A Translation of Inspiration

by A.S. Morrison

and would have given anything to get out of it. That was the biggest reason for coming to this place. Anything that could get me away from work for a few weeks was alright with me. I promised myself that I would enjoy myself immensely and have a journey that I could tell people about for years to come. So far I had accomplished that much.

  16. The Secrets and the Sorcerer

  I could see tents in the distance. They were huddled up against one of the biggest mountains. I started toward them. The people there might have an idea as to where I could find my deepest desire.

  A couple guards marched back and forth outside the largest tent. I asked for admittance and they let me inside. It was filled with cots while lanterns hung from the ceiling. A group huddled in the corner. They surrounded a large man with a crown. I went right up to him.

  “Hello sir.” I said pleasantly.

  “Who are you?” The king asked.

  “I am a traveler looking for my deepest desire; do you happen to know where people find those?”

  “It depends on the person.” He said. “But I do know that a lot of the travelers who come through here go into a tunnel up one of the mountains. They don’t come back so maybe they find it in there.”

  That didn’t sound like the safest place. “Do you know of anywhere else?”

  He scratched his head and thought. “You can go see the sorcerer, maybe he knows.”

  “Where can I find this sorcerer?”

  “I will show you myself.”

  The king jumped up from the cot and escorted me out of the tent. We went passed the other tents to a small road between two mountains. He told me to follow that road until I came to a little shack. The sorcerer would be there. I thanked him and started on my way.

  I admired the mountains as I passed between them. I wondered if any were volcanoes. I wasn’t sure how to tell. The road curved and I saw a little shack. I ambled up and knocked.

  An old man answered the door. He wore yellow robes. He didn’t have a beard like I imagined a sorcerer should. He was clean shaven.

  “Yes?” He said wearily.

  “Hello good sir. My name is Martin Ambrose Foster and I am looking for a sorcerer who might tell me where my deepest desire is.”

  He cocked his head to the side and looked intently at me. I smiled nervously. He was staring at me as if he might know me from somewhere, but I never once saw him.

  “So you seek a desire?” He said, still gawking at me.

  “That is correct. Do you have any?”

  “Any desires?” He asked with a wry smile.

  “Yes, do you have any?”

  “I’m sorry; I’m fresh out of your desires.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad. Is there another sorcerer that might have some?”

  He looked pityingly at me. “Oh, Lawrence, I warned you about that book”

  “Excuse me? My name is Martin.”

  “Of course it is. But I can’t say where your desires are. You are going to have to find them on your own. If you want I can take you somewhere so you might find it sooner.”

  “That sounds lovely.”

  I took his hand, he said a few words under his breath and we disappeared from his little home. We reappeared a moment later in a city. It was evening. We stood on the sidewalk. People walked all around. A streetcar came up in front of us and then continued down the street. Vendors pushed carts down the sidewalk and I quickly got out of the way of one rolling up fast.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “I think your deepest desire is in this city.” The sorcerer said.

  “Are you sure?”

  “That’s what I believe. Now why don’t you come with me and I will show you something.”

  “But I am in need of finding my desire.”

  I tried to walk away but he stopped me.

  “I really think you should see this. By the way, what is your name again?”

  “My name is Alexander Martin Ambrose.”

  “Yes, that’s right you told me.” He said with a mysterious smile.

  I didn’t feel quite right with this fellow. He seemed a little loopy. But he was a sorcerer and knew this place better than I did.

  “I’ll follow you.” I said.

  He wandered away and I followed. The city was very nice. The people all looked friendly. I was waved at, greeted, and a few people even shook my hand. It really was a great day. He might have been right after all. That city was so friendly I wouldn’t be surprised if it housed many people’s desires.

  My mood couldn’t be brought down no matter how hard anybody tried, and thankfully no one out there did. I don’t think it mattered where I went I would be happy. This whole experience was so much livelier than my everyday life. Whether or not I found my desire in the end I promised myself that I would try to dive off the cliff again just to go back through this wonderful world.

