Me and Ava walked quickly, weaving in and out of busy people. After taking a shortcut through an alley that was so narrow that we had to walk single file through, we stopped in the shadow of a high, grey, menacing wall.
Silently, I pulled a brown cap out of my satchel, put it on and tucked my plait into it. My face serious, I looked at Ava. She was wearing dark grey, tight trousers and a thick, fluffy, white jumper. She was pinning her blonde locks up before putting on a grey cap, similar to mine.
She smiled faintly before saying “you ready?” Her voice was determined but her face was a bit pale and she was clenching her fists by her sides.
She had reason to be nervous. Over the high grey wall were the Gardens of the School of Magic. In the Gardens the Magicians grew rare and delicious fruits and vegetables. Most of the fruits and vegetables were sold to merchants and then the merchants sold them on at outrageous prices to the wealthy.
Me and Ava walked along the wall in the shadows until we came to a place where thick, green vines climbed up the wall. I carefully started climbing up and Ava followed close behind me. When I reached the top I breathed in the sweet fragrance of the Gardens and then dropped off the high wall into the Gardens.
I caught my breath in amazement. Lines of trees hung heavy with fruit and there were lines of vegetables and herbs on the ground that seemed to go on forever. This place never ceased to amaze me.
I opened my satchel and started to fill it with the fruit, vegetables and herbs. Ava did the same. I was still a bit on edge. I never stopped having the feeling that a Magician might jump out from behind a tree but here was one of the places of beauty that I could enjoy. Also it gave me some satisfaction that I was taking something away from the Magicians.
After our parents went missing, we had no money and no way of earning it as we were only 12 years old at the time. When wandering in the market I overheard a conversation between some merchants. They were saying that the Magicians caught a boy stealing fruit from the Gardens. It was said that the boy had stolen fruit twice before he got caught as there was no security along the wall.
That day, filled with curiosity and fear, I went to see if the rumours were true and they were. After several days of checking to see if the wall had any security, I told Ava and we went over the wall for the first time.
Some would say it’s stealing and we would be caught and imprisoned if it was found out that we went into the Gardens but we didn’t care. Why should Magicians be allowed magic and wealth when the rest of us have nothing?
After filling our bags, me and Ava climbed back over the wall and breathed a sigh of relief that once more, we hadn’t been caught.
