Chapter 1
He felt a shiver of excitment run through his body when his fingers wrapped around ivory shaft. He giggled and carresed it's lenght slowly as he brought it closer to his face to examine the beauty of his new tool. It was twenty centimeters long, along with the round head, in which the finest threads were sewn. He turned it around, and there, at the flat back of the head engraved lay the words:
For my dearest Weasel
with love, Fox
He smiled and ran the beautiful new hairbrush through his long, silky blonde hair.
He did it again.
And again.
Until his hair reflected the daylight which managed to come through a few windows of his room. He observed his reflection in the giant baroque style mirror. He admired his big black eyes, framed by long eyelashes and was almost lost in his imagination when a doorbell startled him.
He strode to the front door and opened it, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
He surley didn't expect a royal messenger to come by. He thought the boy looked kind of funny in that yellow – purple uniform and wondered was the hat too small or the boy's head was too big.
He tried to remeber what had he done for this to occur when the boy bowed and handed him an envelope, muttering:
„Good afternon, Mister. I am here to deliver this directly from the Queen."
„Thank you." he responded and took the message from the boy, with slighty shaking hands.
The boy bowed again and muttered a goodbye before disappearing, leaving a startled wizard behind.
He walked inside, wondering how did they know where he was, but then again, no one could hide from the Queen.
He sat on one of his many ottomans, opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.
„ Oh."
Dear Wizard,
we are delighted to invite you as a special guest in Annual Spydertown City Royal Ball. As it has been so far, each year the Ball featuers a theme. This year it is a Costume Ball.
The Annual Spydertown City Royal Ball will be held in Lion's Citadel this Sunday at 8 o'clock in the afternoon.
We are looking forward to seeing you there!
Signed,
Bartholomew Rulers
chief president of The Ball Comitee
Department of Wienners Balls
The Wizard read the invitation a few times, calculating. Why would he, the dreadful Wizard be invited to such, as it seems, important event. It's not like his reputation is on his side – everyone thinks he eats girls's hearts.
He doesn't.
Then it's like a lightbulb lit in his brain! They want him there so they could catch him!
But on the other hand, why would they send him an invitation right on his doorstep and leave if they wanted that?
He shrugged and folded the pink parchment back to it's original shape and left it on the counter.
„ A costume ball..." he thinks out loud and scratches his chin, of course, looking in the mirror.
„That means I need a costume." and immediately the wide door on his left spread open revealing a collection of the most colorful and obnoxious clothes.
There were tuxedos – yellow silk, purple satin with green lace, blue squirrel fur with white fox fur as collar (courtesy of Fox, with love sewn in gold letters on the inside), pink velvet jacked paired with brown velvet pants along with green laced collar and a matching hat which was decorated with enormous peacock feathers and many more.
There were shoes. Black, blue, pink, white, anycolor suede, leather, shoes.
There were hats – big hats, small hats, funny hats, serious hats.
But no costumes.
The wizard frowned. „Maybe books know something." and the second wide door, on his right, opened revealing a library that would put the Congress one to shame.
About two hundred volumes snuggled out of their shelves and danced around the room, following paths wizard's moving fingers showed and sat neatley on pillows the wizard put out for them.
„Now reveal me your masked secrets!" and just when he said that words he bursted out into laughter.
„Yes! Yes!" he danced.
„I need a mask!" and all books sat up from the pillows like happy puppies and danced around the Wizard.
When he finally came to his senses, he wondered.
„What kind of mask?"
One book (a big one, of yellow parchment) opened up. With black, bold letters it said:
need a new look?
„Well...Yes." the wizard answered as he read.
there's a costume ball coming up?
„Yes..." he answered now becoming slightly excited.
your hair is blonde?
„Yes?" he wondered how the hell the book knew that, but he kept on reading the ad.
if your answers are yes
visit Mad's masks shop!
we have all the masks you can possibly imagine!
find us at
Electric avenue, no 27
Mad's masks – helping you hide your real self since 234 b.c.
A huge grin lit up the wizard's face.
„Thank you, books! You've been most helpful!"
With this words he ripped out the Yellow Parchment's advertisment, and immediately a new one grew right out. The book giggled and flew back on it's shelf, along with others.
He put the ripped parchment into his pocket and draped his favourite pink cloak with grey squares over his white shirt, and slipped his feet into blue suede shoes.
„Let's go shopping!" he said and walked outside.
} **** {
„I need more men."
The place was crowded. There were about twenty people inside, but it still looked like the small shop would explode.
His hands hurt, the pain in his neck was becoming annoying and picked on him like a neglected child. The muscles of his face were burning from all the smiles and thank yous.
