“he’s coming he’s coming!

wake Jake wake!”

before Jake could wrestle

the rheum from his eyes

he can hear stomping, doors shutting-

he’s here.

–

a shabby tan pointy hat

he tips it with his right.

cabbages and carrots sit atop an olive cloak

staffs peek outside a wimpy carriage

perfect smoke circles

autumn brown pip in his left palm,

he’s here.

–

“and alas, Valen drew

his last arrow

released it through the oil lamp

struck the great ogre, Duarg in his last eye.”

the old wizard chuckled,

he waved his right palm,

and.

the flames we sat around grew,

“Valen set the ‘hole ogre ablaze-

Stonemerr really let ’em have it.

aye, he was just relieved to retrieve his axe from the beast i reckon,

from thee other eye.”

he paused again,

Jake wrestled the growing sweat from his temple

the wizard meets each of our eyes

rose his left hand,

“an that is the battle of Tison,

just outside their neighboring forest”

–

Jake remembers,

the stories his mama used to tell

of the wizard

mostly dressed in brown

in his left hand-

the power of life,

spawn blooming lush like Tison’s forest,

seas deep as the oceans of Sophis,

an his right-

capable of leaving cities in ruins

fire that could cover our village

an more-

–

wizard wizard

where will you go,

as Jake returned to the present,

the wizard

pipe in left,

“i never left you hatchlings”

he raised his right hand-

sweat from Jake’s brow

dripped past his lip.

with the smoke from his pipe

he snuffed the near flames

a gale rose our hats

Jake’s eyes grew

the wizard brought thumb

and finger together,

his right hand

suspended

his eyes paused on mine-

he snapped-

and.

he was gone