Weirdville: The Clumsy Magician (Lower Grade Spooky Fun Adventure) Read online

  When he opened his eyes again, the rabbit had vanished. He held up the empty hat to his classmates.

  A dozen mouths gaped at him, and some kids even rubbed their eyes, trying to make sense of what had happened.

  Ryan smiled, pride swelling in his chest. He held out his sleeve to a boy in the front row. “Please check my sleeve. Is it empty?”

  The boy leaned forward to inspect his sleeve. “Yes.”

  “Good. Well, how about I conjure up something from my sleeve. Any suggestions?” Ryan’s voice grew louder, more confident.

  “An elephant,” Timothy suggested.

  Ryan rolled his eyes. “Something that actually fits in a sleeve.”

  “A miniature elephant then.” Timothy crossed his arms, as if challenging him. “With a red scarf on.”

  The smaller Ryan smirked, closed his eyes and wished. Two seconds later, he conjured a miniature elephant wearing a red scarf.

  He walked to Timothy’s desk and dropped the miniature statue on his desk. “How is that for magic?”

  Timothy stared at him. He touched the elephant, held it up, and checked it from all sides, his mouth hanging open the whole time. “That... that’s not possible.”

  “Of course it isn’t. It’s magic.” Ryan bowed, opening up his cape. “Do you want to see any other tricks?”

  “Yes!” The girl he’d originally asked to check his hat had transformed from disinterested to enthusiastic. She practically jumped up and down in her seat.

  “All right. For my next trick, I need a volunteer.” Ryan looked around the classroom. “Anyone brave enough?”

  “I will.” Timothy pushed his seat back and jumped up, almost sending the chair flying across the room. “If you’re tricking me, I’ll know it.” He tried to look threatening, his eyes narrow, his lips pulled into a thin line.

  Ryan smiled, eyes gleaming with confidence. “It’s not a trick, I swear.”

  “What do I do?”

  “I’ll make you disappear. Just stand here.” Ryan unbuttoned the top of his cape and waved it in front of him.

  Timothy stood in the middle of the classroom, now a makeshift stage. His hands hung rigid next to his body, and his lower lip twitched. “Umm... are you sure this’ll work?” he asked, looking left and right. “Maybe—”

  “Don’t worry.” Ryan gave him a pat on the shoulder, and a matching condescending smile. “All right, boys and girls, now it’s time for the grand act, the main act. I’ll make Timothy disappear.”

  Loud gasps erupted from across the room. Aaron gave Ryan a thumps up.

  The magician took a deep breath, held the cape in the air, and dropped it down on Timothy’s head. “Vanish!” he cried out at the same time.

  The cape dropped to the floor. Timothy had disappeared, just like that.

  “Oh my God!” The girl on the front row screamed. She breathed loudly, her eyes wide as tea cups. “How did you do that?”

  Mrs. Bell put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. She blinked a few times, like a deer afraid of hunters approaching. “You know how to bring him back, right?”

  “Sure.” A wave of nerves hit Ryan straight in the stomach. For all his earlier bravado, making a boy disappear might just be one step too far. He hadn’t stopped to think it through, only wanted to show off. But what if he couldn’t bring Timothy back?

  He swallowed his fear. All his tricks had worked up until now. No way could this one fail.

  But he didn’t want to boast his skills anymore; didn’t feel the need to make a big show out of it. He just wanted to bring Timothy back.

  He grabbed the cape, yelled “return!” and threw the cape in the air.

  The cape breezed down to the floor, and nothing else happened.

  A girl at the back of the room screamed.

  Mrs. Bell’s cheeks colored pale, and she put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder. “What’s happening?”

  “Just a glitch.” Ryan smiled, but his legs trembled and he wanted nothing more than to crawl into the ground and disappear himself. “Don’t worry.”

  Based on the expressions on their faces, the entire class worried. No one smiled. Some kids clenched their fists, while others shook their heads.

  I’ve taken it too far. Oh God, what if he doesn’t come back?

  Ryan took a deep breath.

  Aaron looked at him, his mouth slightly open, as if he wanted to say something, but even his best friend had no words of encouragement.

  Ryan grabbed the cape from the floor, lifted it up again, and yelled, “Return!”

