CHOICES is the first book in the Chronicles of a Hero fantasy series. This is the story of Wendell P. Dipmier, who I’ve been writing about since 1990. I hope you’ll join me on this new adventure….as I tell the honest, complete story of this amazing 17 year old, exclusively on Life of Fiction.
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CHAPTER 11
Before I could blink, everything on the kitchen table came to life. Utensils and place settings stood at attention, while the pancakes shifted over, creating a perfect, uniform stack. To the left of where they stood, cupboard doors swung open wildly and empty containers leaped through the air towards the table.
“Best not to let the food spoil,” said Chuck. “Don’t want to be wasteful, now, do we?”
All I could do was slowly nod my head in agreement as the animated ballet continued. Container tops popped off while food promptly jumped in, adjusting to fit just right. Eggs slid over, sausages aligned like sardines in a can, and my untouched orange juice arched high overhead, jumping into an awaiting pitcher. Not a drop on the table, not a crumb on the floor. Within moments, everything neatly packaged itself nice and tight.
“Ok, help me,” Chuck stammered. Dashing across the floor, he hastily grabbed the egg container and orange juice pitcher, turned, and shoved them into my hands. “Here,” he whispered, “follow my lead.”
Dax rounded the corner, strutting back into the kitchen. He immediately skidded to a halt. “Heyyy, I thought it was MY turn to put the food away?”
The wizard shook his head firmly. “Nope. You have dishes.”
Dax scowled. “I did them last time.”
“Don’t think so,” Chuck replied. Placing an index finger on his lower lip, he stared at the ceiling. “Uh, nope. You have dishes. Besides, Wendell and I already put the food away.”
Dax looked between us warily. “No magic?”
Chuck stood upright and placed a hand over his chest. “Why would I use magic when I have Wendell here to help me?” he huffed. “Silly monkey.”
Grumbling, Dax yanked open a cabinet door and pulled out a stepping stool. “Good. If I have to do dishes manually, you better be doin’ the same.”
I was about to say something, but then I realized I didn’t have a good reason to do so. Why should I help the grouchy one, right? I decided to just grin instead.
“Here, son,” Chuck smirked, “I’ll show you where those go.”
I found Chuck to be a funny-looking man. For all his surroundings, it was curious that the wizard stood there, obviously comfortable in dingy, tattered gray robes. He had small patches on his sleeves and hem, all held together by a frayed rope around his waist. Yet he was clean…and there was always a faint scent of cinnamon around him. That hint of Christmas in the air when you visit grandma and grandpa. It was both weird and comforting.
Though with all the white, out-of-control facial hair that caught your immediate attention, Chuck had a semi-deep, gentle rhythm to his voice that made all the difference. He projected calmness, support, kindness, and acceptance.
With food put away and Dax dutifully working on the dishes, Chuck led me into the living room. He wandered over to the sofa and, with a kick of his sandals, hopped into the large leather chair with a poof. “Alright, take a seat,” he said.
“Aren’t we supposed to get ready for that field trip?” I glanced back at Dax, grumbling as he fiercely scrubbed a pan in the sink. He stopped to blow a soap bubble from his nose. “We probably have 45 minutes now.”
Chuck laughed. “Monkey has never been on time a day in his life.” He motioned to me. “Seriously, take a seat, son. We should talk.”
I took an opposite seat on the couch. It was difficult not to glance over at the small picture on the mantle…or stare at Kyliene’s face, framed and sitting near the piano. “You sure know a lot of people,” I said.
He looked around the room, laced his fingers behind his head, and sighed. “A few,” he said soberly. “Which is precisely why this chit-chat needs to take place. My job is to guide you. That means instructing you about that lovely lady embedded in your chest, yes,…but also the world around you. Many of the people I know need to be people you know.” He sat up and adjusted himself so we faced one another. “You need the ability to operate independently of any other influence, including me.”