  The sorcerer went into a shabby looking hotel. It was a dreary looking place. He went up to the girl at the desk and started talking.

  “Excuse me, miss, but what is your name?”

  “Abigail.”

  She was about ten years older than me and had long black hair.

  “Oh, I see.” The sorcerer said. “Alexander, does this girl look familiar?”

  I looked her over. “No, and my name is not Alexander, its Granville.”

  “Right, whatever, come with me then.”

  I followed him up the stairs and into one of the rooms.

  “You can’t go in here.” I said. “You don’t have a reservation.”

  “Never mind all that. Do you recognize this room?”

  It was a horrible little hotel room. The window had a crack and the mattress was worn and ragged. But despite that I still liked it for some reason.

  “I’ve never been to this city before. I only just arrived in this world the other day.”

  The sorcerer paced the small room, mumbling to himself. I went to the window and could see the water. A bright sign across the street kept flashing. It provided all the light the room had. I took the only chair and set it beside the window and sat down.

  “It is shaping up to be a nice night.” I said to the sorcerer, I don’t think he heard me.

  “There has to be a way to get you to remember.” He whispered.

  “Remember what?”

  “Who you are.”

  “I told you I’m Percivus. I don’t think I would forget who I am.”

  He snapped his fingers. “That’s it. Tell me about yourself.”

  “Alright.” I said brightly. “My name is Mashek and I am a great knight from the kingdom of Amna. I jumped off a cliff to find my deepest desire. I hear it is around here somewhere.”

  He nodded. “Good. Now tell me again.”

  “Tell you what?”

  “Where you came from and your story.”

  “My name is Levi and I work at a department store. I jumped off a cliff into this world to find my deepest desire.”

  “And one more time.” The sorcerer said happily.

  “Tell you again? I’ve told you twice.”

  “I know, I know, but one more time for fun.”

  “Are we playing a game?” I asked apprehensively.

  “Yes.”

  “Great, I love games. Okay. My name is Zordaturey and I am from a far away galaxy. I jumped off a cliff to find my deepest desire.”

  The sorcerer clapped loudly. “That’s it. Don’t you hear yourself?”

  “What are you trying to get at?”

  “Your name and back story keep changing. You are quite a character. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before.”

  “Like what? Tell me what’s going on.”

  He paced the room again and kept muttering about how interesting this was. I definitely did not see anything interesting about the way he was acting. He must have had memory problems. He couldn’t remember my name three seconds after I t
old it to him. I was starting to wonder if I could leave without him noticing so I could find my deepest desire.

  “You.” He said, pointing at me. “You are the most interesting character I’ve ever met.”

  “And you are the most interesting character I’ve ever met.”

  “Come with me somewhere else. I am certain I can get you to remember.”

  “I’ve been trying to tell you that I know perfectly well who I am and where I come from.”

  “You won’t say that for long. Here, come on.”

  I grabbed his hand. He muttered a more words and we disappeared from the room. We reappeared in a very cold place. I was wearing a large jacket and I immediately zipped it up and put my hood on. The sorcerer did not have a jacket and I felt like offering mine. At least I would have if I wasn’t so cold.

  We were standing on a large glacier. It was rough and uneven. The wind blew around wildly. A giant snowman stood nearby. It was huge and had a scarf and tree branches for arms. It was a very well made snowman.

  “Do you remember this place?” The sorcerer asked.

  “No.” I said with chattering teeth. “Should I?”

  “Let me tell you a story about a man I once knew.”

  “Can’t you tell me someplace warmer?”

  “I could but I would rather tell you here. I once knew a man named Lawrence Foster Brickem. He was a good man who was just trying to find out where he was and who he was. He didn’t know that he wasn’t like regular people. The whole time he went around this world he thought he could find a way home. What he didn’t realize was that he was home in a sense. Like anywhere there was a better destination ahead, but he did not know that. I tried to play along with his fantasies. I pretended to be a horrible wizard that turned a prince into a shadow. When that part of the story ended I disappeared. I watched him carefully and then decided to appear again.