  The cape tumbled to the ground. This time, some of his classmates started whispering. “Bring him back!” one kid even yelled at him.

  Mrs. Bell bent at her knees so she met Ryan eye-to-eye. “Ryan, this isn’t funny anymore. You have to bring him back.”

  “I....” Tears made it impossible to speak. “I....” Ryan choked up, his eyes filling with rivers of tears.

  Then a loud thump echoed through the room. And again, a loud knock. Again, and again.

  “It’s coming from the closet.” Aaron pointed at the large supply closet in the back of the classroom, where Mrs. Bell usually kept her school books.

  “What is that?” Someone else asked, and then promptly looked at Ryan for a response, as if he had something to do with the strange noise.

  “Ryan?” Mrs. Bell waited, a question mark burning in her eyes.

  “I don’t—” Before Ryan could finish his sentence, something pushed hard against the closet door and it kicked open.

  Timothy tumbled out of the closet face first. He supported himself on his hands while he crashed on the floor.

  “Timothy, are you all right?” Mrs. Bell hurried over to him, leaving Ryan alone in front of the class.

  Ryan breathed out slowly, his lungs filling up with air. His heartbeat slowed down, and his legs stopped trembling. He found some of that courage he’d possessed earlier.

  Timothy was all right. He was fine. Ryan’s trick had worked.

  Mrs. Bell kneeled down next to Timothy, placed her hand on his shoulder, and helped him up.

  A pang of jealousy bolted through Ryan’s body. Everyone in class had turned toward Timothy, though Ryan had been the one to perform the act. They should look at him, not worry about some bully.

  “And that,” he said, his voice loud and clear, “was the disappearance act.” He pulled the cape back around his shoulders and bowed to his audience.

  The kids turned back around to face him.

  He peeked up at them from under his hair, which had fallen over his face when he leaned forward.

  Most of them were still pale, and none of them smiled. They looked afraid.

  Aaron began clapping, and soon the others joined in, but slower than before, less enthusiastically.

  Ryan didn’t want people to be afraid of him, but this strange magic, his new powers... they scared him too.

  Chapter 6

  Ryan burst through the front door of his home and threw his backpack on the floor. He slumped down on the couch and closed his eyes. His head throbbed and he felt drained, all his energy gone. Doing magic exhausted him more than he would have thought possible.

  “Honey, is that you?” His mom appeared in the kitchen doorway, her hair in a bun, and she wore her cleaning clothes, a wide, unappealing polka-dot dress. “How was school?”

  “All right.” Ryan ran a hand through his hair and sat up straighter so he could take a look at his Mom. Her face looked teary and puffed, as if she’d been crying. He bit his lip. “Mom, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I just....” She sighed, grabbed a coke from the fridge, and walked over to him. “I spent quite some time working on a project for my craft class, and now I can’t find it.”

  Mom had decided to convert the spare bedroom to a crafts room two years ago, when she took up crafting classes. She spent hours in there, working on paintings, small statuettes, vases, and God knows what else.

  “What is it?” Ryan asked. “Do you know where
you left it?”

  “It’s a small elephant figurine.” She sat down on the couch. “A work in progress. I experimented with some red paint for details, but it didn’t turn out so well.”

  A lump grew in Ryan’s throat, making it impossible for him to breathe. “Umm... well, when did it disappear?” He choked on the question.

  “I’d worked on it this morning, then I spent some time cleaning, and when I returned, it was gone.” Mom paused and shook her head. “I must’ve misplaced it. Nobody would try and steal something like that.”

  Ryan licked his lips. It had to be a coincidence that Mom’s elephant figurine went missing while he conjured up a similar miniature in class. It had to be.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. Want me to help look for it?”

  “Nah. That’s okay.” She shrugged. “I’ll just make a new one. I just wonder where my head is sometimes, you know.”

  He nodded at her, and tried to keep himself from blurting out how he’d conjured up a figurine that matched her description this afternoon. It had to be a coincidence. It had to.

  The phone rang, and Mom got up. She murmured some words he couldn’t make out. “Ryan, can you come to the phone please? It’s Ricky, from school.”

