The sun slowly sinks to its bed in the west. The sky a battlefield of colors, orange and yellow in an alliance to make daylight immortal, while the tribes of blue and black bring forth an oblivion of darkness. While they fought valiantly, orange and yellow were defeated, slain by the minions of the night. The eternal struggle would be waged again at dawn, but for now each side must count their losses and bury their dead. It is perhaps better that darkness has won, at least for the time being. It is a well known fact that darkness gives birth to mystery and magic. These daughters of the night beckon us with a siren’s song. Follow the sweet melody of the nocturnal, to a time not unlike our own. To a place governed by chance and wonder.

It was a cool autumn evening and a young boy named Cole had just ran away from home. Of course this was not the first time he had become a vagabond. No, in fact his parents had witnessed three attempts in the last year. Yet, each time he would come back, apologize, and life would go on. His parents were nice people, but at times Cole felt they treated him like a little kid. Cole had an older sister named Christy, and in his eyes she got to do anything she wanted. This particular night Cole was upset because Christy was babysitting as his parents were out for the evening. Christy had her boyfriend Mike over, and she sent Cole to bed early. Of course this didn’t fly to well with Cole so he decided to go on a little walk. Now we join Cole, who has made it three blocks from home so far.

"Why does Christy think she can boss me around?" Cole said aloud. "I mean she’s only like seven years older than me. I’ll show her, when mom and dad find out that I’m gone she’ll be in deep shit...." Cole quickly covered his mouth and looked around. By this time he had learned that there were certain words that were best not to say. Relieved that no one had heard his outburst Cole trudged on. It was cool outside so Cole shoved his hands into the pockets of his red Chiefs coat and moved on.

Crunching through the leaves Cole had made his way to a part of town he didn’t recognize. Not being the sort to thoroughly think things through he continued to walk down the sidewalk. His eyes wandered across the ground, a Butterfinger wrapper, a napkin, a bottle cap. Then, pay dirt: "Yes, a walnut." Cole began kicking the walnut down the sidewalk. It bounced down the path occasionally jumping into the grass. With his eyes on the ground Cole continued to kick until the walnut met its end. With a final kick Cole watched the walnut skip across the grass, fly over the curb, and slowly roll over a storm drain. With a fatal plop the walnut was no more.

Cole sighed and observed his surroundings. He was on a street he didn’t recognize, all the houses around him were dark, and a cool breeze cut through his coat like icy daggers. Cole looked ahead of him and saw a dead end sign. At the end of the street there was a circle drive where cars could turn around. The houses stopped suddenly at the end of the street leaving a huge area full of trees. Cole didn’t recognize this place and he thought about turning around when his eye caught something through the trees. It looked like a street light only a different color. Curiosity got the best of him and he made his way through the trees. Crashing through dead leaves and branches Cole made his way closer to the light. It was much farther than it originally seemed to be. Cole pushed on for what seemed like hours hypnotized by the strange light. Then finally he came upon a small clearing in the forest.

The light he had chased was a bonfire. Cole had never seen one before as his parents weren’t the outdoorsy type. Two logs sat next to the fire, but no one appeared to be there. Cole approached the fire cautiously, looked around, but again saw nobody. Cole was getting cold and he thought it wouldn’t hurt to sit by the fire for a while. He walked over to the log and sat down, wiggling around to find a comfortable spot on the bark. The fire crackled and hissed as tiny embers escaped into the night sky. They reminded Cole of the lightning bugs at his grandma’s farm. He then removed his hands from his pockets and put them in front of the fire. A chill went down his spine followed by a warm feeling.

"Ah," he said aloud, "that feels good."

Cole looked around him and saw nothing but trees. The trees were dark and spooky and he started to wonder how he would find his way home. His eyes became adjusted to the light and the forest became an opaque wall of darkness. Cole began to get worried so he took his eyes away from the trees and back to the fire. The flames seemed to calm him for some reason. He stared into the fire and watched the flames dance methodically like waves in the ocean. He closed his eyes for a minute and relaxed. He put his hands on his face; it felt warm, almost hot to the touch. He opened his eyes and was about to stand up when he caught a glimpse of something. It was sitting in the shadows behind the other log.

