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...
There comes a time in all of our lives when we must leave one place and start something new. How do we know when it is time to go? It's the endless dance of our hearts and our heads, and the next step just depends on the music.
The real trick is just to listen.
***
Theodore rose the next day wrapped in what could generously be called a foul mood. Between his aching stomach and his buzzing mind, he hadn't slept. To make matters worse, Auntie Nanaface had accosted him early and insisted on both a robust breakfast and an adorable outfit to ready him for his first big day of school. He quietly endured her overbearing care. He had to admit that he liked the rugged simplicity of the blue-denim back-pack – one large pocket, one small – and the red hoodie fit just right, snug but not tight. Ever prepared, he slid his favorite deck of cards in and found another keen gift, a golden pocket watch. He took out the new watch to spy the time and dashed out the door at two minutes to seven.
His eyes felt that special kind of sleep-deprived crusty and his brain was more than a little buzzy, but all told he felt a little better as he checked himself in the cracked old mirror, trying out the words, "Magician Detective," privately. He let himself smile. "Let's go to school!"
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He bounced down the stairs and tried to fully reset into a positive frame-of-mind. He imagined flipping a very large switch in his brain, hefting the mental handle from a minus to a plus – a trick he'd taught himself in order to survive a lifetime of both small and large disappointments. Today was the first day of his education that would inevitably lead him to his dreams coming true, and that was reason enough to lean into the positivity.
He landed with a double-footed leap onto the ground floor, feeling his fleeting optimism and enthusiasm sink in a bit more with the thud. Maybe the Night Kitchen had been a bad dream? Who cares what happens at 7:42? He was mere moments away from learning by the side of his mentor!
Class looked set to take place in the same room where he had first witnessed The Bird's transgression through the enormous stained-glass window. Sometime during Theodore's lack of sleep, the Magician Detective (or an effective underling or spell) had removed Theodore's favorite sitting chair and replaced it with a squat and plain wooden desk and a charmless matching chair that seemed designed to punish the user for the act of sitting. He checked it for potting soil from the roof but was disappointed to find only dust.
He squeezed himself into his new desk and the Magician Detective appeared from the kitchen on cue, dispensing with any pleasantries. Theodore sat and listened as the Magician Detective launched into his first lecture, which seemed to have something to do with the intersection of personal responsibility and the maintenance of hot air balloons.
He pulled out his little stopwatch and set it down with a proud nod. There was also a fine pen and a lovely little notebook on the desk, and Theodore was delighted to discover that the Magician Detective had taken the time to inscribe Theodore's name on the inner cover. Despite his wobbly mood, he felt a small thrill of pleasure at the sight. It was the first and only gift the Magician Detective had ever given him. He was already imagining a fine doodle for the first page.
