Daniel Benedict

SWiSH Movie - thetales4.swi - www.swishzone.com



	INTRODUCTION (with Prologue and Chapter One) In a small village in France lived a Mage, Francis; old before the village was born; loved by the children and feared by their parents. It was the 17th century of earth. Now, Francis became ill; seriously so. It appeared he would die. The children were heartbroken. Two of the oldest children, sisters, Rose and Elizabeth, helped the children find a way to save the Mage, Francis, through his books of magic, healing and creation. Unknown to the children their actions bring about the birth of a second universe. Francis and the children are unwittingly pulled into this second universe; in the void of space they watch this new world form by their desires. This is Nouveau Monde of Aaronmere where fabulous talking creatures and mythical animals abound. Rose and Elizabeth, being the eldest, become the Queen mothers of Aaronmere and Francis is healed. Unfortunately Rose is not strong like her sister. Eventually she is overcome by the desire for magic and power. For ninety-nine years Aaronmere was quite a happy place until Rose stole the books of magic and tore their world in half by creating a separate world for herself. Elizabeth, saddened by her sister’s treachery, creates a forest of blue barked trees, hundreds of miles long dividing the land, even into the sea. This woods became known as the ‘Blue Forest’ because of its’ watery blue barked trees, and hidden here is the only gateway back to the universe and the old earth where once they had all lived. Rose, no longer a part of everyone's life, builds a fortress of demonic armies through the use of Francis’s books of magic. Here she conspires to rule all of Aaronmere. Elizabeth and Francis the Mage, no longer having the use of these books of knowledge and spells, call upon the four Elemental Dragons, Druinnel, Usu, Una, Ru, created by Francis in the beginning, to help them against their lost and evil Rose. NOUVEAU MONDE BY DANIEL BENEDICT PROLOGUE (R-1.0) “Hello strange friend. Come in, come in. You must be tired from your journey. I know I wasn’t easy to find. I make it that way on purpose; otherwise I would have too many strange friends at my door. For you I make the exception. Can I offer you something hot to drink? Coffee? Tea? Cocoa? Sit by my fire, while I get you your drink, I can see you are soaked from the snow. I know you are eager to learn about Aaronmere, I will do my best; my memory is not what it used to be. The last gateway to exist between our universes, Ond, collapsed after Devan and his friends passed through only just last year. I’m afraid if you want to find your way to Aaronmere it won’t be possible anymore. At least not for a very long time, beyond your life span. I only take this form to make you feel comfortable. Now don’t start panicking on me, I have no interest in eating humans. I find the meat to be rather sweet. My cattle farm keeps me quite satisfied. My name? The people of Aaronmere called me Druiniel but my proper name is not very pleasant to your ears. The name Francis gave me was Minou. It means little cat or kitten in French. It's slang so don’t go looking it up in your French to English dictionary. No, I don’t look like a kitten, he was a playful magician and joked too often. His magic and the magic of his children friends along with the magic of creation, made Aaronmere and all its wonders. I was there then and I’m here now. I have seen kingdoms rise and fall, friends born and die, and universes come and go. Even for me though I grow old. My fire isn’t in me anymore. Don’t ask me to burn a meadow, unless you want to see me cough and choke a smoke ball. No, my days are coming to an end. That’s why I am glad to see you made it. The lives of all those that created Aaronmere are too important to be lost. It needs to be told and passed down to your children before the memory fades too far. The story of Aaronmere started some nine hundred years ago to you and me. Not even a mere drop in the ocean of time, but long enough to see a universe born and unborn and born. It all started on this very planet. Back when the air was still pure and colors still vivid. You could see for miles without the aid of a monocle. Life was thick with vigor and species of animals we have only seen in books ran free. The year was 1612, the town was Saint Rosemere. It was situated in the hills of France. I have never been there personally, but Francis painted a landscape of pure honey and wheat. He cherished that town, often calling it l’amour de ma vie, ‘the love of my life’. When he moved there, he was in his early twenties and full of life. All he ever wanted to do was magic. He came from a long line of magicians, his father was employed by a Dutch, and his grandfather had his own magic shop in the town he grew up in. Saint Rosemere was the perfect town, Francis thought, to open his own magic shop. The people of Saint Rosemere tried to ban him from opening his magic shop. Often it was that small towns were isolated from the hub of big cities and rarely understood, or wanted to understand new trends. This was the case with Saint Rosemere. Her people didn’t understand magic and didn’t want to start. It was the Consulate that allowed Francis his shop. They new the potential for tourism that magic brought. Francis had a big heart, and even though most the residents of Saint Rosemere shunned him as he would walk down her brick streets, he continued to open his shop everyday. His magic shop did rather well and did indeed bring in people from the cities to buy there magic poppers and secret herbs and special potions. Francis grew quite happy with his business and as his shop got to be known in the area, drew in more customers. Of all his customers, it was the children that inspired and excited him. To see their eyes light up and their broad smiles when he would set off a sparkler and let it fly through his shop, gave him his ultimate satisfaction as a magician. It wasn’t long before every child from six on up made Francis’s shop their number one hangout. Francis never neglected a child’s attention, and even when his shop was full of adult paying customers, they often had to wait as Francis took care of his children friends. His regular patrons had learned to be patient, but there were a few times a passing customer snapped at Francis for