Chapter 5: A Gift From Dad
Later, Laurel was walking down the hall, until she stepped on a small figurine from Barley's board game. She grunted in pain from stepping on it.
"Barley, keep your soldiers off my land or our kingdoms will go to war!!" Laurel shouted as she kicked the figurine into Barley's room.
"Sorry, Mom!" Barley apologized loudly from inside his bedroom.
"This is the world's longest gap year." Laurel sighed.
Then, Laurel walked into the living room to find Ian and Alana sewing up the tear on the sweatshirts.
"Oh, guys, I was gonna do those." Laurel said to the twins.
"It's okay." Ian said.
Laurel looked at how they sewed the tears back up.
"Wow. You two must've been taught by some kind of sewing master." Laurel said to the twins.
"Yeah, a very humble sewing master." Alana said.
Laurel grabbed the scissors and snipped the extra strand of thread off from each sweatshirt, finishing the sewing job. Then, Ian and Alana looked at the sweatshirts.
"What was Dad like when he was our age? Was he always super confident?" Ian asked Laurel.
"Oh, no. It took him a while to find out who he was." Laurel said.
"We wish we'd met him." Ian and Alana said in unison.
"Oh, me, too. … But, hey, you two know when your dad got sick, he fought so hard because he wanted to meet the two of you more than anything." Laurel said.
Ian and Alana nodded sadly. Then, Laurel thought about something.
"You know what, I have something for you guys." Laurel said.
Ian and Alana looked up at their mother as she stood up.
"I was gonna wait until after cake, but I think the two of you have waited long enough." Laurel said.
"What is it?" Ian and Alana asked in unison.
"It's a gift… from your dad." Laurel answered.
Ian and Alana looked at each other, wondering what the gift from their dad might be.
Upstairs, Laurel opened the attic to get the gift as Ian, Alana and Barley came up stairs.
"What do you mean it's from Dad?" Barley asked his younger siblings.
"We don't know. Mom said it was for all three of us." Alana said.
"What is it?" Barley asked.
"He just said to give you this when all three of you were over sixteen. …. I have no idea what it is." Laurel said as she pulled the gift out from the attic and gave it to Ian, Alana and Barley. They carried it into Ian and Alana's bedroom, put it on one of the beds and opened it.
After they opened the gift, a wizard's staff was revealed. Then, Barley gasped.
"No way! It's a wizard's staff.! Dad was a wizard!" Barley said excitedly as he picked up the staff.
"What?!" Ian and Alana asked in unison.
"Hold on, your dad was an accountant.!" Laurel said. As she talked to Barley, Ian noticed a piece of paper in the fold.
"There's a letter.!" Ian said, catching everyone's attention.
"What does it say?" Alana asked.
"Dear Ian, Alana and Barley, long ago the world was full of wonder. It was adventurous, exciting, and best of all, there was magic. And that magic helped all in need. But it wasn't easy to master, so the world found a simpler way to get by. Over time, magic faded away. But I hope there's a little magic left in you. So I wrote this spell, so I could see for myself… who my children grew up to be." Ian read out loud. Then, he went to the other piece of paper behind the letter. It was labeled 'Visitation Spell'. Barley examined the drawings under those words.
"I don't believe this. … This spell brings him back.! For one whole day, Dad will be back!" Barley said as he figured out what the spell meant.
"What?!" Laurel asked in shock.
"Back, like, back to life?! That's not possible.!" Ian said in disbelief.
"It is with this.!" Barley said, holding up the staff.
Ian and Alana gasped softly.
"We're gonna meet Dad?" Ian and Alana asked in unison. Then, Laurel looked at the letter and the spell.
"Oh, Wil, you wonderful nut, what is this?" Laurel asked. Then, Barley looked around in the wrap.
"Now, a spell this powerful would need an assist element. To do that, Dad would've had to find a Phoenix Gem!" Barely said as he looked in the wrap, before finding a Phoenix Gem and holding it up in front of him. Ian, Alana and Laurel looked at the gem in wonder.
"Woah, there's only a few of these left.!" Barley stated as he still held the gem in front of him. Laurel stepped in front of him.
"Hold on, is this dangerous?!" Laurel asked.
"We're about to find out." Barley said as he placed the gem in the staff and slid his hand on it. Then, he shouted in pain.
"What?!" Ian, Alana and Laurel asked.
"Splinter." Barley answered. Ian, Alana and Laurel sighed in annoyance.
Barley lifted the staff, ready to do the spell.
"Only once is all we get, grant me this rebirth. 'Til tomorrow's sun has set, one day to walk the earth.!" Barley said as he held the staff in his grip and slammed it to the floor. Nothing happened.
Barley said the spell again, but still, nothing happened. He kept trying, until Laurel said his name. He sadly put the staff down and sat down.
"I'm sorry you guys don't have your dad here. … But this shows how much he wanted to see you all. So much that he'd try anything. … Still, a very special gift." Laurel said to her children.
"Yeah." Ian and Alana said in unison. Then Barley got up and left the room. Laurel looked at the twins.
"Hey, you guys wanna come with me to pick up your cakes?" Laurel asked.
"That's okay." Ian said.
"We're good." Alana said.
"Thanks, Mom." Ian and Alana said in unison.
Laurel smiled and kissed the both of them once on one side of their heads. She got up and left the room. Ian and Alana sadly sat on the bed.