Crow

by Vishnu Pinnaka

  Everett and Eric quickly walked over to where Olivia was.

  All three of them walked over to where the sneeze came from. Olivia finally stopped where she could hear a small giggle. The titter was coming from behind a vanilla ice cream container. She gently removed the container to reveal a small creature.

  The creature was a female that was very tiny and had rosy fur. It had saggy ears and extremely large eyes. It was as cute as an effingo.

  “Hello there,” Olivia said tenderly.

  “Well, aren’t you adorable?” Everett complimented.

  “P-p-please don’t h-h-hurt me,” the creature squeaked with its small voice.

  “We would never hurt you,” Everett said softly. “What’s your name?”

  “I am Peppy. I am an enchantling,” the creature answered.

  “What’s an enchantling?” Eric asked.

  “They are tiny creatures with magical powers of their own. However, they are much different than the powers we magians have. Enchantlings can give magical powers to ordinary objects, hence their name. Peppy must have used her powers and enchanted the ice cream. Enchantlings can also withstand temperatures below freezing which is why Peppy was able to survive in this room,” Everett elucidated.

  “But I don’t understand, how did you come here?” Olivia asked Peppy.

  “Well, it’s a very long story. A few days ago, I was on the streets, all alone and helpless. I didn’t think I was going to make it,” Peppy spoke.

  “That must have been horrible,” Olivia pitied.

  Peppy confessed, “It was, but that was all until I found this large building. I didn’t know what it was, or what it was for, but I walked in to take refuge. When I entered, I saw that it was so beautiful and vibrant. We enchantlings are attracted to bright colors, you see. So I kept walking forward until I saw this room. I came in. There were so many stacks of boxes, but I didn’t know what was in them. There was such a wonderful smell coming from all of them and curiosity got the better of me, so I enchanted some ice to create a set of stairs for me to walk up. Once I reached a container, I opened it and found the most unusual substance. I had never seen it before, but it looked very colorful and tasty, so I ate some. It was the best thing I had ever tasted! I didn’t know what it was called until now when you said it was ice cream. But anyways, I wanted to make the ice cream even better, so I enchanted it. The ice cream will now magically transform you temporarily. The more ice cream you eat, the longer the effects will last. I enchanted all the ice cream to do different things! Try the strawberry, it’s my finest work.”

  The three of them walked over to the strawberry container. They opened it and used spoons to scoop it out. Cautiously, they ate it.

  Nothing seemed to happen when the three of them ate the strawberry ice cream. They weren’t floating or growing. However, when they looked at each other, they saw that something was happening to them. Slowly, each of them was disappearing. They were turning invisible! Slowly they became less and less visible until finally, they were completely unseeable like the apples which the four changed in their first magic lesson.

  “W-w-where are you guys?” Olivia asked.

  “Right over here,” Eric answered.

  All three of them walked closer to each other.

  “Don’t worry, since you didn’t eat much ice cream, you will turn back to normal shortly,” Peppy reassured them.

  Indeed they did, after a short time, they slowly started to become visible again.

  Once the transformation was finished, Peppy asked, “So how was it, did you like it?”

  “Well, at first, when we didn’t know what the ice cream did, we were frantic. It was kind of shocking, but now that we know what’s coming, the effects are actually kind of fun,” Olivia admitted.

  “I have an idea that will make everyone happy.” Everett smiled and started to take the kids out of the storage room.

  Once they had all left the room, Everett led the duo and Peppy to his office.

  Once they were all inside, he started speaking, “You might not know this, but business hasn’t been very good recently. Before, there were long lines of people which led to our ice cream parlors. Now there are barely any customers anymore, but I know a way I can save the company and help Peppy. Picture this: some people come into one of our ice cream parlors for a cone. When they get what they ask for, they will also get a surprise. The surprise could either be flying, turning invisible, transforming, and much more. This will make every lick an adventure. Magic may be common in Magia, but what each ice cream does will be kept obscure. The people in Crow City love the unknown and this will not only save my business, but also give Peppy something to do while she stays here. What do you say?” Everett asked.

