The Saviors of Magic

“The Saviors of Magic” is one of the outstanding stories of the first biannual International Short Story Contest 2018 written by Paulina Wodarz, Rancho Middle School, Irvine, USA.

The Saviors of Magic

Long ago, something amazing was brought back. Something called Magic. You might think that it was brought by big, strong heroes, but no. It was discovered by four kids. It all began on a foggy, misty day on which the clouds hung low and the sun was hidden. A young orphan named Jack Stonefall barely escaped from the horrible orphanage in search of his cat, Mr. Fluffball.

“Fluffy? Come here, Mr. Fluffball!,” cried Jack hopefully. He walked up a hill and nearly bumped into a small boy with neat black hair.

“Hello,” the boy said, turning to Jack, “I’m Max Creekton. I’ve been sitting here for hours, trying to figure out this... abandoned boat,” he finished. Max pointed to the endless stretch of sea ahead of them, and a small boat tied to a dock. “I’ve really wanted to try it out, but I’m scared to go adventuring by myself.”

Suddenly, a girl walked by.

“Hi! I’m Elena. Elena Meyers. What are you people doing here?”

“Nothing much. We’re gonna check out this boat and sail for an adventure! Who’s up for captain?” Jack asked.

“Me!” Max replied eagerly.

Max and Jack introduced themselves and started the game of sailor with Elena. Climbing onto the boat, Jack felt happy to untie the rope and set the boat free. It was almost like he was untying himself from the burden of an orphanage. He could now just relax like a normal kid.

Icy wind whipped their hair and nipped at their faces, but Max kept on calling orders at Elena to adjust the sails.

After some time, they stopped at some foggy, misty shore.

“Let’s check it out, I see a strange wall there!” Elena told them.

They walked for a couple of minutes, and finally came to the huge wall. Suddenly, when Jack bumped into the wall and they expected him to crash into it, he went through instead!

Jack was speechless. He was staring at himself and gasping for breath.

“Hold all of our hands and we can go through all together!” Max ordered. With Jack’s help they all passed through the wall.

As soon as they stepped through, a whole new world appeared before their eyes: a grassy plain filled with endless bright-colored flowers and people running everywhere, smiling. It was only later that Jack noticed everyone was crowding around them murmuring excitedly. The crowd pushed them over to a woman dressed in a pink fluffy dress with a name tag saying “Queen Skylight”. When she saw the crowd, she asked immediately, “What happened? Who are these people?”

“We are not foes,” Elena promised, thinking fast of what to say. “Jack Stonefall, our friend here, somehow led us through the wall.

“Just like Tilly Stonefall!” the queen gasped. “She was our only hope to escape this trap we were caught in. But she fell in love with someone outside of this magical world and lost her powers, passing them on to her son instead.”

“Magical world?” Jack repeated. “I knew nothing about it, because my mom died before I could even talk!”

“That knowledge must be triggered. And when you found our abandoned sailboat, and discovered the wall, you came, and your powers were switched on.”

For the first time in a while, Jack felt really special.

Under Queen Skylight’s orders, he led the way through the wall holding several people’s hands. He had to do this a couple of times in order to get everyone onto the other side.

When everyone was out, magic returned to the world, and everyone was celebrating. Mr. Fluffball returned the next day and pretended that nothing special ever happened. Soon after, Jack found an amazing home where he could finally have peace. He and his new friends used their newly found magic to further help the world.