Dara Ryan 1st Year
The Magician
The boy looked out the window and there he was, just walking down the street –the magician. He had known the magician was there before he looked out the window; he had sensed him. But as he gazed, he realised how absolute the power of his being was. He could calm storms, feed every person on the planet with a click of his fingers. He could cure any disease, heal any wound, give sight to the blind, even reverse death.
But for all the good he could do, he could also do evil. He could summon a storm strong enough to rip through any house, any building. He could kill you with a look, break your arm from the other side of the world, melt your brain and break your mind without lifting a finger. He could rip the sky asunder and summon the legions of hell to lay waste to the Earth.
Suddenly the magician snapped his head around and saw the boy. He smiled, though it was a smile that was devoid of warmth, or any kind of emotion. He turned and began to walk towards the boy, up the staircase that had once been a garden. Because the world reshaped itself, liquefied and solidified itself to his need, his every wish. For a being of such great power deserved such respect, such obedience because he was a living god, and he graced them with his very presence.
Andthe magician walked through the arch that had once been a window, held out hishand and offered the boy infinite power. And the boy thought of feeding thepoor, calming storms, healing all plagued by illness, of bringing back hisparents. He reached out to take the magician’s hand, but in doing so herealised that it was a white as chalk. He looked up and saw dead eyes and asmile that showed no semblance of emotion. He thought of creating storms,killing without thought, effort or consequence. He thought of summoning thelegions of hell to destroy all he held dear. And he withdrew his hand andrefused the magician’s gift. The magician’s face clouded over and the howled infury. And then he and the boy vanished, never to be seen again.
“Dara’s use of language in highly impressive in this unusual, fascinating, surreal encounter between a boy and an all-powerful magician. It is also an interesting exploration of the corrupting influence of power. A very original and well-executed piece.
-Author Ciarán Collins