“I’ve won!” The leader declares, “You can’t stop me.”

“The dream isn’t over yet.” Gina announces.

As the woman is bound in chains and cast down. The army that swept over the Earth is shattered into a million individual pieces. Just when the army is poised for its final victory, the remaining kingdoms of the Earth band together and field a large army of its own. These two armies fight and when the dust clears, the great army that swept over the world is gone and there is no one left to replace it.

The leader is captured and before he can be executed, he uses his magic to escape. The woman who opposed him, breaks free of her chains.

They all wake up from their dream.

“Now that you know the end of the dream, let me show you your final fate.” Gina announces. She grabs the hand of the young man and the great one and disappears, leaving the leader alone to contemplate his fate.

When they reappear, they are in a cave far away. The former leader is there. Having lived out the dream, he knew they would come. He just didn’t know when.

“Look at yourself.” Gina says to the young man, “Is this the fate you want?” The young man looks at himself, old and broken. He turns away in disgust.

“No.” he says quietly.

“Are you ready to give up your magic?” Gina asks.

“I am” the young man declares, “Will this hurt?”

“It will not” Gina assures. Gina waves her hands and says something that sounds like nonsense. The spark leaves the young man. Gina grabs both their hands and they disappear. When they reappear, they are back to where they started from in the past.

“You can be happy now with people who care about you.” Gina says, “I have one final thing for you.” Gina causes the young man to forget everything he had seen and heard about the possible future.

“Great one is it an honor to see you. “The young man says to the great one, “Miss” he says to Gina. “Is there something I can do for you?”

“No, I was just passing by you may go about your business.” The great one said.

“Thank you” The young man says as he goes on his way.

“I owe you a great debt.” The great one says to Gina, “You have kept me from making a terrible mistake. Is there anything I can do for you?”

“No. Just be more careful.” Gina replies and with that she disappears and the great one never sees her again.

When Gina appears again, it is in her own time. She is in a small chamber and an old man is sitting there. He notices that she had the spark.

“I didn’t know you were a magician.” The old man says, “You certainly were not one when I saw you earlier today.”

“True” Gina answers, “I was given the ability to perform magic.”

“And who would give that ability to you.” The old man asks.

“You did.” Gina declares.

“I did, and why would I do something stupid like that.” The old man asks, amused.

“Because you are the wisest, smartest person I know.” Gina answers, “Thank you for believing in me.”

“You’re welcome, I think. What are you going to do, we can’t have two princesses running around.” The old man asks.

“You know I’m not the princess anymore. I think I’m going to travel, see the world.” Gina replies.

“Well, you be careful then.” The old man warns.

“I will” Gina assures. She then disappears again. When she appears, she is in another small chamber. There is no one there so she waits. She waits for what seems like a long time until suddenly Carla walks in. When she sees Gina, she is frightened and can’t speak.

“I’ve been waiting for you.” Gina declares.

“You have?” Carla can barely get out.

“Of course, I’m going to travel the world and I can’t do that without my best friend.” Gina says. Carla isn’t sure what is going on. The princess is never nice, and she is pretty sure the princess doesn’t know she exists. Gina takes both her hands in her own. “I will always have your back.” Gina assures. Carla is really confused. One moment they are in her room, the next moment they are somewhere else.

The somewhere else they are, is outside Mark’s quarters. Gina puts one finger over her mouth and tries to calm Carla down. Within a few minutes, Mark comes out of his quarters.

“Princess, what are you doing here?” Mark asks.

“I am going on a trip, and I need your protection.” Gina declares.

“Does the King know? Why don’t you have a real knight escort you?” Mark asks.

“Are you questioning me!?” Gina says, “You will change into some normal clothes right away and come with me.” This was highly unusual. Mark had bad feelings about this, but he couldn’t refuse the princess. If she wanted to make his life miserable, she could easily do it.

“Yes, princess.” Mark replied. Mark went and changed as quickly as he could.

“That’s better, do you know Carla?” Gina asked. When Mark saw Carla, he felt something he had never felt before.

“My name isn’t…” Carla was about to say but Gina stopped her from finishing her sentence.

“Your name is what I say it is.” Gina rebuked sternly, “We have one more stop before we leave.” Gina took them both by the hand and disappeared again. This time she reappeared in front of Toby’s modest shack.

