The Young Magician

‘The stone has become magnetised,’ Mr Kelvin informed. ‘The grains are attracted to it because of their metallic properties. Now observe.’

Mr Kelvin then pulled the grains off with his fingers and dropped them onto a thin piece of paper. He then held the paper up and, with his other hand, held the stone to its underside. As he slid the stone up and down under the paper, the tiny grains raced along, following the trail of the stone.

‘See, the energy passes between the two objects without their direct contact. This is influence over distance. The energy that exists in our bodies, although it is very different, can often affect other objects similarly, such as the space closely surrounding us. Each person has a natural sphere of influence that surrounds them. It is merely a side effect of our existence. Like the ripples that surround a pebble dropped into a still pool, so our existence affects our environment.’

‘Can you see my energy, Mr Kelvin?’ Samuel asked eagerly.

‘Oh, no,’ he laughed, ‘but I’m sure you have some. This particular energy is invisible to the human eye. Some have been said to have the gift of such sight, but they were among myths and legend. Now, enough of such talk. We must finish this division before we completely forget where we are.’ Mr Kelvin began to sort the papers he had disturbed for his demonstration. ‘Now where were we?’ he asked of himself.

That same night, Samuel again awoke and again climbed up onto the stable roof, feeling sure that the tickling in his bones had some meaning. Sure enough, the room was again lit. Mr Geoffries and Mr Copperpot both were there, sitting with legs crossed, completely still except for the matching, rhythmical motion of their chests. The energy that surrounded each man grew and spun with each deep breath, pulsing out and intermingling with the other’s. Samuel fell asleep watching them, and only awoke sometime later when he nearly rolled off the roof. Samuel looked up, but the room was again empty and dark and the night was cold around him. People did have an energy around them and only then did the realisation sink into him that he alone, perhaps of all the people in the world, could see it. He had some unique ability that no one else would even believe. As Samuel crept back into his bed, his skin was bristling with goosebumps, but the cold of night had nothing to do with them.

It was some time later when a new rider entered the guesthouse. As expected, he was wearing the same black clothes that the guests were always draped in. He rode his horse directly to the stables and quickly dismounted, ignoring Samuel and rushing inside the inn. Most curious of all was his dark skin. It was not black like ink, as it was said some people were, but he looked tanned, as if he had been working in the sun for hours every day. It was rare to see skin of such a deep colour. After that, there was no sign of the man for the entire day and Mr Kelvin did not even send word of his lesson that evening, which made Samuel think that something important must be happening inside.

Samuel was wide awake all night, filled with some unexplained excitement, when some peculiar sounds from the inn brought him scuttling once more up onto his roof. From his position opposite the window, Samuel found the candles already lit, and the tanned man was moving about and shouting in some form of crazed or drunken dance. He was shouting and throwing his brown arms and legs about, turning circles and dropping to his knees, only to spring up and jump away again. His glow was unlike anything Samuel had ever seen before. Each set of motions set it spinning and pulsing like a nest of angry wasps, a flurry of dazzling lights. The man performed an amazing set of leaps, especially impressive considering the lankiness of his limbs, and then, without warning, stopped dead still and calmly sat down. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes and it took some time for Samuel to realise that nothing else was going to happen. The aura that surrounded the man slowed and steadied, but it remained strong and vital, greater than when Samuel had first seen him in the room. Samuel was curious and, as he dropped from the roof and went to his room, he pondered the man’s movements. He put his face up to the tiny magnetic stone that Mr Kelvin had left for him and pulled the grains from its surface, watching them snap back. He did it a few times, never ceasing to be amazed by the wondrous reaction, before slipping into bed and soon falling asleep.

The tanned man came to Samuel early the next day and asked with a calm voice for his horse to be readied. He was patient and pleasant and his black cloak was of a fine material, which led Samuel to think that he was an important man. Samuel even thought his features looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, but, even with such a striking colour to him, Samuel could not remember precisely where.

‘Excuse me, Sir?’ Samuel asked.

The man was startled for a moment, as if he had become lost in his thoughts and had forgotten Samuel was there. ‘Yes? What is it?’ There was some kind of accent in his words that was very different to the local folk.

‘Excuse my curiosity, but you seem very familiar to me. You remind me of someone I saw a long time ago. Have you ever been to Stable Waterford?’ Samuel asked.

‘Why, yes. I often pass through there,’ he replied, bearing a kind smile. ‘Why do you ask?’

‘When I lived there, I saw a man who looked much as you do, Sir, though perhaps much taller. He was dressed quite strangely in purple and he performed tricks in the market and he was dark skinned, just like you.’

The man laughed and he nodded. ‘Yes, that sounds like me, although I suspect it was some time ago. I have not grown much taller in recent years and so I think it is more likely that you have grown quite a bit. And fancy meeting you here! This is quite a surprise.’

‘Were you poor then?’ Samuel asked. ‘I remember everyone giving you some money. I thought you were a beggar.’

Again the man laughed. ‘You have a good memory, young friend. In some places, I must sometimes travel in disguise. Also, I enjoy entertaining the common folk. People look forward to seeing me and enjoy seeing my tricks as much as I enjoy performing them. I would enjoy talking with you more, but I must hurry. Perhaps, in the future, we can continue the matter. Are you finished?’

Samuel remembered himself and offered the reins to the man.

‘What is your name, young man?’ the tanned fellow asked. The lines and slight wrinkles on his face told Samuel that he must be a genuine and kind man, for his smiles had marked him forever, as scowls and worry often marked others.

‘Samuel, Sir.’

‘Well then, Samuel. I am Lomar,’ he added with a smile as he mounted his horse, ‘and I hope we can speak together again some day.’

Samuel nodded, and Lomar began away, urging his mount towards the front gate, which Kans was holding open impatiently. As he passed through, the lights around Lomar seemed to seethe about him and then they quelled themselves again as he passed out into the street.

When Samuel was next sent into town, he wandered around the markets until, as usually happened, he found Mr Joshua leaning against a wall and waiting for him. Somehow, the man always knew when Samuel was coming.

‘What news, young man?’ Mr Joshua asked.

‘Some nights, the men will sit in a candle-filled room for hours on end, and other nights they chant and shout and move around,’ Samuel said. Mr Joshua looked very interested. ‘It’s all very strange. And last night a man named Lomar came and he leapt around like this!’

Samuel began to re-enact Lomar’s actions, jumping to and fro, but Mr Joshua held up his hands. ‘Stop that!’ he hissed urgently, before slipping back into his usual calm composure. ‘Please, don’t attract attention. You can’t do these things in the open.’

Several passers-by were looking at Samuel curiously. Samuel did not understand, but he nodded dumbly. ‘And this morning,’ he continued, ‘he left in a real hurry.’ Mr Joshua was obviously pleased with the information. ‘And Mr Kelvin is teaching me some geometry.’

‘That’s wonderful, Samuel. Mr Kelvin is a good man to spend his time with you. An education is a valuable thing and knowledge is invaluable. I could have done with better schooling myself. Good work, Samuel. Try to come back within a week and tell me more about all this. It seems you are starting to get to the bottom of things.’

Mr Joshua gave Samuel some more coins before patting him on the back and disappearing into the tides of passing people. Samuel happily wandered towards the markets to finish his chores, jingling his weighty pocket. There was a dress that he knew Jessicah would just love.