The Wizard's Apprentice

     "As crows sing, as dead bodies laugh, as the warrior cries, as the night dies with the sun kissing and mesmerizing the moon, the little stars gather around the big hole of the squirrel, squeaking themselves inside for a chance to shine for themselves, for the squirrel might use them as lanterns when they excrete and as table towels when they vomit. Eww that's so gross. And as the … the chipmunk mounts on the chimpanzee… seriously? And rides with the primate all along the axis of the universe in two days, the lands shake, the land grumbles for a hero is dead" …

"Hmm, seriously does any of these makes sense?" Pradai snarled peevishly at old man Gaius

"Hehe exactly! don't complain you have been learning for the past one week, and all you have succeeded doing is burning my hairs with your so called portion" Gaius snarled back, resting his hands on his waist

"And all you have succeeded in teaching me is how to make smokes of many colours! And looking like a color book!" Pradai retaliated

"You should be happy! I taught you how to make a rainbow!"

" You shuuuld be hrappy! I taught you how to make a rainnnbowl" Pradai said mimicking old man Gaius

"Rainbows are not smokes of many colors you old Meiv!" Gaius was out of words, clearly he lost the fight, again. 

   Pradai had been reading the same book Gaius gave her over and over again, that to her made no actual sense, but he had failed to tell her that magic doesn't need a guide book, magic is in the heart and mind. 

As they were still quarrelling like little children in one of old man Gaius's practice tree, which was designed by him, yes, a big tree with many big branches that one could be on comfortably, and the funniest part was that all his trees, practice or not were all quaky-squeaky, most of them lacked definite shape, but that wasn't even a problem, and that was the amazing part. 

They heard a whistling noise from the tree house

"And what was that?" old man Gaius asked Pradai, staring at her suspiciously. Pradai shrugged effortlessly. The noise became intense

"For the last time, what was that?" Gaius asked again

"Stay here and continue asking me what's happening in your own abode" Pradai replied. 

Old man Gaius got down as fast as possible like a monkey

"Wow" whispered Pradai, at how he got down so swiftly and skillfully

"I heard that!" Yelled old man Gaius from the ground. Pradai doesn't compliment or say nice things about him to his hearing because she enjoyed the quarrels

"What?! I didn't say anything" Pradai quickly added

"I hope you break your leg!" She said again laughing. Gaius went straight up to his tree house. 

Pradai took her time to get off the tree and before she could get to the ground, there was an explosion, of smokes of many colors, but predominantly, black and red. It made a big hole in the roof, again, the seventh time that week. 

Pradai couldn't stop laughing, so she ran quickly to see the mess herself, and laugh at him more. Upon reaching the door, she peeped to look inside through a hole, but it was dark and quiet. Before she could realize what it was all about, the door got pulled off by force throwing her away onto the ground with a big thud. 

"Damn! I saw that coming" she snarled, hitting the ground for giving him a beautiful entertainment. Old man Gaius came out, swaying like a super hero, apparently so proud of himself that he got Pradai

"Haha you didn't see that coming" said old man Gaius, his body covered in black and red color while his head let out smokes, colourful smokes. Pradai got up from the ground dusting off dirt from her body

"It was always Curl, but now is you haha!" old man Gaius added

"Oh right, Curl and Kar, who knows how they are doing, you should let him go see them" Pradai said. 

"Errrm no way." Old man Gaius replied

"Really? Not even a common sorry added" Pradai said, hissing. 

"I am magical! Hehehe" said old man Gaius proudly. 

"Oh, you think? In fact you don't know magic, you don't do magic" Pradai snarled at old man Gaius. 

"That's where you are wrong. Then what do I do you little bat" 

"You want to know what you do? You do scrbdunslnshffhjlhinoagrhvsshh" 

"Huh? What's that? Doesn't make sense" old man Gaius said trying to figure out what she just did with her mouth.

"Exactly! That's what you do. Nonsense and rubbish, don't think too much of it, don't try to figure it out, when I try to figure it all, I think too much of it, I don't arrive at anything. A total crap my man"

Old man Gaius stood still looking at her, she stood still looking at him too, rolling her eyes. 

"Okay enough. Enough for today, my head is already letting out smokes. Go find me virgin shrubs" 

"You go find virgin shrubs yourself! You're always telling me to find virgin shrubs, where the f**k I'ma find virgin shrubs mate?" Pradai got pissed off, so did old man Gaius.

 Whenever he wanted to push her off to get some rest space, he would ask her to go and find virgin shrubs. And she would always come back hours later with no virgin shrubs, and he would act as if he was not happy with her not finding a virgin shrub. But he knew well, she would never find it, it made him laugh at her more, secretly.

