by Obert Skye
Patti looked at Ozzy.
“He’s not holding you captive, is he?”
“No,” Ozzy said with a smile.
“That would have surprised even me.”
Patti was interesting and lovely, the kind of interesting and lovely that people wrote poems about. She was almost forty but looked nowhere near it. Her eyes drew Ozzy in as she looked at him.
“What’s your name?” she aked nicely.
“His name’s Rumton.”
Ozzy looked horrified by the fake name.
“Nice to meet you, Rumton.”
“He’s my Little Brother,” Rin explained. “I signed up for the Big Brother program and he’s my first one.”
“That’s excellent. And how are you two getting along?”
“Perfect,” Ozzy said.
The answer made Rin smile.
“Is there something you need, Rin?” Patti asked.
Rin looked nervous and less wizardly under the foyer lights. He also looked like he was out of answers. So Ozzy spoke up.
“I got a cassette tape from my real father but I don’t have any way to listen to it. Mr. Rin said that you might have a tape player.”
Ozzy pulled out the tape so that Patti could see it.
“Can’t Rin just conjure up a new machine?” she said, smiling.
“Here we go,” Rin said. “A wizard without worship.”
“I’m just kidding, Rin. You’re welcome to use that old machine. I think it’s in the guest room closet. If you can find it, it’s yours.”
“Fine,” Rin said. “Come with me, Rumton.”
“You don’t need his help,” Patti insisted. “Let me make him something to eat.”
Ozzy gave Rin a quick glance. There was no way that he was going to pass up food made by a pleasant woman just to go dig through a closet.
“We’ll be in the kitchen,” Patti said.
Rin stormed off.
“How hungry are you?” she asked.
“Pretty hungry. All I’ve had today was some zebra cakes.”
“I bet I know who wanted those.”
Patti’s kitchen was so large it had three refrigerators. There were also three sinks and countless other appliances.
“This is one person’s kitchen?” Ozzy asked. “Or do you share it?”
“I know, I know. It’s too much. My father built this house years ago and I feel guilty living in it.”
“Why don’t you move?”
“I like how straightforward you are. Would you care for a sandwich?”
“I’d really care for one.”
Patti went to one of the refrigerators and pulled out a bunch of food. Ozzy was in awe at how stocked and orderly the fridge was. She put the food on the large kitchen island and began to piece things together.
“Turkey?”
“Sure.”
“Swiss cheese?”
“Yes.” Ozzy had grown quite fond of cheese.
Patti placed a large amount of turkey on a piece of thick brown bread and then layered slices of cheese over it.
“How long have you been doing the Big Brother program?”
“Pretty long.”
Ozzy had no idea what that was.
“You like it?”
“Sure?”
Ozzy knew that if he wanted her to stop questioning him he was going to have say something himself.
“I didn’t think you’d look like you do.”
“Again, so honest.” Patti laughed. “Unfortunately, like a lot of places, there’s not much diversity here.”
“And you were married to Rin?”
“He went by Brian back then, but yes.”
“Why’d you end it?”
“That’s not a question with one answer.”
“Was he a wizard then?”
“No, after we got divorced, he disappeared for a couple of years. No one knew where he went or what he was doing. Then he showed up in town one day wearing that . . . Well, you’ve seen how he dresses. He claimed to be a wizard and . . . that was that.”
“He was in Quarfelt during the time he was gone?”
“He told you about that place?”
“A little.”
“I think the Big Brother organization needs to do more thorough background checks. Mustard and mayo?”
“Sure. You don’t think he’s a wizard?”
Patti stopped spreading mayo to think a moment.
“I think he can be amazing when he wants to be, but I’m not sure I believe in wizards.”
“It makes sense that if there are wizards there would be people who refuse to believe,” Ozzy pointed out. “I mean, where’s the mystique in something everyone accepts?”
“That’s a big thought for a person your age.”
“It’s the same-sized thought for anyone, regardless of age.”
Patti closed the sandwich up, cut it in triangles, and put it on a square plate. She set the plate down in front of Ozzy.
“Maybe the organization was wise to place Rin as your mentor. You sound as interesting as he is.”
“Found it!” Rin said, walking into the kitchen. He had a big box in his arms and wore a triumphant expression. “You didn’t think I would.”
“I told you where it was.”
“Still, there was sabotage in your doubt. Now we will take you up on your offer and graciously accept it as a gift.”
“Excellent. I’m glad someone will use it.”
“Right.” Rin spotted Ozzy’s sandwich. “Hey, did you make one for me?”
“No,” she replied. “But you can.”
“As a wizard, that’s beneath me.”
Using words Ozzy wasn’t familiar with, Patty told him in a very straightforward manner what she thought of that.
“How about I split mine with him,” Ozzy said, trying to make everyone happy.
Rin stared at the boy proudly.
“You passed the test,” he said. “You have the generosity of a wizard. And your willingness to share gives me the humility to now craft my own.” Rin turned to Patti. “Do you mind if I fry up a few eggs to put on mine?”
