“I don’t want to be a wizard!”
Follow the cry as it rings from the top of the
tower to the statue-filled basement. Feel it contract and return, not to the
bedroom from whence it came, but to the kitchen where it bounces off the
kettles and heads out to the chicken coop. See the cockerel remove his head
from under his wing, ruffle up his feathers, and take up the call to rise and
shine.
It’s a sad situation when a heartfelt cry of
protest becomes such a daily occurrence the clan uses it to start their day.
See the NeachCook tilt his head and turn to the
breakfast tray, checking for perfection before beckoning the Server. Watch the
Server skip merrily up the stairs, humming as he passes the various doors that
keep private lives private.
See the wizard staring at the ceiling, framed with
bright sunlight and serenaded by bird song, wishing she could wake up one day,
just one day, to something that reflected her gloomy mood instead of the happy
competence of the other tower inhabitants.
See the bedroom door creak open and the cheerful Server
enter and set down the tray. See the Server wishing the wizard a bright good
morning. See the wizard wave her hand and turn the Server into a statue then
back to human before he realizes what happened.
All women have PMS. In the wizard’s case, it
stands for psychotic morning syndrome.
See the Server escape, his “Hail and well met,
Cousin” attitude a bright annoying gleam of mockery in the dark just after
dawn.
See the secretary swan through the bedroom door
carrying a cake. “Happy day, Acting NeachDare d’Shadowed Rooster. Today is the
anniversary of your ascendance. It is also All Fools’ Day. You are needed in
the WorldView. Have a good day, Honored.” See her scuttle out.
Smart girl. She would look good as a statue.
See the wizard sigh as she looks out the window
and wishes once, just once, someone would ask her how she was. If she had slept
well. Why she woke up screaming.
But there are some things one doesn’t ask a
powerful wizard. Even if she is only the Acting Head of the Household. Even if
she has only been a wizard for a year. Even if she is only
fourteen years old.
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