Colin Well: The Wizard

Chapter 1―Bread, Boats, and Bad Luck

        Colin awoke in his bed with a start. He had just been dreaming of his mother. She was in a building, sitting on a chair―almost a throne. The floor was tiled with black and white stones and the chair was carved to look like a dragon. His mother had been crying, but he didn't know why.
        Colin sat up in bed and hit his head on the ceiling. He groaned but continued to get out of bed. He pulled off the thin blanket that was covering him and swung his feet onto the cold stone floor. He looked around his cramped room. It was only big enough for his bed and a chest full of his clothes under his bed. Between his bed and the black door, was only about three feet of space. On his stone walls were pictures of his mother. He only had two but it made the room feel more comfortable to him. Colin's bed was tucked into a huge hole in the wall and the ceiling hung about three feet above him. He walked to the door and pushed it open.
        "Colin? Get in here, now!" he heard his step-father, Barnaby, call from the kitchen. His house had three rooms, if you could include his cupboard as a room. The kitchen, Barnaby's room, and his. Colin walked down the hallway to the kitchen and saw his step-dad at the table.
        "We're not having breakfast this morning. Get dressed, we're going down to the docks as soon as you get your clothes on," Barnaby rudely explained. He stood up and walked over to the huge oven where they baked the bread. He grabbed his oven glove and opened it. He pulled out three good looking loaves of bread. The smell made Colin's stomach rumble. Barnaby saw him looking at the bread and said, "You aren't eating until you sell the bread when we get to the docks."
        "How much bread? How many loaves," asked Colin, turning to go back to his room.
        "However many loaves I say is enough," Barnaby sneered.
        Ten minutes later, Colin was standing outside his house with the bread cart by his step-father. They began walking down the street to the docks. Colin looked into the distance behind him and saw The Port Witch Coven's house. It loomed above the surrounding houses except the Doll House, the local inn. Colin shivered and pulled his jacket tighter. The Big Freeze was about to happen and it was already very cold. He had on a brown hide jacket with sheep's wool on the inside. His thick pants were pulled tight around his ankles by his worn leather boots. On his head he wore a hat that came down over his ears. In some places, his wavy blond hair stuck out at weird angles because he never combed it.
        Once they had reached the docks, Colin followed Barnaby to their stand, "Set it up, boy," he ordered. Colin got to work by pulling out a white table cloth from the bread cart. He laid it across the stand's front table. Then he took out the bread that was wrapped in more white cloth. He laid out twenty loaves in all. Next he brought out the money box, "There," Colin said as he straightened the loaves of bread.
        "Now I'm going to Bill's Bites to get my breakfast. If I come back and you haven't sold all the loaves, then you won't be getting any lunch," Barnaby spat out. He turned and walked away into the growing crowd of people, just starting to come to the docks. Colin slumped onto the stool by the table and waited for people to come by. After a few minutes, his first customer, a woman with two children, came up.
        "Two loaves, please?" the woman asked in a very girly voice. Colin handed her two loaves and collected the money. He knew her because every week she would come buy two loaves of bread.
        After half an hour, he had sold eleven loaves and he felt very proud. An old man came up with a cane. Colin saw that he had just come off of one of the ships, "Five. Set them here if you will," the man said in a singsong voice pointing to his basket that he set on the table. Colin presumed he was from The Land of the Long Nights. The man paid and left. At about Eleven, right before lunch, Colin had only one loaf left. He looked around at all the people in The Port. He loved living here because never, in his short eleven years of living, had he ever heard so many people. But he wanted to go to the Castle. He'd never been there, but he heard it was magnificent and had thousands of people.
        Suddenly, Colin looked over and saw his step-father approaching. And Colin still had one loaf left. He started to panic because he was very hungry and he wanted lunch. But, suddenly his uncle was stopped by three burly looking men.
        That gave Colin time to grab the bread. He took off running through the crowd of people, stopping to ask them if they would buy it. All of them declined, and he began to panic more. He ran into the Harbor and Dock Pie Shop. Colin frantically looked around and spotted someone who could help him. The girl he went to school with every week. She was his age and her name was Eliza Ellys. She had long dark hair that was tied up by a red ribbon. Eliza was sitting by the window, eating a pie with her brother, Andrew. He was 8 and he loved bothering Colin and Eliza when they were talking.
        "Eliza! Hey!" Colin yelled across the shop. He ran over to their table.
        "Colin, you're making a scene. Everyone is looking," whispered Eliza as Colin sat beside Andrew. He looked around and realized everyone in the Harbor and Dock Pie Shop were staring.
        "Oh. Sorry, but I need you. This is very important, you have to buy my bread," Colin said.
        "We do every week, Colin. My mom does. We just bought some a couple of days ago. We're fine," Andrew exclaimed loudly as he shoved a piece of pear pie into his mouth.
        "Be quiet. Why? Is it important? I'll help you, but you have to do something in return," Eliza finished.
