The Winter Letter (12 page)

“Yeah, and just as far down as well.”

“Huh?”

“It goes just as far down into the underground world as it goes up into the sky.”

“Underground world? Really?”

Gatnom chuckled quietly. “Yes. Now, let’s get started. You said you got the simple magic down with no problem?”

“Yeah.”

“Show me.”

Will flipped his hand towards Gatnom’s hat. “Brim, bow!” he said, and the brim of the hat fell over Gatnom’s eyes.

“Selemat!” Gatnom said as he lifted the brim back up. “Okay, let’s see… I think the first thing we should do is show you how to conjure a small fire, like a candle. It’s easy. First, think about fire and picture yourself holding it in your hand. The key is to imagine it’s there before it actually is. Second, say
Light Be Lit
or something like that, and third move your hand like this.” Gatnom slid the back of his fingers across the palm of his other hand, like he was lighting a match. There were a few sparks, then a small flame appeared, floating above his thumb and forefinger.

“Cool!”

“Now, you try.” 

Will imagined a burning candle in his hand. “Candle be lit!” he said as he slid his palm and fingers together. There was a small spark, and a tiny flame appeared, flickering weakly over his thumb.

“First try! Great job!” Gatnom exclaimed. “That’s really good.” Will smiled. “Now, let’s try something more challenging. Do this.” Gatnom closed his eyes. “Fire Ball Be!” he said as he brought his hands together (as if catching a basketball). Out of nowhere a ball of orange fire appeared. It twisted and moved in between his palms like a whirlwind of flame trapped inside a crystal ball.

“Whoa!” Will stepped back, then forward again.

Gatnom dropped the fireball. It splashed onto the ground and disappeared with a sizzle. “Your turn.”

Will closed his eyes and pictured the fireball. “Fire Ball Be!” he yelled as he slammed his hands together. A bright yellow fireball appeared, but then it shot wildly from his hands. The next moment Gatnom was dancing around, stomping and slapping, trying to extinguish the flame consuming the tail of his coat. Will looked for water, but finding none, he tried patting out the flame with his hands. Finally, Gatnom fell to the ground and rolled around until the fire was out. When Gatnom looked up he was laughing. From then on he stood back a few extra feet. 

During the rest of the first few weeks Will learned tons of new magic. He learned how to make his pendant glow for light and how to make himself appear invisible. He was warned to be careful with this kind of magic because the magic didn’t
really
make you invisible. Actually, the magic was on the eyes of the seeker. If a magi found out what was happening they could dispel the enchantment and find you.

Every day after training Will would return to camp and hang out with the boys. They were all young, under twelve, but it is wise to know that sometimes those who seem to be the least can add the most to your life. First, there was Jubal who loved sad sounding music. He had only been at the camp for a few years and still dreamt of his parents almost every night. He played a muargi (something similar to a Guitar, but small enough to fit into a backpack). One night while sitting in the low fork of a fat sleeping tree he told Will all about the music of Baru. 

“My Dad told me that music is magic for everyone,” Jubal said. “Sure if you, being a magi, play this muargi amazing things will happen, but I’m talking about a different kind of magic.” Jubal held out his muargi like it was a breakable jewel. “My father gave it to me years ago, before he died.”

“It’s nice,” Will replied.

“Would you like to learn how to play a song?” Jubal asked.

“Nah, I don’t think so. I don’t know how—.”

“Come on Will, don’t be scared.”

“I’m not scared, I just don’t want to—”

Will stopped speaking when he saw Jubal holding out the muargi, smiling. “Okay,” he said as he took the instrument carefully from Jubal’s hands.

“Here, hold it like this. Now, put your right hand here. Good. Put this finger here and this one here. Now count; One... Two... Three... Four... Five… One... Two… Three…”

Will strummed to the count and was soon clumsily switching his fingers from one chord to the next.

“That’s really good! Better than me I think,” Jubal said, clearly lying. “Now play these chords in this order to this count. Here, let me show you.”

