Posted October 13th, 2015.
Now that the initial drama conflict is over, there's going to be a slight tonal shift in the story. Frankly, I was really happy to get to write this chapter since this is the point where they start to actually act like a family. Hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for reading!
XI
The days began to pass quickly. Kasey was Gale's ward now that they had found one another again. They settled into his familiar house on the hill, leaving the memories of Angela and their sufferings behind on the abandoned farm with its realty sign. As far as they were concerned, the state could have it. They were moving forward.
Without following any sort of protocol, the Wizard quietly pulled Kasey from school. Gale decided he would homeschool the boy; teach him himself. It was for the best. It was all Gale could do to make sure Kasey was safe from prying questions, and he would oversee his practical education first hand. All of his personal studies weren't necessarily chalked up to nothing either – the Wizard was more than capable of shaping Kasey's mind to proficiency.
The Witch was back in her forest, and Angela's various belongings that Gale hadn't found places for were cluttering his usually immaculate home. His crystal ball was tucked behind various books high on the shelf where it would be safe, and the table was cleared. But for one red apple.
"One!" Kasey said, pointing to it with confidence.
The Wizard took two more from the basket on the floor, placing them down on either side of the first with a placid expression.
"T… three!" Kasey spouted, quick to correct himself.
Gale nodded. The boy was fast. And the lesson wasn't boring him. Kasey was a curious child, making the Wizard's life much easier. He took one apple away. "Take one…?"
"Two!"
"How many… to make four?" Wizard tilted his head, studying the boy's face as Kasey thought it over.
Kasey's brow scrunched as he stared at the two apples on the table top. His legs kicked under his chair in the quiet. He couldn't see as Gale spun a ready apple in each palm behind his back across from him. Biting at the inside of his cheek, Kasey laid a small hand over top one of the fruits, visualizing it as he hopped the apple away from its double. "One… two… Two! Two apple!"
Gale raised an eyebrow. "Two… apple?"
Kasey shook his head, hitting his fists on the table in excitement. He hissed the answer. "Sssss! Applessss!"
"Good," the Wizard nodded, bringing the two forward to make four on the table. He wasn't going to overlook Kasey's careless enunciation anymore. It would be a tough habit to break. Otherwise, the boy would sound like a backwater hay bailer rather than a tried and true scholar. Then again, he was four. It would come in time. Gale took an apple and tossed it to his other palm, his elbows propped up and his sleeves rolled to the elbows. His cloak was hanging from a wall hook by the door. "Four… minus… one?"
"Tree! Three!" Kasey held up the appropriate amount of fingers, stressing the first syllable again for good measure.
The Wizard ventured for what to try next, playing catch with the one apple between his hands. He chose a second and twirled them both in a circle in the base of his palm. "Two… What do you need to make three?"
"One again!" Kasey said, grabbing the necessary apple to add to the equation and chucking it as hard as he could.
Gale's arm shot up and caught the apple with a light sting over his head, his eyes narrowing slightly in warning. But Kasey either pretended not to notice or didn't care. He giggled for his victory in basic math, watching the Wizard with three apples in his hands and goading him. "Juggle! Juggle!"
The Wizard looked down at his loaded hands, a knit in his brow. What did juggling have to do with math? Perhaps the lesson was over for today… Kasey's attention span could only carry so far. Slow and steady.
Kasey waited in anticipation as the Wizard examined the apples and tested their weight. He sat slightly back in his chair, and with a quick motion, passed a red apple into the air and began the rhythmic movement of shuffling them between his hands to complete the arc. Kasey laughed and clapped in joy, happy to see the Wizard had the talent.
Gale was quite confused. He wondered if this would be a good way to get Kasey to stop crying in future. "Does this… please you… somehow?"
Kasey dived forward to touch, and Gale missed an apple from his interference. Two went tumbling down, one bouncing off the table before rolling to the floor. Kasey cheered again as the Wizard collected them, inspecting the skin for bruises as he placed them back into the basket.
He picked himself up and dusted off his pants, looking to the window. The sun was beginning to set in peaceful yellows. The air was crisp and clean, wafting in through the open panes and spinning the spices and dried flowers hanging from the ceiling and casting long shadows across the floor. The sight had him lost in nostalgia he didn't recognize. Gale couldn't remember the last time the sink had been so open, the stove top prepared for daily use, the ice box… with ice. The Wizard had grown too absorbed in his craft to frequently require a kitchen, and it had fallen into disuse over the years of neglect. But now someone needed it again.
Gale looked over his shoulder and found Kasey watching him, waiting for whatever was next. The boy's stomach growled. Kasey looked down at it like it said something terribly offensive to him.
