Chapter 4

  By the time Arnik finished the mandatory basic education for all children in Lidurnia, he already knew he could not further his studies by exploring the promising field of magic. He was twelve at that time, with a slim physique and arms that were trying to catch up with the rest of his body.

  He had watched other kids on the last day of basic knowledge tutoring chat excitedly about their future plans but he had none and shared none of their enthusiasm. He did not know what was worse, not having any plans at all or having plans but no funds to see them through.

  He came back that day feeling very dejected and it did not help matters that his father had called on him immediately he had seen him to come help him change an oil filter on one of the many automobiles that Mr. Gale Frost owned.

  "Good day at school?" His father had casually thrown out. His hands were stained with engine oil which he wiped down the front of his apron after which he reached out and ruffled Arnik's black curly hair. A stubborn stray lock perpetually stayed across his face even after the ruffling touch from his father.

  "Last day at school, you mean?" Arnik asked drily.

  "Oh wow. That is true. Look at you! Growing up so fast; that is what my boy is doing."

  "It's nothing special, Dad. It's not really a big deal, every child in Lidurnia has the right to free basic education."

  "Just look at my little man schooling me", responds Shimon with a smile on his face as he hands over a wrench to his son.

  Arnik watched as his father lowered himself onto the mat that had been spread perpendicular to the car and his head quickly disappeared under the car. Arnik rapidly put down his bag and positioned himself next to his father so he could easily hand him the tools he would ask for. They had worked in silence for a while, each person ruminating in his thoughts.

  It was a sunny afternoon and Arnik could clearly remember the smell of the Azaleas combined with the gardenias and the buzzing of the bees as they jumped from one nearby flower to another. There was a garden close to them after all, so it wasn't strange to get those smells and hear those sounds.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  Finally, his father had broken the silence when he came out from under the car.

  Not quite looking at Arnik, he started to speak. "I suppose there's no need to ask about what you'd love to do after this stage of school—"

  " —I'd love to go to the Apprentice School for Mages", Arnik had cut in with a quick rush.

  His father gave a sad shake of his head and kept his hands still for a minute. It was utterly a shame that he could not do this one thing for his child, his only child.

  "And you don't think I know that's something you want badly? Even before you told me the very first time about your wish to attend the mage school, I could tell already by seeing the dreamy look on your face whenever you heard anything about magic or mage school. It isn't easy for me too, son."

  Arnik had remained silent. What was there for him to say?

  "Pass me the spanner, please", his father had requested after some quiet seconds.

  Arnik handed it wordlessly to him, he already knew the number of the spanner his father needed during this phase and so he didn't ask which number even though he wanted to so he could break the silence between them.

  "Hey, go to the kitchen and go say hi to the cook. Maybe she left some scraps out for you. You must be hungry after spending all that time in school", said his father.

  He had not been thinking about food anyway but as soon as his father mentioned it, he felt the first pangs of hunger.

  "Yes, sir. But don't you still need help?"

  "I'd get by. You go on up now."

  When he got to the kitchen, the cook ruffled his hair again and asked him how his last day at basic school was. Nearly all the other servants he was friendly with or were either friends of his father had asked him the same question that day and he all gave them one reply:

  "Fine." But for the cook, he had added a smile.

  She had given him some porridge which he enthusiastically ate up with a piece of toast and asked for more. The cook laughed in a delighted manner and said she would if Arnik would help her run some errands after. He readily agreed.

  In the coming weeks following the end of basic school, Arnik did odd chores around the castle both to help out his father and some of the other servants. But the servants who he helped could not afford to pay him and he could not blame them as they were poor themselves. However, this motivated him in seeking odd jobs outside the Frost mansion in a bid to make some money as wages.

  He mowed the grasses in people's lawns for a fee or helped them walk their dogs as these were jobs that required little or no skill at all to perform them. After a while, he scaled up to doing day jobs at some of the shops in the market closest to where he lived in the city of Lidurnia. He would usually stay with a particular trader for the day, helping to lift wares off trucks or wagons and packing them in the shops. Sometimes it was the reverse, and he would load the wares into a customer's van or car and at the end of the day, the trader paid him a day's wage. It was honest but hard work with pitiful pay and on so many days he came back dead tired of everyone and everything.