From: Subject: Story: SRU-Possibilities part 1/? Date: Thursday, October 28, 1999 9:01 PM SRU - Possibilities, Part 1 by DanielSan59 Dan turned the corner in the mall, muttering to himself. "That bookstore should be over here unless I read that map wrong." Then he stopped dead in his tracks, a look of dumbfounded suprise on his face. "HOLY SHIT!" he shouted inside his head. It couldn't be real. Inside that gleaming glass and steel monstrosity known as a "mall" there was a twenty foot wall of fieldstone sealed with mortar. Glass display cases were indented into the edges of the wall and in the center of it was an arched iron-bound wooden door with an enamelled metal plaque above it. The bold, black, Gothic lettering read simply, "SPELLS R' US." It looked like the real thing. He'd read the stories and knew the place changed locations and appearances, but he thought it was ONLY in the stories. Was the place there for him, or was he just (un)lucky enough to stumble on it while it was there. Dan's emotions ran the whole gamut from anticipation to fear. He knew he should just turn around and walk away, but he knew he wouldn't. He just had to find out for sure, and the possiblities inherent in the shop were just too good to pass up. He just had to be very, very careful. As Dan entered the store a small bell tinkled overhead sending a shiver down Dan's spine. A sensation that was almost deja-vu swept over him as he scanned the racks of costumes and dust covered shelves of jewelry and odd items. The shop was much larger than it appeared from the outside -- impossibly large. Suddenly there was the snorting sound of a canine sneeze and Dan's attention was drawn to a huge wolf reclining on the floor near the counter along the back wall. That cinched it. This was THE PLACE. Suddenly a man swept through a curtained doorway behind the counter and Dan couldn't help but stare. Neatly-combed white hair framed a tanned face that was seamed with wrinkles around piercing blue eyes. His mouth was surrounded by a neatly trimmed beard and was upturned in one corner in a knowing smirk. He wore a simple dark blue bathrobe and sandels. It looked very comfortable. "Hello, Dan, I've been expecting you. I was starting to wonder if you were going to come in or not." Dan's heart was in his throat as he bowed deeply. Equal measures of respect and caution seemed the best alternative as he answered. "I'm very pleased to meet you Sir. I'm sorry it took me a moment to make up my mind, but I was a little scared to come in. I still am." The old man's eyebrows rose marginally. Well, well, well, he mused, honesty and respect. This one might actually be a little different. "Heard about me, have you boy? Well, don't believe everything you hear...just most of it." His sparkling eyes and conspiratorial grin made Dan feel as if he was sharing some amusing secret. "Well what can we find for you today? I just got these rings in today...guaranteed to improve your love life." "Uh, I don't think so ... I'm really not sure why I came in here ... Mainly curiosity, I guess. I couldn't pass by without making sure I wasn't seeing things." Dan forced out hesitantly. He was pretty sure he couldn't trust the wizard - too many tricks in his treats. Damn, this fish is really eager to slip off the hook, the old man mused, having heard Dan's last thought. This one's smarter than most. Maybe I can use him if he passes my little exam. "Surely there is something in here that will interest you. Everone has dreams, my boy. What are some of yours?" Dan was on the spot. He didn't want to tell the wizard too much, but he really didn't want to offend him either. On the other hand he was definitely not a suck-up. "I'm sure you know what they are, Sir. I also know that they are completely unrealistic. I also don't entirely trust you. I respect you, but I don't trust you." That last little statement rocked the wizard back on his heels in surprise. "Just like that you insult my integrity? You know what I could do to you, and still you say you doubt me?" The old man's face reddened and sparks shot from fingertip to fingertip as he held out a clawed hand over his head. There was a mighty scowl on his face and he tapped his foot impatiently waiting for an answer. Dan's breath caught in his throat. He expected to be sucking down flies for a living at any moment. He could almost taste them. "Yes." He said simply. That simple statement in the face of overwhelming odds decided the matter for the wizard. The boy had cojones. Big ones. The old man howled with laughter and slapped the counter with a resounding thump. The wolf startled up and started to lunge forward, but the wizard waved it back. The wizard motioned to a couple of chairs and they slid obediently over to the counter. "Have a seat, my boy." The wizard said as he wiped tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes. "Let's talk. You're the first interesting person that has come in here in months. You have courage boy, and I like that." Dan slowly slid into the proferred chair, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of one hand. His heart was pounding and he was breathing heavily. "For a second there, I thought I was a frog!" he sighed in relief. The old man chuckled quietly. "Don't do frogs. They just sit there looking green. Now a warthog, that would have had a little style. Must make a note of that for the next time someone tries to audit me, or maybe for the next Amway salesman. Now, tell me a little about yourself, Dan." Dan thought a second. "Well sir, there's really not that much to tell. I'm a student at the local college, I'm 23, and I live alone. I have no family and very few friends. It's not for lack of trying, but most people seem so shallow that I really don't have much in common with them. Anyhow, why am I telling you all this, you can read my mind, can't you?" The wizard winked. "Let you in on a little secret, boy. What I hear is what you are thinking at that exact moment. I could go deeper, but it's usually a wasted effort. Names are a little different. Everyone has a sense of self that just shouts out ' I am Dan or Cassandra or Whoever!!!' to the aether around them. If you don't shut it out it can give you quite a headache. So I don't really know everything, boy. It gets too boring. A small surprise is nice every once in a while." It was a lie of course. The reason the old man couldn't read Dan's mind was obvious to the Initiated. The boy was practically humming with potential power. I'd better keep a very close eye on this one. He's shielded himself somehow and doesn't even know it, but it won't be long before someone else finds him.The wizard leaned back and studied Dan for a minute. "I think I like you boy. You are definitely not the usual kind of customer this shop attracts. At first I thought you were, but I was wrong. Tell you what I will do, Dan. You may have any item in this shop free of charge. There will be no strings attached or any hidden traps." Dan's jaw dropped in surprise. This was something he had never expected. Maybe the guy was O.K. after all. He thought hard for a minute, rejecting one idea after another. It finally came down to something he had often thought about but never in a million years thought he would have. "Thank you, Magus. I've thought it over and I've decided that what I really need is what everybody always wants. Three wishes. " The wizard stepped behind the counter and pulled something from a drawer. He walked over to Dan and handed him a dark red crystal attached to a thin gold chain. "Here boy, this stone will provide what you need. I got it in trade a few weeks back. It contains the power to grant wishes. How many, I don't know. It's based on the magnitude of the wishes you make. All I was told was that once the stone becomes colorless, it has no more power. If you keep them small and simple, it should last a very long time. A small word of advice: wishes are like water running downhill. They take the path of least resistance to achieve what you ask. Any wish you make could have unintended consequences. Think very hard before you make one." "Thank you, Sir. I think I was wrong about you. Next time I won't believe everything I hear." Dan shook the old man's hand and walked towards the door. Just as he was starting to leave he heard the old man call out. "Here, catch!" Dan turned just in time to catch a small silver ring. "What's this?" he asked in suprise. The old man smiled. "I'd like it if you would drop by from time to time for a bit of conversation," he said. "Maybe even part-time work helping me out. That ring will allow you to find my shop anytime you enter a mall. Just follow the tugging sensation when you wear it. Good luck and come again soon. I don't have a lot of friends, and I think you might just qualify." Dan was touched. "I think I'd like that. I'll be back as soon as I can." He smiled back and left the store. The old man sighed and looked over to the wolf. "I just hope he's careful with that stone. If he makes it back here in one piece it looks like I might just have a genuine new apprentice. I haven't had one of those in aeons."