  Peppy was ecstatic and squealed, “Of course! I love helping and enchanting ice cream will be so much fun!”

  Everett grinned. “Then it’s settled, Peppy will now be my partner, and friend.”

  Peppy smiled. “Thank you so much.”

  Everett sent Peppy to enchant the rest of the ice cream. He also sent some of his workers to start on the rebranding of the company and create new advertisements.

  This left Eric and Olivia alone with Everett.

  “Thank you,” Everett said. “If it weren’t for you, I would never have met Peppy.”

  “Anytime. It was fun being sleuths and solving a mystery,” Eric replied.

  “Yeah, it was fun,” Olivia agreed.

  Everett smiled. “You don’t understand how much what you did means to me. Long ago, I lived with my family. The Wintergreen family was very well known and respected, but people didn’t know how life was being in that family. They always cared about bizarre things. My parents said I was a disgrace to the family name because I didn’t show much talent when it comes to magical ability. The Wintergreens highest honor was being one of the most powerful magical families in Magia. Since I wasn’t that gifted, my parents resented me. Every day I was abused. One time, I was locked in the basement without any meals and left there for four days. Even though it hurt, I couldn’t tell anyone. I was all alone. And one day, they disowned me. I was left on the streets just like Peppy was. As I said before, I wasn’t very powerful so my magic couldn’t help me much. It was cold and very sad. But one day, a nice man handed out free ice cream cones. He gave me one. He never knew how much that single cone changed me. When he gave out ice cream, more and more people came. It was like the ice cream attracted people. People weren’t the only thing that it attracted. It also brought happiness. I saw many people laughing and having a nice time while they licked their gelato. Many people even gave some money to me. All of those generous donations got me off the streets and inspired me to create my own ice cream company to spread happiness and give quality treats at an affordable price. Now, even more, people will come because of the magical ice cream which means more people can experience the same happiness I felt.”

  “We are so happy for you.” Olivia smiled.

  “And we hope that your company gets the success it deserves,” Eric added.

  Eric and Olivia both learned a lot from Everett’s story. Everett tried to pay both of the kids money, but they politely refused. Instead, they got something much more sentimental when they left the factory (along with a card for free ice cream whenever they wanted), they got two new friends in Peppy and Everett.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Gem Museum

  Vanessa and David walked towards the museum. They spoke to each other while they did.

  “It’s exciting, isn’t it, living on a magical planet?” Vanessa bubbled.

  “It is, I just can’t believe how far we’ve come from our lives on Earth. It’s amazing,” David replied.

  “Me too. I am also excited to see what the future holds for us,” Vanessa said.

  David nodded. They both soon reached the museum.

&
nbsp; When they entered they saw how resplendent the main entrance was. There was an elegant banner showing a coruscating red ruby. The tall walls were painted black and aligned with sconces. The floor was carpeted scarlet. At the front desk was a male purple figon. The pair walked over to him.

  “Hello, please pay the twenty crowtins admission if you would like to see the gem exhibit,” the figon said.

  Once the kids paid their money, the figon told them to go to the metal detector at the back of the room. After they both got through, they entered the main room.

  The gem exhibit looked very majestic. The ceiling had a mural of gems painted on it. The floor was also covered by a scarlet carpet. The walls were also black like the main entrance. There were many floors and all of them had many jewels. The gems were in a protective glass with a label: Unbreakable Magic-Proof Glass, Don’t Even Think About It Scoundrels! Underneath the glass was an information board that talked about the jewels.

  Vanessa and David looked around to find interesting gems to look at.

  Vanessa found one in no time. “David, look! Let’s go look at the jewel!”

  “I have never seen you this enthusiastic, so this jewel must be cool,” David remarked.

  Once they had reached the jewel, they saw that it was a bright green emerald. The emerald was very goodly.

  “This thing is a gem behemoth. It’s huge,” David said in amazement.

