"Good job guys." Jeff said. The circle of light had fallen now, the rest of the spells had began to dissipate as well although there was some magical residue over the book store, everything was relatively normal.
"I better get home." Nathanael said. "I want to make sure every-thing's relatively normal back home. Are you coming Bee?"
Jeff nodded, giving her permission to go. "Sure." She said.
"Okay." Nathanael put his hands in his pockets. "Jeff, can we drop by in a little while? You know for a... de-brief sort of thing maybe. I just want to make things look normal at home for now. Bee and I just need to make an exit where my family can see so they don't walk into my room and see us disappear into thin air."
"That's fine." Jeff said. "We can talk over lunch if there's anything you want to talk about."
The Wizards went up the three flights of stairs to the world gate and went their separate ways.
Just as the two young Wizards popped back into his room, Nathanael's mother stuck her head through his door. "Nathan, we're going to the store do you need anything?"
"Can you get some cherry pop-tarts?"
His mother smiled. "Sure. What are you guys going to do?"
Nathanael looked over at Beatrice. "I think we're going to go get some lunch."
Beatrice woke with a start as Jeff set a coffee cup in front of her on the kitchen table. "You fell asleep Bee."
"Really? I didn't notice." She said as she yawned. Nathanael sat by the back door having an in-depth conversation with the dog, Jack.
"Not as easy doing all that work with a normal amount of power is it?" Jeff whispered into Beatrice's ear. He too yawned.
"It's really not as easy. I'm really tired." She whispered back. Jeff nodded at her statement in agreement. "Just look at him," she said, referring to Nathanael, "I don't think he's anymore tired than he was when we left this morning." She sighed and rested her chin in her hand. "Being normal is work."
Jeff chuckled and ruffled the young girl's hair. "Nathanael, do you want some coffee?"
"No thanks," he replied, stopping his conversation with the dog. He stood up, walked over to Beatrice and rubbed her shoulders. "You guys look tired."
"We are tired." The other two Wizards replied in unison. "I'm going to take a short rest." Jeff said as he walked off to his bedroom.
Nathanael's head turned quickly. "Did that tree just talk?"
Beatrice lazily looked out into the backyard. "The horse-chestnut? Yeah. You'll find out that a lot of things talk as you get deeper into your wizardry Nathan."
He kissed Beatrice and began to walk towards the back door. "Do you mind if I go listen to the tree?"
She shook her head, yawning once more.
Nathanael looked up at the large horse-chestnut in Jeff's backyard. Hello. He said to it.
Hello, the tree said, rustling its leaves. Wizards don't take much time to talk with me anymore. Why are you here?
I'm a new Wizard. He said as he hoisted himself up into the tree. I heard you say something to the wind earlier... I've never talked to a tree before. He found a comfortable place to sit, leaning against the tree's thick trunk.
What are you called, Wizard? I am- The tree said several things in leaf rustle, morning shadow, and sunbeam that would translate simply to Lidisie.
I'm Nathanael.
Odd name, said the tree, But of course you humans have been odd since your first day on the earth.
I guess we have. The boy Wizard patted the tree's trunk absentmindedly. He shifted his position in the tree and looked at the ground. Do you ever get tired of sitting in one spot? I mean, do you ever wish you could move around like in the old days of trees, or wish you were a creature with legs?
Never. The tree said very proudly. I am happy with what I've been given. Although the tree didn't have eyes Nathanael had a strange feeling like Lidisie was looking at him. I don't expect you to understand (You're just a human after-all), but staying rooted is never 'boring.' There is always growing to be done, and wind to talk to (the wind knows so many things), and star song to listen to at night. All the creatures that choose to perch in my branches are always interesting as well. No boy, I have never wished to move or be something I am not. Humans could learn much about being happy with what they've been given if they would just listen to us trees. It seemed as if the tree sighed.
Nathanael nodded. That makes sense I guess. I wouldn't trade my life to be a tree though.
As it should be. Be who you are and don't complain about it. You'd do well to listen to me Wizardling. I've been standing watch over this house longer than you've been walking on those legs of yours.
Had he been speaking to another human, he might have retorted 'I'm almost 18!' but he decided this argument wouldn't have had much effect on the tree and more importantly, would have made him sound too much like a typical teenager. I'm too old to sit in trees. He thought.
Says who? The tree asked.
What?
I heard you say you were too old to sit in trees. Who says you are? Children are never too old to sit in trees and never too young to listen to our wisdom.
I didn't mean to say that, I was just thinking it... People are strange. They put age limits on everything.
'People' aren't strange. Lidisie replied. Humans are strange. The tree seemed to look away from Nathanael and over to the house. Go inside boy, she said. Something isn't right.
Nathanael jumped down from where he sat. He looked up at the tree.
Don't stand there like a stone looking stupid all day, go!
He didn't question the tree and ran inside. "Thank you!" He said to her.
Closing the glass sliding door behind him, Nathanael stood in Jeff's kitchen. He shook his head, to clear it. It seemed darker inside than it had been when he had left. The air felt heavy, thick, and sleepy, almost lethargic. Something about the house's atmosphere made Nathanael very nervous like a child afraid to walk across his bedroom floor after waking from a very bad dream. In that same child like state he quickly ran to the counter where Jeff had left his sword. Drawing it, he looked around the room. He clapped his hand over his mouth to suppress a yawn, afraid to make a sound.
Something moved.
With a several quick jumps, he landed in the doorway between the kitchen and the living-room. Beatrice lay sleeping on the couch. Her breathing was slower than it should have been. Everything seemed slower. Nathanael turned his head to survey the room. The silence was too much. He stopped his foot hard to make a noise, but the sound was muffled. He thought he heard someone giggle.
A flash of shadow.
Nathanael quickly turned in a circle, sword at the ready. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. "Come find me!" said a playful voice. "Come and find me!" The warm darkness of the house felt very prison like. Nathanael didn't know why. "I'll be sad if you don't play my game." The voice was childish but there was some power hidden in it that made the young Wizard nervous. Who are you? He thought, he didn't dare speak it. There was some sort of magic over the house that made it feel as if he spoke, the world would break. He took one step towards the couch, half expecting the floorboard to squeak. Everything else seemed so much like a horror movie at the moment, he just thought a squeaky floorboard would complete the picture. He smiled, allowing himself this private joke. It made him briefly brave. He took another step.
Another flash of shadow and children's laughter.
Children. Where were Natalie and Adam?
"I'm getting bored!" The voice said angrily. "You better come and find me!" There was another movement out of the corner of Nathanael's eye and a sound like someone running across the floor in bare feet. He turned his head.
A child's shadow stood against the wall to Nathanael's left. It wasn't a Shadow Creature like the one on the bookstore Nathanael had seen earlier that day with Beatrice and Jeff, this one was just a shadow. It was two dimensional, no real details to its body, a seemingly normal shadow despite the fact that it wasn't attached to anything made of real matter. It began to move towards Nathanael. "Play my game," It said. "Play my game with me or... or I'll do something really bad. You won't like it! Trust me, you really won't like it!"
