Enter a strange and amazing new world you've never seen before, but you most likely already live inside. Follow Theodore, a lonely kid who has to Travel through the 7 Layers of Space in order to find a brick and probably save the universe. Unfortuna...
Desire is sometimes a murky thing. Is it the bagel that you want, or the cream cheese inside of it? Or maybe what you really needed was to just get out of the House?
Occasionally, we're offered exactly what we thought we wanted most, and it proves as exhilarating as it is confusing (and sometimes gives us a stomach ache).
But we can't discover our true desire until we step outside, reach for it, and find out. Will you get a fist full of cream cheese, just what you want, or both?
***
"Oof!"Theodore landed like a little sack of broken boulders. The hatch to The Roof slammed shut behind him. He felt exhilarated, confused, and rather achey. As far as he could puzzle out, he very well might need to go on a grand adventure to an unknown place, something he at least thought that he had always wanted. But he didn't know how or why to do this thing, and it also made him feel a little sick and scared.
He stood up, dusted off his shirt, and again checked for damage. Other than a scrape on his elbow and a solid crust of dust on every part of him, he was in one piece. He looked up at the hatch and considered climbing back through in defiance, but thought better of it, knowing he'd just be magically excused once again.
Ignoring the fall like a professional 11-year-old, he leapt down several stairs and his mind reeled, trying to put together all that he had just witnessed. What did Mr. Caruthers even expect him to do? Go to Gup? Surely it didn't matter because they'd have gotten the Brick back anyhow. By now, everything was probably back to normal. As normal as things ever got here, anyhow.
He felt a bit on edge by the time he once again reached the door to the Forbidden Office. He knew that the Magician Detective must still be occupied above, which made him jump that much more when he heard his voice called out from inside the Office.
"Theodore," The Magician Detective called out as if he hadn't just been involved in a major magical skirmish. He couldn't imagine how he had managed to return to his Office so quickly, yet another fact in the seemingly endless list of cool things he could do.
Theodore stepped inside. The Magician Detective looked just as he had before he'd been on The Roof. Though upon closer inspection, something in his demeanor did indicate a slight change – a barely perceptible increase in energy in his hands and eyes.
For the first time, The Magician Detective gestured with two open hands for Theodore to be welcome and to sit in a small wooden chair that had never been there before. "Close the door behind you," he commanded simply. Theodore's heart raced some more, he wanted to shout all of the madness he had just witnessed, but he knew better than to interrupt The Magician Detective's process, and he obeyed.
The Magician Detective finished a note, laid down his glowing fountain pen, and looked up at Theodore. Theodore thought he noticed a bit of soot on his cheeks and the brim of his hat, though it could have been a trick of the light.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
