Having your nose in a book may be a great way to spend your spare time unless you do it to the exclusion of everything else. You get up, grab a book, then read until night comes when you’re forced to put it down for sleep. Oh sure, you have the occasional interruptions in the pattern like eating and school but such things must be tolerated. James Reese was a young man in his senior year of high school who did just that. Unless something of dire importance demanded his attention, he would be found lying upon his bed deep within a current, favorite book. He saw nothing wrong with spending every available moment reading.
Reading to him was grand adventure, offering new ideas and kept him out of trouble. His main interest was fantasy-adventure books, though he did dabble in an occasional sci-fi so as not to get burnt out with fantastical worlds. Every book he ever read filled shelves which lined his walls. Now pushing over five hundred titles, it was the one thing he took the most pride in.
An obtrusive knock brought him back from the middle of a particularly exciting battle. “James,” came his grandmother’s voice from the other side, “breakfast is almost ready. Get ready or you are going to be late for school.”
Unable to continue, he read another three paragraphs until reaching a break, then carefully inserted a well-worn bookmark and placed the book gingerly on his nightstand. He’s read it before. Many of his books have been read several times over the years, and most were still in very good condition. Those who knew him best believed that he cared more for his books than for anything else. There were times when he thought they might be right. Some of his friends kidded him when they saw him deep within a book he had read before.
“Don’t you ever get tired of reading the same book over and over?”
James just grinned and shook his head. “Nope.” Then he invariably asked, “I suppose you haven’t ever watched the same movie more than once?” Having made his point, they left him alone.
He grabbed a shirt and a pair of jeans from off the floor that didn’t look too dirty and got dressed. After slipping on his shoes, he slung his ever-present backpack over his shoulder and left the room.
The mouth-watering aroma of scrambled eggs, bacon and biscuits filled the house. His grandmother was busy in the kitchen where she put the finishing touches on breakfast. “Have a seat. It will be ready in a minute.” His grandparents raised him for the past five years, ever since his parents were killed by a drunk driver.
At the table, his grandfather read the morning paper. So intent was he on an article that he failed to notice his grandson taking his place at the table. James had some trepidation about disturbing his grandfather. For the last few months, his grandfather had been encouraging him to find a job. Almost daily, he pointed out ads in the paper that he felt James might be interested in.
It was his senior year and the summer was almost upon him. He knew he needed to make some decisions about his future but had never been that great when trying new things. Some called him antisocial; he thought of himself as merely non-social. He didn’t hate being around others, he just preferred time to himself with his books.
The noise of James setting his backpack on the floor drew his grandfather’s attention. James silently groaned as his grandfather leaned over to show him what was sure to be another ad that more than likely would fail to be of interest. It turned out to be anything but.
Local Teen Missing
Seth Randle, a teen from Haveston, was reported missing when he failed to return home Wednesday evening. The police have issued an Amber Alert and teams of volunteers are busy combing the local area. Thus far they have been unsuccessful. He was last seen on Wednesday afternoon on his way home from Haveston High School where he is currently enrolled as a senior. If you have any information please call 911…
“Isn’t he one of your classmates?”
“Yes, but I don’t know him very well. He’s on the football team and is well liked by everyone. Hope he’s okay.”
Further conversation was forestalled by the emergence of his grandmother from the kitchen bearing a platter filled with eggs and bacon in one hand, and a pan that held a dozen biscuits in the other. James eagerly took charge of the biscuits and deftly transferred one to his plate then set the warm pan on the table. He helped himself to a big portion of his grandmother’s blackberry jam. It won 2nd place at the county fair last year; old Widow Jones took 1st place. His grandmother claimed that Widow Jones put too much sweetener in her jams and that is why she won every year. About to take a bite, he heard her say, “James, let’s say grace first.” She had that look in her eye. He gave her a sheepish grin, and set the biscuit on his plate, folded his hands and bowed his head for prayer.