not giving them his full attention. It was these customers that left his store with little bunny tails protruding from there clothing. The children would laugh hysterically and the customer would just shake there heads at the nuisance of them. I see you have finished your drink. Let me get you a refill and throw another log on the fire. There you are, it is hot, so be careful. Winter comes early this year. The first snowfall normally comes in December. I think we are in for a cold year. The cycle is due. So where was I? Francis’s magic shop, yes. Mind me, not all my details are accurate. My accounts come mostly from Francis’s own translations. It has been a few thousand years since I last read them. Remember his native tongue was French and the English translation is not always perfect.” Druiniel leaned back in his large wooden chair and wrapped his knitted wool blanket over his legs. “I am reminded of a poem that Francis wrote.” The turquoise sun in the blue pink sky On the violet mountains where the white sands lie Shimmering beneath the red birds cries Listens to the deep night waters And the pale wind sigh Turquoise children, the color of the sun In the early yellow light are running Over the rocks of copper and green And into where the blue waters sing Everything, children and all whirl in a white light ring Turquoise flowers fairies dance In the reflection of raindrops blue Children play while winds blow true Purple trees sail across the seas The orange moon dreams in the deep earth sleeps I should start his story when he moved to Saint Rosemere and opened his magic shop. It was not the beginning of Francis’s life, but it was the beginning to Aaronmere.” CHAPTER ONE (REV 1.1) -FRANCIS’S MAGIC SHOW- Francis woke tangled in his myriad of big fluffy blankets. His bed was a sea of goose down quilts and goose down pillows. Each corner of his bed had a carved post that shot up to the ceiling and hung layers of purple velvet. The bed was so big; it filled up the small room only allowing for a tight path all around it. On one side was the large picture window with its deep-set sill full of exotic herbs. On the other side, the door opened up to his kitchen. Soleil, his brown point Siamese cat, ran from the kitchen, jumped on his bed, and ran across to the window. “Soleil! That was my stomach you pranced on.” Francis went to get her but she was quick this morning and ran across his bed again and out the door. "You be good!” He yelled at her and laid back down in his fortress of goose down feathers. The sun had come up and shown through his window. He propped his head with several pillows and allowed his body to adjust to the beginning of the new day. He went over in his head the days events he planned. It was going to be a special day, as he would be performing his very first secret show for the children. It had to be secret because of their parents. They always protested their children hanging out with him and certainly would not approve of a magic show. It was going to be held in his barn after the sun went down. He was closing his shop early to be able to set up the barn for the show. He took his quill, ink well, parchment from his windowsill, and began his list of things he would need from the shop. “Hmmm? I will definitely need my table from the back store room.” He dipped his quill and neatly added it as the first item on his parchment. “Oh yes, those candles that father gave me, the ones with the blue dust. Those will get their attention. Let me see, an assortment of sparklers for the little ones, and I can’t forget about qui donne le frisson, that one will scare their pants off.” He wrote down his items and when he was done, had an extensive list. Soleil jumped up on his bed unexpectedly and knocked over his ink well on the floor. “Oh! You pest. That’s it; you will pay for that one.” Francis flew out from under his covers and went leaping for Soleil but still, she was fast and escaped his clutches. “Dang you cat; you aren’t getting away from me this time.” Francis went chasing her all through the house, running bare-naked. He had to give up when she squeezed herself through the cat door. He didn’t feel like running after her outside with no cloths on. He watched her through his window licking her self in daunting satisfaction. “That’s right. Clean yourself good, because I think I will have myself some cat for breakfast.” Francis laughed jokingly. He looked through his living room closet for some decent cloths to wear for this special day. He came across his favorite vest. He hardly wore it. He did not want to wear it out so it mostly hung in the closet. Today though, he would put it on. It was black silk with gold embroidery on the back of two dragons intertwined. It came from china and was very exotic. He put on a white silk shirt under his vest and his black leather pants that he had made special from pigskin. He told his tailor that pigs were smarter then people and when he put them on made him walk smarter. His tailor only gave him one of those crazy looks not understanding his humor. He started the fire in his stove to cook himself some eggs. Soleil rubbed against his feet as he heated the skillet. “See this skillet Soleil, I am going to cook me some cat. You better run.” Soleil only answered him with purring and rubbing her head on his shoe. “You better kiss my feet. I still have dried ink all over my floor from you.” He opened his icebox and took the ice pick to chunk off some more chips. He unwrapped the codfish and set some on the floor for Soleil. After he finished off his breakfast, he made his bed neatly by tucking in all his blankets under his mattress and arranging the pillows by color and size against the headboard. He scrubbed his floor of the dried ink and left with Soleil making bread with her claws in the middle of the bed and turning circles until she found just the right spot to sleep. In the barn, Francis readied his two horses to pull his wagon. Appleseed and Winterbelle had been with him since his second birthday. Appleseed was an appaloosa breed and Winterbelle a palomino, with his pure white tail and mane and golden body. Appleseed was unusual in that he had light brown spots with a light grey body. He brushed them and fed them their morning treats. His wagon was small, only seating two and having just one axle. It was really a one horse wagon but his horses never