by Jerod Lollar
“Don’t hide this, Jack. The world needs to see as much as they can. This could end up helping a lot of people. Even if it only keeps people from picking up a shiny rock that ends up being a dragon's egg, it is important. This could save lives, Jack.”
“Ok," I said, "but we have to agree not to read this ourselves. You are a part of this story too, Michelle, and what you have told me will also appear on the screen. Are you ok with this?"
Michelle kept looking at the screen. I could tell that this was something she hadn’t counted on. She let my hand go and closed the computer.
”It has to be ok. It has already started.”
I could tell what was bothering her. Since the story was being written in my words, she would be able to see what I thought of her. I wouldn’t be able to hide it. My feelings for Michelle were a little confused. I really didn’t know how I felt about her. She was my friend and I cared about her. I didn’t know if I felt anything more than friendship. I was unclear on her relationship with Johnathen, and, if she read something in my story that suggested that I had any strong feelings for her, then it could cause a strain in our friendship. I was beginning to regret my decision to do this.
Michelle gave me a level look and said. “Let’s agree not to read this ourselves for a while. When it gets ready for the public to see, then we will go over it, but, for now, let’s trust that the magic will write the story the correct way.”
This sounded fair to me. After all, I really wasn’t sure how I felt about Michelle. I would have hated to have tension between the two of us over any mixed feelings. I knew that she had strong feelings for Johnathen, even though she might not admit it. And, the way Johnathen acted tonight, I didn’t want to cause friction between the two of us either. It was funny to me. Here I was, my life turned upside-down because of magic, and my biggest concern at that moment was a possible crush that sounded like an old high school style drama. What a mess! There was a part of me that wanted to undo the magic and forget the whole thing. But the idea of warning people, any way I could, about what could happen with magic was too important.
I wanted to talk to Michelle about feelings, but it just didn’t seem the right time. She sat uncomfortably on the bed. I could tell that she was not ready for that kind of talk. She looked different. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved red blouse. Her long black hair was back in a ponytail, and all that could be seen of her tattoo was the tail and claw on her hands. She seemed tired and a little thin. Almost like she had been working too hard. I felt bad that I hadn’t noticed before and I felt even worse at my outburst voicemail I had left earlier. I should have realized that the reason she hadn’t been in contact with me was that she had been working hard with Johnathen, probably over something for me.
The silence between us had stretched to an uncomfortable amount of time. I didn’t think either one of us knew what to say. The silence was broken by a familiar scratch at the door. We both seemed to start to breathe again. I went over to the door and opened it. Instead of the bobcat Johnathen stood there.
He had his crooked familiar grin. He stood there with his hands in his pockets. He had a sheepish look on his face as he walked in. He seemed a little embarrassed. He wouldn’t look either of us in the eye and Michelle just looked up at the ceiling, not wanting to look at him. I grabbed his arm and smiled at him. I was just glad to see my friend. I hadn’t seen him since the park and I could see a little grey in his hair. There were also faint dark circles under his eyes. He seemed tired and had a stretched-too-far look to him.
“I would like to apologize for earlier. I shouldn’t have been so short with you both. I was being silly and I should have known better."
He shook my hand, not really taking his eyes off Michelle. I had the feeling that he was apologizing more to her than to me. I didn’t mind. He walked over to Michelle and put his hand on her knee. He looked at her until she dropped her head down and looked him in the eyes.
Johnathen repeated, “I’m sorry.”
I could see Michelle break down and melt at his gaze. She put her hands on his cheeks and smiled. He opened his arms and engulfed her in a big hug. It was that moment that I truly realized the affection and love that these two had for each other. I had the feeling that the fight they had was a lot more than Michelle had suggested. Over Johnathen shoulder I saw Michelle's closed eyes tear up. She was in love with Johnathen. Really in love with him. I had no idea if he felt the same way.