When they left the house they had multiple sandwiches, chips, and sodas packed into a wicker basket. Ozzy carried the food and Rin carried the stereo. As they strolled down the front walk back to the car that Patti let Rin borrow, Clark came out of Ozzy’s pocket and took his place in his hair.
“Why did you ever leave her?” Ozzy asked Rin.
“If you must know, she left me.”
“Sorry.”
“I made a series of bad decisions, but I can’t regret them now because . . . well, look where they brought me.”
Ozzy glanced around and wondered what exactly he was referring too.
“The worst thing a person can do is to give space to regret. Why should the past have such crippling power? A wizard cherishes what lessons he’s learned—regardless of how he came to learn them.”
“Do you ever run out of things to say like that?” Clark asked.
“I wouldn’t be a wizard if I did.”
“Oh—and thanks for Rumton, by the way,” Ozzy said.
“A respected surname in Quarfelt.”
“Well, it’s not my favorite here.”
Rin put the stereo into the trunk of the car and climbed in. Ozzy opened his door and as he did he heard someone say, “Ozzy?”
The boy turned around and his jaw dropped. He’d thought so much about Sigi over the course of the last few weeks that he must have somehow conjured up a vision of her.
“What are you doing here?” she asked. Her expression was one part surprise, two parts happiness.
“I, I, well, I . . .”
Rin got back out of the car and stood up.
“Hi, Dad.”
Ozzy stood there in shock as his hoodie pocket rustled and made a very quiet squawk.
“Where are you two going?” Sigi asked.
“To the beach,” Rin said. “Go inside. Your mother might need help.”
“She doesn’t and I’m bored. I’m coming with you guys.”
“That’s not a good idea,” Rin insisted.
Sigi wasn’t listening. She had already climbed into the small car and was looking back out and up at Ozzy.
“Come on, get in.”
Ozzy was still frozen.
“Just get in,” Rin said. “We’ll figure this out at the beach.”
Ozzy climbed into the back seat, not saying a word. He was thrilled to see Sigi, but he was paralyzed by the knowledge that she was Rin’s daughter. The wizard had never said he had a kid, but in fairness, Ozzy had never asked. He wasn’t sure if their being related made him more or less in awe of her.
Who was he kidding—he couldn’t be more.
The sun was beginning to set when Rin pulled up to a small picnic area on the edge of the beach. There were only a few people walking at the edge of the water down the beach. The picnic area had two tables and a small restroom building.
Rin shut the car off and turned to look at Sigi and Ozzy.
“Listen, this isn’t how I thought the night would go, but here we are. Sigi, it’s nice to see you.”
“It’s been a while,” she pointed out.
“I’ve been extraordinarily busy,” Rin said defensively. “You don’t understand what the life of a wizard requires.”
“You’re right—I don’t understand.”
Ozzy stared at both of them, still unable to speak.
“I’m helping Ozzy find his parents. It’s a complicated situation that takes the deft understanding and wand of a wizard.”
“Your parents are lost?” Sigi asked Ozzy.
He could only nod.
“Now, we’ve found a tape that he needs to listen to. So we borrowed your mother’s stereo and we’re about to borrow some electricity. But this is very private stuff and I think Ozzy would be bothered to have you listen in.”
“I wouldn’t be bothered,” Ozzy managed to say.
“Fine, but as your father, Sigi, you need to know that this is a sensitive thing and I can’t have you blabbing to your mother.”
“Mom and I don’t talk as much as you think.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Children need good communication with their parents.”
Sigi’s dark eyes went wide. “What? You haven’t spoken to me in months.”
“Well, I’m a completely different situation.”
“You mean like how I’m supposed to be with you on weekends and this is the first I’ve seen of you in forever?”
“I thought you needed space.”
“I hate to interrupt,” Ozzy interrupted. “But is this a conversation you’d rather have without me around?”
Both Rin and Sigi looked at him as if he was crazy.
“Sorry,” Rin said. “We’ll put that conversation under a spell and move on to the business at hand. Now, Sigi, are you aware of Ozzy’s bird?”
“I don’t think so,” she said, relieved to be moving on.
“It’s remarkable and it might take you by surprise. Show her the bird, Ozzy.”
Clark had heard them talking so he crawled out of the hoodie pocket and hopped up on the front seat headrest.
“Wow,” Sigi said. “It looks like a raven.”
“Thank you. Can you believe I’ve been mistaken for a crow?”
“You can talk?”
“I’m fluent in two languages—English and Chirp.”
“Unbelievable. Where did you come from?”
“Ozzy’s scientist-y inventor dad made me. I’m pretty sure I’m his finest creation.”
“I can see that. Wait . . . are you who Ozzy was talking to when he was talking to himself?”
“Yep,” Clark bragged.
“All right, this is very nice,” Rin said. “But we’ve got things to solve. You can stay in the car or, if Ozzy approves, come with us.”
“She can come,” Ozzy said.