went anywhere without each other. He thought it was too cruel to make them sit outside his shop all day alone. He pulled his wagon out the large doors and shut them behind. Slowly he rode down the path into town. His house sat atop a hill about two miles from town. It was surrounded by wheat fields that his neighbor maintained and harvested. September closed and the wheat ripened nearing harvest time. The tall golden stalks swayed in the morning wind. Francis whistled and sang as he always did every morning on his way to his shop. The golden sea inspired and lifted his spirit. Saint Rosemere had three main avenues, two that paralleled and one that crossed over. The main body of shops lined along Blair Avenue that crossed over the other two streets. It was the road most traveled by visitors as it led them to the next towns. Pier and Antoine Avenues lined with hotels, small business that could not afford the main road and industries. The three Avenues were paves of bricks but the back alleyways and secondary streets remained of dirt. The buildings mostly were built of shaped stones and red clay bricks, but some constructed of wood frames. These ones set apart from the larger brick buildings and grouped together in three or four sets. It was one of these small wooden buildings off of Antoine Avenue that Francis had his magic shop. He directed Appleseed and Winterbelle around the back of his shop and disconnected the wagon from them. Behind his shop, he had built a small coral for them with a water trough and shelter. He covered them with their blankets and gave them fresh water. Inside his shop, he opened his cash drawer, unlocked the front door and turned his sign over to read open for business. He still had fifteen more minutes officially before opening but he was too excited and opened early. It was a Sunday morning and he didn’t expect many customers. The hanging bell rang on his front door. “Bonjour Francis.” The customer greeted. “Bonjour Madame Josett. What brings you into my shop this wonderful morning? I usually don’t see you on Sundays.” “I have a dilemma. My husband has come down with an illness that the doctors cannot cure. I know you do not normally deal with this kind of thing, but I am desperate.” Francis could see the deep worry and concern in her eyes. “What kind of symptoms does your husband have?” “Fever mostly but he has pain in his arms of all things. It is so painful that he does not even move them.” Josett said, worried. “Pain in his arms, did he bruise them? Maybe he pulled the muscles?” “No I do not think so. The doctors would have discovered that I am sure.” osett was one of his few adult patrons that lived in the town and did not despise his ways. She had given him a lot of business and he always did his best to accommodate and respect everyone. “I will have to see him before I can determine what to do.” Francis told her. “That would be wonderful. I can ride you to my house and have my maid return you.” She offered. “Let me get a few things together and I will meet you at your carriage.” Francis gathered his essentials for healing in his black leather bag and closed his shop leaving a note on his door advising he would return in two hours. At Madame Josett’s house, he found her husband in bed and sweating a river. Francis was not a medical doctor and was not familiar with all the diseases and ailments of people. But he knew his magic and a few spells for such things. He consulted his book and asked him some specific questions. “Both arms hurt?” Francis said looking at his arms and feeling them gingerly. “Yes they hurt like someone beat them with a tree trunk.” “Just your arms and nowhere else?” “Just my arms.” “Okay, I am going to give you this leaf. Put it in hot water and drink it like tea. It is for blood circulation, it thins the blood. Then I have some powder that I want you to drink in tea as well. After about an hour you can take this powder, it will help with the muscles. If it does not work in a days time I will use something a little stronger, but we should start with the simple things first.” Francis gave the leaf and powder to Madame Josett. “Make sure he drinks the whole thing, you can add some honey to sweeten it but don’t add anything else.” He directed “Thank you so much I am grateful for your help." “Do not thank me yet, I have not done anything. Just make sure you give him the tea and he drinks it all.” “I will, I will.” “Call for me tomorrow if he does not get better or he gets worse.” Francis advised. “Merci, merci,” Josett followed Francis to her coach and sent him on his way ever so grateful. Back at his shop, he found Rose waiting by the door. She was one of the older children that had become his closest friends. She was fourteen and her sister Elizabeth was thirteen. Rose was tall and skinny with long black hair that she often had braided or wrapped up in a bun. Francis only ever saw her wear black and today she wore her black velvet dress with the white bodice of lace. Elizabeth was tall also but had short blonde hair and never wore black. She was more into pinks and reds. They were the kind of sisters that apposed each other but were inseparable. “Where is Elizabeth?” Francis asked, unlocking his door. “She got herself in trouble last night. She has to clean the stable this morning. She said she should be down soon.” “Trouble? She wasn’t trying to recite that spell was she?” Francis concerned. “No, she was reading in bed past her bedtime and got caught by papa.” “She knows better then to stay up late.” “I told her she would get caught but she never listens to me. In a way I am glad she did, now I don’t have to clean the stable because it was my turn.” Rose smiled. “Rose, you should have stayed and helped your sister.” Francis looked at her with one eyebrow raised. “Papa said she had to clean it on her own, and I was bored at home.” Rose went to look at her favorite shelf of stuffed animals. Each one had some special tricks they did. She panicked when they were not there. “The animals are gone. You did not get rid of them did you?” Rose screamed. “No no, I just moved the store around some. They are over on the back wall now.” Francis walked over to the back wall and showed her. “You scared me. I was sure you got rid of them. Why did you move them back here?” “I had to make room for my new things.” “Oh? You have new things?” Rose started to