They finally came out of their hug and Fetch came over to Johnathen. He had been waiting until there was no tension between Michelle and Johnathen, before he would even acknowledge Johnathen at all. I had to keep from laughing as Fetch pushed his head into Johnathen's chest playfully. It almost knocked Johnathen over.
Laughing, Johnathen pointed at him and said, "Careful, I am a wizard you know."
Fetch stretched his neck up to his full height. He was now taller than Johnathen. He blew purple smoke out of his snout. With a flick of his head the smoke made a ring around Johnathen's head. It looked like a crown. My jaw dropped and Michelle gasped in amazement. The smoke just stayed there floating around Johnathen's head. It almost looked solid. It was just out of Johnathen's line of sight so he had no idea what we were all staring at. He turned and looked into the mirror. It was his turn to look shocked. He reached up and touched the ring of smoke. It slowly lifted into the air and dissolved. The last part of it took on the form of a small dragon before it flew into the ceiling and disappeared. Fetch chuckled at his little joke, pleased with all of our reactions.
Johnathen turned to Fetch, “Long ago I had the opportunity to work with the dragons. I saw many amazing things. I have a deep respect for them all, Fetch, but during all the time I was with them, I never met one as amazing as you my friend. You are truly one of a kind.”
Fetch's eyes changed colors rapidly. He bobbed his head slightly as Johnathen's words affected him greatly. I tended to forget how alone he must feel at times, never seeing another of his own kind. He had to feel lonely.
Johnathen reached into his pocket and pulled out his pouch. Reaching into it, he pulled out a bottle of wine and four glasses. He opened the wine and handed a glass to each of us.
“I thought a little wine was in order," he said.
The wine was a deep red color that shimmered in the glass, almost like a light blinking on and off. I could have sworn it was making a humming sound. Johnathen caught me looking at the wine with a strange look on my face and laughed.
"It’s called 'Wizards Celebration'. The grapes are cultivated by gnomes. They sing and perform magic on them before they are pressed into wine. That humming you hear is part of the song they sang. Once you take a sip of the wine the humming will change. The gnomes claim the song you hear is the song of your true self. Each one is different. Crafty magicians, the gnomes, they have cleaned up magic messes for centuries. They were never asked to do it nor were they ever ordered to do so by any council. They have just always been there to do it."
“I’ve seen one around here,” I said. “There have been a couple of times that I would swear he can see me with the teardrop on."
A shadow seemed to pass over Johnathen's eyes when I said this.
“Was he the one you saw tonight?”
“Yes I think so, unless they all wear the same kind of purple sweatshirts with hoods."
“No, they don’t. Be careful around him, Jack. If he keeps being around wherever you are he might sense you. He has to have some idea that you are around, especially after tonight. You don’t realize it, Jack, but you demonstrated yet another new ability. You worked magic tonight, magic that has never been done before."
“What? New magic?”
I was keeping myself from looking at Michelle. It seemed that Johnathen had known about my little bit of magic I used to start my story. This was something we didn’t want Johnathen to know about yet. I figured playing dumb would be the best thing to do. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Johnathen, I just didn
’t want him to be worried about it. After all, we did kind of go behind his back and get the whole thing started.
“You don’t have any idea what you have done, do you? Jack, you were right there when the gnome sent out a pulse. It had no effect on your memory. It had to have passed right through you and it didn’t affect you at all.”
I hadn’t thought about it until that moment, but he was right. The little gnome was just a few feet away from me and his memory spell had no effect on me. I thought about the little girl who was unaffected as well. I wondered what that meant. Johnathen had made it out to be a big deal that the spell had no effect on me.
“There was a little girl who wasn’t affected by the magic as well," I said.
“Really? It was a powerful pulse and for a human to not to be affected by it is rare. Do you think you could point her out to me if you were to see her again?”
“Her family is staying here at the hotel so unless they leave tonight, I think I could.”
"Good, we will check for her tomorrow. I think it would be a good idea for us to stay here too, Michelle. I have already gotten rooms for us. I have neglected you for too long. It is time to really see what you can do. First of all we need to see if you can perform your forced magic in conditions that aren’t necessarily dangerous."
