[Open, Communicate]
Sparky is sitting at the counter of Enigmatic Parchments, leafing through an ancient tome.
“Good morning Opal, Rose. Ready to get to work?”
“Yes, Sparky.”
“Opal, would you like to finish your drawing?”
“Yes, Sparky.”
“Good girl Opal, Rose today is going to be a lesson for a change.”
“Good I hope.”
“Did you get much science in your schooling, Rose.”
“Not a great deal but some. I know about evolution, atomic power, computers, that sort of stuff.”
“How about gravity?”
“Yes, Newton and his apple.”
“Exactly, gravity is a force but it works in a field, it in its simplest terms pulls things down. But you can overcome this force by manipulating the field. That’s how you were able to float 150 pound enemies 100 feet or higher in the air. That’s how Bibliomancy magic works. You write on paper or in your mind you compose the line, float 100 feet high and they do. You're manipulating a field by writing that. But that isn’t the best way if you want absolute control. Language wasn’t made for fine grain control. Math is a more precise way to describe things. But if you have an enemy charging at you, you really don’t want to start doing math. You want to stop that enemy from charging. Do you follow me so far? Explain it back in your own words.”
“Bibliomancy works by controlling fields. I do it through language but math would be better suited to the task. But it’d be much slower. If I understand correctly it’s like a computer you can program it with common words but to really get every bit of power and control from the machine a low level language would be better to use.”
“Good not exactly right but close enough for the first lesson. Now all that was just the background. You can play with a pair of magnets to easily see fields in action as they push and pull at each other. Magic also has a field. This store, the tower, the bakery they all exist with magical fields. Yesterday I controlled the magical field at the bakery expanding it. You too must learn to do this over the next seven years. But you can’t learn to control unless you can perceive it. So go out in the lane, clear your mind of thoughts. Feel your body standing there being actively pulled down by gravity. From the tips of your toes to the top of your head. Then when you think you can actually feel the gravity, take a step back into the store. Stop. Another force is now present with gravity. This is going to take practice, to actually discern. So let's begin, out in the lane with you.”
Out the door I went. I tried to stop thinking. Then I started thinking about thinking and it just got worse and worse. Turns out there is no off switch in my head. Then I got bored with not thinking and started thinking of the play. I step through the open doorway hoping for a warmth, a flash of light, a bell chiming in my head. But nothing happened. So I stood in the store hoping to stop my thoughts when they slowed down enough, I’d step out and maybe I could notice the absence of the field easier than the sudden presence of the field.
I tried to feel my toes followed by the top of my head then stepped outside the field. It felt just like it did inside. Gods, why isn’t this working? I’ll try pacing in and out of the door, while trying not to think. After about twenty minutes of this.
“Rose, care to tell me what you are doing”
“I’m trying to clear my mind of thoughts, turns out there is no off switch, just when I think my mind is almost clear. I get the thought that I’m bored and it circled back around.”
“It takes practice Rose, not furiously wearing a path through the front door carpet. Get back out in the lane. Feel the sun striking your body, warming your body. Turn your back to the sun. Feel it on your back. If something pops into your head, don’t think about the thought, go back to thinking about the sun striking your body. After a little while, step back inside and now feel the absence of the sun warming your body.”
“OK Sparky, I’ll try.”
The sun feels pleasant on my face. It heats my black hair faster than my skin. I close my eyes and lift my face to the sun. Like a sunflower. No, stop thinking and start feeling. It feels nice, I’m a little drowsy, Lu and I were up late, no definitely don’t think of her in her top hat, so sexy. STOP. Feel the sun, feel the sun, feel the sun. Step inside.
I miss the sun, it was keeping me cozily warm. So there is some force like the sun that Sparky feels when he crosses the threshold. I step back outside. I feel the sun again, I turn and let it beat down on my back. Feel the sun. After a while I step inside, I notice I’m out of the sun, but that is all.
“Rose.”
“Yes, Sparky.”
“If thoughts are intruding, try thinking of thoughts like clouds, they float across the sky, but when they pass the blue sky remains. The thought has no impact on your mind if you don’t follow it. The back of your brain is a thought machine, they keep popping up, but if you don’t engage them, your mind will naturally slow down and might even still itself momentarily. You are not your thoughts, there are no good thoughts, no bad thoughts unless you follow them so don’t follow them. Go back out into the lane and try again.”