His grandfather prayed. “Dear Lord, please bless this food to our good, watch over us and guide us. And please help James find a job! In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
“Leave the boy alone, John,” his wife chided as she placed her napkin in her lap. “He’ll find one when the good Lord is ready.” She turned her attention to James. “Make sure to find one that you will be happy with. There is nothing worse than spending your life at a job that is dull and lifeless. One should come along when the time is right. Now hurry and eat or you will be late for school again.”
He stuffed his mouth with eggs and bacon. “I better eat on the run, then.” He tucked several biscuits in a napkin and placed them in the top of his backpack. Her biscuits, especially when warm, were hard to resist. “Thanks for another award winning breakfast,” he said before he gave her a peck on the cheek, and then headed for the back door.
“Don’t forget your lunch, it’s by the door.”
“Got it!” he hollered as he stuffed it in his backpack.
Once out the back door, he grabbed his bike, hopped on and quickly made his way down the road toward school. Haveston High wasn’t much more than a mile away and it only took him a few minutes to arrive.
Police cars, both marked and unmarked, were in and around the parking lot. Two officers stood amidst a group of students while three officious looking men in business attire entered the office.
He pulled into the bike rack, grabbed his chain and secured his bike. His best and only friend Dave arrived as he pushed the lock closed. He parked his bike in the adjacent slot.
“Hey, did you hear that Seth is missing?”
James glanced to his friend and nodded. “Yeah, I saw it in the paper this morning. Wonder what happened to him?” He spied a nearby policeman.
Approaching the officer, Dave asked, “What’s going on?”
“We’re questioning students about Seth Randle. His mother said he’s been missing since Wednesday evening. Would you boys know anything about it?”
“No,” replied James, who shook his head. “We barely knew him.”
“That’s right,” Dave added.
The officer handed each a card bearing pertinent contact information. “If you see or hear anything that might help us locate him, please call.”
“Sure.”
James glanced at the card. “If we hear anything we’ll be sure to let you know.”
Heading to class, they couldn’t help but wonder what happened to Seth.
The rest of the day, all anyone could talk of was Seth. They had an assembly before lunch where they were told the facts that surrounded his disappearance. Evidently, he had headed downtown after school and that was the last anyone had heard from him. They were given the standard lesson on strangers and what to do in emergencies, the basic “Don’t talk to strangers” lecture they had for years.
Lunchtime found James and Dave in their regular spot in the lunch room. Both were brown-bagging it but Dave was not very enthusiastic about his lunch. He produced a poorly wrapped sandwich. Turning to James, he held it up.
“How about a trade? My mystery meat for whatever your grandmother made?”
James removed a six inch homemade hoagie from his sack and smiled. “Not on your life, bud. My stomach isn’t that strong. Besides, after all these years of your mom?
??s infamous cooking, you should be used to it by now.”
Taking a bite, Dave replied, “I suppose so. No use in subjecting another to this stuff.”
Hearing a sigh from his friend, Dave looked over to see James looking at a small piece of paper.
“What’s the matter?”
“I thought I had gotten off easy this morning. You know how my grandfather always mentions jobs he thinks I would like?” When Dave nodded, he continued. “Well, instead of pressuring me about it this morning, he slipped one in with my lunch.” He gazed at the ad as he bit off a good-sized portion of his sandwich.
After another bite he said, “This one is at least interesting, if a little odd.”
“What do you mean?”
James offered him the ad. “Here, read it.”
Dave wiped his hands on his pants, and took the ad:
Magic! Real Magic! Ever wanted to learn?
We require someone with intelligence and a disciplined mind. Those well versed in fantasy novels and role playing games a plus. May need to travel. Only those of good character need apply. No appointment necessary. For preliminary interview, drop by at:
1616 Commercial Ave
Room 2334
Haveston, CA
“That is different, I’ll give you that,” affirmed Dave as he handed the ad back.
Putting it in his wallet, James asked, “What do you think?”