I nodded my head and looked at the wine. I was starting to feel guilty for keeping the writing a secret from Johnathen. It was quiet in the room for a few minutes.
“Are we really going to stay here for a while?” asked Michelle.
I could tell that she was desperately trying to change the subject. I had the feeling that she wouldn’t be able to keep our little secret for much longer. I hoped by the time she revealed it, the writing might have already done some good and Johnathen wouldn’t be too upset.
“Yes, we need to see what Jack and Fetch can do. The best way to do this would be to stay close. Look at us, just standing here with wine in our hands! Let’s have a toast and a drink. To new and best friendships. May we all find our way to make this world a better place."
If anyone else had made that toast, I would have thought it corny, but just looking at the gleam in Johnathen's sad tired eyes when he said it, let me know that he meant it. He wanted a better world. I made a promise to myself to help him achieve that goal.
I took a sip of the wine. It tasted wonderful! The humming did change. Each of our glasses started to make a new music. Johnathen's tune sounded like an old madrigal number I sang in high school choir. It was strong and sweet with a proud undertone to it. There was a strange weight to the music that could only be described as determination. Michelle's song was much sadder. It had a driving beat to it and the melody flowed from one style to the next. It seemed to say that she was accepting of change and could adapt to any situation. Fetch's tune was loud but lighthearted. At times you could hear a sad lonely melody attached to it. It was a little jangly but it stayed together and would eventually get on track. My wine sounded much different from the others. It was a messed up mix of melodies and sounds. It never seemed to stay with one melody or sound for very long but jumped around. Loud one second, soft the next, the best way to describe it would be like members of a giant orchestra were given different pieces of music and they played them all at the same time. This was very disturbing to me. It seemed to say that my life was a mess. I mean, I knew it was a mess, but for it to be brought before me like this was not a good moment. It was a noisy room for a bit until Johnathen motioned us to quickly finish our glass. When we all drained our glasses the sound stopped. Johnathen brought out a bottle of what he called 'Dwarf Ale' and gave each of us a pour from the bottle. With just one sip the world became a happy lighthearted place. My doubts and concerns over my music were pushed aside. An old memory of a friend of mine, whom I had not thought of in years, and how we had, on a dare, mistakenly mooned a cop, came to mind. I shared the story and we all had a good laugh. Our mood became happy and relaxed. We did this so quickly that I didn’t have time to even think about why my music was so chaotic. Soon we were laughing and just enjoying each other's company. Michelle shared a story of a guy sitting on an ice cream cone, and Johnathen shared a tale of a dwarf and an elf having a burping contest that was interrupted by a troll who didn't understand the rules and farted knocking both contestants off the stage. We laughed some more. Fetch laughed the loudest and, as always, caused me to laugh even more.
Our little party went well into the morning hours before we finally decided to end it. Michelle and Johnathen left for their rooms, and, after a brief wrestling match for the bed, I pulled the top cover off the bed and drifted into a satisfying slumber.
Chapter20
I woke up the next morning stiff and sore. I hadn’t done my usual work out and ended up paying the price for it today. Fetch was already up watching TV. I lay there remembering the roller-coaster night I had last night, from the fear and anger of an attacking goblin, to a bonding moment with a wizard and an up-and-coming witch. You definitely couldn’t call my life boring. I thought about how mine and Fetch's story was now being written; magically. I wondered, if something were to happen to me, would it continue writing? Then I remembered all of the things I had been thinking about Michelle. Those words would go on the computer soon and Michelle would be able to read them. I had to find a way to edit it. My face went red with the thought. I felt a sharp pain on the top of my head. Fetch had seen me just sitting there staring at the ceiling and had thrown a bottle top at my head. Before I could retaliate, my phone rang. It was Michelle. She said that we should meet them down at the pool in about twenty minutes. I jumped up and headed for the shower.
“We've got to get ready to meet Johnathen and Michelle by the pool Fetch. You should do something about your breath. It really stinks."
