“Uh… it’s how people do magic, right?” Eric hadn’t been sure what to expect. The concept of energy was so basic in society that Eric wasn’t sure who wouldn’t know it.
“Where does it come from?” Master Damien neither reassured nor chided him, but remained perfectly calm.
Eric shifted in his chair, “From people. People always just make energy.” Master Damien’s face was blank. Eric dropped his eyes to the table. “Inside of them. Like you make blood… From food I guess.”
“What is the relationship between the magic energy and life energy?”
Eric didn’t like tests. “Uh…” Eric rubbed his head. “ I don’t know.” It couldn’t be good to miss a question so soon.
Master Damien produced a sheet of paper from his pocket and scribbled something down. “They are the same.” He informed Eric. And the questions went on.
* * *
Eric was staring at the brown paper bag. He hadn’t found the moment to ask if it was okay to eat his sandwich. Or whatever was in the bag. Food. Master Damien was giving him time to think about the question, but Eric hadn’t listened. He hadn’t even been able to guess the answers for the last ten minutes? Twenty minutes? In Eric’s mind it could’ve been an hour. In that time Master Damien had retrieved a notepad from his desk to continue scribbling down notes. His expression was still blank, however.
Eric chanced it, “Can I eat my lunch?” This seemed to unsettle Master Damien. Clearly not what he was expecting.
“Yes.” He made a note on the paper, which Eric thought was odd.
It was a sandwich! Eric unwrapped it greedily. He was so hungry that he didn’t notice the flavor until he was halfway finished. Grilled cheese with fresh tomatoes. Not horribly filling, but his favorite.
Master Damien looked timid in his next question, “Has the.. the need to eat affected your ability to.. answer my questions?” He almost looked hopeful. Eric shook his head, his mouth full.
Master Damien collected the booklet from in front of Eric. There was another sandwich. Ham and cheese and some other stuff this time. He was flipping through the pages they hadn’t gone through yet, about a fourth of the book.
Eric couldn’t imagine going through all of the questions. The sun was threatening dusk already. Normal people probably answered faster, Eric mused. The second sandwich was the last item in the bag, but Eric felt much better. He watched Master Damien flipping through pages. While there was plenty of sunlight outside still, the office had only one window, which was partly blocked by a bookcase. Eric contemplated turning the light on.
Finally Master Damien looked up at Eric, “I had been hoping that I could jog your memory with the subsequent questions. I have seen your grades, your portfolio. You were an excellent student.” Master Damien ripped out the pages from his notepad and made a neat stack with the first loose page. He folded them neatly in thirds and brought them over to his desk. From the densely packed materials he retrieved an envelope, wax, and his metal seal. The papers were then sealed inside the envelope. “And you will be again one day.” Master Damien said returning to the student desk. He handed Eric the envelop. Hearing about his past made Eric feel uneasy and he took the envelope gingerly. “This is for your Master Brown. You are excused.”
Eric was slow to leave.
1 comment:
Gee, I go away to Mexico where the internet is more scarce than toilet paper (and that's saying something!), you write like an entry a day, I come back and you stop! What, did you start school again? ;)
As to actual commentary - you don't have much descriptive writing, like a narrator's voice to help inform us of what the world looks like and help set the stage. If this were a play, it would be performed with very few scenery props! I get the feeling that this is partly because we're seeing the world the way Eric is - numbly and a little stupidly - but it makes me feel a little blind. Like I'm looking at things with my glasses off. For instance, I THINK from what you wrote that the living quarters are split level (when he came out of his bedroom the kitchen was below him?). It may sound like unimportant or cheesy details, but I hunger to know - are these rooms walled with wood? Stone? Plaster? Covered in tapestries or plain? Is his bed stuffed with straw or made of springs? Does he sleep with comforters because the heat is provided by fireplaces? Or sheets 'cause it's forced hot air. What kind of clothes do they wear? Does Jamie have a lanky body? Dainty little hands or kind of big and out of place to his geeky build? I don't really have a good sense of the world you're building (even though I have a pretty good sense of Eric's character).
However, I am also hungering to find out why this John thinks that Eric still has potential, and what he told Joan.
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