The Winter Letter

by D. E. Stanley

  “Forget it,” Will said, slightly smiling. “Let’s just make our wish.”

  Will and Randiby closed their eyes and slowly their smiles fell into straight lines. Staring into the night, they both remembered their mothers telling them to wish upon a star. And they did. Together, separately, silently, they both wished to see their parent’s faces once more.

  Training: Part 2

  Because of Will’s unusual way of catching on, Gatnom increased the difficulty of the second month. The opening week was spent learning defense. Will’s very first lesson was on repelling water, dirt, and wind and then guiding it to another target. By the end Gatnom, Will, and Wohie were all muddy, cold, and laughing. Even the boys had joined, which made everything ten times more messy. Next, they advanced to fire.

  “First, picture a wall of water around ya,” Wohie said. “Yeah! That looks good, Will. Great water shield! Now, just let the fire hit that. It’ll go out like poof!”

  “Huh?”

  “Ready?”

  Will swallowed hard.

  “Fireball form,” said Gatnom. A small orb of flame appeared in his hands. Will’s eyes widened. The fireball looked huge through his water-shield. “Are you ready?” Gatnom asked

  “No.”

  “Just hold your concentration. Don’t let fear distract you.”

  “Easy for you to say!”

  Gatnom lobbed the fireball towards Will, who was fighting with everything to keep the image in his mind. “Water Wall!” he screamed again, and a new layer of water spread over the first, strengthening the already weakening forcefield. The flame fell into the giant bubble and sizzled out of existence.

  “Cool!” Wohie screamed, imitating Will’s language. “Now block this!”

  “Fireball Form!” Wohie screamed. She brought her hands together and a huge, popping, hissing fireball appeared.

  “Wait! Wait! I’m not ready for that!”

  Wohie looked Will in the eye, her brow lowered, then… she winked and fell over laughing. The fireball dropped to the ground and dissipated. “Just kiddin Willy`!”

  By the end of these lessons Will was extinguishing multiple fireballs at once and even learning to deflect them in different directions. The next major part of defensive training was learning to escape from being bound. After a morning of instruction the team hiked southwest until they reached a small cliff on the edge of a humongous body of black water.

  “This is the Bottomless Lake,” Gatnom explained. “I personally believe there is a bottom, but many older people still say there isn’t. They say you could travel to the other side of the world simply by continuing down, which would become up eventually, but so far no one has survived the trip so we don’t really know. One thing is for certain though; it’s deep. Anyway, hold out your hands.” Will held out both hands, palms up. “Be bound,” said Gatnom as he twisted his hands together like he was tying a knot. Will felt something invisible tighten around his wrist and ankles. “Are you ready?”

  “No.”

  Gatnom pushed Will over the edge of the cliff overlooking the lake. Will splashed and sank into the black abyss. At first he panicked, but then a strange calm came over him. “Breathing bubble become,” he gargled as he puffed out his cheeks as big as they would go. A huge bubble instantly appeared, enclosing him inside, pushing out all the water. From inside Will took a breath of fresh, clean air. “Bounds be broken,” he said as he twisted his wrist, and the invisible ropes fell away.

  As he sank deeper into the belly of the Bottomless Lake everything went from color to grey to black. “Illumination ignite,” he said. At this Will’s locket emitted a soft light that lit the surrounding dark water. He was not alone. Fish, sharks (with much larger teeth), and eels with crossed-eyes appeared in and out of the lit area around the bubble. Then a short person with webbed feet and one small gill in the center of his throat swam up. Will blinked, hardly believing his eyes. The fish man smiled and waved, then pointed up and motioned for Will to watch. His webbed feet kicked into gear, and the fish-man shot up toward the underwater ceiling, disappearing once he reached the surface. A silhouette of a flipping body could be seen, then he splashed back into the water, bringing a stream of bubbles along. Will gave thumbs up. The fish-man seemed to understand.

  Moving his hand left and right, Will guided the bubble up and out of the lake, where Gatnom and Wohie were waiting and cheering.