Pausing for a moment to think while he finished a mouthful of food, Dave replied, “Well, it is right down your alley. You have read more books than I could even hope to get through, and we play D&D every once in a while. Maybe you should look into it. You’ve always said you would like to travel and see the castles of England; maybe this will be your chance. It sounds like some traveling magician or something.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Maybe I’ll go down tomorrow and see what it’s about. If nothing else, it should please my grandfather and maybe get him off my back, at least for a day or two.” Taking another bite of his hoagie, James pondered the ad, thinking it might be worth looking into.
Pointing off to the right Dave said, “There’s Alyssa. You should go invite her to the dance next week. I know you have a thing for her.”
James took a brief glance her way and sighed. “I haven’t quite worked up the nerve. I’ve tried twice, but my mouth gets all dry and I can’t find the words. I’m afraid I’ll look like an idiot.”
“You need to get out of that room of yours more. Stop spending so much time in there alone with your books and start living a little more in reality. She’s nice and I believe still available.”
“I know. Maybe I’ll ask her Monday.”
“If you ask her at all you mean.” Dave’s attempts to bring him out of his room met with very little success, but he kept trying.
Once they finished eating, the boys left the lunch room and made their way to the chess room where they spent the rest of their lunch break role playing. James usually ran the game since he enjoyed making the campaigns more than Dave did. Back in his bedroom he had a whole collection of campaigns that had never been played. He liked designing them more than playing them.
Dave on the other hand preferred to be the character or characters. He played a thief and a mage who were currently trying to find the third ring of Xanak, the god of fire.
James set up his godwall and removed the dice and papers from his backpack. He always kept meticulous notes during his campaigns. Dave got his papers, dice, and the player’s rulebook. Once everything was ready, they began.
“Your mage and thief had infiltrated the Red Rogue’s Lair,” he began giving a brief recap of where they left off the day before. “You had just found a flight of stairs and began to descend.”
“On to fame and fortune!” Dave exclaimed with a grin. “My thief is checking for traps as they go down the steps.”
James nodded. “No traps were found. Upon reaching the bottom step, you discovered a long hallway stretching far into the darkness ahead. A sound could be heard coming from out of the dark, and it seemed to be coming toward you…”
The rest of the day went along pretty much as usual; classes, including the dreaded PE class that he was on the verge of flunking. He simply was not much into sports or anything else that required one to sweat. His gym teacher told him he needed to show more enthusiasm for the physical side of life, but his teacher’s arguments did nothing to sway him. It’s not that James was fat or anything, he actually appeared quite fit. He just didn’t go for the active side of life.
After school at the bike rack, Dave informed him that he planned to accompany him to the interview. For moral support, as he put it.
“You don’t have to come with me, you know.”
“I know. But you stand a better chance of following through if I do.”
James secured the chain beneath the bike seat then glanced to his friend. “Are you afraid I am going to chicken out or something like that?”
Dave flashed him a grin. “As a matter of fact, yes, yes I am!”
“I plan on catching the 512 at 9. If you’re serious about coming, meet me at the bus stop.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Okay, see ya tomorrow!” With that, James hopped on his bike and headed for home.
At dinner, he told his grandparents about his decision to go to the interview.
“Now remember, James,” his grandfather said, “when you are at an interview you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Never settle for conditions that you are not going to like. Be assertive.”
James nodded his head. “I will. I don’t plan on making any decisions on the spot. I am simply going there to find out about the job and how much it pays. It sounded interesting.”
Showing concern on her face, his grandmother said, “Be careful while you’re there. The last place anyone saw poor Seth was heading into town. Watch yourself.”
“Please don’t worry about me, I’m almost eighteen. Plus, Dave plans on coming along. I’m sure that between the two of us, we’ll be able to handle any situation.” Knowing that it was love that prompted his grandmother’s concern, he gave her a reassuring hug.
A little after dinner, James was in his room reading when a rap upon his door brought him out from a deep dungeon fraught with danger.
“Yes?” he hollered without ever removing his eyes from the pages of the book.
“James. You should come and see this.” It was his grandfather.
“Now what?” he mumbled. Slipping his bookmark within the pages, he set the book on his nightstand and made his way out to the living room. There he found his grandparents raptly watching the news.
