Curtain Down

Chapter 32 - The Colour of Magic

Author's Note: I hope you enjoy this- thanks for sticking with me :D

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“Anna?” I looked behind me and saw Otto, his face concerned. “Are you alright?”

“Fine,” I said, my eyes darting “I have to go somewhere.”

“Anna, what happened?”

“Things.” I said, looking Otto in the eye “things happened, Otto. They always do. I’ll tell you later.” I made to leave but Otto caught my arm.

“Do you want me to come?”

I smiled and shook my head “I think I’d better go alone. Wait for me?”

Otto nodded “of course.” With that I rushed off, my boots skidding a little in the slush as I got closer to the old town square where a lot of people were going about their daily business. I made my way over to the gypsy caravans, there was only one way to find out about the whole mess. I had to ask.

Was the gypsy magician Alexandur? I didn’t see who else it could be but I needed to put my mind at ease. I knocked on the door and stuffed my hands in my pockets immediately after, protecting them from the cold the best I could. The door swung open to reveal the magician and I stared up at his face. “Was it you?” I said, quietly.

“What?” He replied.

“Was it you...behind the puppet murders?”

“No, Anna. Of course-“

“I just ask because, you can do magic and...you wear that pendant. The people in the shop this morning were talking about you...they had the same pendant. I saw them with...I saw them with a puppet and blood doing magic. Was it you?” I was surprised at how clam my voice was, I’d expected myself to shout or cry. I did neither. I just stood and spoke, my eyes never leaving his, my expression never changing.

“Come in, please. Let me explain.” I looked warily past him and then shrugged, deciding that if he wanted to kill me, he had had plenty of opportunities to do so. I sat down at the little table and waited for Alex to begin.

“This,” he said, gesturing to his necklace “is something of my past. An organisation I no longer wish to be a part of. I can’t take this wretched thing off though, it will never leave me.”

“Why?”

“Magic,” he sighed.

“Well it’s your own fault for putting your hand into black magic in the first place. I-“ My anger rose a little, I’d been through so much. So much had happened. If Alexandur was behind this then...

“Anna, let me tell you something. Magic isn’t black. Magic isn’t white. Magic is golden, it’s the use that makes people see a colour. Just like money, it can be used for good, or for evil. But the magic itself is what it is.”

“But...I don’t understand what’s happening.” I put my head in my hands in frustration.

“The organisation. I’ll carry on from there. When I first joined, quite some years ago, it wasn’t a bad place. But as the people who ran the thing changed, I realised it wasn’t a place I wanted to be in anymore, so I left. The two people you saw are still part of this group that now uses ‘black magic’ as you so put it. They came seeking my help on something,” the magician fiddled with the star on the end of the chain.

“What did you say?”

“I said I stepped out all those years ago for a reason. They wanted some spells from me, but I said no. I didn’t know them anyway but even if I had I wouldn’t have told them.”

“Could they...could they be behind the puppets?”

“They could very well be the cause of it all. I know they are powerful and if they were to work together, it certainly wouldn’t be a problem for them to cause all this damage outside the city. Why, they could even be in a bordering country as they have undoubtedly grown stronger since I last saw them.”

“But why?”

“That’s the thing that’s puzzling me. Remember when I told you about my friend working here and the stray magic he left behind?” I nodded “well, I don’t know why those two would choose to mess around in that and how they would have found out.”

“Perhaps they sensed it, like you. Or maybe someone in your organisation knew about it and told them.”

“You may well be right, Anna.”

“Just one more thing...” I told him about the puppet trying to kill me and what I’d seen in the snow, Alex frowned.

“I’d be careful of that puppet, not that there’s a lot you can do about it. But, if you happen to see it again, bring it to me. It could well have some answers I’ve been looking for.”

I bid farewell to the magician and headed back to my street, thinking about what we’d talked about. I was confused, that was for sure. But when I saw Otto and Ryba’s half finished snowman my mood brightened and I brushed off my thoughts for the time being.

Perhaps if I’d thought it through it would have never happened.

Maybe I should have gone back to find the puppet while I had the chance.

Oh, why oh why did it have to happen?

“Anna,” said Otto, “are you alright?”

“I’m fine, we’ll talk later.” He nodded and resumed his conversation with Ryba.

A few hours and many happy snowmen later, the children of Prague began returning to their homes in the fading light. Snowmen, snowwomen and other strange sculptures lay in what was once a battlefield of snowballs and screams. I walked slowly down the road with Otto, at first in silence but then I told him everything. All my confusion. The mess I was in. All my fear. We reached his house and I smiled, noticing the roses were still flowering.

“I can’t believe they’re still alive after all these years.” I said.

“Well, we did get them from a gypsy. She said, as long as there was happiness in this house, the roses would live.”

“Looks like she spoke the truth.”

Otto reached out and broke one off, smiled, and held it out to me. “For you.” I didn’t know what to say so I stood there, my hand half way to taking the flower. “It’s a little piece of happiness, I think you deserve it.And it will live as long as there is happiness in this house.” I smiled and took it, still not saying a word. My hands were so numb, I didn’t even feel the thorns.

“Thank you.” I said. I wanted to say more but I didn’t know how, “thank you,” I said again. Then I looked down at the rose in my hand and began “Otto, I-“

“You don’t have to say anything, Anna.” I smiled then, a real smile, and reached out and squeezed his hand.

He understood, I think.

I walked away that evening, cradling my rose, grinning like a fool. But I couldn’t help but think...what would I have said?

What was I trying to say?

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Author's Note: I managed to leave this on a positive note this time :D I like this chapter, makes me feel kind of good. You get some answers, you get a rose - not bad, huh? So, I'd love to hear what you think and, I've been wondering this for a while, who's your favourite character? If you haven't seen them for a while, chances are they'll be in quite soon hehe. Just wondered, is all. Thanks for reading everyone - I really appreciate the support!