How to be a black magician

How to be a Black Magician

I didn’t really plan for it to happen, well how could I? Who in their right mind imagines that they’ll wake up one day to get up for school, or college as some of my friends call it nowadays, to be ensnared by a tendril of darkness.
But there it was, coiling around my ankles, the sheer blackness of it seeming to rudely juxtapose the shafts of sunlight blazing through the slightly parted curtains. I sat, still slightly submerged in my covers, staring at the abomination. Where had it come from? What was it doing in my room? Why did this have to happen on the only night I hadn’t bothered to put on pyjamas? All these thoughts rushed through my head before I’d even thought to recoil in fright from the thing assaulting my bare calves. By the time I had decided to flinch, it was too late. The tendril tightened and pulled, yanking me over the end of the bed and down into the floor.

I was dragged through pitch darkness for a few seconds before being spat out up into a slightly-less-dark room, lit only by several flickering candles. From what I could make out, it appeared be a small cavern, gloomy bookshelves lining the shadowy walls and in the centre there was some sort of elaborate stone altar with a black robed man standing atop it, his back turned to me.
“Well, Merlin the third…” Came the deep sneering voice of the robed figure, as he slowly turned to face me “We meet again- Wait, do those boxers say ‘I’m big in Japan’?” I looked down at my red and white underwear – the only Item of clothing I was currently wearing. The robed figure slapped one hand to his forehead. “Dark gods damn you Fredrick, you’ve got the wrong house again! Why are my apprentices always so useless?”
“Perhaps it’s because you never bother training us, o lord of darkness, sir” came a voice from my left, and I turned to see another robed figure, this on with his hood down to reveal a weedy face and thick glasses.
“Perhaps” boomed the man on the altar “But you first must prove yourself worthy of my tutoring! Anyway, get rid of this one and try again. But this time, get it right!”
The weedy apprentice set down the thick book he was holding, and advanced on me menacingly, well as menacing as he could be behind those absurdly large spectacles “Sorry about disturbing you” He said, “But I’m going to have to zap you now.”
Realising that I didn’t really want to be ‘zapped’ - whatever that was, I ran for cover. The apprentice shot out a bolt of lightning which cracked the wall behind me, spattering me with chunks of rock. The kid was throwing lightning at me – Lightning! I darted behind the desk, grabbing the hefty tome to defend myself with.
“Hey, come back” He called after me, turning about too quickly and tripping over his robe. As the apprentice fell to the floor a huge crack of lightning flashed at me from the altar. It struck the book I was grasping, the force from the blow knocking me to the ground behind the thick wooden desk.
“I always have to do everything myself.” Sighed the man from the altar “Get up Fredrick, you fool. You are an embarrassment to magicians everywhere. Now, this time get me Merlin!”

I crouched behind the table as the apprentice Clambered back to his feet and gave a hesitant look back to where I assume he thought my charred remains were, but he didn’t seem to find anything. Then he turned back to his master, coughed, and started chanting.
At first I just thought he was spewing a long list of gibberish, but his voice seemed to undulate rhythmically and I eventually realised he was repeating the same phrase, of approximately 6… words? Not in any language I knew. As he continued the chant, a pool of blackness spread in front of him, much like the one I was pulled through to get here. Where did it lead this time? Then I did something stupid. I broke my cover, barged past the startled apprentice and leapt into the black. I had thought that it would simply spew me out where I had first entered it- in my room. But I realised on reflection that this probably wasn’t going to be so convenient. Perhaps it would lead to the other side of the earth, or the moon for all I knew. Perhaps the thing was not complete and I would be stranded in the void forever. These thoughts flashed through my mind as I tumbled through the darkness, flailing madly.
A bright light blazed below me, a voice echoing in the void “You shall not seize me so easily Magnus!” It came from a grey robed man below me, the light shining from his fingertip – and I was falling right at him as he dove up toward me. We collided. Hard.
His head slammed into my coccyx and I spiralled beneath him, tumbling onwards, and his light went out.

…

I opened my eyes, groaning slightly from hitting the floor so hard. Welcoming sunlight filtered through the open curtains, casting light over my large wooden desk… Wait, I don’t have a desk in my room. I got to my feet, still groggy and disoriented. I stepped toward the curtain and promptly stubbed my toe against the thick book someone had left lying on the floor. I picked the tome up intending to throw it at a wall or something, as revenge against its crimes against my little toe, but stopped as I noticed scorch marks spattering the front cover. It was the book I had used earlier, the one struck by lightning. Huh, I must have been holding it all the time.

I don’t know really why I decided to turn around, maybe It was my animal instincts for survival, maybe it was the book clasped in my hand , warning me. But that simple act of looking behind me was what saved my life – and perhaps the whole world. Or doomed it, depending on your perspective. I turned to see the pool of blackness spiralling into existence behind me, a thin tendril snaking its way toward my foot.

Nope. I wasn’t going to deal with that. Not at this hour of the morning. I fled. I ran randomly through the unknown house, trusting my instincts to lead me to the exit. My instincts let me to the bathroom. I frantically clambered over the tub and pushed at the large ajar window, managing to open it wide enough to wriggle through. Too late I realise that I hadn’t descended any stairs yet – and bedrooms tend to be, well… upstairs. Fortunately the hard stone floor was there to break my fall.

