O’Melissokomos
The Bee Keeper

The Sorcerer's New Apprentice: Learning the Rules (mc musc tf fant)

by Alyn Roze

The sun was rising in off in the distance east behind crimson clouds. Two teenage brothers were searching the beach in front of the time share condo that the Goodrich family had reserved for the week. The current bad economy had forced the family to downsize their plans and stay within the boundaries of their home state of Florida. The family had decided to return to South Beach area in Miami this year. The boys had been to the South Beach before on vacation. The area was the perfect place for two young boys on the verge of discovering who they are.

18 year old Jason Goodrich and his 15 year brother Brian Goodrich were testing out a metal detector on the beach. It had become their regular early morning activity on vacation. They have been taking turn going up and down the beach looking for hidden treasure. On this one particular trip Jason was manning the detector.Brian was left with shovel and sifter duty. Together they search the sand for the items the detector had alerted them on. This time their patience and fortitude were rewarded by a tarnished coin.

“Hey Brian I think I found something. Damn it looks another worthless foreign coin.” Jason said using a stiff bristle brush he had retrieved from his pouch “I can’t even make out the writing.”

“Well if you don’t want it I’ll take it.” Brian said as he snatches the coin from his brother’s hand and puts it into his goodies bag.

The two teenage boys continue their search the sands of the South Beach. At the end of the day they headed to the Life Guard office with their found articles.

The Dade County Beach Patrol had a standing policy on lost item found on the beach. Any found jewelry was to be turned into the local Lifeguard station.

“Good afternoon boys. What found items have you brought me today.” Officer Jeffery Darrell asked Jason and Brian as they walked in.

“Not too much just the usual rings, necklaces and coins.” Brian said. “All the scrap metal went into the nearest recycling can. We got to keep the beach clean.”

“Let’s see what you have here.” Jeffery dumped the bag full of found items into a large flat square plastic pan. He sorted through the items as he spoke. “You know that over the years many of the visiting tourists have lost jewelry here on the beach. Many of the lost items were never seen again by their owners. The owners would fill out a lost items card and leave it here at the Lifeguard station in hopes that the lost item might be found someday. The Dade County Recreation Department takes great care in trying to reunite the owner with their lost items. We get lots of volunteers that come in on the third Wednesday of the month and help sort out the found items.Would you guys would like to help the next meeting?”

“We would love to come back and help but our vacation ends this weekend.”Jason said answering the inquiry.”

“That’s ok boys, you’ve been a big help in returning the things you’ve found.” Jeffery shakes the hands of Jason and Brian. “A lot of people would go to the nearest pawn shop and turn the stuff they found into cash. You guy were brought up right with good values. That’s something that most guys you ages don’t have. Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome Jeffery.”Jason said to the Life Guard. “And as we did on our last vacation, we would like to donate all the money we found to your favorite fund raiser.”

“With one exception…” Brian plucks out one coin from the money pile. “I would like to keep this one as a memento of our trip here, if it’s ok with you?”

“Give me a second to check the data base of lost items first but I see no reason you can’t keep it.” Jeffery checked the computer data base for lost coins. After a few minutes searching he found nothing. “Well I don’t see anything listed for the coin. But as a precaution I will need to get your address incase the owner shows up.”

Brian agreed with Jeffery’s request and the friends said their ‘good byes’ for another summer.

Brian had amassed quite a collection of foreign coins on past family vacations. But none had intrigued him more than that coin that he and his brother had found on their most recent visit to South Beach. School had just started a few weeks after their return so he didn’t have much time with school work to update his coin collection and the fact that he had to share the computer with his older college bound brother did help matters.

His brother had been excepted to some of the best colleges in the south east but opted to go to the local community college to save on tuition.The family was able to save more money by having him stay at home. He still had to pay room and board but it was not as near as expensive as it would have been if he stayed in the college dorm.

Brian spent the next few weeks, when he was able to get on the computer, researching for numismatists sites on-line for the history of the coin. Brian soon uncovered information that he and his brother had found a rare old English coin. He discovered that although no one has ever actually seen one, historians speculated that the coin was part of a collection of magical coins owned by Myrddin Emrys. Old shipping logs stated that in the late 1800’s that the coin was part of a collection coins on route from England to a South American numismatist. The sailing ship carrying the collection was caught in a freak summer hurricane off the south eastern most part of North America and sank. The survivors reported the cargo was lost at sea and collection of rare coins was never seen again.