get excited. “What new things?” “Come here I will show you.” He pulled from the shelf a wooden box and took it to his counter. “Open it,” he told Rose. Rose opened the hinged lid and when she did, a little dancing figure popped up and started to spin to music. She had seen things like this before and did not show much interest in it. “It is just a music box,” she proclaimed. “Wait, there is more to come.” Francis hinted. As the dancing figure turned on her little spinning table, she started to move her arms. Then, as the music changed to a faster tempo, the figure seemed to free herself from her wooden base and dance all around in the box. She danced, twirled, leaped and bowed as the music ended. Rose giggled and her eyes sparkled as she watched, captivated by the magic of this music box. “How does she do that?” Rose wanted to know. “Now you know I am not going to tell you that, but I will tell you this one is yours to keep.” “Francis, thank you.” Rose closed and opened the lid again to see her dance. “But you have to share with your sister.” Francis insisted. “I will, I promise.” The front door rang its bell and in came Cedric. He was another of Francis’s child friends. Cedric was eleven. His father was the Constable of Rosemere and had forbidden Cedric from associating with Francis. Cedric snuck into his shop through out the day. He was always well dressed and well groomed. Francis thought he was a handsome young man with his deep blue eyes. He often told Cedric it was his blue eyes that made him the mischievous boy that he was. “Hello Cedric.” Francis greeted. “Hi Cedric.” Rose followed. “What is this?” Cedric said, spotting the music box on the counter. “It looks new.” “It is and it is mine,” Rose informed him right away. “Watch.” She opened the lid for him and he watched as the figurine danced about the box to the beautiful music. Cedric was a boy and not nearly as impressed with it as Rose was. “Neat.” Was all he said “I have something for you Cedric, wait here.” Francis went to a shelf and came back with a carved reptile. He set it down on the counter. “What do you think?” “Looks nice, what does it do?” “Why don’t you pet it.” Francis offered. Cedric stroked its wooden back and when he did, it turned vivid orange. “Wow.” The more he pet it the more different colors it turned. From bright orange to electric blue to sun yellow. “That is amazing,” Cedric declared. “It is yours.” “Merci. I have to go, papa is across the street and he will notice me gone soon.” “Will you make the show tonight?” Francis asked. “I would not miss that for anything.” “Great. I will save your seat. You better get going.” “Okay I am, au revoir, see you later.” Cedric said as he left the store. “Bye,” Rose waved. “His papa is mean. I wish he had a different papa. When I was at his house I was not allowed to touch anything, and when I spilled my glass on the kitchen floor I was told to go home.” “I am sure his papa has good intentions. Some people just take life harder and more serious then others. His job is demanding and can make one less forgiving. Do not be so harsh.” Francis said to Rose as he straitened up his countertop. “Here, you can help me bring my things in from the wagon.” Rose loved his horses and did not hesitate at the offer. She petted both of them at the same time. “How are my Appleseed and Winterbelle this day?” She said to them scratching there noses. They snorted and nudged her for more attention Francis uncovered the back of his wagon and took a box. “Here Rose, you can take this inside for me.” He handed her the box and she went inside with it. When she came back out instead of going over to the wagon, she went straight for the horses again. “Can I go get them a treat?” “A treat? They have had their treat for the day.” “Please, look at them. They need an apple.” Rose pleaded. “I gave them an apple this morning. Too much and they will get spoiled.” “Please, please. Then I will give them celery or a carrot or lettuce.” “Okay,” Francis gave in and pulled out two coins from his pocket. “They are partial to green apples or carrots.” Rose jumped with joy. “I will be right back with a big sweet treat for you two,” she told Appleseed and Winterbelle. She wasted no time in running through the shop and out the front door on her way to the market on Blair Avenue. When Rose returned she was joined by her sister Elizabeth. Rose went straight out to feed the horses and Elizabeth stayed to chat with Francis. “I had to clean the stables this morning.” Elizabeth declared. “I know all about it, your sister informed me. Was it worth it?” “Well no, I don not like to get caught. I learned that if I leave my candle on, I need to put a blanket at the bottom of my door to keep the light in.” “Your father has good reasons for wanting you asleep at a certain hour, but that is pretty cleaver thinking. The other thing you can do is use my pearl candles, their flames are red and don’t show through doors.” Francis conspired. "You never told be about that. I could use a couple of them.” Elizabeth winked at him. “I bet you could. Your father would rush down here and tell me all the ways he will kill me for giving his daughter the means of staying up at all hours of the night.” “I won’t get caught this time, I will keep them under my mattress and he will never find them,” she pleaded. “I will see. If you want them however, you will have to earn them. You can go the storeroom and get the broom. Sweep my store and you get one candle.” Francis offered. The hours of the day came and went, as did the children of Saint Rosemere. He had a few paying customers and his earnings for the Sunday came to be a typical day. On any other Sunday he would be closing the shop at 4:00pm but today he closed at 3:00pm. He wanted the extra time to gather his supplies for the show and pack them on his wagon. Rose and Elizabeth wanted to stay and help but he told them if they did then the show would not be a surprise, so he sent them on their reluctant way. He hooked up the wagon and brought out his things. It nearly overflowed and he had to take the horses blankets to tie and steady his load. He checked his list one last time before locking his shop. He had put a line through each item as he loaded it. He had everything; he made for the road home. When he arrived home, instead of putting his horses in the barn, he let them loose in the field behind. He