The Hidden World

How do you see the world?

Do you believe in magic? Not many people do anymore as the world changed and ‘advanced’ everyone decided to forget the old ways. They deemed magic as silly and something for children, nothing but tricks and sleight of hand. What if I told you that real magic still existed?

I woke up that morning cold as I usually did. I shuddered and pulled the carboard boxes that I used instead of blankets closer to me. It was early morning, around six I guessed by every shop nearby till being closed. I shifted me old blue scarf around me neck and got to me feet. I began gathering all me meagre possessions into the old rucksack I carried everywhere. I had very little time before the old Baileys would come and move me along. I sighed and went down the back streets to the usual waiting point.

The thing about being homeless is that if anyone finds you waiting on the street, they automatically think that you need their pity. They think that the we gather on the streets to prey on this pity. They don’t think that where the homeless gather is instead to check on our friends, to make sure that we were all still ok and safe. They don’t realise that the homeless have a better sense of community than any of them have.

As I made me way onto the street colloquially known as ‘Beggar’s Row’ me eye caught sight of one of me mates. “Hullo Pox,” I muttered to a blue sleeping bag. The sleeping bag shifted, and the scarred face of Pox popped out quickly going red from the wind. “Mornin’ girl,” Pox replied shuffling to the side so I could sit down, “Jum?” I grimaced at that the horrible combination made from what little alcohol Pox could find mixed with tea from thrown out teabags. It was a disgusting mixture of a drink, but it warmed you to the core. “Small ‘un” I told him getting out a small tin cup from me pack. “It’s always a small ‘un for you girl, you’re too young to get pissed” Pox cackled as he poured the liquid into me cup. “I’m not that young Pox. You eaten?” I asked and Pox shook his head. I reached into me rucksack and pulled out some stale bread and offered him half. “You’re a good ‘un girl,” Pox said gratefully, and I laughed as he bit into the bread, his face contouring into a look of simple pleasure. “It’s part of community outreach, I’m helping the less fortunate.” I joked and Pox gave a choked laugh around his bread. “You ain’t exactly rolling with luck girl,” Pox retorted, and I nodded in agreement.

For a while we just sat there and watched the city wake up to the day. More of our mates showed up on Beggar’s Row and we caught up with those we hadn’t seen in a while. I had old Ma Mary give me some fresh gloves so that I ‘didn’t have my long fingers drop off in winter’. I got to watch the Murker twins have a brawl over a pack of cigs and I got to share a jar of jam when Roger came and offered a taste of the treat to everyone there. I adjusted me scarf and looked out on the street across from Beggar’s Row. The business types of the city were all up by then and they were charging to and fro as they went about their business. They went into coffee shops and cafes and came out with drinks and their breakfasts. I liked people watching it calmed me down and kept me entertained as I saw people from a completely different world than me. I watched one woman as she made her way from Costa to the tram stop. Her skin was a rich chocolate colour and she had taken the time to tie her hair back in a tight bum. She walked quickly and kept looking at her watch, must be late I thought. As she passed us, I got a clear view of her face. She wore very little make up and had dark hazel eyes that were marred with heavy bags resting underneath them. She stopped to hand me some change from her pocket. “Cheers very much,” I muttered, and she nodded and quickly walked on. I think she was a nurse.

“I’m gonna get going Pox,” I said as I swung me rucksack onto me shoulder. “You goin’ to see that loon again?” Pox asked suspiciously. “He’s not a loon Pox,” I laughed shaking me head at his suspicion. “Of course, he’s a loon girl, the fool believes in magic. The junkies just tuggin’ you on for a ride and you’re buyin’ it hook, line and sinker. You’d be better off stayin’ away from ‘im girl,” Pax warned me, and I couldn’t help letting out a sigh. “And what would I be doing instead Pax?” I asked me anger breaking through despite a little voice in me head screaming at me to be quiet, “Sit around here and hoping that these nice people will take pity on me?” I couldn’t bring meself to look Pox in the eye. “I’ll be back later Pox,” I promised and turned around and made me way off Beggar’s row.

As I made my way through the city, I clutched me bag closer to me side. I had learnt that it didn’t matter I was homeless and barely had anything to call my own. It didn’t protect me from being stolen from. I made me way into alley and walked down to the end of the alley. I began to climb up the fire escape and me mind drifted back to the idea of magic. From me days when I had bothered with school. One of me teachers had once explained it to me that back in the olden days that anything that people couldn’t understand they labelled it as magic. As I reached the roof of the building, I heard scratching on wood. Smiling I pulled out more bread from me rucksack and walked over to the little hutch. “Hey there little ones,” I whispered and looked down at the menagerie of creatures.