“Could this be one of those coins?” Brian thought to his self. He looked at the back of the coin and saw the words anrhega chyfriniwr awdurdod at edrychwr. He didn’t even attempt to pronounce. “What does that mean?” Brian said out loud.

He searched the internet for a program to translate the words on the coin. It didn’t take Brian long to get a translation the writing. He found out that it was written old welsh. The translation program had a difficult time coming up with a translation that made sense. It kept coming up with translations like “I give out bags of poisonous voices” or “I will be bestowing a mystic listen to a spectator.” After several other combinations Brian finally came up with one that made sense.

“I present magical authority to the beholder.” Brain said reading the latest translation. “That makes as much sense as the first ones did.”

Brian manipulates the coin in one hand like a slight of hand artist as he tries for another translation. Slowly the coin began to get warm in his hand. He tried to drop it on the desk but found that it was mysteriously stuck to the palm of his hand. As he tried to pry it from his hand the coin began to glow brighter. The heat from the coin was starting to become unbearable. Try as he might he couldn’t put it down. The hotter it got the brighter the coin glowed. Franticly Brian shook his hand in hopes loosening the coins grip on his hand then suddenly the pain was gone. Brian looked at his hand for the coin but it wasn’t there anymore. He looked all around the desk for it but it was nowhere to be found.

“Wish I knew where that coin went?” Brian said out loud.

“It never left your hand.”

“Who said that?” Brian said looking about the room. “Is that you Jason?”

“It is not your brother Jason that has spoken Brian. It is I.”

“Where are you?” Brian was still looking about the room for source of the voice.

“I’m here in this infernal box.”

Brian slowly turns toward his computer. On the monitor was the face of an old man. His long hair hung about his face like a white hooded cloak. In the background there is a sea of multicolored mist creating endless color combinations.

“Who are you?” Brian said to the monitor. “Wait a minute, I’m talking to a person on the computer and I don’t even have a web cam.”

“If it will make you feel any better here’s one.” The old man extends a hand out of the screen and places one in front of the monitor.

The bewildered Brian leans back in his chair and stairs at the screen. “Where are you really? Who are you?What are you?”

“I am everywhere and I am nowhere. I’m in a place known as Avalon. I have gone by many names over the centuries such as Myrddin Emrys or Merlinus Caledonensis. I am better known as Merlin, the wizard to King Author Pendragon of Camelot.”

“Merlin?”

“The one and only my son.” Merlin said bowing his head.

“Oh man I’m losing my mind I’m talking to a dead man on my computer.”

“Believe me young man you are quite sane and I am quite alive as well.”

“But how do you know about computers.” Brian still couldn’t believe who he was talking to.“Computers weren’t around when you were alive.”

“Who do you think invented computers? Haven’t you ever given any thought about how personal computers became so popular in such a short of time?”

“We learned in history class that personal computers were invented by two collage dudes in a garage.”

“I gave them the idea. Do you really think the whole computer revolution was started two college dropouts?”

“Well no I don’t but what about the world wide web?”

“That was me as well. Throughout time I have given mankind a little push in the right direction.”

“If you can do all of that, why have you come to me?”

“It was foretold that the world would soon have need of mystic help.”Merlin tells Brian. “I have waited for centuries for you to find the coin. That which was once part of me is now part of you.”

Brian rubs the palm of his hand. “So you are telling me that the coin is inside of me?”

“Yes and no.”

“What?”

“The coin is not part of you it is you.”

“So you’re telling me I am a sorcerer?”

Merlin let out a hearty laugh. “Well not a full sorcerer but a sorcerer’s apprentice. You are a sorcerer in training.”

“KEWL!”

“The Elders of Avalon have permitted me to train you in the ways of sorcery. You will need to learn to use your gift to help mankind as I have done. As you progress in your learning we will find out what your true gift will be. But for now I will let you discover some of them on your own. What I will tell you now is that there are four simple rules you must follow, Number one - No time travel. History cannot be changed. Events that have happened in the past cannot be rewritten. Number two - You cannot kill anyone or by your actions have someone to be killed. Number three - You cannot bring anyone back to life. You can however keep a person alive but only for their normal life time. No immortality. That is reserved for sorcerers. And last but not least number four - You cannot use your gifts to amass great wealth for you or others. You can only guide them down the right path. A sorcerer’s life is one of great solace and enlightenment.”