stood in his barn debating. “Let me see, I think I will put the table over here and let them sit at the entrance. I can use the logs outside as benches and that big platform out back as my stage.” Francis continued to talk himself though all the steps. After he had the barn arranged to his satisfaction, he began to unload the wagon of his boxes. He covered the table with a deep blue cloth and set a curtain across one of the stalls. He would keep all his things here and get them as needed throughout the show. He was still arranging things when the first children started to show up. Rose, Elizabeth, Cedric and his friend Xavier who was nine, walked though the open barn doors. Francis conferred with his watch. “Early are we? The show is not for another twenty minutes.” “We had to walk, we made good time,” Rose innocently replied. "What is this? Xavier asked peering around the corner of the covered stall. “Stay out of there that is for the show. You will know soon enough.” Francis grabbed Xavier and set him down by the logs. “If you want to help you can go in the kitchen of the house and get the pitchers for the drinks. I have sugar water and a special drink made of peach juices.” No sooner had he said it then all of them disappeared as if he had used magic. They came back with the pitchers and glasses and set up the drinks for the other kids when they showed. Soon the barn filled with children of all ages. Some brothers and sisters, others best friends, all of them knew each other, played, and frolicked as Francis made the final touches to his stage. Francis turned on his magic lights that hung from four poles and instructed the children to take their seats. After he saw everyone was seated and anticipating his move, he lowered the lights slowly until it was pitch black in the barn. He could hear some children giggling and some screaming from the darkness. All of a sudden, a flash of colored lights filled the barn and smoke drifted off the stage. The lights on the poles came back up and Francis stood on the stage in a blue gown of silk and a tall hat with a staff in one hand and a wand in the other. He waved his wand about and snapped his hand and the wand turned into a snake that he threw towards the children. All the children sitting on the front log leaped and fell backwards as the snaked slithered on the ground and burst into sparkles. The children in the back laughed at the other children and they all awed Francis. “Boys and girls, tonight’s show has a special theme. It is all about wild life. Who can name the kind of birds that can talk?” Francis asked of his audience. “Parrot.” Came one answer. “Parakeet.” Came another. “Cockatoo.” Yet anther yelled out. “What about a macaw?” Francis suggested and tapped his staff on the ground. A beautiful macaw appeared on the table and spoke. “Where am I? I was enjoying a nice nap in my tree. What nerve to wake me up. Who is responsible for this? I want to see them right now.” The children laughed and pointed to Francis. Francis tapped his staff again and another macaw appeared. “There you are. I left you in charge of the nest and eggs and I find you here having a big party.” The second macaw said. The first macaw gawked. “I did not come here of my own. I was doing a good job of watching the eggs dear.” “I bet you were sleeping.” The female macaw turned to the children. “Was he sleeping?” “Yes!” All the children answered at once. “I thought so; you get your butt home right now.” The birds took flight and flew up and out the barn. “Do not forget to watch your eggs when someone asks you too.” Francis advised. A little voice interrupted Francis. “Hey up there. Yeah big guy, when do I get to be in the show?” “Who said that?” Francis looked at the children. The children all looked around. “Down here at your feet. Peter here. I was promised a spot in your show and I am waiting.” “Where? I cannot see you,” Francis said again. “Right there,” Xavier pointed to the stage by Francis’s foot. “It is a white mouse.” “Aw, I see you now. Hello there Peter. I told you not until the end of the show, you are my closing act.” Francis bent down to talk to him. “I want to be on now. I do not want to wait until the end of the show.” “You have too, I have acts scheduled before you. You will just have to wait your turn, now go back and sit down.” “I am not. I am staying right here until you let me do my act, so there.” Peter crossed his arms, sat on his butt and wrapped his tail around his legs. “You leave me no choice then, it is the cage for you.” Francis pulled out a small metal cage. “NO! No cage for me I am free, I am free.” Peter yelled and leaped off the stage and made for the logs the children sat on. “Do not let him get away. We cannot have a talking mouse running free in town.” Francis shouted at the children. The children all jumped up and scattered about trying to catch Peter the white mouse. Peter ran between their legs and caused several children to collide and knock themselves silly. They only got back up laughing uncontrollably and went chasing Peter again. “Peter, get back here this instant or I will send Soleil after you.” Francis ordered. “I do not care I am free, I am free.” Peter yelled back running from stable to stable. Little Johansson leaped and caught Peter’s tail and scooped him up. “I have him,” he shouted excited. Xavier was disappointed, “I wanted to catch him,” he pouted. Francis came over with the cage and put Peter inside. “Now you will have to do the show from your cage.” Peter grabbed the bars of the cage with his little pink mouse hands. “I protest. I have rights.” His complaints trailed on as Francis carried him backstage. “Seat yourselves boys and girls the show goes on, maybe not with Peter but the show goes on.” “I need a volunteer. Do I have any takers?” The hands went up. “How about Rufin in the back,” Francis pointed. Rufin jumped up and climbed over the other kids to get to the stage. “Okay, Rufin see this rope here? Rufin shook his head yes. “Do not pull on it. No matter what happens, do not pull on it, it has magic powers.” Francis positioned Rufin by the rope. Francis pulled a small lizard from the air and handed it to Rufin. “Can you name the kind of lizard it is?” The lizard crawled over Rufin’s shoulders and he began to laugh as it tickled him. The lizard leaped from Rufin’s shoulders to the rope and started to climb up. "Do