  The next day Will was buried underground in a box.

  Once all the light had faded and Will could no longer hear dirt hitting the lid, Will closed his eyes and tried to focus. Gripping his pendant tight he whispered a few words they had rehearsed. Then, following Gatnom’s instructions, he knocked on the cover of the casket twice, paused for a second, then knocked two more times, then two more, then two more. Each time he hastened the rhythm. At first the knocking sounded like a slow heartbeat, then a horse running, then and old engine put-putting about. When Will heard this rhythm he stopped knocking, but the sound continued.

  “Go!” he yelled.

  With that, the now transformed box (Will found out later that the front had become like the needle on the front of a jet) took off like a roller coaster. It twisted and jerked, up and down, around and around, as it cut through the dirt like air. Will pushed against the side of the box to steady himself. Once or twice he went upside down, but the speed helped him stick to the bottom of the box like water in a swinging bucket. The wild ride concluded when Will felt his feet tip up and heard the ground break. “Box be broke!” he yelled as he slapped both sides of the box with the back of his hands. The boards flew apart, and Will flipped up and out of the soaring pieces, landing on his feet. But, then he tripped over a loose shoestring and fell on his butt.

  To say the least, the entire group was impressed.

  One morning, on their weekly day of rest, Will met four brothers who were each a year apart in age. First there was Yoh, tall and skinny (but still shorter than Will). Then there was Goh, short and fat. Next Sloh, tall and fat, and Broh, short and skinny. They were known for building all types of contraptions. They built tree houses that came down and picked you up from the ground like livable elevators. They built little cars and modified them to travel underground and even to go underwater (although this modification wasn’t yet complete. The last testing left them all swimming and fusing at each other). They had even made something similar to walkie-talkies, all without using magic, except to power one or two of their inventions (like we use electricity).

  That day they came and took Will to a big hole in the ground, one they had dug with one of their toys. “Check that out, isn’t that the biggest hole in the ground you’ve ever seen?” asked Broh.

  Will had seen one bigger, The Grand Canyon. “Oh, so you guys made Gatnom’s tent then! That makes sense, it’s all underground. I see.” Will had been wondering about it since he first fell down the stairs.

  The four brothers stared at Will blankly. “What are you talking about?” Yoh asked.

  “Gatnom’s tent, ya know? Underground?”

  “Ummm, I don’t get it,” said Goh.

  Once back at the camp Will led them to the tent and bent down.

  “Oh! You’re talking about Gatnom’s tent!” Sloh said. All the brothers turned and looked at Sloh, who looked the other way.

  “That’s not our work. That’s not underground at all,” Broh answered.

  “So it’s not underground?” Will replied, clearly not buying it. He reached down and picked up the bottom edge of the small pup tent. Sure enough nothing was underneath, but from within everyone heard Gatnom scream and a bunch of things clang about as they fell over.

  When Will turned around the brothers were gone.

  For the last test of the month, and after a ridiculously long teaching in the morning, Will and Gatnom were tied together and placed in a large wooden catapult that had been built by the brothers. “Gatnom, you sure about this?” Will asked.

  “Yes, I’m sure. Don’t worry, I’ll be wi
th you on this one, just in case. Okay guys, on the count of three.”

  Yoh saluted and ran to the big wooden lever.

  “One... Two... Thr—”

  Yoh jerked the lever with a giggle, one second too early.

  Will and Gatnom were launched into the air, twisting and turning, whirling and swirling. It wasn’t until then Will realized if he failed this test, well, he would really fail. Gatnom seemed calm at first, but as they reached the peek of their trajectory he began to scream, which meant now both boys were screaming together. Will went blank. What was he supposed to do? What had he been taught this morning? Falling they fell, up then down, with all of Will’s thoughts turned off. Will grabbed his pendant with one hand and his trailing bag with the other. He had to do something or they both were going to die. He opened his mouth to scream and shouted the first word that came.

  “PETOMAI!” Instantly, the two were flung skyward, jerking with the change of direction, then they floated to the ground and softly landed feet first. As soon as Will’s feet touched the ground he fell to his hands and knees panting.