        "Barnaby said I have to sell twenty loaves of bread by lunch time and if I don't I won't get lunch and he's on his way back and I still have one left. Please buy it, please," Colin pleaded.
        "You must be hungry," Andrew said, licking his fingers.
        "Yes I am. Eliza?" Colin looked at her.
        "Okay, here," she handed him the money and snatched the loaf of bread, "But you have to do something for me."
        "What?" Colin asked.
        Eliza leaned in close to Colin and whispered, "Tonight at midnight meet me by the docks. There's something I want to show you."
        "But―" Colin stopped himself. He was about to complain about getting by his step-dad, but he changed it to, "Of course. I'll be there. Thank you, by the way."
        "I'm going," Andrew said.
        "No you are not, Andrew," Eliza responded.
        "If you don't let me go, I'll tell mom you're sneaking out at night," Andrew said as he smiled at Eliza.
        Eliza sighed and said, "Okay, but you have to be silent and keep up."
        Andrew nodded and finished the rest of his pie. A few seconds later, Colin was back at the bread stand with an empty table. He smiled as he put the money Eliza had given him into the money box. Barnaby finally walked up and looked at the white cloth.
        "Good. Now, go get something to eat," Barnaby said as he handed Colin a small amount of money.
        That night, soon before midnight, Colin put on his clothes. Quietly, he opened the door from his room and walked out. He looked down the hallway and saw Barnaby slumped over on the kitchen table, drunk and asleep. Colin padded over to the front door and opened it slowly. He had to be careful because the hinges on the door squeaked. He stepped outside and closed the door behind him. Colin turned around and the cold night air hit him like water. Over his jacket, he had thrown on a cloak just in case. As he started walking he pulled it closer to him. It was dark green with a hood. Near the docks, he slipped into the shadows of the buildings. He didn't want to be seen because there were theives and muggers in The Port. Colin looked out over the docks and at the end of a very short dock, he saw two small figures wrapped in black cloaks. The larger one turned around and saw him. Eliza waved at Colin, signaling him to come over to her.
        Colin reached the end of the dock and met up with Eliza and Andrew, "Hi, Colin," Eliza said quietly, "We have to be quiet."
        "I know. What did you want to show me?" Colin asked.
        "Follow me, but be very quiet."
        Colin followed Eliza and Andrew off the dock they were on onto another. This dock stretched out into the darkness and the end was unseen. Colin could hear the gentle lapping of the water against the posts holding up the dock. As they came closer to the end of the dock he thought it was becoming mysterious because he couldn't see anything. Finally they reached the end of the long dock and Colin saw what was so interesting. Looming over the surrounding ships was a big black ship with black sails.
        "That's amazing, Eliza. It wasn't here this morning," Colin gasped.
        "The past four nights I've come out here. It's only here at night and last night I went on board," Eliza explained.
        "If you want me to go on board with you, I can't."
        "Why?" asked Eliza.
        "It's someone else's ship."
        "So?"
        "So, it's trespassing. You don't know who could be on that ship!" Colin hissed.
        "Oh, come on. I practically bought you lunch today, saving you from the wrath of Barnaby," Eliza pleaded.
        "Okay. But just this one time," Colin gave in.
        Eliza pointed to a rope ladder leading on board, "Go."
        Ten minutes later, the three were standing on the black ship. "Wow, Eliza. This is so amazing," Colin said sarcastically.
        "Shut up. Look over there by the captain's cabin. It's a throne. Whoever is on this ship must be royalty," Eliza said dreamily. They walked to the middle of the ship.
        "So? They're probably stuck up and think they're great," Colin argued.
        "Guys," Andrew pulled on Colin's sleeve.
        "Not all kings or queens are like that, Colin," Eliza shot back.
        "Why did you even bring me out here? It's just a silly old chair," Colin spat.
        "Guys," Andrew said again.
        "What?" Colin and Eliza said in unison. Andrew pointed over to the throne. Standing by it were the three men Colin had seen talking to Barnaby earlier. They saw Andrew, Eliza, and Colin.
        "Get them!" one shouted.
        The three children ran to the opposite side of the ship they came up on.
        "There's just a rope," Eliza panicked.
        "Go, then!" Colin yelled.
        Eliza grabbed the rope and slid down. Colin heard her feet hit a dock and he sent Andrew down. Colin was right behind him. What Colin thought was a dock that they had landed on was just another ship, "Run!" Colin shouted at Eliza and Andrew.
        They took off across the boat and when they came to the other side they stopped, "What are you waiting for?" Colin said to Eliza, "Jump!" Eliza jumped and landed on the next boat. Andrew and Colin jumped and kept running. They could hear the shouts of the men behind them. "They must already be down the rope," Colin thought. The three children jumped from one ship to the other until they reached the last one before a dock. The men were still chasing them, but when Colin looked back, he wished he hadn't. There were more guards from the black ship and some people from the ships they had run across chasing them. Colin jumped onto the dock and the children continued running down the dock.