“I knew there had to be some rules somewhere.” Brian said to his mentor. “There are always rules to a good thing.”

“Good cannot exist without the bad. The Elders will not permit these rules to be broken. You would be wise to follow them my young apprentice. Now I must go. If you ever need me all you have to do call my name and I will answer. Oh and one more thing before I go, only trust your closest friends with your secret. In your world, such as there was in mine, there will be those whom will want to use your gift to their advantage. Farwell Brian.” With that said the image of Merlin disappeared from the monitor screen.

“Wow! That has got to be the weirdest I M that I have ever gotten.” Brian said. “I just wish Jason would have been here to see it.”

At that very moment there was a pounding at the bedroom door.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

“Who is it?” Brian asks as he got up to open the door.

“Brian it’s me, Jason. Let me in”

Brian went to let his brother in but before he could fully open the door Jason pushes it open. The force almost knocks Brian off his feet. He closes the door and asked. “I thought you went to the movies?”

“I am ... I mean I was.” Jason paces back and forth in the bedroom with a box of popcorn and a drink. He was breathing so hard that he was close to hyperventilating. “One moment I - I - I was getting popcorn and a drink and next I was here. Oh uh, Care for some popcorn?”

“Now calm down Jason, you’re not making any sense.” Brian walks back over to his computer with a handful of popcorn. “You can tell me all about it later. Wait till I tell you what just happened, I was looking for a translation for the coin on-line, when I read what it said the coin got white hot than disappeared, then I get a strange I M from some hacker, he tells me that he is Merlin and I am his replacement and ...”

“Who needs to calm down now?” Trying to calm down his brother Jason sits down on the nearby bed. “I think you’ve been spending too many hours in the video game world Little Brother.”

“No I haven’t been playing too many video games Big Brother. You play just as many video games as I do if not more. You’re only a few years older than me.”

Brian paces about his room. Angrily he fires back at his brother. “You’re always telling me what to do. You have no idea what’s like to be a younger brother. I just wish you knew what it’s like to be the younger brother for a change.” He went back to his computer and sat down hard in the desk chair. He didn’t notice his brother getting shorter.

Sitting on his brother’s bed during the entire time, Jason was oblivious to what was happening to his body. Jason shrank down from five foot ten to four foot eight over a period of thirty seconds. Shaking his head he thinks to himself. “My little brother can be so childish at times. I know that I shouldn’t pick on him but there are times that Brian is such an easy target.”

“Brian I’m sorry that I didn’t believe you but sometime you can bE So ChilDiSh. WhAt”s hApPinG tO mY VoIcE?” Jason says in a crackling voice. He grabs his throat. He hadn’t heard that voice since he went through puberty. He jumped off the bed and landed flatfooted on the floor. The moment his feet hit the floor he knew something was wrong.

“Jason if you’re going to imitate a small kid you need to be more convincing.” Brian turns in his chair to face his now smaller brother. “Jason what happened to you?”

Before him now stands his now smaller brother Jason. His clothing looked four sizes too big. His pants were now at his ankles and his shirt hung down to his knees. Brian got up walked up to his brother. Jason was now a head shorter than his brother and getting shorter.

“Look at me. I’m shorter than you are now.”Jason exclaimed in a higher voice!

“I don’t know what happened to you but it looks like I’m the big brother now.” Brian looks down at his “little” big brother. “Now let’s see how you like it when I pick on you for a change.” Brian takes one finger and places it on Jason’s forehead. With very little effort he pushes Jason backwards.

Caught off guard Jason falls to the floor. “You big bully, wait till I tell mommy that you are picking on me again. Wait! What am I saying? Now I’m talking like a little kid. I’m nineteen-years-old I shouldn’t be looking and talking like an eight-year-old. Brian what’s happing too me?”

Brian knew that the current situation shouldn’t be happening. Jason is or was the older brother but now he looks like the younger brother.