Yes, I had questions, but that wasn’t something I thought I’d hear. Chuck wanted to empower me? I open my mouth to reply, but nothing came out.
“I know that might not make sense,” he said, “but I knew your father better than anyone.”
“You…knew my father?”
Chuck looked into my eyes, and his expression softened. “No one understands the responsibilities of that mantle you carry, Wendell. What your father had to sacrifice, or the secrets he was compelled to keep. He only shared his thoughts with those closest to him.”
He was so emotional, I almost wanted to blurt out the truth. To confess that I wasn’t the son of the last hero, but I couldn’t. This was a course I’d have to walk alone if that was what it took. Ithari chose me, for what reason I don’t know…yet. The good news now was that I had someone honestly wanting to help me. Freakin’ wooHOO!
“You know the term as old as dirt?”
“Sure,” I said, “that’s an old Earth…”
“No such thing as an original idea, remember? But here, in this world, they mean me.”
“That’s rude,” I laughed.
“Ok, only monkey says it that I know of, but he is right. I’m pretty crusty. Been around longer than most.”
That caught my attention. “Wait, a minute. Are you saying there are people older? Like, what are we talking here…”
Chuck rolled his eyes. “A few. Let’s stick to one question at a time or we’ll never get out of here. If we get some of these curiosity questions out of the way, perhaps I can get you to pay better attention to what actually matters?”
I sat back with a broad grin and motioned for him to continue.
He nodded. “Yes, I’m old. Ancient. Been around longer than any human. That I know of.” He thought hard, his eyebrows doing a wavy dance across his forehead. “Yup. Pretty sure, but using magic like I do kinda fogs the brain. Eats away at you. Which is what I wanted to mention.” He laced his fingers once more and rested them on his chest. “I’m not natural.”
“You’re what?” I laughed aloud.
Dropping his head forward, Chuck sighed. “Mahan’s Pink…what I meant to say was that I’ve used most of my magical abilities to carefully maintain my life force. It’s no small feat to keep Death at bay. As in THE Death. He’s an irritating fellow with a determination to escort guests to his estate. I’ve extended my life much further than perhaps I should have.” Then, looking up, he gave me an irritated glare. “I should be dead from old age. I just…refuse to die.”
Again, I couldn’t help but laugh. “That must be nice.”
“I’m serious!” Chuck snapped, though there was an unmistakable smirk on his lips. “Food doesn’t nourish me, air is more of a convenience, so I’m not gasping all the time, and I can hold my breath like no other.” His mouth twitched then. “I could bleed out, I guess. Death would love that for his side business!”
“Death has a side business?”
Chuck gave me a wide-eyed nod. “It’s insane. Word’s out he’s collecting the souls of politicians. Refurbishes them, I think, then sells them for some online company.”
“It’s BuyImmortality.com,” Dax shouted from the kitchen.
I looked over my shoulder. Those were some serious ears!
“Oh, that’s right. I knew that.” He waved a hand irritatedly, “What I’m trying to say is, magic is the only thing keeping me here. Well, that and sheer will.”
The wizard held my gaze without blinking.
“But…why?” No, wait. That sounded stupid. Okay, so Chuck knew the last hero. The guy they think is my dad. Fine. They were best buds. That’s fine too, but that didn’t tell me why Chuck would… I corrected myself. “I mean, why are you trying to stay alive when…” but I stopped again. Something in me felt compelled to look at the small photo over the mantle.
The corners of Chuck’s mustache rose slowly until the hairs brushed both sides of his nostrils. “When I’ve lost my family?”