Rin retrieved the stereo from the trunk and Ozzy grabbed the food.
Clark realized where they were. “The beach!” He flew out of the car toward the water.
“He likes the beach,” Ozzy informed Sigi. “We used to spend a lot of time here.”
“I know,” Sigi said. “That’s where we first met. I don’t know if you remember. Years ago my mother and I were hiking down near the rocky shores and ran into you.”
“That sounds vaguely familiar.”
Sigi smiled. “You’re such a liar.”
“I rarely go to the beach,” Rin butted in. “The water gives my skin a rash. And traditionally, wizards aren’t great swimmers.”
“I didn’t know that,” Ozzy admitted.
“Well, you have a lot to learn.”
The three of them carried their things to the closest picnic table. Ozzy set the basket down and Sigi took a seat on the bench. Rin kept the stereo in his arms.
“There’s an electric outlet on the side of the restrooms,” he informed them. “It’s meant to supply power for the mowers and trimmers the caretakers use, but mostly the lifeguards just charge their phones with it. Sometimes I come down here to listen to talk radio. There’s a cooking show out of Portland that has the best breakfast recipes.”
Rin walked over and set the stereo down on the sandy concrete. He pulled open a metal door that protected the outlet and plugged in the stereo.
“Do you have the tape?”
Ozzy fished it out of his pocket and handed it to Rin, who put it into the stereo and prepared to press play.
“Hold on,” Ozzy said. “Clark should be here.”
Ozzy whistled loudly and in a few seconds the bird was back.
Sigi couldn’t help staring at the bird, but Clark didn’t mind the attention. He settled near her on top of the picnic table and made himself comfortable.
“Your hair would make a nice nest,” Clark said.
“Um, thanks?”
“You’re welcome.”
The power cord was long enough that Rin could place the stereo on the edge of the table. Ozzy passed out the food and took a seat on the bench. In the distance seagulls squawked and the sun dropped down as it readied itself to take a soak in the ocean. With the sun sinking the sky could no longer hold onto its blue, replacing it with shades of silver and grey that matched Ozzy’s eyes.
“This feels like a magical night,” Rin said. “Can you see it?”
Ozzy looked around.
“It’s as if everything in existence has been working up to this one moment,” the wizard said.
“Could you just press play?” Clark asked.
“Right.”
Rin pressed the play button, and Side A: The Formula began to play.
Immediately they heard Dr. Emmitt Toffy speaking. But even though the moment was magical, what they heard was not. Dr. Toffy just rattled off long strings of mathematical and brain chemistry formulas that would complete his greatest finding. He didn’t say what the finding was, he just kept throwing out x and y and cosine and arc and serotonin and oxytocin . . .
After ten minutes, Clark finally spoke up.
“Is it just me, or is this really boring?”
“It is boring,” Rin said. “Even as a wizard, I don’t know what he’s talking about. Maybe we should fast forward to the good part.”
Ozzy fast forwarded for a few seconds and when he stopped his dad was still being boring. He fast forwarded a little more—still boring. He kept skipping forward until finally they heard the docto
r saying something other than numbers and letters.
“In conclusion, it is my finding that the formula works quite well to eliminate the dangerous willpower that so many never master, leaving the brain to make rational and life-changing decisions. It puts the brain in a position of complete control.”
There were a few seconds of silence and then the tape clicked off.
The sun was almost completely beneath the water now. The street lamps near the picnic tables flicked on. The few people who had been out on the sand had packed up their things and driven away.
“Well,” Rin said, “your father was obviously a genius.”
“I don’t understand,” Sigi admitted. “Your dad was working on this formula? Was it a work in progress or had he figured it out?”
“Let’s listen to the other side, shall we?” Rin suggested.
Rin flipped the tape and Clark insisted on being the one to press play this time. “It helps me feel included.”
The tape began to play and all three were shocked when, instead of hearing Dr. Emmitt talking, they heard Ozzy’s mother, Dr. Mia.
The sound of his mother’s voice jolted Ozzy. He’d only heard her say the single line on the end of the one tape he had. Now here she was, saying more.
“Emmitt is greatly discouraged. The last test was a failure and nearly cost a man his life. There was a small alteration made to the formula and it appears that when changed, it reverses, giving power over the subject’s brain to outside suggestions. In layman’s terms, this means that when applied, you can make others do anything you wish. This is not an acceptable result. We fear drastic measures must be taken to make sure this never sees the light of day.”
The tape continued to play but there was no sound.
“Is that it?” Clark asked. “I don’t understand.”
“There was a problem with their formula,” Ozzy said. “When they discovered that, they decided not to pursue it. I don’t see what the problem is. Do you think they moved out here to work on it in secret?”
“It seems to me like they moved out here to hide.”
“Then I guess this tape sort of helps,” Ozzy said, trying hard not to feel disappointed.
“I don’t see how.” Clark said. “And now I feel—”
“This could be our last recording.” Mia’s voice filled the air again.
The tape that had remained running was silent no more—all four of them leaned in closer.