The Unskillful Thaumaturge

XL

Lillian was walking dreamily along the edge of the park, staring up at the gray sky, when she was greeted by a familiar voice.

"Oh, hey!"

She tilted her head down and, looking from side to side, identified Leslie on her left, walking towards her.

"Hi Leslie."

"Where were you going?"

Lillian glanced back to the sky for a moment before answering. "I wasn't really going anywhere. What about you?"

"Oh, I was just heading to the museum. I have a report on thaumaturgical history due next week in my barriers class and just thought I'd look at some of the historical stuff they have in there. Want to come?"

"You know what, sure," Lillian answered, turning left and hurrying down the path to catch up with Leslie's quick pace. "Were you planning to look at anything specific?"

"No, probably just the whole museum," Leslie confessed. "It's not very big. Do you have your ID with you?"

Lillian immediately nodded and patted her pocket. Leslie smiled, but Lillian didn't notice; she was back to staring at the uniformly nondescript sky. She felt overcome by a sudden wish that the forest had simply been left as is. But, of course, when the park had been constructed, the trees had all been removed. A number of buildings also stood throughout the park: the short, squat custodial office, the numerous restaurants and info stations, the tour centers and the museum, not to mention the looming obelisk.

When she looked back towards the path, she realized Leslie was again several yards ahead of her, and hurried to catch up. Reaching her roommate's side, she looked up into her face. "Can you walk a bit slower?"

"We're almost there."

Indeed, the museum of thaumaturgy was visible at the end of the path. Leslie headed straight for the doors, striding at double speed. Lillian jogged towards the doors and caught the one on the right just before it swung closed. She pulled it back open and slipped inside. Somehow, even though Lillian had come through the doors right after her roommate, there were already two people behind her in line. Leslie beckoned, while Lillian ducked under the rope, accompanied by glares from the tourists behind her, and joined her roommate in line. Within seconds, the young couple in front of them had paid their dues and proceeded inside the museum. The woman behind the register peered curiously at them for a few seconds before speaking.

"One student and one child?"

Leslie glared, and Lillian nudged her with an elbow. "Two student tickets, please."

That same expression flickered across the cashier's face. She looks really young for college, the woman was clearly thinking. Lillian had seen the same expression many times before, on countless mystified faces, and had to resist shooting her a glare.

Both girls dug in their pockets and pulled out their IDs, slapping them on the counter at the same time. The cashier peered at the IDs, still a bit confused, and slid them back towards the girls.

"Ten dollars."

Lillian fished in her pocket, pulling out a crumpled five-dollar bill. Leslie's eyebrows raised as she pulled out her credit card and pushed it emphatically toward the cashier. "That should cover it."

Instantly, the cashier picked up the credit card, fingers scrabbling across the counter, and swiped it. Lillian scowled as the tiny screen showed that all ten dollars had been paid, and she could tell from the cashier's face exactly what unconscious process was fueling her decisions. Two girls, clearly not related, four years apart; it was the safer decision to accept the payment of the elder. And even this vexingly simple decision made Lillian incredibly frustrated. If the cashier knew who she truly was, she reminded herself, she would be treated with the utmost respect. Leslie tugged on her arm, and she walked into the museum, grabbing the five-dollar bill and embarrassingly shoving it back into her pocket with annoyance.