A Bird in the Hand

A Bird in the Hand
by Chris Nance

Professor Hawkins stormed down the hall, little wounded blackbird in hand. His experiment to teach the Animalia spell went terribly wrong. Even though his course was Enchantment, not Soothsaying, he should have anticipated conflicting instincts would surface when one student became a bird and another, a cat. Worse, in different forms, the cat was the best friend of the bird.

Hawkins rushed for the hospital wing, his robes and long scarf trailing behind him around the corner. He knew he was frantic and needed to calm his nerves. ‘An anxious spellcaster invites disaster’ was elementary magic. Just then, the floor dropped from under him. “Whoa!” He barely summoned a flying carpet to avert his fall.

Shuttled back to solid footing, the massive stones of the hall suddenly quaked underfoot. He needed to relax but it was too late. Thick trunks with massive roots and branches knit a dense forest along his path. He sighed. “Great.” So, he gingerly parried and dodged, making sure to keep his footing so as not to wound his precious package any further.

Finally cleared of the foliage, he threw open the door to the infirmary and faced a massive crimson dragon. Fire scorched the jam just as he slammed the door between them. “It had to be a dragon!” Considering his options, he remembered his morning class and flung the door wide, transforming the serpent into a mouse that scurried away.

The magiphysician poked her head from under the bed. “Is it gone?” Dr. Elevin asked trembling, then found Hawkins. “You!”

She was quickly to work, a little spellcrafting here, some enchanting there. Soon, little Becca Beresford was less blackbird and more girl, recovering soundly in bed. When her best friend came to visit, Becca joked, “I think next time I’ll become a dog.”


299 words