An Alchemist's Dream
Chapter 1: The Golden Watch
“Adam! Go to bed!” my father yelled. He sure was fuming this time. Then again, maybe he did have good reason this time. “I can’t believe you used my brand-new solid gold watch in your stupid experiment!”
“My ‘experiments’,” I drew out the word, “are NOT stupid.”
“You ruined my watch. Do you KNOW how much gold that was?” he demanded.
“Uhhh….approximately 17.6 ounces?” I was guessing.
“Try 18.5, Adam.”
Ah-ha! So that’s what went wrong! “Well look on the bright side dad. Its still,” I quickly did the math, “95% gold, and its still 18.5 ounces of gold. The rest is just silver. There’s only a ninth of an ounce of silver anyway.”
“Yes, Adam, but its not PURE gold. Where did you get that silver anyway?” he asked. I opened my mouth to speak but he interrupted me. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. Just don’t come crying to me when they come to take you up the river. Now, go to bed. You are still grounded.”
I stomped up to my room. I grabbed my notebook with my calculations in it and threw it across the room. “I can’t believe I messed up AGAIN! I never get my alchemy right. Even I, the 5th son of a 5th son! The supposed best potential with alchemy! In alchemy fives are everything. The pentagram is the most important symbol. Everything is done in sets of five. Perhaps I’m not yet powerful enough to use gold. Maybe I should stick to simpler stuff.”
“Or maybe you need an enhancer.”
I jumped. “Who’s there?” I asked turning around.
“Someone you know well, or rather, you’ve heard of me at least.” the voice said slowly.
“Disembodied voices are not a normal thing for me.” I said, my mouth curling to a small smile.
“Why the smile, young apprentice?”
“Because I’ve just figured out who you are, Jonathon Rye.”
“Very good, apprentice. Now, was there something you wanted to ask?”
“Yes, Master Rye. I need to enhance my Alchemic power. I thought you might be able to tell me how.”
“Well practice makes near perfect apprentice, but I suppose you don’t have three hundred years, do you? The fastest way to enhance your alchemy would be to find the Stones of Power.”
“They really exist?”
“Of course they do. Now if you don’t mind I must be off.”
“When will I see you again Master Rye?”
When the Time is Right. Or when I awake from my nap. Which ever comes first. Being three hundred and seventy-eight even the simplest of things will tire you.”
And with that Jonathon Rye faded away. I hated dealing with ghosts. They were unpredictable and always talked in riddles.
“My ‘experiments’,” I drew out the word, “are NOT stupid.”
“You ruined my watch. Do you KNOW how much gold that was?” he demanded.
“Uhhh….approximately 17.6 ounces?” I was guessing.
“Try 18.5, Adam.”
Ah-ha! So that’s what went wrong! “Well look on the bright side dad. Its still,” I quickly did the math, “95% gold, and its still 18.5 ounces of gold. The rest is just silver. There’s only a ninth of an ounce of silver anyway.”
“Yes, Adam, but its not PURE gold. Where did you get that silver anyway?” he asked. I opened my mouth to speak but he interrupted me. “Never mind. I don’t want to know. Just don’t come crying to me when they come to take you up the river. Now, go to bed. You are still grounded.”
I stomped up to my room. I grabbed my notebook with my calculations in it and threw it across the room. “I can’t believe I messed up AGAIN! I never get my alchemy right. Even I, the 5th son of a 5th son! The supposed best potential with alchemy! In alchemy fives are everything. The pentagram is the most important symbol. Everything is done in sets of five. Perhaps I’m not yet powerful enough to use gold. Maybe I should stick to simpler stuff.”
“Or maybe you need an enhancer.”
I jumped. “Who’s there?” I asked turning around.
“Someone you know well, or rather, you’ve heard of me at least.” the voice said slowly.
“Disembodied voices are not a normal thing for me.” I said, my mouth curling to a small smile.
“Why the smile, young apprentice?”
“Because I’ve just figured out who you are, Jonathon Rye.”
“Very good, apprentice. Now, was there something you wanted to ask?”
“Yes, Master Rye. I need to enhance my Alchemic power. I thought you might be able to tell me how.”
“Well practice makes near perfect apprentice, but I suppose you don’t have three hundred years, do you? The fastest way to enhance your alchemy would be to find the Stones of Power.”
“They really exist?”
“Of course they do. Now if you don’t mind I must be off.”
“When will I see you again Master Rye?”
When the Time is Right. Or when I awake from my nap. Which ever comes first. Being three hundred and seventy-eight even the simplest of things will tire you.”
And with that Jonathon Rye faded away. I hated dealing with ghosts. They were unpredictable and always talked in riddles.
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