eyes, he finished reading the letter:
"Please, go to the Magic Room, and you'll see a list of what you are to do."
Then, he read the 'last part' of the letter:
"'P.S.: Should you be late again, you might need to find another magician to be an apprentice to.'"
"What!?" You exclaimed in fright and looked at the letter again, but what Jiminey had 'read' was not there.
You glared at the cricket, who was laughing into his gloved hand.
"I'm sorry, (Your Name), I couldn't help myself with a joke that's well-timed."
"At my expense?" You maintained the glare at the tiny being.
"Sorry." Jiminey laughed and hopped back into your pocket to avoid any trouble from you.
You returned your attention to the near-empty envelope and pulled out a key, which had a tag that had the words 'La Salle de Magie' on it. Taking it in hand, you went to the room, which had the same words on it.
"I finally get into this room!" You jumped with excitement, "I wonder what's inside!"
"Only one way to had out." Jiminey pointed at the door with his red umbrella.
You used the key and opened the door and entered the room with the tiny cricket in your pocket.
"Wow!" You and Jiminey gasped, amazed by the many items in the room.
You went to a nearby item and examined it, saying, "It's like being in an attic; there's so many things here!"
"No kidding!" Jiminey coughed out, "Including dust and cobwebs!"
"Hey!" You noticed something on a vanity mirror, "A letter from Mister M!"
"What does it say?" Jiminey asked as he pulled out a handkerchief to cover his mouth and nose from the dust.
You opened the letter and read it aloud:
"'If you're reading this, I'm not there to help you on the cleaning the Magic Room, and I'm sorry about that, (Your Name), however I'm positive that you can do the job. If you want to practice your magic, you must clear the room of the dust and the cobwebs and the floor swept of the dust. One more thing: the room must, at least, be cleared of dust and cobwebs before the moon disappears from the ceiling.'"
That confused you and Jiminey, who asked, "The moon?"
As if on cue, a soft glow emitted itself onto you and Jiminey, causing the both of you to look up, and on the ceiling was the moon.
"Wow!" You exclaimed in awe, and the cricket stated, "Well, that explains that!"
"Come on!" You shouted as you dashed out of the room, "The sooner the room is dust-free, the sooner I can practice my magic!"
Jiminey covered his mouth as you hurried out of the Magic Room to the broom closet to get the broom, the feather duster, a mop and a bucket.
As you grabbed the items, you hummed a melody that you have heard from a long time ago, and the more you hummed, the more words that you recalled until you were able to form some of the words from your own mouth.
"Look within, it's there to be found.
It is deep inside and all around.
It's a gift that you can bring;
It's a song your heart wants to sing.
So, take a breathe and take a start
And don't you be afraid.
"Let the magic shine,
Let the magic shine.
The secrets within are beginning to glow
With a shimmer and a glimmer where they ought to go.
"Let the magic shine,
Let the magic shine.
A twinkle of light and the shadows fade away
Okay!
Now, let it shine!"
"Hey, (Your Name)!" You heard Jiminey's voice ringing out to you, "You need to get cleaning if you want to practice your magic!"
"Oops!" You laughed at yourself, "I got distracted again!"
You grabbed the cleaning tools and went back to the Magic Room and back to your good friend.
"Sorry about that, Jiminey!" You said as you re-entered the Magic Room with the cleaning items at hand.
"Well," Jiminey removed his blue top hat and black coat, "let's started cleaning up!"
"Right away!" You chirped happily, feeling hopeful about your future as a magician.
Using some sense, you took the feather duster, pulled out a feather and gave the feather to Jiminey, saying, "Here's a feather for you, Jiminey."
"Thanks, pal." The cricket nodded as he took the feather.
As Jiminey and you dusted and swept the room, you managed to work for five mintues straight, when you noticed a prop for a magic trick. Stopping on the cleaning and the mopping of the Magic Room, you picked up the curtain.
"(Your Name)! Jiminey whistled at you, spooking you at little, "You're supposed to be working, not playing!"
"I wasn't playing!" You defended yourself, "I was working when I found the prop."
"Okay." The cricket said before asking, "Do you know how this trick works?"
"I don't know..." A groan came from behind you and your friend, "I've heard that (your gender pronoun) needs a lot of work."
"Who said that?" You asked Jiminey, who answered back, "I don't know."
"Over here!" The voice shouted at the both of you, "On the table."
You and Jiminey looked at the small table and only saw the magician's top hat, which was sitting on its top.
"You don't suppose that the hat talked?" You asked, but Jiminey was quick to dismiss the idea of a talking hat.
"Don't be silly, (Your Name)! Hats don't talk at all. Honestly, I'm starting to think that you're getting fooled before you're out of your apprenticeship!"
"Look who's talking, Cricket!" The voice laughed, and you saw that it really was the hat on the table that was talking to you and Jiminey.
"Wow!" You exclaimed in awe at the sight, "You're a real magic hat!"
"Of course!" The hat rose upon gaining your attention, "I'm L'Chapeau Enchante, but you may call me Chap; It's more fun to be called by!"
"Okay, Chap!" You smiled as you spoke, "I'm (Your Name), and I'm going to be a great magician like Mister M.!"
This caused the magic hat to laugh out while saying, "Ha, ha! You really think that you're going to be a great magician! That's about the funniest thing I've ever heard! Ha, ha!"
"Well," you responded to the mocking hat, "at least, I'm willing to try! Now, if you please excuse me, I've got work to do!"
"Yeah!" Jiminey Cricket nodded in a huff before returning to the cleaning of the Magic Room.
"Hey, kid!" The hat called out to you, "If you're such a great magician, why don't you try that trick that you were spying on earlier?"
"(Your Name)!" Jiminey warned you, "He's trying to get you into trouble!"
"Come on, kiddo!" Chap tried to pry into your curious nature, "Give it a try!"
"Don't listen to him, (Your Name)!" The little friend hopped up and down in protest of Chap's suggestion.
"Come on, Jiminey." You said, "It's just one trick, and if it'll shut him up," you pointed a thumb towards the hat, "we could finish the cleaning in some kind of peace."
"I don't know," your tiny friend sounded unsure, "but you could be right."
"All right!" You exclaimed in excitement, "Let's give this trick a try!"
"Just don't mess it up!" The hat heckled you, but you paid no mind to it and grabbed the curtain-like prop.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Creatures and accessories of all sizes!" That earned you a laugh from Jiminey and Chap, "Watch as I make a person appear from behind this curtain!"
Seeing a nearby chair, you covered the chair with the prop before lifting it up, and you readied yourself for the trick. However, you heard something before you could say any words, magical and ordinary.
"Was that a giggle?" Jiminey asked you as he hopped onto your shoulder, and you replied, "I think so."
Then, another giggle came from behind the curtain, and that concerned you and your tiny friend. As you dropped the prop, you and Jiminey were shocked to see the giggling person from behind the prop.