IMAGINE HER SURPRISE. . .

"Hi!"

"Oof!" Aariah felt a great weight heave itself onto her back. "Young master, you're not as young and small as you used to be! -- and neither am I -- Must you do that every morning?"

"But how would you know it was me, then?" He got off her back as she stood while pulling a book from the bottom shelf in front of her.

"I would be able to tell it was you," she place the book down on the table and looked at him, "By the sound of your voice."

He sat in a chair next to her and persisted, "But what if I talk in a squeaky voice like this?" he said in his highest voice.

"It's still has your accent." She sat as well and opened the book near to the back.

"And. . . if I talk. . . like. . . this?" He spoke in a low tone with several pauses.

"Nope, still you." She pushed the book under his face. "Now, read. . . aloud."

"Aw. . . okay. . ." he looked down and began to speak the text. ". . .the man stood at the. . . pin-nak-ll?"

"Pinnacle," she corrected, "It means turning point or most important point."

". . .pinnacle of his estate.  He was unsure as to whether to go forward with his quest to find his missing son, or to stay, and be merry with his wife before she dies."

The lesson continued on for several hours until midday when he had finished the book.

"Good job, little one! You finished it!" Aariah was now standing as she had gotten uncomfortable sitting throughout the reading.  Of course her little student had fidgeted and moved several times before and after she had.  "And guess what?  Now's the time where you get to pick any book from my shelves!"

The little boy's head jerked up, "Really!?"

Aariah giggled, "Yes, yes.  Your reading skills are great, so now it's up to you to find what will keep them polished. And I suggest that you don't pick something you've already read.  Reading something new is a great way to get better too."

"Okay!" he ran over to the bookcase and placed the book back.  "Which one?"

"Any one!  Any book that will interest you or any book that you haven't read yet! Go on!" Aariah came up behind him.

He knelt down and passed his finger across the bottom row.  Nothing interested him there.  The next row was just as fruitless since he had read those books before.  Looking up he decided he was going about this search the wrong way.  "Can you lift me up? I want to see the top rows."

"Alright, I'll lift you up." She picked him up by his sides and lifted him to equal to her eye level.  "That better?"

"Much!" the boy began to look across at the new books at the top shelf.  He had never read any of those before.

"Are you done yet? You're getting heavy." Aariah prodded him to choose.

"If I choose, you will not tell me I can't read my choice?" He turned his head slightly so he could hear her better but still keep an eye on one rather old and shabby looking book.

"As long as you choose, yes!" she was getting tired of taking so much time.

"Alright, then I will take this one." He pulled out the shabby book he had been eyeing as Aariah brought him back down.

"Which book did you pick?" she asked him as she followed him to the table again.

"I don't know. . . there is no title on it, but it is old." He flipped the book about in his hands, "You tell me, they're your books.  Which one have I pulled?" he held it up to her showing the cover and the spine.

Aariah's face went pale. "That's. . . that is a. . ." she couldn't believe he just picked her tattered old magic book from the shelf. "That book is blank, dear.  It was mine from when I was little, and its ink got washed away when it went in a river."

"Really?" he opened it up and flipped through the pages.  "Does this book bring you memories? Is that why you keep it?"

As he continued to flip a folded piece of loose paper fell out.  Aariah quickly swooped in and grabbed it. "Yes," she answered and put the paper into her pocket as he watched her. "It does bring me memories."

Her little student looked hard at the blank pages.  "I bet I could get the words to come back."

"What?" her voice was slightly high and quiet.

"My master was just teaching me along the lines of magic that could do that.  I bet if I asked him, I could restore your book for you." He turned it upside down and frowned at it.  "It wouldn't be too much trouble, I wager."

"Restore my book? I don't think so. . . and. . . You wager?" she paused, "Wagering, young man is for foolish adults." He looked up at her as she gently took the book from him. "How about we go outside and get your recommended amount of play in today?"

"That's sounds great!" he almost jumped from his seat.

As he went out back to the field with its clear stream, Aariah put the folded paper back into the book and quickly stashed it into her desk drawer, while taking a mental note to find a better place to put it.