“Things are getting to be a little bit too strange.” Brian thinks to himself.“First I get that strange I M a few minutes ago now … wait … that I M from a guy calling himself Merlin. Didn’t he say if I needed help just give him a call? But how do I call someone that doesn’t exist anymore? Oh I wish I knew how to call him.” Brian said out loud looking at his brother sitting on the floor. “It’s not as if all I had to do was say “Merlin I need you.”

“Who is Mary Lyn?” Brian’s now younger brother asked. “Oh you are so busted. Wait till I tell mommy that you’re talking on the internet again, you’ll be grounded for a mo…..”

The sudden silence from his brother got Brian’s attention. He looked over at Jason, whose mouth was agape in mid sentence, sitting motionless on floor.

“I didn’t think that I would be needed so soon young apprentice.” The image of Merlin appeared in a mirror on the bedroom wall.

“Merlin, I glad to see you.” Brian said to the man in the mirror. “Look what happened to my older brother. A few minutes ago Jason started regressing back to when he was eight years old and now he is stiff as a statue. What happened to him?”

“I felt it wise that he not see me yet.” Merlin said not even looking in the direction of the younger version of Jason. “You did it to him. You wanted him to be the younger brother instead of you. You have the power to alter any person any way you want. Just remember the three rules of sorcerers …”

“Yeah I know No Killing, No Resurrecting the dead and No wealth building. But how do I turn him back?”

“All you have to do is say what you want and your brother will be as you want.”

“So you’re telling me all I have to do is say - Jason, I want you to stand up and return to your normal age and size - and he will.” Brian tells Merlin.

“Look for yourself young man.” Merlin said.

Brian turns around and saw that his brother was getting bigger and his clothes were starting fit his growing body.He stood motionless near the foot of the bed still frozen in time with his pants still around his ankles.

“As I explained all you have to do is say it and it comes to pass. Although I find it less of a distraction to others if you just think it. Give it a try.”

Without even thinking of anything specific Brian thinks to himself. “I want Jason to be a six foot three hundred pound ogre.”

For the few seconds that it took for Brian to look from the mirror and back to his brother, Jason had started to grow bigger again.He had surpassed his original teenage size and was now the size of a pro football player. His shattered clothing littered the floor around his growing feet. The bigger Jason got the more grotesque he got, his eye brows grew together as they became a more prominent supra orbital ridge. All the rest of the hair on his head fell out including his facial hair. Jason began to slouch forward as his arms extended to below his knees. What little body hair Jason had became more plentiful. After a few more minutes a large hairy ogre stared back at Brian.

“STOP!” Merlin commanded. “One thing you need to do is guard your thoughts. Everything you think will come to pass. Not only do you change people’s bodies but you change their minds as well. They are what they have become. You can make them totally aware of all changes or be unaware of any change, the choice is yours. Now everything back to where they were.”

In a flash of blinding light Jason was back to his normal clothed nineteen-year-old self.

“Dude what happened!” Jason exclaimed.“One minute I was eight years old again and talking to you about some dude named Merlin and then I then I was …”

“Jason?”

“What?”

“Shut up!” Immediately Jason was frozen in time again.

“Can I change anyone in anyway?” Brian asked.

With a sigh Merlin says. “Yes apprentice you can as long as they are in your sight. Remember guard your thoughts, choose your words wisely and use your powers only for good. The Elders are always watching.”

Brian gives his brother an evil looking grin

“Thank you Master Merlin. I know exactly what kind of good to do now.”

“Very good my young apprentice.” Merlin said. “The world can use a little bit of magic these days.”

Brian watched as Merlin’s image faded from mirror.

“Now let’s see what I can do. Why should I be the only one here having fun.” Brian said out loud. “…Time to wake up dear brother.”

Jason wakes with a start. “Whoa! Dude I just had the freakiest daydream! Why are you smiling at me like that?”

“I just thinking of what some people would look like if they was their Astrological sign.”Brian tells his brother. “What’s your Astrological sign again?”

“I’m a Sagittarius, you know the archer.”

“Isn’t Sagittarius also a centaur?”

“I believe he is one, why?”

“I’m going to morph you into a real Sagittarian.”

“OK Brian, if you want to make a morph movie me than go ahead but don’t put anything on the web.”

