The Magician

Dave looked at the unfamiliar scenery in front of him. Groups of people were huddled together and a constant murmur buzzed in the air. For a moment he felt very, very alone. Then his sense of adventure took over. He took a deep breath, took a last look at the ship which had been his home for the past two weeks and took his first steps on Lausian soil.



Or at least it would have been soil, had he not stepped on something soft and smelly. The week-old discarded pumpkin did not seem to mind the rough treatment. It gently yielded and embraced Dave's boot. Dave let out a silent curse. Then he quickly looked around. True enough, the accent of Lausia differed somewhat from that of his own native Jicia, but he was not too sure that the word he had just said would go unnoticed. Satisfied that nobody saw this little show of human weakness, he made his way towards the nearest inn. It was at least three streets from where he was, but the huge sign must have been visible for at least six streets.



The port town of Lonta was a mix of color and smells. People were going on their own merry way, and Dave almost could almost imagine he was at home. He realized that his ear had become attuned to the accent around him. He was now catching short phrases of conversation from every direction. There was a man who complained to the greengrocer about the state of his pumpkins. Dave involuntarily nodded his head in quiet assent. The pumpkins were horrid.



At the next corner he heard a woman telling a friend about the bargain she encountered earlier that morning. She took the bracelet from its packaging and proudly presented it. Dave smiled. That was definitely a cheap import from Jicia. He also chuckled at the way the woman had said "bargain". She made it rhyme with "main". There was a commotion in front of him at the next intersection. People were forming a small band around something he could not yet see. He quickened his pace.



The first thing he saw was a hat. More precisely, he saw the tip of a hat. He shifted his gaze downwards - and then downwards some more. Finally he saw the shoulders of a small, gnomish man with a red tunic. He looked back up at the hat. Was it at all possible that someone could wear a hat taller than himself? The pointed black hat was obviously the pride of its owner. The midget seemed totally oblivious to the stares all around him. He was intently writing something on the ground in front of him.



Dave heard voices all around him.



"It's that magician. Steer well clear of that guy. Don't get involved with him."



Dave made a mental note to himself to tell his friends back home about the apparent fear the natives had for magicians. The magician made his way away from the crowd and started walking toward the town gates. Dave weighed his thirst against his curiosity. As usual, curiosity won.





Dave followed the magician to a small cottage in the nearby forest. The cottage which at a distance had seemed like a perfectly normal one between the foilage, now showed its true colors. In a very literal sense. The walls were purple, the door black and the chimney a hideous green. Dave took a moment to admire the monstrosity in front of him. The windows creaked in the breeze, while the roof seemed to hang onto the walls for dear life. The magician went into his abode without a second thought.



Dave took a gulp and walked to the front door. Because of its black color, Dave could not help but feel he was approaching a long, deep tunnel instead of a normal door. He gave a tentative knock. The knock echoed in his ears. No response. He gave a second, firmer rap. From inside he heard the scuffling of feet. The door was suddenly wrenched open.



"What do you want, eh?" the little man asked while eyeing Dave suspiciously.



"Uhm, well... I mean, meet you. What am I saying? The truth is that I've always wanted to meet a real magician, Sir" Dave finally managed to blurt out.



He was totally flustered by the magician's flawless Jician accent.



"Oh, then go meet one." replied the magician while closing the door.



"But I wanted to meet you." Dave shouted at the blackness of the door.



"I see. That's different. Meet me, eh? That's something new. Come in, I want to show you something..." the magician said.



Dave entered the cottage. If he had thought that the exterior of the cottage would have prepared him for the interior, he was wrong. Chaos reigned. The chairs were stacked onto one another, a piano was tilted on its side, and a long table was holding up the low roof from the inside. Dave was glad to see paintings on the wall. Only they were not on the wall. He wondered to himself how it was possible to hang paintings from the roof. Perhaps they were stuck there. Thoughts of magic experiments gone wrong crept into his mind. He silently hoped that the magician had since perfected his art.



"Don't dawdle! Come, I want you to look at this. It's my very own invention" the magician chortled proudly.



Dave peeked into the huge couldron in front of him. A thick, sweet aroma almost overwhelmed him. A reddish broth was bubbling and steaming in the cauldron.



"This must be something very powerful. What is it?" Dave asked innocently.



"This, my friend, is vegetable soup."



"Vegetable soup? Oh." Dave replied disappointedly.



"But that's no ordinary vegetable soup. I made it using only fruit!" the magician beamed.



Dave watched the magician carefully. Was he making fun of him? Satisfied that no pranks were being played on him, yet disenchanted from the high esteem he had of magicians, Dave decided to leave.



"Well, I'd best be on my way. It's been interesting." Dave said while striding to the front door.



"Oh, no. You can't leave yet. I've one more thing to show you." the magician said quickly.



Dave hesitated. Well, it could not hurt to stay a little longer.



"Very well. What is it you want to show me?"



"It's in here." the magician answered while pointing to a closed door.



"You'll have to go in alone, though. It's really a tight fit." the magician explained.



The door was rusted at its hinges, and quite heavy. Dave leaned against it but it would not budge. He took a step back and threw his weight against it. The door crashed open and Dave's momentum took him forward. Forward into nothingness.



As Dave fell, he could vaguely hear the magician say something about the wonderful view. Realization came just before he hit the rocks at the bottom of the empty well. In that moment of clarity, his brain was able to finally understand the earlier warning of the townspeople.



"It's that mad Jician. Steer well clear of that guy. Don't get involved with him."