MAGIC: The Rise of Tom Salisbury

The Boy Tom

2016

Tom was a boy who loved his computer desk and classroom desk more than anything. You can say he is a lover of desks. 

Often, you'll see him in his classroom head down and peering over large folds of books. He has the habit of always leaning on his desk, then reading from his books placed on his laps. Sometimes, you'll wonder why desks were made in the first place; probably for a headrest. 

Back to Tom, Tom was a totally lovable boy, always gleaming with his jade white teeth set like almonds on his bountiful cheeks. He was always giggling whenever you see him on one of the rare occasions where he will appear on the playground. 

The most beautiful part of Tom's personality is that he is the guru-kind of guy, expansive knowledge in that his brain is hidden by his onion-ball-cut hair, and bubbly. The air bubbles whenever he is present. 

Tom loves some particular types of books; magic books. He's always intrigued and eager to know more whenever he picks a book on magic. He wonders why there's no real magic in the world or if it had been shut off at one place. 

Tom seeks to find out the origin of magic and also find out the secrets of it. He was obsessed. He felt like he wanted to live in a world that is often told about in the books; where magic reigns supreme and people do a lot of cool stuff and in different ways, as he sees it in this present world. Tom loves to dream. 

One day, he was peeping at a magic book beneath his desk while the mathematics teacher was drawing patterns on the board. He would immediately raise his head when the teacher turned around. This almost got him into trouble because the teacher caught him, and what was more bizarre was that the teacher caught him mumbling some unheard words under his breath while staring at him writing on the whiteboard, this got him alerted and intrigued at the same time. 

He called Tom over, and asked him,

 "what were you doing and what were you mumbling over there while I was writing on the board? "

Tom almost cried inside, all of a sudden he started shaking over, the whole class turned to understand what was happening.

The teacher asked again, 

"Tom, I clearly saw you staring at me and mumbling some kind of words or things when I had my back turned against you, can you kindly tell me and your class what you were doing or I won't take this issue lightly with you... "

When he said this, Tom knew this is the time to buckle up his courage and deal with whatever this is and what will come out is it because he knew his parents and they were not the type to take it lightly being summoned to school because of him, and that because of magic, they will just skin him alive when they get him. 

'He might start to adapt to life without food' Tom thought because he thinks that this might most probably get to his parents and forget about the week, even two of them might not be enough to cleanse him of the atrocity of ever trying anything magic in the eyes of his protestant parents. 

So, he bucked up and answered, "Sir, it was just a few things that I learned from my book that I was practicing."

"A few things you learned from your book?" His teacher asked, perplexed. 

He clearly saw the boy muttering and looking up at him as if he had expected something to happen. He was clear about that.

"May I see the book you were studying in my class?"

Tom immediately turned but he was still late. His desk neighbor Is already standing with the book in his hand ready to eat him out. He immediately regretted why he didn't slip the book into his locker before standing up to answer the teacher's question. 

"Can I see the book, Pete?" 

"Yes, sir." 

Pete immediately passed the book over, and it only took some long seconds from Tom's perspective for a storm to brew in his teacher's brows, that was when he knew that he was done for. 

"So, here you are, instead of listening and paying attention to my class, you prefer to read inordinate and hideous magic arts books and was muttering curses you learned at me?" 

The class gasped. 

The teacher was looking at him with what was obviously no less than a tornado in his eyes. 

Tom gulped and was taxing his head furiously in order to find a way out of this mess. 

After some time, the teacher spoke again. 

"Tom Salisbury, I command you to go and wait for me in my teacher's quarter, and don't forget to make yourself feel uncomfortable while I come for you."

The rage and storm in the teacher's voice were there for all to hear, this made the whole class gulp after gulp. 

While going back home after school, Tom could not help but shudder at the recollection of what Mr. Shandon promised to do to him if he was ever found doing as much as looking at the cover of a magical book ever again in the school and beyond. 

Well, not that he worried about the beyond because he knew that Mr. Shandon does not possess the capability to curb him from engaging in his favorite pastime like going to the library, therefore, there's no way he's going to refrain from studying his beloved magic from his magic books unless the heavens crashed on the earth tonight. 

With such thoughts, he eased it up a little bit and stroll-jumped away. 

However, all through the night, Tom was very worried. Since he is no longer allowed to search for magic books in the school library or allowed to be seen with one, moreover, he knew that if he dares to sneak or take out his books at school no more how stealthily he does, his classmates will catch him and they must surely snitch on him. 

He knows his relationship with his classmates and how envious they are of his ever-growing popularity as the most intelligent or better put, most learned pupil of the school. But it's not like he intended to show off, he just loves books. This matter is surely stifling.

The food was delicious, his mom really put her all into today's dinner. However, Tom's worry was more pungent than the sweet aroma of the puddle in front of him. He thought hard till his mom was worried, she cannot tell what issue is this big to trouble her son so. After some time she decided to reach out but decided against it, 'after all, it's important that children learn to think for themselves, it will be disastrous if they rely on their parents to always pull them out of their trouble each time.'

With that, she calmed down now a bit, but not for long as Tom kept staring into space for a while. So, she decided to call him back before his soul and consciousness flew away right before her eyes. 

"Tom? You're not touching your food."

"what? ``It took some time before Tom could make out what his mother said, that was when he gasped and immediately recovered himself and apologized. 

"Oh sorry mom, it's nothing. I just feel a little dry at the moment."

"Dry? " his mother queried with an incredulous look. 

"Yeah, just a little bit though. I will go get some water. ``

With this, he arose and strode over to the water filter. His mom shook her head and let out a heavy sigh, she knew her son was bottling something up. 

After the dinner, Tom bade his mom and dad goodnight and immediately strode off to his room upstairs. While in his room, he went for his school bag, slipped out the magic book he had been reading while in school and his lips curled into a knowing smile. He had fooled the mathematics teacher. 

Flashback to School when he was caught… 

He was reading the two books, cross-checking the facts in one with the ones in the other book, while many of the magic assumptions in the magic books did not tally, he was overjoyed to find out that they somewhat collaborate with some. Therefore, he decided to try out some of the consistent ones, spells, and hexes on the teacher. 

It was while doing this and none had worked. He was trying to understand if it is because he had not performed the spells right or mispronounced that Mr. Shandon caught him. He immediately grabbed his book and stowed it away inside his locker, however, the other one, the less important one, was still lying on his chair. That was the one his desk neighbor shew the teacher and was subsequently seized by him. 

But for the important one, it still stayed with him and he couldn't help but smile and acknowledge his wit as he drew it out of his school bag. 

Back to the Present… 

Tom slipped out the book, smiled as he wiped his hands on the surface of the book as if a long-lost lover before he broke out into a full-mouthed grin. 

"I am sure, wise and vicious," he told himself. 

And with that, he reached out, opened a drawer from his rack of cabinets and pulled a library card from one of the sub-compartments in the rack, and felt quite giddy. 

"From now on, the city library is my home." He closed his eyes.