"Perhaps… I'll start dinner…" the Wizard pondered aloud, wondering what they had around. He still wasn't fully used to grocery shopping, but it was a learning experience he rather enjoyed. Food was so colorful and interesting. So many flavors and smells to fill a simple necessity. He told himself he'd learn how to make something that wasn't rice balls, so Kasey could enjoy all sorts of different tastes. And not grow up a picky eater.
"Yay!" Kasey jumped from his chair, taking enough care to push it in at an angle before running to follow the Wizard to the kitchen. He stood on his tiptoes to see over the counter, his chin resting on the edge as he tried to see what was on the menu.
The Wizard poked around in the ice box, finding a thick, leafy cabbage he had procured from the market. He set it on the cutting board beside the basket of apples and a chopping knife. With a hand to his chin covering his mouth, the Wizard appeared to be deep in thought over the spread available. Kasey looked up at him, bewildered.
Surely, there was some sort of meal he could make out of these things… The Wizard mulled it over for another good minute before he spun on his heel, remembering a helpful book of Angela's he had brought back with them. He easily found it amidst the various volumes, flipping the recipe book open and skimming for what to do with vegetables.
His nose stuck between the pages of the little book, Gale hummed in thought as he found a recipe for boiled cabbage. Perfect.
Barely paying attention to what he was doing as he continued to read, Gale idly reached for the knife. His fingers slid along the table, not finding the handle in his search. Being helpful, Kasey stretched out his arm as far as it could go, practically hanging off the counter. He took up the knife and waved it at the Wizard to get his attention.
"Butter… pepper… hrm…" Gale mumbled as he read through the ingredients again to take stock in his brain. It sounded simple enough.
Having not found the chopping knife, Gale finally looked away from the book and found Kasey kicking his feet as he balanced his weight on the edge of the counter, holding the glinting knife at the Wizard's elbow.
His eyes widened in shock, and the Wizard quickly took the knife by the handle, practically snatching it away from him. Kasey meant no harm and continued to stare up at the Wizard. Gale apprehensively eyed the knife now safe in his grasp. "Er… right… thank you… no more of that."
Gale wondered half a moment how he would keep Kasey busy while he made the cabbage, hoping not to repeat anything more dangerous with the kitchen utensils. His eyes landing on the apples, he took one up and set it down on the cutting board. Propping the book upside down to keep his place, the Wizard carefully sliced the apple in two. He beckoned his head towards it so Kasey knew to pay attention. "Half."
He cut it again. "Quarter…"
Kasey's expression was unreadable as the Wizard pieced the apple back together for him in order for him to see and understand it. How one became two. And how each became two of their own. And together, they were four.
The Wizard guessed right in assuming Kasey was doubtful. He cut the core away and held up a slice towards Kasey. "Four minus three…?"
"One!" Kasey recognized the logic, answering with ease. The Wizard handed the slice to him as a reward, and Kasey noisily chewed on the end of it. He pointed to another one. "Three! Three!"
"Wait… What's one… of four?" The Wizard quizzed, taking up the cabbage. He rolled it around and chopped the base off. With one hand, he held the leaves together as he chopped horizontal lines all of the way to the opposite end. Kasey still wasn't answering, so he tried again with a hint. "Four slices… made one apple."
"The quarter!" Kasey parroted.
"Correct… very good…" the Wizard handed him another slice that he wasted no time devouring.
Crunching the last of it and swallowing, Kasey jumped up and down for another. "Quarter! Quarter!"
"What's… left? If you know, then you can have them both," Gale negotiated, taking the chopped cabbage and tossing it into a pot. He filled it with water after the fact, wondering when he was supposed to add all of that butter and seasoning.
Kasey recognized the shape from the first time the Wizard cut the apple. He waved his arm around in circles in the air, a habit leftover from the classroom. "Half!"
The Wizard's hands hesitated a moment. He dropped the peppercorn kernels into the water and lit the stove with a snap of his fingers to the burner. He allowed himself a small smile. "Excellent."
Kasey eagerly awaited, palms open, until Gale placed the rest of the apple slices into his hands. The little boy squealed, stomping his feet. The Wizard watched him out of the corner of his eye in amusement as he stuffed his face full, spinning in dizzy circles. Gale wasn't sure if Kasey would retain any of the things he was telling him, but he seemed to be bright. Or maybe he would remember, but he'd only associate math with apples… The Wizard supposed there were worse ways to start and began to cut another apple at Kasey's insistence.
Dinner was fixed with Kasey's help (he wanted to stir the pot just once), and they settled back at the table. The Wizard demanded he wash his hands first, and it created quite a standoff before Kasey finally surrendered to the will of his rumbling stomach, needing more than apple snacks. Once they were both seated at the table, Gale dished out the hot, stinking cabbage into bowls and passed one to Kasey.