“Who said anything about making a movie, I want to see it in real time.” Brian said to his brother.

“What are you talking ... Oh man, I feel strange.” Jason said as he began to sway like a tree in the breeze. He could feel the bones in his body crack and rebuild themselves. His muscles ached like he was going through a full body cramp. As the seconds passed Jason felt an enormous pressure covering his entire body.

Brian watched his brother as his clothes began to look too small on his growing body as the transformation process continued. Jason’s upper body expanded in size to that of a junior body builder as his lower body was going through a totally different transformation. His legs were getting bigger in thickness and in length. His blue jeans now looked they were painted on. Soon the stout material could contain its occupant any longer. The outer seams gave way forcing the remaining material deep between the ever expanding legs. The bigger his legs got the darker they got. The Nike shoes on his feet had long since surrendered to their bipedal counterparts exposing the toes for the world to see. His toenails began to fuse together into one large human toe but it to soon change. Jason’s legs went from human like to one of equine proportions but thicker. A crease formed down the sides of his larger legs from his hips to his mono toed foot. Deeper the crease went until one leg was now two and what was left of his blue jeans were no more than a pile of rags at Jason’s four equine like legs. Brian could now see Jason’s ass continued to push out backwards, pulling the rear set of legs with it, creating a small shelf of flesh at the bottom of his back. At the same time a furry tail emerged from the base of his extended spine. Brian could hear a cracking noise as Jason’s rear set of legs realigned themselves to their new orientation. Within minutes Jason had a complete set of four equine legs, one set behind the other. In every sense of the word he was now a centaur. Jason’s cock and balls had moved themselves backwards to hang pendulously between the set of hind legs

“Brian what have you turned me into? I look like a freak” Jason clopped around the room. His equine set of legs responded like he had always had them. His new tail swished from side to side as he traveled around the small room. His new height was closer to the ceiling than before. He had to duck below the blades of the fan in the room as he moved about.

“You don’t like your new body?”

“The upper parts yes the bottom parts no.” Jason declared. “I don’t like it one bit”

“You mouth may say you don’t but your body is telling me a different story.”

While Jason was walking his equine cock had gotten hard. It had grown to a full fourteen inches in length and was as thick as Jason’s wrist.

“I always wanted to know what a centaur looked like in person, and now I know.”

“But I can’t go around looking like this.” Jason said looking down at his body. “I look like a freak.”

“Only if you think that your new body isn’t normal. From now on this is your normal body. You don’t think that going around half naked is wrong, you will never need to wear any clothes any more. You even go around half naked at school.” Brian was amazed that it was that easy.

Jason looked blankly at his brother for a minute as his mind was being reprogrammed, than he spoke again.

“Hey Brian, Mom told me to come and tell you that dinner is ready. Race you back to the dining room. I’ll even give you a head start this time.”

“Oh man I forgot about the rest of the world.” Brian thought to himself as he dashed out the bedroom door. “I hope that Mom and Dad don’t mind having centaur for a son. I wish that they would treat him like one of the family. This could be fun after all.”

Half way to the dining room his brother passes him. Jason called back at his younger brother as he passed. “Last one there does the dishes.”

Brian didn’t mind following his brother. Seeing a four-legged body gracefully run ahead of him was sure a sight to behold. Brian told himself that he would change his brother back later that evening.

The trip to the dining room was taking longer than usual. Brian was amazed that how powerful his wish was. The two story house that he and his family had lived in most of his life had been transformed into a large ranch style house with wide hallways and tall spacious rooms tall enough for a growing teenage centaur.

When Brian reached the large dining room he saw that it too had changed. The normal sized dining room table was now chest high and was replaced shaped like a long double S. All the chairs were gone except for one.

“Where are all the chairs?” Brian said asking no one in particular.

“You're the only one that needs a chair.” A familiar voice replied.

Brian felt like he was four years old again as he climbed into the chair with it’s longer than normal legs. Jason was standing in the center of one of the “U” opening waiting impatiently for his mother to bring in the rest of the dinner. His father, Hugh, was positioned at another opening at one end of the enormous table with his face buried deep behind a news paper. An empty opening was waiting for its occupant was at the other side.