In the hutch there was a trio of winged creatures who saw me and began squawking excitedly. I broke the bread into pieces and passed each one a piece. The biggest one was covered in a glossy black fur across its body until it merged with the oily ebony feather of its wings. Its head shared the same shape of a crow’s, including a long black beak, except for two small ears that stuck up. It swished its fuzzy grey tail aggressively until I fed it another piece of bread. The second one hopped over to me whilst the crow-racoon hybrid was distracted. I held out a piece of bread and it press one of its scaly feet onto me hand to keep it from moving. Its grey feathers were greasy and what little fur this beast had was marked with soot and grime. I cooed at the little monster and offered it another piece of bread to free me hand. “Come on then little one, they’re busy now,” I whispered and the smallest of the three scampered onto me hand and began squeaking excitedly. The little mouse like creature looked up at me with tiny hopeful eyes. I offered it the bread and it took it with its tiny paws, and I felt its thin tail wrap around me little finger. “There you go,” I whispered, and I ran a finger down its head and across its wings.

“What are you doing here girl?” A voice croaked and I shrugged. “You wouldn’t feed them otherwise,” I muttered, and I let the other two beasts out of the hutch, making sure the mouse remained safe in me hand. The old man closed the door behind him and sighed at me, “I already told you that you shouldn’t be feeding the chimeras anything. They are trash and don’t need to be treated with kindness. I scowled at him and how he talked about the little creatures. “They are called gryphons and they have names.” I told him sharply and I winced as the crow gryphon found its way onto me shoulder so it could use it as a perch. “You named them?” The old man asked incredulously. “Of course,” I nodded, and I pointed at the crow, “This one is Odin,” I pointed over to the pigeon “that big boy over there is Midi and this little girl is Freya.” As I spoke, I held up me hand and Freya popped her little head out of the safety of me hand giving a loud cheep as she did. “You named them?” The old man asked again, slower this time. I shuffled uncomfortably from side to side, “I did master.”

Me master sighed and his hands rubbed against the craggy wrinkles of his face. He looked at me through tired green eye and his wintery white beard twitched as he tried to find the words he wanted. “It wasn’t enough that you asked me to make these creatures, now you’ve given them names?!” Me master asked his voice deceptively quiet. “What does it matter that I named them” I muttered focusing on Freya who nuzzled against me thumb. “You’re not supposed to be attached to familiar’s girl. They are tools, not pets,” Me master scolded. “Why can’t they be both?” I asked sticking me chin out defiantly. “You are truly going to be my worst apprentice,” Master sighed and walked away from me. Those words cut deep, and I turned away from him. A magic user’s emotions could turn against them at any point he had told me. He must have sensed that he had upset me as not a minute had passed before I heard him clear his throat to get me attention. “That was unfair of me, I’m sorry girl.” He said and I nodded back at him.

“What are you going to teach me today then?” I asked turning back around sending Odin squawking as he fell off. “Well I had planned to teach you the importance of a name but seeing as you still won’t share yours with me, I can’t do that.” He replied and he turned over a box and began various vials full of liquids and mixes onto the wooden surface. “Are you going to tell me yours?” I asked sitting across from him. “Touché.” He replied and I swore I could catch the smallest hint of a smile play across his lips. As I waited for the lesson to begin, I felt Odin and Midi climb onto me. Smiling I stroked Odin’s ears and let Freya nestle in a little nest in me scarf. Across from me, me master had mixed some liquids into a black pot. As he stirred and added new liquids into the mixture it grew warmer until it began to boil, and sparks shot out from the pot. “Well then me young apprentice are you ready to learn new magic?” he asked me the sparks of the liquid seeming to be mirrored in his eyes. “Always” I smiled ready for me next lesson into the world of magic. “Then let us go onwards me young apprentice, off into the magical realm.” As he spoke, he reached into the pot and splashed the liquid up into the air.

The liquid seemed to stretch and spread in the air, every droplet multiplied and created more to stretch across both of us. The liquid coated me and filled me with warmth. As it did the view around me was changed as well. Gone was the skyline of the city, gone were the tall grey buildings and the silvery glass of the windows. Instead golden lights streaked out and the sky went from blue to a radiant lilac. I looked down at the gryphons and saw them bathed in a silvery light, smiling I looked at me master and saw the same light enveloping him. I stretched out me hand and I couldn’t help but giggle with glee as I saw the same light flicker around me flesh. Me master had told me that light reflected a creature’s magical potential. Mine was still faint but it was there at least. I was still developing so me magical power could only grow. Me master had shown me this world that had run parallel to me own by mistake, but I was part of it now. The hidden world that only few humans would ever know and know I was part of that world. A world where I would belong.