  “Yeah, I wonder what magical thing it does,” Vanessa thought aloud.

  David looked at the information board. “It says here that this is called the Lueur Emerald. It can glow so brightly that it can brighten up any dark space. That’s so amazing!”

  “Yeah, imagine if someone used this thing as a flashlight,” Vanessa joked.

  Both laughed and walked towards the next gem.

  The next jewel was a purple amethyst. It was very small compared to the emerald.

  “What does this do?” David asked.

  Vanessa looked at the information board and responded, “This thing is called the Augere Amethyst. It has the power to multiply anything it touches except for humans. These are extremely rare and very expensive. If I had one of these, someone would have to hold me back from touching everything I saw.”

  “Me too.” David chuckled.

  The next gem they both saw was a clear opal. It was a little larger than the amethyst.

  “Even though this is just clear and plain, it seems full of opportunity,” Vanessa stated.

  “Yeah,” David concurred.

  “What’s it called?” Vanessa asked.

  David looked at the board. “It’s called the Glacies Crystal. Its power is to freeze anything it touches, except for the magic-proof glass it’s in.”

  “So it has the same powers as the gelin bird. If I had this crystal, I would use it to turn juice into popsicles,” said Vanessa.

  “You are probably the only person I know who would use such a powerful object for such silly reasons,” David replied.

  “What can I say? I like what I like,” Vanessa said to which David grinned.

  After they left for the next gem, they saw that it was pink quartz. It looked very enigmatic.

  “This looks so cool, wonder what it does.”

  “It’s called a Reparer Quartz. It has the power to fix anything it touches. It can repair inanimate objects and human bones. However, it can’t cure disease,” David clarified as he looked at the information board.

  “That seems amazing! But again if I had it, I would use it to fix every single thing I found,” Vanessa confessed.

  “That’s not a terrible idea,” David commented. “You have a great vision.”

  Many more prismatic jewels were around the exhibit and they looked at all of them. The other gems they looked at had more spectacular magical powers such as creating pleasant music, being able to change into a shape that looks different to each person who looks at it, and even being able to help you find the best prices at the mall.

  However, none were more spectacular than the last one the children saw. Or, to be more precise, saw on a large information board. The picture of the gem showed a dark purple crystal that glistened even on the board. Many people were gazing at it. Vanessa and David walked closer to it.

  David looked at the board. “This gem is called a Captionem Crystal. This is the rarest and most valuable of all jewels. It’s so rare, that only one has been found in history. What happened to that gem, however, is top secret A.S.H. business. Captionem crystals are known to be able to trap anything inside them without running out of space. They are one of the most powerful things in Magia.”

  “This is the coolest gem ever,” Vanessa said.

  “I agree, but I wonder what happened to the one which the board told about,” David questioned.

  “Me too, but I don’t think we will ever really know,” uttered Vanessa.

  The two of them looked at the crystal for a little longer before they left. As they did, however, Vanessa was sure that she saw three men in black coats following her and David.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The Meeting

  Mr. Hale drove in his car hurriedly. He was worried about leaving the four alone, but he had no time to spare. This would be one of the most essential meetings he would attend and he was late.

  Hale kept driving until he reached a tall building. He pressed a button on his car and the ground opened up to reveal a long tunnel. He drove in. As soon as the car went underground, the ground above closed over to hide the passage.

  The floor, ceiling, and walls of the tunnel were all white. The drive, however, was very dark. The underpass was illuminated only by small lights in the ceiling. He finally stopped driving and parked his car amongst many others in the underground parking lot.

  He then paced towards the nearby elevator. Thankfully, he was the only one inside. As the elevator went up, he impatiently tapped his foot on the floor. He was already very tardy. He couldn’t miss this meeting.

  Once the elevator stopped, it opened its doors to reveal the main room of A.S.H. Headquarters.

  Hale quickly rushed out and sped across the railway and into the cylindrical elevator.