I stumbled to my feet, wincing at my thoroughly bruised right knee and marvelling that I hadn’t broken anything. Worn and still wearing only boxers, I stumbled out of the front gate. Now I only had to find my way home. Oh, god, I could be anywhere.

Fortunately I appeared to have emerged from the house directly opposite to mine. So, hoping nobody was looking out of their window, I scurried across the road and let myself in through the back door – which I’d forgotten to lock the night before. Whoops.

I stumbled up the stairs and collapsed onto my bed just in time to get a few more min- Wait am I still holding that book? I was. Then the alarm went off. I threw the book at it and got up to have a shower.

…

The book caught my eye as I was getting dressed, I sighed turning away then stopped. The book had fallen open, displaying in bold words ‘spell to summon lightning’. No, this was stupid. But, I did just see that apprentice and that creepy robed guy – both of them did it. I don’t think I’d been dreaming the whole thing. Hallucinating maybe - if so I still was, as the book as there, open on the ground before me. Sod it, Hallucinatory lightning would still be as cool as normal lightning. After all I, if I was mad wouldn’t be able to tell the difference, so I might as well enjoy myself.

Then my second alarm beeped. I was going to be late. I picked up the book, and rushed downstairs, grabbing my schoolbag on the way.

I had a long walk to my school, so I read the book as I moved, nearly stumbling into several trees and lampposts along the way.

It read:
‘Spell to summon lightning

Meerly point and ark of lightning will travel in direction of finger.
Incantation: Hasahd Lamoke Shallan

Effects: reduces organic material to dust, inorganic matter is superheated.

Modifications:…’

I stopped reading as it started to use vocabulary I just didn’t understand. The basic ‘spell’ itself though seemed simple enough, I pointed with my finger.

I spotted Jarvis, walking behind a hedge in an adjoining street. I didn’t like Jarvis, for not real reason… Well, for several small reasons actually. One, he didn’t like me. Ever since on the first day of school together I fell off a wall onto his head, causing him start school with a persistent nosebleed. It’s always difficult to like someone who scowls upon seeing you. Two, he was tall and evidently good looking, which was all the more annoying because he knew it. And three… Well, I just didn’t like him.

I pointed at his smug head and said “Hasad lomoke shalan” Nothing happened. I deflated, I hadn’t realised how tense I was. Had I said the things wrong? Nah, how had I expected the thing to work anyway, even if it was possible – why should I be able to do it? I looked back at the page, scanning through the words again. Wait, under the Incantation was written: ‘Annunciation: Ha-zad la-mock shal-lan’
Was that there before?

Jarvis turned the corner, glancing my way before stepping to cross the road away from me. Then he turned, a scowl rising on his face.
“What are you doing Kit?” He said somewhat mockingly “Who’re you pointing at?”

I say the words “Ha-zad la-mock shal-lan” And a bolt of lightning cracks into existence, stooting out of my finger. The pavement in ffron to Jarvis Explodes the slab shattering in a cloud of black smoke dust and broken stone. Jarvis sprayed with debris, the chunks knocking him back, stumbling until he lands on his rear with a thud.

He stars at me, shocked, a thin line of blood trickling down the side of his face. He wipes it with a finger and stares at the bloodied digit, shock turning to horror as he looks back to me. I stare back, my finger still pointing weakly, book held in my other hand, my face still blank with shock. He scrabbles off the floor, turning to run, stumbling and falling back down again before finally awkwardly running away, clearly limping from some damage to his leg. I watch him go, still standing there disbelievingly. Had that really just happened? Did I really just shoot lightning out of my finger?

It did happen. I had done it. I smiled, my smile spreading into a grin until I burst out laughing. God it was just so funny! Jarvis falling onto his big fat arse, his pathetic scampering as he hobbled away – he was running from me. Me! It was just too absurd. I just stood there clutching my side in and chuckling, then someone rounded the corner and I cut off my laughter. But the just looked at me like I was an idiot and stumbled over the broken pavement before striding away. I let out the breath I was holding. He hadn’t seen. Only me and Jarvis knew of this, and I’d have to find a way to keep him quiet… Nah, who’d believe him anyway?

I decided that I wanted to test this a bit more, to I took a detour through some quieter back alleys, It tried out the spell on a nearby metal dustbin lid. The lightning cracked again and the lid skittered across the floor in a cloud of smoke. I’d blown a great hole in the metal, the edges glowing red hot and molten fragments were sprayed about the impact zone. So that was the superheating mentioned in the book, I thought, burning my finger as I touched the hot dustbin surface. Now what about the ‘organic matter’?

Just then a pigeon fluttered down near the other side of the alleyway. Perfect. I took aim with my finger. The lightning shot out, striking the bird directly and when the flash ended the bird had gone. I rushed over to see what had happened. All that remained was a spatter of dust and two scorched feathers, gradually scattering in the breeze.

Woah. This Was So Cool! I could just shoot out lightning from my fingertips! Friggin Lightning! “Ha-zad la-mock shal-lan” I blasted a dustbin, “Ha-zad la-mock shal-lan!” I blew chunks out of the wall, “Ha-zad la-mock-”
An aging man appeared at the end of the alleyway
“Hey! What’s this Rack-“
“shal-lan”
There was a flash of lightning, a puff of smoke… and the man was no more. His empty boots smoking silently on the floor.

I turned and ran.