Yes, his friend and companion the Cash Register soon needed a new drawer because this one was almost full to it's limits, but work was killing him. Slowly. He couldn't do this alone anymore. One might judge him – with his nineteen years he should be able to handle this and much more, but his figure was gentle, and work had him worn out.
After ten more smiles and thank yous and ten more dings of his friend and companion the shop was empty.
He sat on his worn out chair and watched with tired eyes one white feather's slow dance towards carpeted floor.
He sighed.
The Royal Ball meant he wouldn't have to worry about paying the rent, but it also meant he would lose his sleep and lose all his inventory.
He made himself a cup of warm milk and locked the front door, turning Open inside, making Closed show it's face on the outside.
He examined The Inventory Book and made a list of items he needed to get.
So he put on his hat and cloak, and left for The Hunt, as he liked to call supplying.
The day was nice, sunny. Instead of clouds, the sky was spotted with advertisments of Royal Ball, which was only five days away. The city already looked amazing, with colorful flags, posters and other decorations. Even though the ball itself was held in one of three citadels of the city, the entire Spydertown celebrated that day. It was the Day When Spydertown Was Founded.
He walked across the crowded main square, then boarded one of the also crowded city transportation wagons. Driving across the Bridge of Bad Luck, he saw gathered people welcoming the arriving royal guests – dutchesses, dukes, counts, along with the army.
And there were more to come. Climbing off the wagon, he made his way through the crowd then into a labyrinth of alleys, which he knew well. A few more turns and he will be on his goal.
His heart skipped a beat when two soldiers noticed him.
„Hey, you little mouse. Are you looking for something?" soldier number 1 asked, leaning casually on the wall and coming straight into his face.
„No, sir. Nothing." he answered, trying to keep calm.
„Then how about having a cup of tea with us?" soldier number 1 asked as soldier no 2, the one with a moustache, came closer.
„No, thanks, I'm in a hurry", he said, his heart beating so fast he thought it might hit one of the solidiers in the face.
They started to ask questions, coming closer and closer into his face, so he stepped back slowly.
„Please let me go!" he cried.
They laughed.
„You're cute when you're angry..." soldier number 1 said. He felt tears form in his eyes when they leaned even further, as if they were about to...
„Oh, there you are!"
A voice.
The voice.
The soldiers stood right up, like a broom was shoved up paralell to their spines, with comically surprised look on their faces.
A hand on his shoulder.
„I was looking for you."
Yes, he's been startled, but a skip of his heart was nothing at that point compared to what it was doing when the stranger slid his hand further down his shoulder, letting it hang there in a lovable, relaxed fashion, and nudged him closer to his body.
„Who are you?" soldier number 2 asked the stranger.
„I'm his buddy. By the way, why don't you go for a walk for a while?" the stranger answered and moved his fingers in such matter the soldiers moved like dolls on a thread, and walked away.
„Please forgive them." a voice said in his ear. Seriously, from all this startling he might have a heart attack, but when he looked into those dark eyes and smiling face he felt...well he felt.
„They didn't mean to hurt you."
He just nodded, mesmerized by stranger's beauty.
„Where are you going, young man? Let me escort you for a while."
„Uh, no thanks. I'm just going to The Hunt..." he managed to find his voice, lost somewhere between the stranger's eyes and lips.
The stranger leaned into his face. „The Hunt?" he asked.
He almost slapped himself. „Uh..well..shopping for some inventory..."
„Oh, I..." the stranger said. Suddenly his eyes flew up to a point above his head and turned into slits. A split moment later they were walking together casually, like they have been doing that forever. The stranger's grip hardened on his shoulder.
„So, why the hunt?" the stranger asked in that sinful voice of his.
„Like...like I said, I'm supplying for my inventory."
„Inventory of what?"
They made a turn. He heard a soft thud but didn't look back.
„Um... masks. I make and sell masks."
They stopped dead in their tracks.
The stranger turned and again leaned into him. Were those stars in his eyes?
He instictively leaned back.
„Masks?" the stranger asked.
He nodded.
He thought the stranger's face would split in half how wide his smile was. And he thought he would die to be able to cause that smile again.
„What's your name, boy?"
„Ma..." he was about to articulate his name when the stranger covered him in his cloak and everything turned black.
„Seriously?!" he thought.
„Everything's fine, just be still." the stranger (at this point he was no longer a stranger, but still, for the lack of vocabulary...) whispered.
After a few loud heartbeats, he whispered a sorry and left with a woosh of his cloak.
TBC