On the table before Brian lay a spread of food that would rival any holiday dinner. Most of the food was within arm’s reach of three openings. As Brian stared at the mass of food on the table their mother, Barbara, brought in a small plate of food and sat it in front of him. That was when Brian noticed that his mother and father were centaurs as well.

I turned my entire family into Centaurs. Am I the only the only human here?

Barbara takes her place at the vacant opening at the table. After grace, Brian observed a feeding frenzy like none other. His family was attacking the piles of food before him like a pack of starving animals.

“King Henry 8^th had better table manners than you do family.” Brian thought to himself.“I guess our parents didn’t think that having a teenage centaur son isn’t normal because they are one as well.”

Brian tried several times to talk to his family while they were consuming the large quantities of food but found out that it was an impossible task. Any animal trainer will tell you that you never interrupt an animal while they are eating. That holds true for feeding centaurs.

The families after dinner conversation during desert was the same as any another night in the Goodrich household. “How was school?”... “Fine”... “The dish washer is broken again.”... “Be sure to mow the grass after school Brian we need to change out the bedding in our rooms.”... “Yes Sir.”

As always, the families after dinner conversation centered on collage activities of the eldest son. “Jason, you should try out for the track team.” Hugh told his son. “After all the other male centaurs on the team could use your help. The head trainer called again today that with the Simmons kid out with his hoof injury they could use a good runner.”

“Now Hugh, if our son doesn’t want to go out for sports than you shouldn’t push him.” Barbara said. “His grades are more important to be a doctor than sports.His field of medicine needs all the doctors they can get to fight birth defects. Although I love him dearly I don’t want another family to go through life with a freak like our ...”

“Like what ... our son?Good God Barbara he's sitting right here at the table” Hugh tells his wife. He sees that she is embarrassed by her recent comment. “He can't help it if he was born with handicap of having only two legs like our human pet.”

Dinner was soon over and Brian was left done doing the mounds of dishes left over from the families feeding frenzy. During his nightly chores Brian had time to collect his thoughts.

When Brian heard that his family was calling him a freak he was hurt but at the same time he was amazed that a poor choice of words had made such a big change in the world. Finding out that the world was populated by centaurs like his family was a complete surprise to him. But what really surprised him was that he was considered a freak because he only had two legs. Was he responsible for the creation of the others just by changing his own brother?

“Yes Brian, it is true you see what could happen if magic was left un-checked in the world.” Brian could hear the voice of his mentor in his head. The sudden appearance of Merlin’s voice startled him at first. “Even in this altered reality your big brother is still the center of the after dinner conversation. But you know if you tell your parents what you have done they would not believe you. Keeping your new abilities a secret from them was the best thing to do. If too many people knew your life would never be the same, the fewer that knew his secret the better.

“As much as I liked seeing my family in their current state I am going to change them back that evening won’t I?”Brian asked his mentor, already knowing the answer before it came.

“That would be one less problem in your teenage life. In the morning you will have go to school and face your own unique problems.”

“Like David Newcomer and his friend Randy Simmons.” Brian tells his mentor. “Before the shift in reality they were the school bullies, but in this reality I didn't know what they have become. Somewhere in the back of my mind I know that whatever they are they are still bullies. I can’t tell anyone that they were picking on me because of my birth defect. If they lead the same type of life in this reality they would beat me up just out of spite.”

“What are you worried about?” Merlin tells his apprentice. “You can make things right at school.”

His handicap didn't keep Brian from doing his chores, he just do as much as his 'normal' brother. He was completely wasted from all the hard work. As Brian lay in bed all sort of ideas were going through Brian’s mind. It had been a long day for him and despite his active imagination Brian quickly fell asleep. During his restless sleep he had several lured dreams that night. With his brother’s recent transformation still fresh in his mind he dreamt of a school full of mythical beings. In another dream he was a great magician �ber Mage, able to do anything he wanted. He turned all the weak guys that the bullies picked on and made each geek into a hulking mass of muscle. After their transformations the entire school district re-thought scholastic requirements. The phrase “Dumb as a jock” did not exist in human vernacular. It was replaced with “Strong as a Geek”. Everyone aspired to be like a Geek. After all they did have the body of a Greek god and the mind of a Pulitzer Prize winner. All other sports were things of the past. Classes in posing routines and proper weight training were part of the schools required academia.

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