“Another person is missing,” his grandmother said. “This time a girl.”
Interest piqued, James sat next to her on the couch.
An image of a young woman who looked to be in her teens was pictured behind the reporter. The newsman went on to say that this was the second person to come up missing in the past week. There were no leads, no connection between them. They came from different cities in the same area and disappeared without a trace. The report continued with interviews of family members of the two missing teens.
“This is serious.” his grandfather said. “You need to be extra careful tomorrow when you are downtown.”
“I will,” James assured him. He watched the report on the missing teens until the reporters began repeating themselves. Then he returned to his room where he resumed his position upon his bed and picked up his book.
He found it difficult to concentrate on the story. After realizing he read the same paragraph three times he decided that it was a lost cause and returned the book to the nightstand. Thoughts and worries about the interview tomorrow made him far too nervous to be able to concentrate on reading. The ad continued running through his mind,
…well versed in fantasy novels and role playing games…
…may need to travel…
It sounded exciting.
Maybe
Dave was right. It could be a traveling magician.
Different theories and thoughts ran through his mind until it was time for bed. After crawling beneath the covers, he set the alarm for seven thirty before he switched off his reading lamp. He lay in the dark, and enjoyed the cool air as it drifted in through the window above his bed. Eventually, sleep triumphed over tomorrow’s worries and he was able to fall asleep.
It felt like he had no sooner fallen asleep than his alarm went off. Hitting the off button, he rolled onto his back and tried unsuccessfully to keep his eyes open. He was simply way too comfortable and almost didn’t have the energy to pull the covers off and get the day going. His sense of responsibility eventually overcame his laziness and he managed to drag himself out of bed. Also, Dave would never let him hear the end of it if he left him waiting at the bus stop.
After a quick shower, he threw on some of his better clothes. Not his church clothes to be sure, but ones good enough to look nice. Once he was dressed, he took his backpack and emptied his role playing paraphernalia onto his bed. He put a clean handkerchief in his backpack along with the book he was currently reading. Pausing a moment, he decided to take the two candy bars that laid in the pile on his bed and placed them inside as well. Shouldering his ever present backpack, he opened the door and went to see about breakfast.
Sausage, eggs and biscuits were already on the table. His grandparents were nice enough to wait for him before eating. “My, don’t you look nice,” his grandmother said.
Coming to the table, he gave her a grin. “Thanks. I better eat on the run, or I might miss my bus.” He threw together two sausage, egg, and biscuit sandwiches, wrapping them in a napkin. His grandmother’s “Good luck, James!” followed him through the door.
He hurried down the road to the bus stop where he would catch the 512, managing to finish his breakfast on the way. Dave was already there.
“Good morning,” offered a cheerful Dave. He always had been a morning person, which usually irritated James.
“Good morning yourself,” growled James somewhat moodily. He definitely was not a morning person.
Keeping an eye out for the bus, Dave said, “I hear they have a new laser tag area at the arcade. Want to try it after your interview? The loser pays for lunch.”
“You’re on, I can almost taste the burgers now,” boasted James as he, too, kept a lookout for the 512. When he saw it turn the corner he announced, “Here it comes.” Picking up his backpack he readied to board the bus. The 512 came to a stop and they waited a moment while an elderly woman departed. Showing the driver their passes, they moved to the back of the bus and took their seats. The 512 would take them most of the way. They would transfer to the 33 for the last leg to Commercial Avenue.
When the bus pulled out of the stop, Dave glanced to James. “Nervous?”
“A little. I’m glad you decided to come along; it’s partly the reason I am even here. When I woke up this morning, all I wanted to do was lay there. But knowing you were going to be at the bus stop waiting for me, helped get me out of bed.”
“I thought so, that’s why I’m here,” Dave grinned. He was glad he could help his friend.
“You know,” Dave began after a few minutes, “you didn’t have to go and kill my thief that way.”
Feigning indignation, James asked, “What do you mean? Is it my fault the guy had an IQ of a turnip? He never should’ve rushed in like that. He was greedy.”