  “Will, are you okay?” Gatnom said as he undid the rope that tied them together.

  “I feel like I’m going to pass out,” Will said. He was swaying on his knees. Every ounce of his energy had been drained. His blood felt like it was icy slush. “Why didn’t you do anything?!”

  “It was a test. I had to see if you could think if you didn’t feel like you had a fall back plan.” Will looked up at Gatnom. Everything was blurry. “What did you say back there?” Gatnom asked.

  “I just screamed,” Will answered.

  “No, you spoke a different language, and it worked with the magic. There is only one language that works with magic like that, the original language of Baru, but it has been lost for years. Only the ancient magi know it. Where did you learn that? What does that word mean, petomai?”

  “I have no idea. I just screamed. I couldn’t think of anything else.”

  “You mean you don’t know where it came from? Why... Will? Will! Wake up.”

  “Huh, what? Man, I can’t keep my eyes open.”

  Just then, from the surrounding woods came a yelping, and four small land carts jumped a hill and slid to a stop. Sloh, the victor, high fived Wohie who was riding in the side seat, and before Gatnom and Will crawled into the carts Sloh and Wohie were busy rubbing their racing victory in the face of the other brothers.

  Will slept the rest of the afternoon and the entire next day.

  Training: Part Three

  On the first day of third month of training Will learned how to throw earth by wind, heat water with fire, and then throw it with wind (without cooling the water of course). Next, earth, fire, and water were mixed. By days end Will was covered in mud, Gatnom drenched, and Wohie was fussing at Will for singeing her hair.

  After that it was all about forcefields and counter attacks. “Today,” Gatnom said, “we are going to focus on a very dangerous, yet effective attack - the counter. You will to learn to make a canopy around yourself that can absorb any magic, then bounce it back at the attacker.

  “Like a trampoline?” Will asked.

  “What’s a trampoline?”

  “Never mind. That sounds easy,” Will said sarcastically. “What do I do?”

  Gatnom laughed, just now beginning to understand sarcasm. “The words are simple, absorb and attack, but the timing and the concentration are a much different matter. You have to focus your front thoughts on the canopy, while concentrating on the return attack with the back of your mind. Let’s try. Ready?”

  “As if it even matters.”

  “Good. Dirty Earthy Watery Whirling Wall Thingy Be!” Wohie said.

  A massive wall of swirling mud rose and splashed down on top of Will like a fly swatter. Will climbed out of the foot deep mud puddle and dug the dirt out from his ears.

  “You okay, Willy?” Wohie asked, giggling.

  “Let’s try again,” Gatnom said. “This time focus. Wohie, let’s try a water ball. It’ll help Will clean up a bit.”

  “A what?” Will asked

  “Big Bubbly Watery Ball Be!” Wohie yelled.

  A massive water bubble appeared and chased Will as he made a mad dash for the tree line. Swooping down, it swallowed him whole and at the flip of Wohie’s wrist he was carried back to where Gatnom and Wohie were standing. Will held his breath and gave Wohie a dirty look. With a giggle she flipped her wrist, and he splashed to the ground.

  “Very funny,” he said in between pants.

  For the rest of that day they practiced, and almost each attempt found Will unready. Once, he was knocked through the air and landed in the branches of a tree. This caused the surrounding trees to laugh, which made Will throw some magic that twisted the branches of two of them together. The laughing stopped.

  “I don’t get it! What’s wrong with me today?!” said Will after he climbed down.

  Gatnom walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I think it’s time for a break.”

  “No, I can get it. Let’s keep going. I have to learn this if I want to avenge my parents.”

  Gatnom’s eyes squinted at Will’s last sentence. “No, let’s break for an hour or so. Come with me. I want to show you something.” Gatnom slung his arm around Will’s shoulders and led him into the woods. They walked for about thirty minutes before stepping out of the forest onto a large sand dune. Gatnom led Will over the hill to the beach of an ocean bluer than the perfectly cloudless sky. Together they sat in the soft sand.