        Once they reached the street, they looked around. They didn't know where they were, "Keep going," Eliza told Andrew. They reached a crossroad and turned left. Behind them the shouts of the people were dying down as they weaved through alleys and streets. Finally, they stopped and looked around them. They were in a cobblestone alley. The ground was wet with grime.
        "Eliza?" Colin asked as he adjusted his cloak.
        "Yeah?" she asked, catching her breath.
        "I do believe we're lost." Colin worriedly said.
        "No. All we have to do is go over here. . ." Eliza mumbled as she stepped out of the dank alley. They were on a street lined with dark buildings. At one end was a fountain that was out if order and a dead end and on the other end was the Customs House by the harbor front, "See, Colin." Eliza actually had no idea where she was until she saw the Customs House.
        "Oh. Well, that's good. Then we just follow the harbor front to my house?" Colin asked, hoping to get home after the long night.
        "Maybe. . ." Eliza said but trailed off in deep thought, "Who's that?" Eliza pointed to a figure in red by the Customs House. It was obviously a woman and she was looking around.
        "There!" a voice shouted behind them. They turned to see the three men from the ship standing at the other end of the dark alley they had just come from. The three children ran in the only direction they could towards the woman in red. But when they looked up, they realized she wasn't standing there anymore. When they reached where she was standing moments before, they stopped.
        "Psst. Children! In here!" a woman's voice whispered from the shadows by the Customs House. They turned and in the dark, they made out the figure of the woman in red. Colin, Eliza, and Andrew ran into the shadows. But the shadows led into an archway, "Grab each other's hands," the voice said again. The children did so―Colin grabbed Eliza's and Eliza grabbed Andrew's. Colin felt the woman grasp his left hand and pull him along through the archway. Once they were through, candles lit the alley up. The woman let go of Colin's hand and stepped behind the children, waving her hand over the entrance. It faded into a boring stone wall.
        "Who are you?" Colin asked politely, noticing the golden circlet upon the woman's head.
        "I am the Queen of the Castle," The Queen said proudly. She had long, dark hair and Eliza noticed the beautiful white fur lining on her red cloak.
        "Your Majesty, thank you," Colin said in awe.
        "I insist, call me Jenna." The Queen said.
        "Thank you for saving us from those wretched men, Jenna," said Eliza.
        "You are welcome. And I believe you can let each other go now?" Jenna peered at the children who were all still holding each others hands. Colin dropped Eliza's hand, embarrassed.
        "What is this place?" Andrew asked.
        "Let's just call it a hidden alley, since I can't tell you exactly what it is. It's a secret. A secret for the Queens of the Castle," Jenna explained.
        "Oh," was what Andrew responded with.
        "Let's give it a few minutes and then we can go back outside, "Tell me, how did you three young children come be out here at," Jenna checked her timepiece, "1:30 in the morning?"
        "Well, you see," Colin started, "My friend here, Eliza wanted to show me a ship, and we got on board, but it wasn't ours..."
        "That's never something clever," said Jenna, remembering some occasions where she'd done that.
        Colin explained their story, with Eliza and Andrew jumping in sometimes and saying parts, until he finished and took a deep breath.
        "That is a very interesting story. Perhaps we can check to see if the coast is clear?" asked Jenna.
        "That's good, Your Majesty! Check to see if the coast is clear―the coast. Because we're in The Port," Colin began laughing.
        "The pun was unintentional, but it's good just the same," said Jenna. She placed her hand on the middle of the brick wall they had come through. They shimmered and revealed the dark night. The four stepped out and breathed in the fresh air.
        "We are very grateful, Jenna. Is there any way that we can repay you?" asked Colin.
        "Just do one thing," she said, "Don't go looking for trouble. Try to avoid it."
        "Oh. Okay. Thank you so, so much Jenna," Eliza said.
        "I trust you can find your way home, hopefully?" Jenna inquired.
        "Yes," the children said in unison.
        "Goodbye, then."
        Colin, Eliza, and Andrew set off down the harbor front, not worrying about the theives in the night, "We'll walk home with you, Colin," Eliza said.
        The children walked down the street and they came across Colin's house. He stepped up to the door and turned around to say goodbye to Eliza and Andrew.
        "I'll see you tomorrow. Do you think you can come over to the bread stand? It gets awfully boring there, only selling bread all day," said Colin.
        "I think I can manage that. Andrew can't though. He has to go to his friends house tomorrow," Eliza explained.
        "Okay. I'll wait for you until you get there. Then we can talk and sell bread," Colin mumbled sleepily.
        "How exciting," Eliza said sarcastically.
        "Well, see you," Colin said as he turned to open the door. Eliza and Andrew set off towards their house. Andrew turned back to wave, but Colin was already inside, heading for his bed. He had no trouble going to sleep that night.