The Mask Maker (5 page)

That was a point that I couldn't disagree with. The mask was one of the most magnificent things I had ever been privileged to wear. I slipped it over my face and walked up onto the stage. Around me, there were the faces of a rat, a barn owl, a toad, a fish, a ferret, and a donkey. It was hard not to smile at the donkey.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Perry began, speaking louder than normal so that the crowd could hear him. "I would like to welcome you to the opening of the Festival of Parth. I have worked with a lot of classes in my time teaching and this might be the most interesting group I have ever come across at Parth School." There were several voices of approval from the crowd. "I have grown to honor and respect some of these boys, and I am very happy to allow you to see each of them prove that they might have learned something." There were several laughs. I scanned my eyes across the crowd. Most of the town appeared to be there. My mother had situated herself in a seat near the front. Lady Chuff had opted for one of the seats in back where she could barely be seen. It looked as though the mass of people around her were about to swallow her whole.

The crowd applauded politely as, one after the other, we all went up and performed some feat of magic. Perry would call out a vague sort of action and the student would perform a trick that went along with it. Most of the choices being made were simple things that you learned in your first year of training, like making vases appear or changing the color of a ball. Pat decided that he would show off a little and attempted to make a statue of an octopus form on the stage. He failed by two and a half tentacles, but the crowd applauded anyway and the donkey took a bow.

"Next up is Luk," Perry announced. My name called, I took my place in the middle of the stage and waited. "Luk," he continued as I steadied myself. "How about you show us something that is important to you?"

Something that was important to me? Without thinking, I pushed my hands into the air and imagined the few brief moments that I had spent with Alexander. Above me, stones began to form. A woman began to take shape, the robe she was wearing taking on several green splotches. The basin formed in front of her with the same green splatters. It was the perfect replica image of the statue from the clearing except for the face. Instead of her smiling face, a carefully constructed mask with black and purple feathers appeared. A mask that Alexander would have made. I held it up for a moment and then brought my arms down, making the statue disappear as if it was never there.

Walking to the back of the stage, Perry applauded with the rest of the crowd. "There you have it, my friends and neighbors. Let's hear it for the graduates and newly licensed magicians."

There was thunderous applause from out in the crowd, but I walked down the stairs and away from the others. Taking a deep breath, I pulled my cloak off of me and tossed it to the ground. It felt good to be done and I wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep for a while.

"You were amazing," someone behind me said.

I turned around and there was Alexander, smiling at me. Lady Chuff was with him and so was my mother.

"Lady Chuff was just introducing me to your friend, Alexander. The mask maker," she added as if I had forgotten who he was.

"We'll just be heading over to the races now, dearies," Lady Chuff said. My mother waved to me as Lady Chuff gripped her arm and pulled her away.

"I had no idea that you did magic like that," he said, not really looking at me.

I pulled him close to me and hugged him, not wanting to let him go. If he pulled away, then that was that, but I just wanted to hold him to me. "You actually showed up," I whispered.

"How could I not show up?" He hugged me back even tighter than I had done to him. "I realized last night I was being an idiot. Sure, people stared at me, but the people who don't know me don't know who I am. And … I needed to be here to support you."

"I'm sorry for how I acted last night, alright?" I kissed his cheek. "I can't stay mad at you. I'm madder at myself than I ever was with you."

"Don't be. I think we're going to be alright," Alexander said, letting go of me.

"Want to go see the unicorns?" I winked at him and he tensed up.

"Those things really do scare me."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you."

From behind Alexander, I could see Pat standing with his parents. He looked over at me and tilted his head in a nod. He and I would never be friends, but it seemed we had an understanding.

Taking Alexander by the hand, we kissed, and walked to the races.

Fin

Spencer Rook is a Missouri resident with too many interests for his own good. When not writing, he can be found knitting, attending university, talking about theater, and screaming at traffic from nearby sidewalks.

He can be contacted at [email protected].