“Maybe. But I’ve been playing him for over a month now. He was all the way to level five.”
“Oh well, that’s life.”
As they got closer, James turned quieter as he dwelled more upon the upcoming interview. Dave made a couple of attempts to get him interested in further conversation but his mind really wasn’t on it. Finally, Dave gave up and they rode the rest of the way in silence.
When the Park and Ride was announced where they needed to transfer to the 33, James grabbed his backpack and pulled the cord. When the bus pulled in, they disembarked and went to a nearby water fountain for a drink.
Dave glanced at his watch. “About five minutes before the 33 shows up.”
The 33 did a loop through downtown and passed right down Commercial Ave. Going over to Berth 4 where they would board, James and Dave stood in line behind several other passengers. Dave nudged James when he saw a pretty girl wearing short shorts and a snug t-shirt, but James was too preoccupied with his interview ahead to pay much attention. The mere thought of the interview made his stomach do flip-flops.
Once the 33 arrived, they boarded and took the last leg to Commercial Ave. Had James been alone, he would have stayed on the bus. But since Dave was there, he pulled the cord as a tall building bearing the numbers 1616 came into view.
The bus pulled to the curb at the next stop half a block away. Butterflies were congregating in James’ middle as he stepped to the sidewalk and turned toward 1616 Commercial.
Dave slapped him on the shoulder. “Come on. It won’t be that bad.”
James gave him a half-hearted grin and nodded. The butterflies in his stomach were turning into vampire bats.
Passing through the front door, they crossed the lobby en route to the elevators and Dave pressed the UP button. While they waited, Dave noticed James looking at the building’s list of businesses. When he moved to join his friend, James glanced at him,
“There’s no listing for 2334.”
Dave shrugged and said, “Maybe they just moved in and haven’t had time to get the sign adjusted.”
“You’re probably right. Or maybe they don’t want to advertise who they are. That way if they are well known and rich, the applicants won’t know to ask for more pay.”
Shaking his head, Dave says, “You and your conspiracy theories. You always think someone is playing an angle or something.”
Shrugging, James just smiled.
Ding!
The elevator door opened and they entered along with several others. James pressed the button for the 23rd floor. It took a few minutes before they arrived as the elevator made several stops to allow people on and off. By the time they reached the 23rd floor, they were the only ones remaining. Another Ding! and the door opened. Stepping out, they turned down the hallway to their right and came to the door marked 2334.
James paused at the door. He turned to Dave. “Should I knock or what?”
“Naw, just go on in.”
Marshalling his courage, James opened the door and entered. Dave followed right behind. The room was empty except for several chairs and two end tables, each boasting a neat pile of magazines and a couple of books. Across the room a door stood closed; it bore a sign saying Private in bold letters.
“I guess we should sit down and wait.”
Dave glanced at the door. “How are they going to know that we are here?”
“There’s probably an alarm to let them know someone’s here. Somebody will likely be out in a minute.”
Looking through the material on a nearby table, James failed to find anything of interest, so he crossed the room to the table next to the door marked Private. Lying atop the other reading material sat a small brown book with a peculiar design inscribed in gold leaf upon the cover. Intrigued, he picked up the book but quickly let it go when the contact resulted in a shock of static electricity. The book hit the edge of the table and tumbled to the floor. It landed on its edge and a piece of paper slipped out.
The paper was folded in half. Curious, he picked it up and opened it.
“Welcome and thank you for coming. Glad you found the book. If you would read the first page and then walk through the door, we can begin the interview. If you brought anything with you, feel free to bring it along.”
James picked up the book and looked at it with increased interest. He turned to Dave and showed him the book and letter. “Look at this.” When Dave joined him, he handed him the letter. While Dave read, James said, “That’s a dumb way to start an interview. What if I had never found the piece of pape
r? I could’ve been sitting out here for a long time!”
Dave looked up from the letter and shrugged. “You’re right. This guy must be some kind of an eccentric or something. In the ad, he mentioned role playing games. Maybe in his mind this is some kind of test.”
