Bradbury challenge - Week 4

“Midnight will come any moment now. Don't slip up.”

“Yes, Master.” Said the apprentice.

A luxurious carriage stood in the middle of the tower’s top room, moonlight draping it like a mystical cloak. Its size was clearly too great for it to have come through the door, or even the window. Vivian did not dare take her eyes from it, or even blink, as if it would disappear when she did so.

The quiet running of the water clock sounded to her like to her a dam waiting to break. And when it did, she would be ready to stop its flow.

“So… did you ever see that girl again?” Said the enchanter.

The carriage’s edges started to blur and contract as the apprentice tensed up, failing to keep her face from turning red. Before she could answer, the feeling of control receded from her mind like a low tide. She tried to raise it again. Too late.

The carriage pathetically dissolved down its majestic form, smaller and more orange, until the only thing left was a large pumpkin. Vivian kept staring at it, trying not to show her disappointment with herself, nor any resentment towards her Master for tripping her up.

“I’m taking that as a no.” Said the old man. “Don’t worry, there’s plenty of fish in the sea!”

“Why a pumpkin?” Said Vivian, eager to change the subject.

“It’s a little inside joke for our readers,” said Merlin with a cheeky smile.

Vivian could never get used to the utter confusion that arose when talking to her Master for more than a few seconds. Almost as if he knew what she was about to say and told the most asinine thing imaginable.

The old wizard lifted his magic wand and all the candles in the room were alight again, warming up the room with their colors.

“Don’t take it so seriously, you couldn’t have pulled it off anyway.” Merlin said. “Liminal spaces necessitates imagining your creation on both sides at the same time.”

Vivian looked at her Master jaw agape as he casually picked up an apple and took a bite out of it.

“Eajy enouf to imagin’ it cwossin’ a door,” said Merlin while munching. “Bit harder to imagine something without substance existing now and tomorrow at the same time.”

“Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?!” Said Vivian.

“That’s the lesson, my young apprentice.” Said the old man with a grin, and took another bite out of the plum.

Vivian took a deep breath. She didn’t want to play into his hand, he was already having way too much fun messing with her. Wait…

“Is that even true?” Said Vivian, looking him straight in the eye. “You wouldn’t have needed to distract me then.”

“Who knows?” Said Merlin with a mischievous smile as he threw the banana peel out of the window into the castle’s courtyard, never taking his eyes off you. “Maybe it’s because you didn’t want to pronounce the magic words.”

Vivian recalled the silly incantation her Master told before they started. She’d rather be caught dead than say anything like that, and she was positive it wasn’t necessary. Probably.

“Did you forget it already?” Said the enchanter. “Come on, repeat after me: Bibb-”

“NO THANK YOU.”

“Good, because I didn’t want to handle the copyright infringement.”

Vivian sighed with resignation, she didn’t care to humor him any longer.

“Good night, Master.” She said as she went to the door to climb down the tower.

“Be careful on your way, it’s pretty dark.” Said Merlin, barely holding back from snickering.

Moments later, Vivian shrieked in frustration at the old man when she stepped onto the banana peel.