  Ryan arched his eyebrows, but went to get the phone anyway. “Yeah?”

  “Give him back,” Ricky said through the phone. His voice sounded even shriller than in real life, as if someone tried to choke him. “Please.”

  “Give who back?” Ryan blinked a few times, wondering if he’d heard the boy correctly.

  “My rabbit, Mr. Fluff. Give him back.”

  The sickening feeling in his stomach grew worse. Bile rose up in his throat, and he felt dizzy. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “He disappeared right out of his cage.” Ricky’s voice grew accusing. “Rabbits don’t just disappear. You... when you conjured up the rabbit in class, I told you it was mine.”

  “I.... All rabbits look the same.”

  “No they don’t! I knew it was my rabbit right away. Somehow you stole it from its cage! But instead of putting it back, you didn’t. It’s gone! Give it back!”

  “I can’t.” Ryan’s hand shook and he gripped the phone tight. “I can’t give it back because I have no idea what happened. I didn’t take your rabbit, Ricky. I’m sorry.”

  He slammed the phone down, shaking like a leaf in a storm.

  “Are you all right?” Mom’s voice resonated from behind him.

  “No. I....” Ryan paused and took a deep breath. “I think I’m going to lie down.”

  “Are you ill? Why did Ricky call? Did something happen at school?” Mom started to sound suspicious with all her questions.

  “Why can’t you just back off?” Ryan yelled, and stormed off to his room, his heart beating like a speeding train.

  ***

  A shrill sound woke Ryan up. He blinked a few times. Darkness loomed outside his window, so he must’ve dozed off for a few hours. His head still throbbed, and his heart rate hadn’t slowed down to its regular pace again, but he felt better.

  Even if he’d been responsible for Mom’s elephant going missing, and for Ricky losing his rabbit, that just meant he had to be more careful from now on. It could’ve been a lot worse, what with Timothy vanishing and not reappearing right away.

  The noise echoed through the room again—the telephone, sounding louder than usual, urgent.

  He climbed out of bed and put his feet on the wooden floor. Muzzled voices rose up from the kitchen, followed by a gasp and his Mom saying, “Oh my God.”

  Panic grabbed him by the throat as he struggled to get up, and he nearly fell over his own feet while he stumbled down the stairs.

  Please don’t let it be Dad. Or Grandma. Or my aunt Linda.

  The only other time the phone had rung in the middle of the night was when they brought Grandma to the hospital. It had been the worst night of his life, and he didn’t want a repeat of that.

  He nearly tumbled down the stairs in the dark hallway, but he did make it down in one piece.

  His Mom stood in the kitchen, still chatting through the phone. She hung up the moment he walked in.

  “Mom?” His voice sounded small, belonging to a toddler instead of a ten-year-old.

  She blinked back tears and gave him a sad smile. “Hey, Ryan.”

  “What’s wrong? Is Grandma all right?”

  She sighed, and held open his arms for him. “Grandma’s all right, sweetie. Ellen called, one of my friends from book club. She... her son is missing. One of the kids from your class.”

  Ryan walked into her open arms and let her hug him, the truth slowly sinking in. Ellen... Ellen Green. Timothy’s Mom.

  “Timothy is missing?” A string of conflicting feelings fought for the upper hand. A day ago, he’d have been thrilled to hear his tormentor had disappeared. Well, maybe not thrilled, more like relieved. But now... now he felt guilty.

  But it couldn’t be me, right? I mean... I made him disappear today but that has nothing to do with how he’s missing now. Right?

  He started trembling, and if his Mom hadn’t hugged him, he might have collapsed.

  “Yeah,” Mom said in his hair. “He’d gone to bed for the night, and when Ellen checked up on him, he’d vanished. Ellen has no idea where he is. She called to ask if maybe he turned up here.” She let go of Ryan and held him at arm’s length. “I know you and Timothy aren’t exactly best friends, but if you know anything about where he might be, please tell me.”

  He shook his head so hard it might fall off. “I don’t know, Mom. I’ve no idea where he is. Why do you think I have anything to do with this?” He let go off her and backed off.

  “I don’t think that, honey. I just thought maybe you heard something in school, heard him say something about meeting up with his friends.”