His heart began to race wildly, was it alive? It wasn’t there when he got here. He slowly bent over not taking his eyes off the object and picked up a rock. Trembling he threw the rock with all his might at the object. Having horrible aim the rock bounced off the log and hit the fire sending sparks everywhere. Yet, as the sparks flew into the sky they illuminated the area like a strike of lightning. Cole was able to see the object; it was an old black sack.

"Whew," Cole said relieved as he chuckled to himself.

Curious as to how he overlooked the sack Cole walked over to the other log and sat down next to it. His hand slowly reached over to the sack when, "WHOO!" an owl screeched into the night. Cole fell off the log backwards as his heart was pounding through his chest.

"Stupid owl!" he yelled to the darkness.

Cole pulled himself upright and brushed the leaves off his coat. He turned to where the sack had been, but it was gone!

"No way!" Cole exclaimed as he looked around only to find darkness.

Then he saw it, the sack was beside the other log. How did it get over there he wondered. He got off the log and walked across to the first log, sat down, and waited. Cole stared at the sack waiting for it to move. Of course as we all know a watched pot never boils. He thought about leaving the sack alone and going back, but where would he go? It was cold and he had no idea where he was. Slowly he approached the sack his hand reached beneath the cloth into the darkness. His hand brushed against something; trembling, he grabbed it and pulled it out. It was a piece of paper, but this was no ordinary parchment. The paper was of a fine cloth, softer to the touch than paper yet stronger in consistency. It was lined with a gold trim that glittered in the firelight. The wording on the parchment was in some kind of old cursive handwriting that Cole couldn’t quite read. The bottom was recognizable, a large "X" followed by a thick black line. It looked like some sort of contract, but he didn’t know what it was for.

At that moment the owl flew down from its perch and landed on the log across from Cole. It turned its head and looked at him, its eyes piercing through him. Cole felt uneasy; something wasn’t right. Then with a bright flash of light and a plume of fire the owl disappeared and as the smoke cleared a figure became visible. It was an older man dressed in old worn clothing. On his head there was an old grey hat that hid his face from view. The man grabbed a wooden cane from beside the log and arose. Cole was startled, and like a deer in headlights he had to decide if he should run or stand his ground.

"You have nothing to fear young traveler," spoke the man in a raspy voice.

"Wh-who are you?" Cole managed to sputter out.

"I’ve had many names over the years," he said reminiscing, "but you can call me Old Scratch," he said taking a seat next to Cole.

"I’m s-sorry I sat by your fire and looked through your sack Mister Scratch," Cole said remorsefully. "It was cold and I got lost."

"No matter young one," Scratch replied. "A man should always share what he has, even if it is only a fire and an old sack."

Cole nodded in agreement and his heart started to slow back down, yet something was odd about this man, and he wanted to know what it was.

"So, you were the owl in the tree then?" Cole asked.

"Indeed I was child, did I frighten you?" Scratch chuckled.

"Yeah, I mean I have seen stuff like that on TV, but that’s impossible, right?"

"What is your name son?"

"Cole," he replied.

"Let me ask you something Cole, do you believe in magic?" Scratch inquired.

"I don’t know, my sister said magicians are all fake and she told me how some of their tricks work."

"Ha, ha, then obviously you have never met a true magician," laughed Scratch. "Would you like to see a real magician work his magic?"

"Sure."

"Alright Cole choose anything that your mind can imagine and I shall make it appear above the fire," Scratch proclaimed.

"Um-uh, anything?" Cole pondered.

"Anything your dreams can imagine," Scratch said closing his eyes.

"Alright um…Ha! I’ve got it make a T-rex appear Scratch," Cole said, confident the old man would fail.

"Ah a test worthy of kings," said Scratch smiling. With that the old man raised his cane into the air and began to wave it at the fire. Embers began to gather in the night sky. More and more embers fused together as the director conducted the orchestra of flame. Taller and larger it grew it was beginning to take shape. First, the feet, then the body, growing and growing as the embers rose higher. Cole’s eyes shone with disbelief and wonder. His mouth agape he could only watch as the master did his work. Finally the figure was complete, then like a phoenix rising from the ashes the figure broke out of its fiery shell and let out a deafening roar. Cole shuddered at the sound as he stared at the colossal giant floating above the fire. Words could not express his disbelief; he could not run for his legs would surely fail him. He could only stare mouth agape in awe. Scratch looked at Cole and with a big grin he said to himself, "Truly wonderful is the mind of a child." With those words he snapped his fingers and the monster disappeared in a puff of smoke. Satisfied with his work Scratch sat down on the log and turned to Cole who was still stiff as a board.