Stand. Feel. ‘play script’ Stand. Feel. ‘Lu’ Stand. Feel. ‘Stupid Sparky’ Stand. Feel. ‘Opal draw’ Stand. Feel.Smell.’bread’ Hungry. ‘lunch’ Stand. Feel. Stand. Feel. Stand. I step inside. Did I just imagine a tingle? I step outside. Excited. Excited. Excited.Stand. Feel. ‘drawing’ Stand. Feel. Stand. Feel. Stand. Feel. Step inside again. Did I make that tingle happen or did the magic field. Rinse and repeat. Each time I felt just the barest tingle, I think, I’m not really sure.
“Sparky.”
“Yes Rose.”
“Am I supposed to feel a tingle when entering the shop? The last six or seven times I came in I think I felt a tingle if I’m not imagining it. But I didn’t feel anything when leaving.”
“It’s a little different for everyone, for me I feel a subtle pressure inside my head. Some other people have described an electric tingle, others a coolness inside their heads, some a warmth. For you it might be a tingle. That’s enough of that for now, but each time you enter a magical field try and be aware of that tingle. Eventually we’ll work up to you controlling that tingle to change the reality around you. This is important. If someone were to attack you in Emain Ablach your only recourse is to run away. Jump into a book. Which is a perfect defense because if you jump into one of your own fictions, they can’t really harm you there even if they are stupid enough to follow you there. It’s a great defense for one person, but what if the enemy stands in between you and the person you want to protect. That’s when you need an offensive weapon here in Emain Ablach. Understand, it’s better to run. But if you have something to protect sometimes you might have to fight. You also need to understand these fields, to fix, maintain, shrink, and expand them. If I’m not around to do it. Understand.”
“Yes, Sparky.”
“Good now take Opal and go support her sister's new cafe and bring me back three dozen donuts.”
“Sparky, that’s too many you’ll be sick.”
“No, I definitely will not be sick. Someday when you learn how hard it is to manipulate magical fields you’ll want to eat three dozen donuts too. Get going.”
I went over to the back room. Opal was bent over the desk, the pencil scratching back and forth.
“Opal honey, it’s time for lunch, want to see Ruby’s tea cafe?”
“No, I’m almost done with my drawing.”
“It’s OK, sweetheart, we’ll come back after lunch and you can finish up your drawing. It’s important we support your sister, like she did for you when you signed your apprenticeship papers. Remember her standing behind you cheering you on, well now it’s your turn to cheer her on. OK?”
“OK, Rose.”
***
It was much worse than I’d thought. Every table was empty except for the one table that Ruby, currently occupied. Opal ran to Ruby and gave her a hug. That kind of hug would ordinarily light up Ruby’s face but today she forced a kind of wan half smile onto her face.
“Are you still drawing your first picture, Opal?”
“Yes, it’s almost done, but Rose said we should come support you. So I’ll finish it later. Can I have my lunch please?”
“Sure what would you like, Opal?”
“I’d like cheese pizza please”
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“Rose, how about you?”
“I’d like a cup of any tea you recommend, half a sandwich and some cookies please.”
“Coming right up.”
Ruby went inside the bakery.
“Rose, it doesn’t seem very busy. Last night Ruby said it was going to be busy.”
“Well don’t mention that to her sweetheart, I’m sure she’s disappointed right now. Just try and cheer her up, tell her we’ll eat here every day. That’ll make her happy.”
The door to the baker opened up and Paula stuck her head out.
“Hiya Rose is Lu at work right now, I need to talk to her.”
“Paula she is, ask her to come down here and sing, maybe that’ll generate some customers. Did Ruby have many customers this morning?”
“No, not one, unless you count Salome, Lily and I.”
“Oh, I feel terrible for her.”
“We all do too, all right I have to run to the Jack in the Green, I’ll ask Lu to come, maybe she will magic some customers up.”
“Good idea.”
I moved my attention to Juliet’s World.
“Juliet, Juliet”
“What? What?”
“Come have lunch with me at the bakery, Ruby opened a tea house and hasn’t had a customer yet.”
“I can't, I'm in the middle of the village book club.”
“Even better, jump the whole lot of you here, lunch, baked goods, tea, it’s all on me. But don’t tell Ruby that.”
“Rose, are you alright, you were a million miles away.”