I slammed the door to the bathroom before he could respond. I took a quick shower and wrapped a towel around my waist, and then I cautiously opened the door expecting Fetch to retaliate over my comment. He was sitting on the bed still watching TV. You could see the bed sagging from his weight. I grabbed my bathing suit and slapped on some deodorant. I turned to the vanity area to brush my teeth and saw the toothpaste squeezed out and my tooth brush mangled and twisted. I looked over at Fetch who was sitting on the bed looking at me. He was smiling a very big toothy grin.
“Ha Ha, Lizard, very funny."
I brushed my teeth with my finger and in minuets headed out the door. I saw Michelle and Johnathen sitting in lounge chairs. Michelle was wearing a two-piece suit. I could see more of her incredible tattoo, which seemed to cover most of her body. I had to admire her commitment to get that much work done. It had to have taken a lot of time and effort. Johnathen was in a pair of shorts and, of course, a black T-shirt. He was having an animated conversation with a little girl, the little girl from last night. I walked up as the little girl was talking to Johnathen about the green monkey that took her little brother. I saw her parents giving Michelle the once over. They seemed to have a problem with her tattoo. They didn’t give Johnathen a second look as he continued to talk to the little girl. When Johnathen saw me, he smiled and said.
“Hello Jack. I would like you to meet Brittney.”
The little girl turned around and her eyes got really big when she saw me. She ran up and gave me a big hug.
“This is the guy who saved my brother,” she shouted.
I looked over at her parents. They continued to look at Michelle who was effectively ignoring them. It seemed strange to me that these parents were not worried about Johnathen or me talking to their little girl. I patted Brittney on the head. She let me go and went back to standing in front of Johnathen.
"This is Michelle’s and my friend, Brittney. His name is Jack."
She ran back to me giving me another hug. ”Hi, Jack! I’m four. How old are you? Did you get that green monkey and kick him when you saved my brother?”
Johnathen laughed at Brittney’s rapid way of talking. Michelle looked over, smiling at the whole excha
nge. She got up and moved toward us. I could see a look of concern from the parents, then, when she got about five feet away from us, a strange glazed look came over the parents' faces and they both went back to their books as if they had never noticed her at all. Johnathen had taken Brittney’s hands. Michelle sat next to Johnathen. Brittney kept on staring at Michelle’s tattoo. She wasn’t scared at all. Michelle smiled and Brittney climbed into her lap. I glanced over at her parents, but they didn’t even seem to notice. It had to be a spell. When someone got close to Johnathen, it was like they were forgotten and not seen anymore. They would look over at their daughter, smiling and waving, but it was like they didn’t see any of us. I sat down on the lawn chair across from Johnathen, Brittney, and Michelle. I had mixed feelings about this kind of magic. It seemed so manipulative, so controlling. Both Michelle and Johnathen were ok with it. I could hear Fetch grunt and was sure he didn’t like it either. I gave Johnathen a questioning look. He nodded his head letting me know he understood.
“Brittney is a very special little girl, Jack. She can see things that others can’t see. I want her to understand that she should never talk to these things, because they might not understand why she can see them, and they might get a little scared.” He had something in his hands that glowed. “Did you know that Jack is friends with a dragon?”
Brittney’s eyes got big and her mouth dropped open. “Really? Can I meet him?”
Before I could say anything, Fetch appeared. He was sitting next to me, his eyes blue and his smoke purple. Brittney jumped up and wrapped her arms around Fetch's neck. She kept hopping up and down excitedly, laughing. Again her parents looked over, smiling, but not concerned. Her mother had picked up her little brother and was taking out a bottle to feed him. Fetch blew smoke under Brittany’s chin and she squealed in delight and giggled. Johnathen took her hand for a second. The glowing thing went from his hand to Brittney’s hand and then went out. Brittney didn’t seem to notice. I wasn’t sure how to feel about all of this. I was about to say something, when Michelle caught my eye. She was nodding her head, so I stayed quiet.