"I don't care what you say! Always using words that doesn't exist, is it from the Elves? I don't think so. Go bring me virgin shrubs" old man Gaius concluded, getting inside and shutting down the door behind him, there was always a spare door. 

"The Elf, I remember" Pradai said looking around the hill, and the trees and ahead, the forest

"She could be anywhere" she thought. 

"I have to go get the virgin shrubs" Pradai said to herself as she walked away in search of virgin shrubs.

  After wandering tirelessly for sometime in the woods, Pradai decided to take a break and rest for a while before continuing. Fortunately for her, she found a perfect place to rest, a large tree that she fitted in comfortably and she laid on there, because it wasn't hard, it was soft.

"Ahhh these woods won't stop amazing me, and that's why I love it here" she said touching the tree friendly and smiling, while staring at the sky, she felt peaceful, relieved and lively, she exhaled so intensely. 

"Will I ever get home?" She said to herself, but no one was there with her, so she had to answer it herself. 

"Umm I don't really know" 

"I really miss home, and everyone, I miss seeing humans, even though they can be pain in the a*s" said Pradai with a chuckle

"I know right haha" 

"But here, it has started feeling like home, it feels like I have been here for a very long time. Wow, I would have so much story to tell" 

"Everyday is a story to tell right" she replied herself and nodded

"Mmmm" 

 Slowly and gradually, without even knowing it, Pradai started sleeping and in no time, she fell into a deep slumber, and laid even more comfortably and relaxed.

                                        ****

 Back at the tree house, old man Gaius was getting really worried, for some reason Pradai wasn't back yet, and it was getting late. Gaius for once started blaming himself.

"Come on Pradai, you should be back by now" Gaius said worriedly

"I hope she is okay. I hope she hasn't done anything stupid" he thought that since he mentioned Curl lately, Pradai must have really thought of going to see them, and it might be why she wasn't back yet. 

  Pradai was still very much lost in her sleep but for some reason, she forced herself to wake up

"Mmmm so good. Nature really is the real magic" she said stretching herself and trying to fully open her eyes, but once she had a glimpse of how the weather had changed, she jolted up 

"Damn, how long has it even been, i need to get back before it gets too dark" said Pradai trying to find her way back, then she remembered why she came

"Oh! Come on! Seriously is there even a virgin shrub or whatever" 

"Yes"

"What?..." Pradai said trying to figure out where the voice came from, or if she was the one that said it. But obviously, she wasn't the one that said it, the voice came from behind. So she slowly turned around to see virgin shrubs stretched out to her. She slowly raised up her head straight, it was the same feeling she felt when she was chasing a rabbit, it was the same eyes she saw behind thick green leaves and it was the same beauty. 

Pradai tripped over a stem on the ground and was on her way to hit her head on the ground when the Elf thief grabbed her by her waist. What she felt was awesome and cool, she couldn't explain it but all she knew was that she was in safe hands. 

Their eyes met, they kept looking at each other, each adoring the other. But Pradai's heart was beating, so fast, she felt unease too, because she was not ready to accept and welcome that feeling at that moment. Elf thief slowly traced her hand through her body to her chest, while she held her with the other hand by her waist, Pradai looked down at where her hand was, with her eyes wide open and her mind running at multiple axis, but somehow her heart stopped beating so fast. 

As if she had just come back to her senses, the Elf thief got her hands off her and she fell. 

"Ouch that kinda hurt, why did you do that?" Pradai asked the Elf thief 

"Umm I am sorry" the Elf thief apologized as she helped Pradai got up, and she handed her the virgin shrubs. 

"Is okay. Wow thank you so much!" Pradai thanked her and was excited, for the first time, she had this virgin shrubs. The Elf thief smiled.

"You should go now, let the night don't befall you" said the Elf thief who turned her back to go away

"Wait. What is your name" Pradai inquired. 

"Iliya. My name is Iliya." She answered, and ran away. 

"Hmm rude. She didn't even ask me my name" Pradai commented, running away too. But Iliya wasn't gone, she stood there and watched Pradai fade away. She touched her chest, smiling

"Wow, this is strange." she said, then she really ran off. 

  Pradai reached the tree house to see old man Gaius waiting for her, obviously worried and walking up and down uneasely. When he saw Pradai, he was relieved, he smiled, Pradai smiled back. 

"Here" Pradai handed him the virgin shrubs with a big smile. Old man Gaius opened his mouth to say something but nothing was said, he was astonished, he never thought she would find a virgin shrub, not anytime soon. 

As Pradai went off to climb up to the tree house, she stopped and looked back. 

"Please I want to go see Kar and Curl. Please" Pradai begged him, and he was about to say something, when Pradai rushed out to him and hugged him so tight. And off she went, to the tree house. Old man Gaius was puzzled. 

"Wow. That's strange".