The Young Magician

was quite fun the first few times, but served only to remind him of his failure.

Mr Kelvin first regarded Samuel’s candle-lined room questioningly, but for only a moment. He then sat beside Samuel and began the lesson without as much as a word about them. The night after, he carried a lantern with him and hung it from a vacant hook on the wall.

‘You only have to tell me if your room is too dull, Samuel. We don’t want you ruining your eyes,’ he told him and raised a curious eyebrow as Samuel chuckled.

After many weeks of vigilant practice, Samuel had his first incredible breakthrough. As he sat and breathed slowly with his palms tightly together, he forgot completely about making anything happen, and instead relaxed and enjoyed the soothing sensation that had somehow washed over him as he sat listening to his own soft breath and feeling the rise and fall of his chest. After some time, a line of goosebumps crept over his body, beginning at his wrists and running up his arms, over his chest and down to his ankles. The prickling sensation became almost too much to bear and Samuel burned to leap up and rub his limbs vigorously to reduce it.

Instead, and with considerable restraint, Samuel carefully peeked through one eye and was amazed to see a faint blue glow seeping from between his pressed fingers. It oozed out like some sort of shining water, dripping away in all directions before disappearing into nowhere. Samuel slowly brought his palms apart and for just a moment, there was a warm, glowing light nestled between his hands, before it flickered and vanished from existence with a tiny, soundless pop. Samuel yelled with excitement and jumped on his bed, hopping from one foot to another and giggling with glee. After a short period of jubilation, he calmed himself down and dropped back into the sitting position, his heart beating madly. He told himself to quieten down and concentrate and began again with the breathing exercises, but no matter how hard he tried long into the night, he could not repeat the feat.

He could summon no such light the next night, or the next, but Samuel could not bring himself to stop trying. The thought of the amazing light spurred him on with excitement. The very next night after that, Samuel again felt his body tingling and a familiar sensation filled his mind. His hands glowed intensely, so that his fingers showed red at their edges. Within his palms, the light existed, shining with a steady strength. Samuel realised that the secret was to keep this frame of mind and not let excitement or other distractions get in the way. He drew his palms apart some distance and the light remained there, forming itself into a spherical shape. He kept the tiny ball floating between his palms for a few minutes, until, with some alarm, he realised it was growing smaller. He tried and tried to make it grow back, but the more he tried, the more it died, until it flickered once, then again and finally vanished altogether for the rest of the evening.

The next morning, Samuel decided it was time to tell Mr Joshua of the astounding recent events, and so set out to find an excuse to go into town. He stepped into the kitchen, where Cook began eyeing him suspiciously as she cut up a bucket of greens, not saying a word.

‘Cook?’ Samuel asked.

‘What do you want?’ she asked. ‘Stop wriggling over my bench. I’ve nothing to give you until lunch.’

‘Oh, I don’t want anything. I was wondering if you had enough flour.’

Samuel edged around the kitchen, sliding open jars and peering into pots.

‘I’ve plenty of flour, thank you, Samuel,’ the sturdy woman replied. ‘Now keep your fingers out of my jars.’

‘How about peanuts? Or corn-or dried apricots? Are you sure there’s nothing I can get you from town?’

‘That’s it, is it?’ she said, sliding sliced carrots into a bowl with the back of her hand. ‘Needing an excuse, are you? Very well. I could use a bag of salt, now I think of it. Perhaps you could be so kind as to fetch some for me?’

‘I’d be happy to!’ Samuel said with delight.

‘Here’s some money,’ she said, handing him a few coins. ‘But don’t take too long or we’ll both be in for it when Mr Kelvin has to saddle his own horse.’

Samuel went to race out the door, when something caught his mind and he halted.

‘Cook?’ he asked and she looked up again. ‘Do you ever notice a light around people?’

‘No,’ she said bluntly. ‘Don’t be absurd.’

‘Don’t you ever see them glowing and shining?’

‘Only when they’re fairies-now get out and stop with your dreaming and leave me be. And don’t be up to any mischief in the town! Go do whatever it is you want to be doing, and I don’t want to hear anything about it or your fairies.’

Samuel laughed and left through the small kitchen door, running around the side of the inn. He pulled open one of the sturdy gates and then closed it behind him. The main road was filled with a good many people, carts and animals, all making their way along the busy highway into Stable Canthem. Samuel made sure the money was deep inside a pocket, for he knew the town had many a pick-pocket, and hurried after the throng of people.

‘You there! Boy!’ a voice called as Samuel trotted along.

Samuel stopped and waited for the puffing man. Perhaps it was one of Mr Joshua’s men.

‘Boy, you are the stableboy in that guest house, is that correct?’ the man asked as he pointed back towards the tall walls of the Burning Oak.

Samuel nodded.

‘How would you like to earn a half-crown?’ the man asked.

Samuel quickly decided this was not one of Mr Joshua’s men-he was far too cheap. ‘No, thank you, Sir,’ Samuel answered, and began to continue on his way.

‘Wait one moment. Perhaps…stop!’ cried the man, as Samuel turned and fled into the town past curious onlookers.

Samuel glanced over his shoulder, but the man was not following, only shaking his head and turning away. He may have been one of Mr Joshua’s men, but Samuel could not be told off just for being careful. He would also be in awful trouble if Mr Kelvin found him talking to anyone about the inn.

Samuel decided he would first like to see Jessicah and so he ran to the Three Toads Inn. He had to wait outside for some time until she came out to beat a rug on the banister. Samuel raced over to her, well-wary of her father.

‘Jessicah!’

‘Samuel,’ she cried with excitement. ‘How are you?’ And she placed a kiss on his cheek.

‘Very well. Let’s go!’

Jessicah looked over her shoulder for any sign of her parents, and then dropped her beater and skipped away with Samuel. They made for the river and sat on the grassy bank by an old willow, and sunned themselves and talked of each other’s events. Samuel noticed for the first time how different she was looking lately. She seemed to be filling out in all sorts of places-almost like a real girl.

Jessicah hung onto his every word as he told of the strange, robed men and the mysterious, magical things they did. She laughed when he claimed to be able to do the same magic and when she asked him to demonstrate, his head sagged, for he knew he could not.

‘But they dance around like this!’ he called, leaping to his feet and whirling around and throwing his hands about.

Jessicah giggled and giggled as Samuel frolicked before her by the waterside. It was only the sounds of talking that stopped him for, coming over the bank, was a group of local boys and at their head was a much larger, uglier boy whom Samuel had not seen in quite some time, but knew far too well. They all looked much older, uglier and meaner than before, but they still had the look of bullies. They splashed across the shallow river up to their knees and climbed the bank, making straight for Samuel and Jessicah with evil grins. Samuel was not about to turn into a coward and so he stood his ground with Jessicah beside him, clutching his arm tightly.

‘What are you doing?’ the big boy asked impolitely. The last time they had met, Samuel had been beaten badly, but much time had passed since then. Samuel was not about to let his pride take a beating again.

‘Talking,’ Samuel answered bluntly. ‘What do you want?’

‘Looked like you were dancing to me. I haven’t seen you for a long time, but I never forget a face. I do remember telling you that if I ever saw you again, I’d piss all over you. Did you forget it?’ the bully asked, dragging his nose across his sleeve. The boys were all grubby from playing in the dirt and one