Nodding agreement, James sat in one of the chairs and opened the book to the first page.
Underlying Principles of Magic
The practice of magic is quite simple and basic. Magic is the process by which an individual taps into the reservoir of strength, or power within himself, and manifests it into changes of the world around him. Each individual contains the ability to manipulate this power. Some have the ability to do very little while others can literally bring down mountains.
Looking up from the book, James turned to his friend. “Unless I am mistaken, this book is going to explain the workings of a magic system. Not Houdini type, but more along the lines of Merlin or Gandalf. It’s talking about using the power within you to manipulate the world around you.”
“Weird. This guy must be a nut,” Dave joked.
“Yeah, but character or not, a job’s a job.” Turning back to the book, James finished the first page quickly. Closing the book, he climbed to his feet and the vampire bats returned in full measure. He glanced to the door marked Private. Sighing, he turned to his friend. “Wish me luck.”
“Luck!” replied Dave, and gave his friend an encouraging thumb’s up.
Slinging his backpack over his shoulder he gathered his courage, tucked the book under his arm and headed for the door. Pausing momentarily, he took a few deep, soothing breaths to calm his nerves, then opened the door and stepped through.
The crunch of dried leaves beneath his foot, coupled with the scene before him brought him to a stunned and sudden stop.
A meadow nestled within a forest of trees stretched before him. Birdsong filled the air and the wafting of a gentle breeze only added to the impossibility of it. Off to his right warbled a babbling brook that cut its way through the heart of this pastoral scene.
He remained rooted in dumbfounded shock as his brain tried to make sense of what he saw. He turned to ask Dave if he was hallucinating, but instead received another surprise. The doorway he had just passed through was no longer there. Instead, a stand of trees rose majestically to the sky not ten feet away.
Did I just cross over into the Twilight Zone?
Unable to believe what his own eyes told him, he rubbed them and then looked around the clearing. Trees swayed in the gentle breeze; birds soared against the backdrop of blue sky above. The soft trickling melody of the stream as it crossed the meadow gave this place a surreal feel.
Movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention to the far side of the stream near a fallen log at the edge of the forest. What he saw nearly convinced him that he had lost his mind. Sitting atop the log was a strange little creature; about four and a half feet in height with skin a dark-greenish color. Wearing a blue vest and a crazy felt hat, it looked out of place in such a pastoral scene. Intelligence peered out from behind eyes of yellow and they stared right at James.
I’m having a hallucination. This can’t be real!
Unsure what to do, he walked through the grass of the meadow toward the creature. He paused at the stream in wary apprehension when he saw the creature hop off the log and get to its feet. When no hostile action was forthcoming, he leaped across the water and walked the few remaining feet until stopping before the creature. Staring into those yellow eyes nearly unnerved James completely. Somehow, he summoned the courage to say, “Hello.”
To his utter astonishment the creature replied with a coherent “Hello.”
James’ eyes widened in surprise. “You can talk?”
Putting hands on hips, the creature’s expression transformed into one that could only be considered sour. “Of course I can talk. Any intelligent creature can talk. But not many have anything worthwhile to say.”
Before James got out his next question, the creature said, “Where am I? Was that to be your next question? You’re not where you started out, boy. My master has set me here to get you started and that is all I intend to do. I am not here to hold your hand or wet-nurse you, do you understand?” The creature gave him an intent look as it waited for a response.
Nodding his head, James replied weakly, “I think so.”
“Good. Now listen up and listen well, for I am here to tell you some things and I will only tell you once.”
The creature held up a finger. “First of all, magic works here. Read the book you have in your hand. It will help you get a handle on it. Your survival may well depend on it. Scratch that. Your survival will depend on it.”
“Secondly, you can’t go home, at least not right now. Don’t try. We won’t stop you, but take it on faith that the way is simply not open to you.”
“Lastly, get your sorry butt to the village of Trendle.”
With that, the creature leaped backward into the air, and with a faint popping noise, disappeared.
James ol’ boy, he thought to himself. You’re screwed!
Chapter Two
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