not let him get away Rufin,” Francis shouted. Rufin pulled on the rope to shake the lizard off and instead of the lizard coming down Francis turned into a dog. Rufin opened his eyes big and pulled the rope again, Francis turned into a rabbit. Rufin’s jaw opened and he pulled the rope again and Francis turned into a skunk. The children laughed and cooed. When they saw the skunk, they all yelled at Rufin. “Vite, vite. Pull the rope Rufin.” Rufin pulled the rope again and Francis appeared as his normal self. “What did I tell you about that rope Rufin?” Francis roared like a tiger and Rufin went screaming back to his seat laughing at the same time. Laughter filled the barn and Francis readied his next performance. He dragged a large crate from the stall behind the curtain and centered it on stage. The children sat silent in expectation as Francis moved all the tables and things off the stage, leaving only the one large crate. “Can anyone think of the most feared beast in all of France?” Francis started. “That would be a dragon,” Rose shouted assured of herself. “More feared then a dragon even. I will give you a hint. He flies on the back of a winged beast and caries a mace of dragon teeth.” “Le Cavalier Noir,” Elizabeth screamed. The lights went dark, the stage lit from underneath, and the crate crashed and splintered to a hundred pieces as Le Cavalier Noir swung his mace wildly about. The children screamed as the black Pegasus reared on its hind legs and showed its metal plated belly. Le Cavalier Noir paced the stage impatiently staring down the children with red glowing eyes. His Pegasus spread its wings and lightening bolts shot off his back as he leaped into the air and flew around the barn. He flew higher and higher and came to the top of the barn and crashed though the ceiling. “Oh no,” Francis shouted. “We cannot let him escape into the world; he will hunt us all down.” Quick outside.” All the children ran outside as fast as they could. They saw Le Cavalier Noir flying higher and in circles over them. “He is getting away,” Francis shouted. “Cedric use your magic power to bring him down.” “What magic power? I am no magician” “You are the only one; he is getting away, be swift.” Francis encouraged Cedric raised his hand pretending to use a magic force to bring down the black rider. A powerful blue lightening bolt shot from Cedric’s finger and hit the rider causing him to shoot into a thousand trailing lights and sparkles. They lit up the evening sky like day. “Wow.” Cedric looked at his hand. “I did that?” He asked himself. All the children awed the sight. “I hope the town did not see that. You better get yourselves home vite vite, before your parents notice you all missing and come hunting for me.” Francis said and gave each of then a small sparkler to see by. He listened to the children talk excitedly about the show and waited until he could no longer see the last children, Rose and Elizabeth, on the road, before he went back in his barn to clean up. Winterbelle and Appleseed were very happy to have their stalls back and nightly treats. Francis bid them night and found comfort in his soft chair with his magic books. He studied late into the evening with Soleil on his lap. He was not surprised the next morning when he found he was still in his chair and the books on the floor and Soleil in his lap. He opened his shop as normal and, as many Mondays were, was instantly busy with customers. “Did you see the sky last night? One customer commented to his friend with him. “It was lit up as if the sun were coming up.” The friend responded. “What do you think it was?” They asked Francis. “Meteors. Did you not read about it in yesterday’s paper?” Francis cleverly answered. “It was a big meteor shower, but it only lasted for a few seconds.” “Oh, that explains it,” they both said convinced. As the afternoon closed in, the children came to visit. They wanted to know when Francis planned his next show. “I had not thought about it,” Francis admitted. “But you have to do another show,” Cedric pleaded. “Le Cavalier Noir was grand.” “It is expensive to put on a show like that all the time. It has to stay special or it will not mean so much afterwards.” Francis told them. “How about once a month? We will pay you.” Rose persisted. “Now I can’t ask for money from you. You are my friends and friends do not pay. I think I can manage to put a small show on once a month. How about the first Saturday of each month? We can have it in my barn after the shop closes. A twenty minute show.” The children screamed and jumped with joy, Francis laughed at the sight. As they always had done, Rose and Elizabeth stayed with Francis until he closed shop. They talked with him about the origins of magic and its uses for both good and evil. They had become apprentices of sorts. He had not exactly taken them in as students, but he allowed them to learn certain things. He never considered himself a master and capable of acquiring an apprentice, one of the reasons he kept their teachings simple and informal. Rose or Elizabeth merely had to ask what the origin of any given spell was and it would send Francis off. They knew that Francis could never give a short concise answer. He often lost track of time when in discussion of spells and magic. It was a half past the hour and he had forgotten to lock his shop up. “Look at the time.” Francis exclaimed. “I better lock up and you two should head home before you get in trouble.” “We have to do the cloths wash.” The girls said lacking enthusiasm. “Oh, I see, the truth comes out. You just kept me busy to keep from doing the laundry; you were not really interested in the affects of Bissell root.” Francis said trying to make them feel guilty. “We are too,” the girls yelled. Rose followed. “We still have an hour before we are due home anyways. It is not like we are neglecting our chores.” “Okay I am just making sure. I will see you tomorrow, have a good night and don’t stay up too late reading Elizabeth.” Elizabeth gave him her sweet innocent smile and the girls left. Francis closed the lights and locked his shop. In the back, Appleseed and Winterbelle were happy to see him. He gave them his affection and readied the wagon. The town streets busied with life and Francis kept his low profile as he did everyday. Mostly the shopkeepers stared at him through their windows and the patrons shook their