My heart sank, stomach tightening into knots. “I’m…uh…”
“It’s alright, son,” he replied softly, but Chuck hesitated. “Hope you don’t mind me calling you that. ‘Son’, I mean. I lost my family a long time ago, before the last hero defeated and captured Mahan.” He shifted slightly in his seat. “That’s my past life. Lost both my wife and only child that day. All my possessions burned to ash.” His eyes turned moist, and noticed his hands trembling. “That was the only thing saved from the flames.” When he turned back around, he stared at me again without blinking. “A reminder of why I’m still here.” His sad expression shifted, the hint of a smile resurfacing. “I always wondered what my boy would have looked like. It haunted me. When you showed up and I knew you had the Ithari, I…”
“It’s alright,” I smiled, “I don’t mind. Really.” It’s kind of comforting, I thought, but I didn’t say it out loud.
Chuck grinned widely then. He wiped his eyes with a gray sleeve and cleared his throat. “Good.” Nodding at the kitchen door. “I raised that one in there. Not the easiest thing, being a single dad.” Snorting, “Would have been easier if he’d been a cute kid…to rope the women in, if you know what I mean?”
I laughed. “ I’m 17, Chuck. I don’t have a clue what you mean.”
“Oh. Right,” then, “When I lost my family, I worked closely with the leaders of the time. Even helped to defeat Mahan.” For long moments he fell silent — his gaze distant — until his eyes grew wide and his brows furrowed. “But they couldn’t kill him,” he breathed. “The Hero didn’t have the ability, or heart, to kill him. All that effort…so many deaths…and we couldn’t wipe Mahan’s sorry carcass from the face of this planet!”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.
“You are so screwed,” Doubt taunted.
Shut up.
“I knew this time would come,” Chuck said, though it was just above a whisper. “I always knew it. So I prepared. Studied the ancient texts and even got permission to work within your Great Library for a time. That’s where I found it. A way to extend my life, so I could be here to help the next hero. To help destroy Mahan from the face of the land during these end times.” Clear blue eyes rolled up to meet my visual nervousness. “So I could be here for you.”
“I…need to pee.”
Like a waterfall, the sober expression of doom and gloom dropped from the wizard’s countenance. “Through the kitchen, down the hall, second corridor to the right, seventh door on the left.”
“Uhhh…”
Chuck winked. “Or you can use the one at the top of the stairs, next to your room.”
The sheer conviction in Chuck’s words, in his every expression, was…encouraging. He’s endured and waited all these years so he could help? What do you say to something like that?
As if on cue, the wizard smiled widely and winked at me.
“So you’re hundreds of years old then?” I fished.
“Older.”
“A thousand?”
“Older.”
I scoffed, “No way.”
“Way.”
“Two thousand?”
Chuck sat forward and shook his head. “That’s as far as I’m going. My past and my future are not completely decided yet, son. I don’t want it to interfere with what you have to learn to do. You have an entire world of weird in front of you. So, let me put it this way: I’m older than you. I know more than you and have insights that may give you an advantage. No guarantees here, and I don’t know everything about that gem, but I will help you. That’s why I’m still around. My loyalty is to you, son, and your mission with the Ithari, not the Iskari High Council.”
Usually when someone tries to lie to me, I can feel it. Something in my gut turns, or a fear sets in. My mind questions and I can’t let it go. Chuck’s words brought me…peace.
I asked, “Do the High Council and Delnar know where your loyalty is placed?”
He stood up and held out a hand. “They’ll find out soon enough.”
I’m not too sure how to describe it, but that last sentence sent a tingle up the back of my spine. It wasn’t fear, and it wasn’t painful. When it got to the base of my skull, I felt as if my brain had expanded. I know this sounds nuts, but Chuck looked different to me at that moment. Almost like I’d noticed him, or that my awareness of him clicked on for the very first time.
I could trust him.
“Thank you,” I said, gripping his hand firmly.
“Your father said the Ithari would allow you to tap into his knowledge, but he never said when.” Giving my hand a firm squeeze, he let go. “My plan is to prepare you for whenever that kicks in. If I get my way, you’ll have an unfair advantage.”
There was a loud crash from the kitchen. It was followed by what I guessed was swearing in another language.
Chuck sighed. “After I rescue the elf with eight fingers.”
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