  “I’m sorry Gatnom, I’m trying,” Will said after a minute. Gatnom said nothing in reply. “I mean, I know we only have a few days until we leave for the War-Games, and it’s really important. I’m sorry. I will learn! I won’t let King Mel get away with—”

  “Will,” Gatnom whispered. Will turned. “Listen.”

  Will waited for more words, but soon realized Gatnom wasn’t telling him to listen to him, but rather the sea. Each wave licked the shoreline trying to crawl onto the land, but each time it was dragged back into its borders by the undertow. Out to sea, little fish-men were whistling in and out of the waves, and at the very edge of Will’s field of vision the entirety of a storm could be seen brewing. The soft rumble of thunder arrived with the sea breeze. When the fishmen heard it they turned and swarm towards the storm, diving in and out of the waves like dolphins. Will reached into his bag and took out the googles he had taken from Tobby the mole. In the distance he could see the men of the sea turn belly up and float with closed eyes as the rain pelted their bare bellies.

  Will leaned back and closed his eyes. His thoughts went quiet, then in that quiet place he heard a whisper, quiet as wind hitting a blade of grass, elusive as lightening without thunder. It said: Everything will be okay. Everything will be okay.

  He opened his eyes and looked again at the sea. There was something calming about knowing there were still things so much bigger than himself. All this responsibility and pain he had been tossed into was still small compared to this ocean. All was well here, so well that for an instant his thoughts weren’t tangled. The fire deep inside calmed.

  After a long silence Gatnom spoke.

  “What did you think about Last week when you and I were flying through the air?” he asked.

  Will thought for a moment. “I don’t know. I don’t think I thought about much of anything, just that we were going to die unless I did something about it.”

  “Exactly.” Gatnom turned and looked at Will. “You have gotten so worked up today that you can’t even think about what’s really happening. You are learning so you can save millions of lives, not just so you can have vengeance on one man or be a great magi. Your anger is just Will, but you must desire justice, not revenge. Once that is set right you can stop fighting the anger, because a just anger can give you strength - the same as joy.”

  Will listened closely to his new friend. Something about Gatnom reminded him of his Dad. How many times had he had the same kind
of conversations sitting at the rectangular table in his Dad’s library. Always about honor and doing what is right even when it is hard, always about never quitting and persevering even when things seemed hopeless.

  Gatnom continued. “The reason we must fight this war is the same reason you were able to save us from falling, because if we don’t do something many others will die. It’s love, not hate, which must motivate us. Think about this, okay?”

  “I will,” Will said. He sat back and listened to the waves, pondering Gatnom’s words. Perhaps Gatnom was right, perhaps he needed to forget about his hate, but if he did it seemed like he would be letting the murderer get away with it. As much as he loved and respected his new friend, he would not be giving the murderer of his parents a free pass. That was not going to happen. He hadn’t started this, but he would finish it, even if it killed him.

  After a few more minutes of silence Gatnom patted Will on the arm and motioned for them to go.

  “Thanks Gat, for everything,” Will said as they stood to leave.

  “Mr. Will! Mr. Will!” a voice called from behind. Will turned to see Jabber, the butterbug, buzzing towards them. Gatnom held out his hand and Jabber landed in it. He was was out of breath. “Sir Magi, according to your orders we have been monitoring the forest closely—” Will could hardly remember the order. He hadn’t thought it would be taken so seriously.“—and we have detected an intruder dressed in black. He was seen near the bottomless lake.”

  Gatnom’s eyes widened. “Are you sure it’s not one of us?” he asked, seriously.

  “Positive sir. This spy is elusive, but we have been able to see him twice. He is much older and much faster than any of you.”

  “Get back to your people,” Gatnom order Jabber. “Send someone to alert Master Jared at the large keep outside of the Abandoned City; he’ll know what to do. Bring his word back to me.”

  “Yes sir!” and with that Jabber zoomed away at the speed of a bumble bee.

  “We must get back,” Gatnom said instantly.