heads. Francis smiled back and said his hellos. The beauty of the town and hillsides never let him down and he breathed in deep taking all her fragrant odors. Once at home he lovingly brushed his horses and bed them down for the evening. Soleil sat waiting for him on the porch giving him a discerning meow. “I see you kept the rats away for another day. Good work. I think that deserves some milk.” Francis prepared his dinner as Soleil drank her milk. A knock came at his door and startled Francis. He rarely ever got any visitors at home after nightfall. “Madame Josett. What brings you all the way out here late at night?” Francis asked. “Come in please.” Josett wore her thick wool cape and wide brimmed hat full of real flowers. “It is my husband. He has become much worse. I thought the tea you gave him would work and it did for a while but then his illness came back even worse. His whole body is in pain now.” “Did you call your doctor back?” Francis comforted her with his hand on her shoulder. “They know so much more then I do on these matters.” “They do nothing, just shake their heads and tell me they do not know.” Josett nearly shouted out of frustration. “I really do not know a lot about healing magic.” He saw her eyes fill with tears. “Please Francis I beg of you. Please try, anything, I think he is dieing.” She threw herself on his chair and sobbed uncontrollably. “I will do my very best to help him. I have to get my books, I will be right back.” Francis only grabbed his two volumes of magic. He left all his herbs behind. The ride carriage ride was filled with Madames deep felt sorrow for her husband. At the house Francis made his way to the bedroom. When he came to her husbands’ side, he found him asleep. Francis checked for a pulse and put his hand over the mouth to feel for breathing. Both his pulse and breathing were very weak. His body was sweaty and his temperature felt high. Francis consulted his books. Not knowing exactly what ailed the man, Francis had a hard time of finding the right spell. There was one spell he knew would work. It was a very powerful incantation and covered all diseases. If his ailment were minor though, the spell itself might kill him. It was all Francis knew to do. He motioned for Josett to come over. “I only have one thing I can do. It is very powerful and might kill him if it does not work.” “My husband is already dead if you cannot help. Please I beg you do whatever you think necessary.” “You will have to leave the room.” After Josett and the maids left Francis alone with monsieur Benoite, he closed off the curtains and locked to door. He pulled down the covers off monsieur Benoite and opened his book to the proper page. He had never said this particular spell and was not sure what affect it would do or have. He read the words once to himself then started the true tongue of the spell out loud. Francis was a confident magician and recited the spell skillfully. He closed the book and observed monsieur Benoite for any changes. No changes were apparent then Francis heard the windows banging. Something pounded on the outside wanting in. Francis held his spot by the bed and the pounded become and louder and more intense. Suddenly the windows shattered and glass flew across the room. The curtains sucked out with the wind. A figure floated in the frame of the window wearing a long white robe. Francis could see through the figure as it took on a semitransparent form. The figure floated towards the bed and then Francis could see that the figure was monsieur Benoite himself. His body lay in bed but his spirit floated above them. “Why do you summon me Francis?” Monsieur Benoite’s incarnation asked rather ordinary. “You are sick and dieing.” “I know that Francis, that is why I left. I do not want to stay any longer. My business is failing and I cannot keep up with this life style. I took poison and now I am ready to leave, but you called me back.” “Why would you do that? You have so much going for you. You have a lovely and beautiful wife, you have a beautiful house, a wonderful breed of horses, and you are still young.” Francis offered, looking all the time at his body on the bed. “My business has failed and I closed the doors forever on it last week. The money is gone. Poor Josett will be lost without the horses, house and maids. I cannot let her suffer.” “She is suffering right now because you are dieing. She needs you more then anything you have listed. Do you not see that? Living life is not about wealth and Josett knows that. Give her a chance to help you and prove you wrong. Just give her one chance to make your life worth living.” Francis looked up at monsieur Benoite’s spirit. “I cannot go back. I am not worthy. I cannot go back. I am not worthy.” The incarnation repeated his chant. Francis looked down at the body and held his hand. “There is nothing better in heaven and earth then someone’s love, let Josett guide you to her love.” The spirit hovered back and forth from the window to the bed, sometimes crying, sometimes yelling. The spirit swooped down to the bed, looked at his own body laying motionless and sweating, and began to vaporize. Thin swifts of smoke like vapors wafted through the room and trailed out the broken window frame. Monsieur Benoite opened his eyes and looked up at Francis. “Where am I?” “At home and your wife is waiting to see you.” Francis unlocked the door and let Josett in. “He will be fine. He needs your support and love. Do not let him out of your sight, his soul is weak and you are the only one that can get him healthy again.” Francis led Josett to the side of the bed and then quietly went downstairs and out the front door on his way home. One of the maids offered to take him home and he politely declined, saying that it was a beautiful starry night and he would enjoy the walk. He walked the edge of the road using the moon light as his guiding light and sang softly. From the bottom of the hill he could see the lanterns burning in his house. Soleil greeted him at the porch and waited for him to open the door. Inside Francis started a fire even though the hour was late. He sat poking the logs until the flames grabbed and took hold. He wrapped his wool lap blanket over his shoulders. Soleil beside him snoring, Francis opened his books of magic and marked the spell he had used tonight with his notes. He turned to page 1,780 and picked up