The Book of Magic

It was pretty late. He had not planned for it to take this long, but it was finally done. Jason had just spent 9 hours of his life that he was never getting back. So, he better get a good grade on this biology report. All that was left now was to print this thing out at the library and deliver it into the delivery box of the science building on campus. Luckily Jason lived only a short 5-minute walk away from campus.

Man, I gotta stop putting these things off ’til the last minute. Jason thought to himself. But at least now it is out of my life. Lets just hope the library is still open past 8pm.

Jason quickly put on his shoes and went outside. The air was a bit chilly, but not by Jason’s standards. These Australians don’t know how good they have it. It was in the middle of the winter, but to Jason 16 degrees in the shadow during the day is summer weather. No matter how much hotter it gets later in the year. and even if he ‘did’ feel a chill, he’d never admit it. doing so would mean betraying his reputation as a true Scandinavian.

To reach the library on campus, Jason had to pass several wonderfully named buildings. The maths building, the chemistry building, the physics building, etc. with the science building being just beyond the library. The library itself was in the middle of this puddle of logic with a name sticking out like a sore thumb. The Achmutty library. Nichlas told him once it meant something in the tongue of the indigenous people of Australia.

But Jason had never managed to pronounce it correctly, and usually just referred to it as “the library”. If anyone ever asked him ‘what library?’ he would just have to show them. Easier than attempting the impossible.

Looking ahead, Jason started to feel his disappointment rising. There were no lights in the library. Just my luck. Jason went to check anyways, and yapp, doors were locked, and no one seemed to be managing the building. Shit. Jason was getting annoyed. It was Friday, and he remembered that the Science building where he was to deliver his printout was usually closed over the weekend. This meant he would be losing marks for being late.

Jason started pacing. He looked around, hoping he could find someone to help him. Then he saw someone back where he came from, entering the physics building. He could not make out his or her appearance through the darkness, but they did not seem too largely built. Perhaps a student? Jason thought. Or a staff member if I am ‘really’ lucky.

The lights in the physics building seemed to be off. And whomever had just entered must enjoy the darkness as they did not turn on any lights as they entered.

Jason started jogging lightly in hopes of catching their attention before they got too far into the building. But when he got to the front door, it was locked and whomever had just entered was out of sight. Then suddenly, he noticed a light by his feet. It came from a basement window right by the ground.

Jason crouched down and try to peer into the window but wasn’t able to make out anything through the tinted window. Weird. why would someone tint a window? And what was even weirder was that it appeared normal from a distance.

As Jason kept peering into the window, the light from inside started getting brighter. Jason wondered if he should knock to get their attention, or if he should just accept a bad grade. His imagination started making up reasons for why a tinted window in the basement of a physics building would make bright lights this late in the evening.

Had someone set off a bomb? Was he about to witness some government experiment? Or perhaps, some physics students were late on their own assignment. Ok, I’ll knock.

Just as Jason had finished his trail of thoughts, he was blinded by the light. He heard a loud, deafening screeching sound, and suddenly a shockwave threw him backwards and landed his ass solid on the pavement. He heard shattering of glass and felt a sudden pain in his shoulder. Ok, a bomb it is. Jason decided.

His ears was ringing like crazy. He could barely make out his surroundings, but it seemed the bright light had disappeared. Jason decided his biology report was not worth this much hazzle and started running and getting to his feet all at the same time.

His athletic ability had never been anything to brag about, but he made record time getting back to the shared house he lived in. Having reached his door, heaving for breath, he finally looked back. At least he was not followed. Or if he was, they were more athletic and sneakier than he felt they had any right to be.

Jason made his way into his room positioned at the very back of the shared house. As he sat down and found his breath again, he finally noticed why his shoulder hurt before. Turned out a piece of glass from the shattered window had found a nice home in the flesh just between his shoulder joint and his right arm. “Fuck!” Jason exclaimed.

Now that he had noticed the damage, it started hurting. Almost as if on cue. His white Star Wars sweater had started changing colours. A nice scarlet colour was now spreading down his right side. He realised this was more than just a little cut.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. No-no-no.” Jason started to panic. Bad thoughts was rushing through his head.

I am dying, I am bleeding out. Gotta stop the bleeding. Jason suddenly regretted having been ‘sick’ during first aid lessons at the beginning of the year. But he did remember one thing; don’t remove the weapon. Ok, so his newfound medic abilities was from remembering a Facebook post about getting stabbed. But he felt the same thing applied to his current situation.

He stumbled his way back out of his room, and out to the bathroom door just to the left of his own room. Leaving a nice red trail of his unfortune as he staggered along. He fell to his knees between the toilet and the sink and started grabbing toilet paper from the roll. He turned around and sat down on his butt, trying frantically to shove as much toilet paper as he could to, on and around his wound.

What do people do when they think they might die. Call the police? Or an ambulance maybe?

Jason rushed his left hand into his right pocket and fished out his phone. I hope the water resistance includes blood. Just as he unlocked his phone, he heard a sound. Someone was in the house. Jason hoped it was just one of his housemates leaving their rooms. But just as he finished hoping that, a silhouette appeared in the bathroom doorway. And it was ‘not’ one of his housemates.

It was a girl, seemingly in her twenties. She had long brown hair with faint curls. She was wearing a black blazer over a white buttoned shirt, black jeans and black sneakers. On her right hand she was wearing a black glove with the 3 right fingers being fingerless.

Before Jason could say anything or even react, she did a few quick hand gestures with her right hand; an L symbol with the thumb and index finger, twisting her hand around as if holding an invisible gun James bond-style, and in a circular motion, she stretched out her arm, pointing her finger at Jason. Her index finger at this point had a white light at its tip. And with one word, “Noct”. The light shot towards Jason’s face.

Jason sits up with a rush. He is in his bed. He is sweating. Did that just happen? Was it all a dream? Jason tried to remember, but like a dream the events that he could swore just took place was starting to blur.

“My arm!”. Jason exclaimed. He looked at his shoulder where he was hit by the glass shard. Nothing was there. Had it really all just been a dream?