  “No, I didn’t hear anything.” Ryan stared at the floor. Is it my fault? Am I responsible for this? Was it... the magic that caused this? Did I make Timothy disappear?

  “It’s all right, sweetie.” Mom kissed him on the forehead. “He’ll turn up, I’m sure of it. He’s probably just hanging out with friends. Don’t worry about it.” Her smile cracked when she spoke, and worry lines were etched in her face.

  Ryan worried too. His heart felt like it could explode any moment. He had to talk to Matthew. He had to find out if the magic had caused this.

  Chapter 7

  The school bell rang and Ryan gazed around the classroom; still no sign of Timothy.

  His seat was empty, and the teacher stared at it as if she’d hoped he would magically turn up.

  “I have bad news, kids,” Mrs. Bell said after a while, her usual cheerful voice low. “Timothy is missing.”

  A wave of noise erupted through the class. Aaron looked at Ryan, his eyes wide and burning with questions.

  Ryan shook his head and shrugged, pretending he had nothing to do with it.

  “What do you mean, ‘missing’?” one of Timothy’s friends asked.

  “He disappeared from his bedroom last night.” The teacher shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing up and down. “His parents have no idea where he is. If anyone of you knows anything—anything—about where he might be at, please tell me, and I will notify his parents. I’m not joking, kids, this is serious. He might be hurt.”

  The class remained silent, until one of the twin bullies yelled from the back of the room. “This is all his fault!” He pointed at Ryan. “Yesterday, that freak made Timothy disappear, and now he’s gone for real.”

  All eyes turned toward Ryan. He wanted to crawl under his desk and disappear.

  “That’s not fair,” the teacher said. “Ryan has nothing to do with this.” She didn’t look at him when she spoke, as if she suspected he might have anyway. “And we won’t resort to calling others names, got it? One more time, and you’ll get detention.”

  The bully shut up, but Ryan felt the feverish heat of all those eyes gazing at him during the rest of
class. Everyone seemed convinced he had something to do with it.

  ***

  After class, Aaron caught up with him. “Hey, wait up,” his best friend said, grabbing his arm. “Are you okay?”

  “No,” Ryan snapped. “I’m not okay. Everyone thinks I had something to do with Timothy disappearing, while I didn’t. I hate him, but I wouldn’t hurt him. Not like that.”

  “Hey, calm down.” Aaron let go of him and took a step back. “I know you wouldn’t. You don’t need to defend yourself against me.”

  Ryan stared at his best friend. He wanted to tell him everything—about Matthew, about magic, about messing up, and maybe even about being responsible for Timothy’s disappearance—but the words stuck to his tongue and he couldn’t get them out.

  “Are you okay?” Aaron asked. “You look like you’re getting ill.”

  “I’m fine. I....” Ryan paused mid-sentence.

  Matthew appeared at the end of the hallway, his black eyes staring straight at him, as if he expected something.

  “I need to... do something, though. I’ll meet you at lunch, okay?”

  “Umm, okay.”

  Ryan walked past his friend, leaving him flabbergasted in the middle of the hallway. He started running toward Matthew, who disappeared into the boy’s bathroom. Without hesitation, Ryan rushed in and slammed the door shut behind him.

  Bathroom stalls were lined up on the right side of the room, and wash basins stood on the other side. Matthew leaned against one of the basins, his hands inside his jeans pockets, staring off into nothing, as if he saw things no one else noticed.

  “You lied to me,” Ryan snapped. For once, he didn’t care the boy was creepy, or that he stood a head taller than him.

  Matthew didn’t even look surprised. He slowly turned his head toward the younger boy and raised one eyebrow. “Did I now?”

  “It’s your fault Timothy has disappeared!”

  “My fault?” Matthew laughed, a hollow sound. “Why would you think that?”

  “I....” Ryan tried to set his thoughts straight. He wanted to hit Matthew, wanted to hurt him, force him to spill the beans about where Timothy had disappeared to, but he’d never hit anyone before, and he didn’t want to change that. “Yesterday in class, I used my magic to make Timothy disappear. Then I wished him back... and he came back. But now he’s missing again, and I know your magic is responsible. You can’t lie to me.”