where he had left off the night before. The morning birds woke him on the floor by the cinders of his fire. He rubbed is eyes and looked at Soleil “This makes two nights now I sleep without the luxury of my goose down feathers.” The day was Tuesday and he had planned a special visit to his father. His store would stay closed today. The road to Chatelain Antoyne Boucel’s castle where his father took employment was some forty kilometers long. It would take him two hours to get there. He had his lunch with him and his favorite entertaining toy—his ocarina. At midday he donned his straw brimmed hat to keep the sun off his eyes and fed himself the turkey sandwich he brought. It was nearing the one o’clock hour when his wagon turned to make the long ride up the path to chatelain Boucel’s castle. His father was in the main courtyard expecting Francis. “Francis, you show early. You must have made good time.” Marcel helped his son off the wagon. “Marcel, papa, so glad to see you.” Francis embraced his father in a hug. “No, no I left early; I wanted to spend more time here.” “How is life in Saint Rosemere? Your shop does well?” “Two more days marks my sixth month since I opened my doors. How do things work out here?” Francis said taking his horses by the reins and leading them to the corral. “I love it here. Antoyne is family. He gives me complete freedom and power over the staff.” “What does he have you doing these days? Still conjuring up monsters to scare away his unwanted guests?” Francis joked. “I see you haven’t lost you sense of humor. He has me working with him on his campaign. He is acquiring more territories and I keep him informed and advised.” Marcel said proudly. “At least you are happy here. I couldn’t be more happier with my shop. The children have adopted me and without them I don’t think I would have stayed.” They came to the corral and the two of them unhitched Appleseed and Winterbelle and gave them to the stable hands to brush down and feed. The wagon was set aside and Francis grabbed his Ocarina. “I see you still have the ocarina that your grandfather gave you.” Marcel observed. “Its notes will always give me tranquility.” “He made it from the clay of Colet’s remains. Its music carries a tone that only Colet’s spirit could sing.” Marcel added, remembering his great grandmother. Francis knew this and smiled knowingly. He put it around his waist. Francis had only been to see his father here once and it was not enough to take in all the splendor of the wealth. Gold covered almost every surface, if not entirely then in some part. The walls inside lined with paintings. Where paintings did not hang, the walls were directly painted themselves with murals. Tapestries hung in every room and suits of armor adorned every doorway. Marcel took his son up the wide carved staircase to the third floor. Here most of the bedrooms for the castle lined down the hallways. Marcel’s bedroom was larger then all of Francis’s house. Francis stopped in the doorway to take a few minutes to admire the beauty of wealth that his father enjoyed daily. “Is that gold? Francis asked, touching the lion statue that sat by the door. “Rose gold, his eyes are rubies and his teeth diamonds.” “How can you live around this? I could never sleep peacefully knowing there is a ruby-eyed, diamond-toothed rose gold lion sitting at my door.” “The room came this way. I had nothing to do with decorating it, I just live here.” Marcel assured his son. “Don’t bother yourself with that. I brought you up here to give you something.” Marcel opened the trunk by the foot of his bed. The trunk was one off a ship from the captain’s quarters and was made of varnished solid oak. The lid was of thick boards and weighed almost too much for Marcel to manage. Francis watched as his father rummaged through the things in the trunk looking for something. “Ah, hear it is.” Marcel declared and held up an old leather bound book. He blew off the dust and wiped the cover with his hand. Francis looked at it. He saw that the brown leather was aged and worn practically through to its paper sleeve. The cover had a gold leafed dragon on each of its four corners. The first dragon in the upper left corner held a mountain in its hands. The second dragon breathed fire from its mouth. The third dragon in the lower left corner emerged from the sea. The last dragon held a ball of light in its jaw, the sun. “I have never seen a book like this. It looks old.” Francis assessed. "Old it is. Its date is not exact. It has been handed down in our family longer then any can remember. Its magic is older then man, even older then earth. Some have speculated that its magic comes of a place beyond the heavens. It is now yours.” Marcel handed Francis the book. He received it in his two hands and instantly felt that it was different from all his other magic books. “Does it have a title?” Francis asked. “Aaronmere. The name is written in the middle of the cover, don’t you see?” Francis looked but saw nothing. He frowned his eyes and squinted but still all he saw was some complicated weaved pattern design. “You look too hard,” Marcel said. “don’t look your eyes directly at the center, instead look over to one side or the other.” Francis tried this but still he was seeing no words. Then he let his eyes relax and not focus on the center of the book at all, just the edge and there it was, Aaronmere, right in the center like his father said. But as soon as Francis turned his eyes on the words they vanished. Now he understood. “You can only read the title by staring away from the book. That is very clever.” Francis mused. “Don’t use its magic for anything less then pure sorcery. Rarely has the magic of Aaronmere been tapped. Even I do not use it. Its power is beyond anything I learned. You are surpassing my magic and maybe you will decipher its use.” Marcel closed the trunk. Francis’s arrival back to his house was delayed by an unexpected invite for supper from Antoyne. Soleil, as always, was happy to see her master home safe. She rubbed against his leg and purred her welcome home purr. Francis made no effort to light a fire or study his books. He wanted to feel the comfort of his goose down bed and collapsed in the sea of silk softness. Morning came too soon for Francis; he turned on his stomach and threw the blankets over his head. “Go back down sun,” he demanded from under his pillow.