“Sorry, Ruby, just daydreaming.”
“Here’s your lunch, peanut butter and jelly, Jasmine tea, and sugar cookies.”
“Anything else, yes please sit with us. I’m sorry it hasn’t been busier, but please sit with us. Business will pick up I’m sure of it.”
“Sure, I might as well.”
“I have an idea, this is your first day and people don’t know about it yet. Maybe you make up a flyer announcing your grand opening tomorrow morning. Bring it to the bookstore and Sparky will make lots of copies for you. Then after closing you and Salome, go around the neighborhood leaving flyers, let the neighbors know this tea house is in business.”
Juliet popped into view with five women.
“Ladies grab a table, I’ll be right back with the rest of the club.”
Juliet popped out of existence. I authored one hundred gold pieces into Juliet’s hand bag.
Juliet popped back with five more women and old MacDonald in tow. She quickly steered them to a table next to the other book club ladies.
Ruby, hopped up, hugged me. “Thank you, Rose”
A little while later three women walking by saw tables filled with food and tea, came up and took one of the last empty tables. Salome soon exited the bakery to wait on the new arrivals.
I heard Salome say. “Welcome to Madd Maggies Magical Tea House, it’s our grand opening so everything is free. Specials of the day are baked pasties, chocolate cake, and orange pekoe tea.”
Lu and Paula came into view, striding down the street. Lu flipped her lute into his hands and began singing Lily’s song. Paula went inside and got Lu a stool to sit on.
“Did you want anything else, Opal?”
“No thanks, Rose”
“OK honey lets go inside and get Sparky’s donuts alright?”
“Can I stay here and watch Lu instead.”
“Sure honey, I’ll be right back.”
Inside the bakery smelled like bread and cookies and cake.
“Hi Lily”
“Thank you, Rose.”
“For what?”
“For saving that poor girl’s dream. Half an hour ago she looked like she wanted to melt into the ground.”
“People just needed to see it was popular, then they’d come up, sit down and have something to eat or drink. I told Ruby business would pick up. Speaking of pick up, could I have three dozen donuts for Sparky. I think yesterday really wore him out, he didn’t fight with me at all today.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“Yeah it is, he’ll probably be fine after he polishes off thirty six donuts.”
“Thirty Nine donuts Sparky always gets a baker’s dozen, Rose.”
“How does he stay so thin? I’m jealous.”
“Titania cursed him for some slight either real or imagined, to always be hungry. Maggie told me that when I was a little girl and asked why he ate so much.”
“Oh, now I feel terrible. I’ve teased him about eating so many times.”
“Don’t stop now, I don’t think he wants people to know, absolutely don’t tell him I told you, Rose. Just act normal around him, get it.”
“I got it. Lily, I just feel really bad for him. I’d love to give that queen a piece of my mind. She’s supposed to be protecting her subjects, not cursing them.”
“Well, you can’t and don’t try. First he’d know that you know. Second, she’d curse you too, just for standing up to her.”
“You’re right on both counts, I’ll just try to be a little kinder when I tease him.”
“Until he makes you mad by teasing you.”
I laughed. “You are right yet again. Well I better get these donuts to him.”
I went back out to the tea room carrying the donuts just as Lu finished a song. I rushed over to her to hug her and thank her for coming.
I whispered. “Thank you for doing this, I love you and if you wear your Top Hat to bed tonight I’ll pay you back.”
“You better believe, I’ll be wearing it, I love you too see you tonight.”
***
Back at the tower just past supper time.
“Ruby, how was business this afternoon any better?”
“Yes, Rose you and Juliet started it off then Lu was the icing on top, we had a steady supply of customers all afternoon. We took your advice and made up flyers. I'm supposed to meet Salome to pass out flyers door to door. Opal, do you want to come and help Salome and me?”
“Yes please, that sounds like fun, can I carry some? Ruby”
“Sure you can!”
“Bye, girls.”
“So Lu, where’s that Top Hat.”
“Rose I have to talk to you first, a few of our friends approached me about a business venture, they want me to go in on. But they also want to keep it a secret.”
“Lu, if it’ll make you happy, it’ll make me happy. You can tell me all about it when they decide the time is right.”
“In that case let's go take a bath while we have the tower to ourselves. I hung the Top Hat on the bedpost”
“Good thinking, easy access.”