"Well son do you believe magic now?" laughed the old man.

"I-I don’t believe it h-how did you?" Cole was interrupted.

"Ah a good magician never tells his secrets," Scratch said as he winked at Cole.

"Why did you come here tonight Cole?"

"Well, I was mad at my parents for treating me like a little kid. I mean I’m almost ten you know." Cole said angrily.

"So you’re running away from home then," Scratch replied.

"Yes, and this time I’m not going back," Cole said confidently.

"Well, you sound like a man who knows what he wants," Scratch said rubbing his beard. "I just might be able to help you."

"How?"

"Well, I have another tool that will give you the power I have shown you," Scratch explained.

"You mean I could make a dinosaur?" Cole exclaimed.

"Not just a dinosaur young one, but anything you desire." "I must ask for something in return," Scratch said looking at the sack.

"I will do anything you want Scratch," Cole said happily. Scratch looked at the young boy’s face; he was just a child, not yet aware of the deceptions of man. Scratch could not take it from him, not at this age, he would wait.

"Cole, I will have you sign a contract," said the old man.

"Like the one I found in your sack?" Cole asked. Scratch sighed; even his heart could not condemn the boy now.

"No my boy, those are not for you," Scratch said as his mind drifted off. "Our contract will be a different. I will ask you for your word."

"My word?" Cole was puzzled.

"Yes, your word that you will never return to your family as long as you live."

Cole thought to himself, "This is the chance of a lifetime it wouldn’t hurt me any. My family treats me like such a child anyway. As long as they have Christy they’ll be happy."

"Ok, Scratch it’s a deal," Cole said aloud.

"Very well young one, in exchange for your vow never to see your family again, I shall give you this pouch of magic stones. Listen to me carefully Cole; the pouch I shall give you contains thousands of beautiful and rare stones. The stones will transform into anything you wish. All you need to do is imagine what you want and toss the stone on the ground. It will become whatever you wish. To make it disappear I will give you these magic gloves. You only need to snap your fingers and the object will turn to dust. Do you understand Cole?"

"Yeah I think so."

"There is also a special stone within this pouch, a black stone with the power to grant one wish to the owner no matter the magnitude. Heed my words Cole after you make your wish your pouch and gloves will be gone. Use it wisely young one."

"I will try," Cole said trying to grasp what was being said. The old man reached deep into his sack and pulled out a contract much like the others. He then produced a quill pen and handed it to Cole.

"The final decision is yours alone Cole. You may choose your own path from this point forward." Cole’s mind wandered as he held the pen in his hand, he could only think about how cool it was going to be once he got his pouch and gloves. He signed the paper in his best cursive, which was not the most legible, but it would do. Scratch took the paper from Cole and put it inside the sack.

"Cole," Scratch said as he walked away. "You are on your own now; you must never break your promise to me as long as you live. Is that understood?" Scratch asked.

"Yes."

"Very well, the gifts I have given you can be used anyway you see fit Cole. Let your heart guide your decisions, for it will never fail you."

"Thank you Scratch, will I ever see you again?"

"I shall visit you twice, once when your life is half-over, and once again before you die."

"Ok," Cole said puzzled. "How will I find you?"

"Worry not young traveler I shall find you," replied Scratch. "Farewell young one, your journey awaits." With that Scratch disappeared into the night. Cole turned around to find the pouch and the gloves lying on the log. He couldn’t wait to try them out. He grabbed the pouch which was made of fine velvet and loosened the string. He pulled out a beautiful green stone very similar to an emerald and closed the bag. Cole thought deeply of what he wanted, and then his stomach growled. He was hungry and what better way to test the stones than a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. Cole closed his eyes and concentrated as he tossed the stone onto the grass. When his eyes opened he saw a pizza box lying where the stone had been.

"It works!" he cried. Cole picked up the box and opened the top and unleashed the mouthwatering aroma within.