Jubal took the muargi and played a dancing tune. At first it was simple strumming, but towards the end single notes bent and swayed together like two married hummingbirds. Will watched at first, but as Jubal got lost in the music and the magic took its effect, he leaned back, closed his eyes, and began to imagine wonderful things he had never seen before. It really was magic. After Jubal finished Will took the instrument and began to learn the song a note at a time. When he was finally playing the first stanza somewhat right, Jubal reached in his back pocket and pulled out a small flute. A ballet of airy notes followed, swaying on top of Will’s clumsy strumming. As the music mixed with a light passing breeze, hundreds of colorful flying insects floated out of the bushes and swayed back and forth with the melody.

“See what I mean Will!” said Jubal. “When you play, real magic happens. Look at all of these butterbugs!”

One of the butterbugs, who was out of breath, flew up to Will and saluted with three of his six tiny arms. He was small enough to fit into Will’s hand, with bright orange and blue wings, like a butterfly with personality.

“What are your orders, Sir Magi?” the Butterbug asked.“

“Orders?”

“Yes, you summoned us for service with your tune. It is such an honor to serve the good magi of Baru!” The Butterbug who was talking was trying to keep his breath and looked very serious, but his little face betrayed his act. He was young and excited. Will didn’t know what to say so he made up something. “Um... well, keep a watch out. If any suspicious characters are seen let us know immediately.”

“Yes sir, Mr... forgive me Sir Magi, what is your name?” The Butterbug asked, looking a bit embarrassed.

“I’m Will. What’s your name?”

The little butterbug’s eyes lit. “My name Mr. Will, if I understand and you have asked me for it, is Jabber.”

“Nice to meet you Jabber,” Will said.

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Will!” Jabber poked out his little butterbug chest and looked around at his friends. They were clearly impressed a magi had asked his name. “Thank you for this honor, sir! We shall get started right away!” Jabber saluted with three right arms, and all the color flew away. 

“That was fun!” Jubal said once the butterbugs were gone. “Try this one!”

Jubal showed Will another tune and when Will played it all the trees fell asleep. Jubal hopped out of the low branch, and after tiptoeing over he drew a white mustache above one of the tree’s big wooden lips. When he was finished he hurried back to his seat and whistled. All the trees woke, and there was the rustle of tree laughter, even by the mustached one, who didn’t know what everyone was laughing at but laughed along anyway. 

Later, on a particular clear evening, Will met Randiby, who spent his time naming the stars and making up stories to go along with the names. He had even named two after his parents, whom he couldn’t remember at all (not even their real names). Randiby led Will to a field a few miles south of the camp where they climbed into the tallest branches of the only tree. As they lay there staring into the crowded sky Randiby went on and on about the good stars and the bad ones and all the battles fought between them.

“Did you know that stars sing?” Randiby asked after both of Baru’s moons had wobbled below the horizon.

“They sing? What do you mean?”

“They sing, like
la la la
. You have to listen just right and sometimes with your eyes since they are so far away. They even say that on the right nights, if you listen close, you can hear the King of All’s oldest creation songs echoing off the walls of time.”

“The walls of time? What does that mean?”

“I don’t know. Sounds good though doesn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

Suddenly all the stars twirled around in a huge circle, blurring the heavens into lines of streaming light, like the top of the world was being unscrewed at a million miles per hour.

Will jumped. “Dude! What was that?!”

“It happens every once in awhile. You’re suppose to make a wish.”

“Really? Like a shooting star?”

“Shooting star? What do they shoot?”

“No, they don’t shoot. It’s only one at a time, and it kinda like falls.”

Randiby looked at Will funny. “None of our stars have ever fallen. Once they’re there, they’re are always there.”

“Forget it,” Will said, slightly smiling. “Let’s just make our wish.”

Will and Randiby closed their eyes and slowly their smiles fell into straight lines. Staring into the night, they both remembered their mothers telling them to wish upon a star. And they did. Together, separately, silently, they both wished to see their parent’s faces once more.

Training: Part 2

Because of Will’s unusual way of catching on, Gatnom increased the difficulty of the second month. The opening week was spent learning defense. Will’s very first lesson was on repelling water, dirt, and wind and then guiding it to another target. By the end Gatnom, Will, and Wohie were all muddy, cold, and laughing. Even the boys had joined, which made everything ten times more messy. Next, they advanced to fire.

“First, picture a wall of water around ya,” Wohie said. “Yeah! That looks good, Will. Great water shield! Now, just let the fire hit that. It’ll go out like poof!” 