Gale brought up the fork to his nose and was surprised it didn't smell as nice as the recipe made it out to sound. He took a bite and almost instantly regretted it, getting a very strong, earthy flavor. That was something he had let himself forget in all the years without a balanced diet – some of those flavorful foods were not necessarily pleasant ones. He looked up and found Kasey's eyes glued to him, still not having touched his own serving. "Kasey. Dinner… eat."
"It smells…" Kasey's whining voice drawled out as he lightly poked his fork, head now downcast. There was no beating around the bush or being shy – Kasey had already made up his mind he wasn't eating this cabbage thing.
"Try it…" Gale attempted, not quite sure in how to handle his behavior in this situation. Truthfully, his displeasure was totally justified. The Wizard wasn't a chef. Perhaps he could see logic and reason. "It's good for you."
"Nu-uh!" He denied, holding his hands over his nose and appearing distraught.
He's… sad? The Wizard thought for a slow moment before he remembered. "Do you want me… to juggle… again?"
A high-pitched whine escaped between his hands clamped over his mouth. So that wasn't it. Gale wasn't ready to resort to bargaining quite yet, but the temptation was high. He looked down at his own steaming bowl and set down his fork. He reached across and took up Kasey's bowl.
The boy looked hopeful until a forkful of cabbage was pushed towards his nose, and he was horrified. "No!"
"You're hungry… just… taste it," the Wizard insisted, prodding it forward again as Kasey's head turned away.
Kasey was the kind of child to find humor in their predicament, a smile cracking as he avoided the fork again and leaned as far away from the table as he could. "Nooo! Squishy! Ewie!"
"I'll need… practice," Gale admitted, setting down the bowl again. He picked up his own meal and tried another mouthful, finding it was blander on the second try. Until his tooth opened a peppercorn, and he winced at the raw shot.
Kasey found his fork and began playing with the cabbage, taking a long string of it and holding it up in the air. He studied it from underneath before it plopped back down. He whined again. "Can Witch come make dinner?"
"No…" the Wizard said in a grumble, his mood souring at the mention. Vivi would never let him hear the end of it. Besides, he wasn't about to ask for her help at every rocky turn. Gale just needed to learn how to cook for himself. He pointed his fork at Kasey with authority. "Eat your… squish."
Kasey's face fell in disappointment. "Aaaaww!"
After an unsuccessful meal in which Kasey resorted to giggling in awed disgust at his food as he mashed it around his bowl and squirmed when he tried tasting it, the Wizard caved and rewarded his valiant effort with plain cheese sandwiches. Those made him happy, and Kasey was ready for bed not too much later.
The Wizard went about his house stifling the candles out, pinching and twisting the wicks between practiced, numb fingertips. Kasey was tucked into his over-sized bed, eyes wearily blinking as he attempted to fight off sleep. Gale reached the last candle at his desk and watched the flickering flame in the low light for a few seconds, feeling rather winded. Like a presence leering over his shoulder, the Wizard turned to see the cloak left on the hook behind him.
His feet sluggishly brought him to it. Gale tested the soft fabric between his fingers, holding the sleeve up to his nose. Despite the years it had on it, it still smelled the same. Fresh, warm linen… and something he'd never had a name for. His green eye opened just a slit. Master…
The Wizard took the coat up from off the hook and slung it around his shoulders. Draping it across himself without putting his arms through the sleeves, Gale held it closed at his collar. He could already feel himself become more alert, and his golden eye shone in the light emanating from the last candle.
He turned and made his way back towards the bed. Standing a fair distance from it, he could see Kasey was lying motionless in the center under the blankets. His lips were parted, and his face was serene. He had fallen asleep already.
The Wizard silently sat upon the trunk at the foot of the bed, watching the boy's chest move up and down in calm breaths. Gale tested a few of his own, his hand that was over his heart feeling his lungs expand. He hadn't thought about things like this in so long. How it felt to be alive. What it was like. The subtle nuances of the everyday miracles of the human body, how it continued in its routine. How his kept going, even after all of these long years.
The time has come… when I… am the teacher now…
The Wizard didn't know how he was going to do it. For Angela's boy. It was up to him now. All he knew was that he had to do it. Do it right. It wasn't about him. He needed to succeed for Kasey's sake. But… how?
"See, this is your head line… yours is very long and straight… means you're focused. And a realist," Angela traced a line across his palm, her voice echoing in his memory. She met his eyes with a sarcastic gleam. "Figures."
His fingers subconsciously curled in, closing his palm. For Kasey's sake…
He stood and turned away, heading back to his desk for another night with a heavy tome. The Wizard wouldn't think it yet, but maybe it was for his own sake as well.
Gale had been a lost cause. But Kasey had brought out something in him that he thought he had lost long ago. Something… human.