  Once the elevator finished its descent, Hale quickly got out and made his way to the nearest Hover-X-Velocity. He quickly drove to the room where the meeting was being held.

  “Good day, Mr. Hale,” an agent said.

  “Thank you, have a nice day,” Hale said without trying to sound rude, even though he was in a hurry.

  “How do you do, Vice President?” a figon said with a raspy voice and a smile.

  “I’m fine, thank you,” Mr. Hale said as politely as he could.

  “Nice morning, Mr. Hale,” a lady said.

  Many more people said “hello” to Mr. Hale in many different ways until he finally reached the meeting room.

  Hale then stepped out and entered the room.

  The room was octagonal with white walls. Hanging from the ceiling was a glass chandelier. In the middle of the room was a round table with four chairs surrounding it. Sitting in three of those chairs were important-looking people all wearing the same pensive expressions on their faces.

  “Preston, we were worried that you weren’t going to come,” a short man with red hair, green eyes, and a peachy complexion said to Hale.

  “I am sorry, Benjamin,” Hale replied, embarrassed.

  “It’s alright, but this is serious,” Benjamin articulated.

  Hale nodded and sat in the remaining chair.

  “As President of A.S.H., I now declare this meeting in order,” Benjamin announced.

  The rest of the people nodded.

  “As you are all aware, this meeting was called because Magia is undoubtedly in danger. There is no easy way to say it, but it’s true. Centuries ago, the First Shadow War nearly wiped out the human sp
ecies. Thousands died a day and those who lived barely survived. Happiness felt like it didn’t exist and every day magians constantly lived in fear. When we were saved, we thought it would all be over. We were wrong. The war was never ended. It was just postponed so it could be finished another time. This was done with the means of the Black Crown,” said Benjamin.

  The other attendees nodded.

  “The crown locked away the darkness, but should it be found, the darkness can be released. This will cause the Second Shadow War. We have been left alone for so long that we have become innocent of the world of bloodshed. We have grown weak and now require technology for everything. Magians have rebuilt our planet into a sophisticated utopia. However, it will be shattered should the Second Shadow War happen. This is why we must find the crown and eradicate it before it is found by those who are ignorant. The only crisis is that we don’t know where the crown is yet or how to destroy it when we do find it. But we all know what the prophecy tells,” Benjamin clarified.

  Everyone turned to face Mr. Hale.

  “Are the children here?” a tall young woman with long blonde hair, brown eyes, and a pale complexion asked.

  “Yes Skylar, and they are safe,” Hale reassured her.

  Skylar nodded. “I can’t believe that those four children are the only thing that can save us.”

  “We mustn’t doubt the prophecy. We have ignored it for so long that it is slowly fading from our minds. Each passing year, we remember less and less of our history, but now we are in danger. Recently strange things have been happening around Magia. For one thing, all the crows have been acting up. Whenever something cosmic happens to Magia, crows are always involved. There are also rumors going around saying terrorist organizations are looking for the crown. We didn’t treat those rumors as serious threats until now when we found three individuals of interest roaming around Crow City. We don’t truly know what they look like because of different descriptions witnesses have given, but from what we have been told, they have reportedly been seen wearing black coats. We don’t have much proof that they are truly seeking the crown, but books about the First Shadow War have been missing from local libraries and three men in black coats have been spotted there. Along with that, the agency’s archives have been searched and we have found that some books on the war and the crown have gone missing. This means that the three men have access to A.S.H. entrances. Luckily, we have taken the children from Earth because we have also found files about the mission which collected the four missing. This means that the malefactors know that the children were on Earth. Fortunately, the files didn’t have the information that the four were in New York. From now on, we will maximize security. The malefactors could be searching for information that will help them locate the crown. Since we don’t know what the malefactors look like or who they are, let alone what their plan is, we can’t be certain that they are looking for the crown for sure, but we think they already know the four are in Magia. Preston, did you ever see the three men when you were with the children?” a lady with pitch-black hair, mahogany eyes, and a dark skin tone said.