“Huh?”

“Ready?”

Will swallowed hard. 

“Fireball form,” said Gatnom. A small orb of flame appeared in his hands. Will’s eyes widened. The fireball looked huge through his water-shield. “Are you ready?” Gatnom asked

“No.”

“Just hold your concentration. Don’t let fear distract you.”

“Easy for you to say!”

Gatnom lobbed the fireball towards Will, who was fighting with everything to keep the image in his mind. “Water Wall!” he screamed again, and a new layer of water spread over the first, strengthening the already weakening forcefield. The flame fell into the giant bubble and sizzled out of existence.

“Cool!” Wohie screamed, imitating Will’s language. “Now block this!”

“Fireball Form!” Wohie screamed. She brought her hands together and a huge, popping, hissing fireball appeared.

“Wait! Wait! I’m not ready for that!”

Wohie looked Will in the eye, her brow lowered, then… she winked and fell over laughing. The fireball dropped to the ground and dissipated. “Just kiddin Willy`!”

By the end of these lessons Will was extinguishing multiple fireballs at once and even learning to deflect them in different directions. The next major part of defensive training was learning to escape from being bound. After a morning of instruction the team hiked southwest until they reached a small cliff on the edge of a humongous body of black water. 

“This is the Bottomless Lake,” Gatnom explained. “I personally believe there is a bottom, but many older people still say there isn’t. They say you could travel to the other side of the world simply by continuing down, which would become up eventually, but so far no one has survived the trip so we don’t really know. One thing is for certain though; it’s deep. Anyway, hold out your hands.” Will held out both hands, palms up. “Be bound,” said Gatnom as he twisted his hands together like he was tying a knot. Will felt something invisible tighten around his wrist and ankles. “Are you ready?”

“No.”

Gatnom pushed Will over the edge of the cliff overlooking the lake. Will splashed and sank into the black abyss. At first he panicked, but then a strange calm came over him. “Breathing bubble become,” he gargled as he puffed out his cheeks as big as they would go. A huge bubble instantly appeared, enclosing him inside, pushing out all the water. From inside Will took a breath of fresh, clean air. “Bounds be broken,” he said as he twisted his wrist, and the invisible ropes fell away.

As he sank deeper into the belly of the Bottomless Lake everything went from color to grey to black. “Illumination ignite,” he said. At this Will’s locket emitted a soft light that lit the surrounding dark water. He was not alone. Fish, sharks (with much larger teeth), and eels with crossed-eyes appeared in and out of the lit area around the bubble. Then a short person with webbed feet and one small gill in the center of his throat swam up. Will blinked, hardly believing his eyes. The fish man smiled and waved, then pointed up and motioned for Will to watch. His webbed feet kicked into gear, and the fish-man shot up toward the underwater ceiling, disappearing once he reached the surface. A silhouette of a flipping body could be seen, then he splashed back into the water, bringing a stream of bubbles along. Will gave thumbs up. The fish-man seemed to understand. 

Moving his hand left and right, Will guided the bubble up and out of the lake, where Gatnom and Wohie were waiting and cheering. 

The next day Will was buried underground in a box. 

Once all the light had faded and Will could no longer hear dirt hitting the lid, Will closed his eyes and tried to focus. Gripping his pendant tight he whispered a few words they had rehearsed. Then, following Gatnom’s instructions, he knocked on the cover of the casket twice, paused for a second, then knocked two more times, then two more, then two more. Each time he hastened the rhythm. At first the knocking sounded like a slow heartbeat, then a horse running, then and old engine
put-putting
about. When Will heard this rhythm he stopped knocking, but the sound continued. 

“Go!” he yelled.

With that, the now transformed box (Will found out later that the front had become like the needle on the front of a jet) took off like a roller coaster. It twisted and jerked, up and down, around and around, as it cut through the dirt like air. Will pushed against the side of the box to steady himself. Once or twice he went upside down, but the speed helped him stick to the bottom of the box like water in a swinging bucket. The wild ride concluded when Will felt his feet tip up and heard the ground break. “Box be broke!” he yelled as he slapped both sides of the box with the back of his hands. The boards flew apart, and Will flipped up and out of the soaring pieces, landing on his feet. But, then he tripped over a loose shoestring and fell on his butt.