“You two wait here.” Gina ordered. Gina entered the small shack. Toby had gone to sleep because it was late, but Gina woke him up.

“Princess, what are you doing here?” Toby asked. Toby couldn’t believe the princess was in his small shack. It was as if he were still dreaming. Toby got to his feet. When he did, Gina wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the lips. It was at this moment that Toby was sure he was dreaming. The princess didn’t even know he was alive, yet there she was.

“Are you ready?” Gina asked when she was done kissing Toby.

“Ready for what?” Toby asked.

“Ready to run away with me.” Gina continued. Toby didn’t know what to say. He had dreamed of this moment his entire life and it was happening.

“Yes” He affirmed.

“Then come with me” Gina ordered. Toby and Gina went outside where Mark and Carla were waiting for them. Gina had them all hold hands. Once they did, they all disappeared. When they reappeared, they were all in the future.

“Where are we?” Carla asked. She looked around and nothing looked familiar. They were on the side of a road and a car passed. “What was that?”

“We are in the future.” Gina declares, “A future where we can all be our best selves.”

“What will we do here?” Mark asked.

“Anything we want!” Gina replied, “I just have one final thing to do.” Gina let go of the spark. She was no longer a great sorcerous, now she was just herself, with the people she cared about.

THE END

“Listen to me, you will never be happy.” Gina tells the young man, “The great one doesn’t know everything.”

“I don’t know what to think.” The young man answers.

Gina thinks for a moment. Then she grabs the hand of the great one and they both disappear. They reappear in a small dimly lit hut. An older great one is trying to light a fire. Back when he had his magic, he could use that to light the fire but that was a long time ago. The great one looks at the older version of himself, who is still unaware that he has guests.

“Go on” Gina coaxes the young version, “He cold. You can help him.”

“Why can’t he help himself.” The younger great one asks.

“He lost the ability to use magic a long time ago.” Gina says, “Have some compassion.”

The younger great one looks at his older self-struggle. He waits for several more minutes. The older version is so wrapped up in trying to start a fire that he is completely oblivious to the fact he is not alone. The younger great one makes a gesture with his hands and the fire lights.

This event startles the older version. He turns around and is faced with himself and a woman he doesn’t recognize.

“Who are you?” The older version asks.

“I’m you” The younger version declares.

“You can perform magic?” The older version asks.

“Yes.” The younger version replies.

“How is this possible?” The older version continues.

“How did you lose your magic?” The younger version asks.

“My apprentice and I didn’t see eye to eye, and he took my magic from me.” The older version answers.

“How did he do that?” The younger version inquires.

“I don’t know but you must not train him.” The older version warns.

“Why?” The younger version asks.

“Because he starts a war that will consume the entire world.” The older man answers.

“This woman wants to take your apprentices magic away.” The younger man offers.

“Let her do it!” The older man says, “Don’t oppose her. She is the one from the dream that stops the war.” The old man sits down in a chair near the fire to warm himself. Gina grabs the younger man’s hands and they disappear again.

They appear on the plain where Mark had his battle. The field is strewn with dead bodies. The great one is repulsed by the sight.

“This is where a great battle took place. Your apprentice is responsible for all these lives lost.” Gina explains.

“I failed.” The great one said, “This apprentice that I take on, I fail him.”

“He is happy the way he is now, he is part of a community that cares about him. You take him away from all that. If you allow me to take his ability to use magic away. This war never happens, and he lives a happy life.” Gina explains.

“I want to see him, the way he is now.” The great one requests. Gina takes his hand, and they disappear again. They reappear in a chamber in her own castle. The leader, who used to be the great one’s apprentice, the sleeping.

“Time to wake up” the great one says, as he finishes speaking, the leader awakens. He sees his old master and the girl.

“What kind of trick is this?” The leader asks Gina.

“I wanted your old master to see what has become of you.” Gina answers.

“You are the woman from my dreams. The one who opposes me.” The leader acknowledges, “Why bring him here?”

“Because he has not decided to train you yet.” Gina answers, “Before he does, I wanted him to see what happens to you.” Gina grabs the hand of the leader and the great one’s hand and they all disappear. They reappear in front of the young man.

“This is what you become if you don’t let me take away your magic.” Gina declares.

“What?!” the leader says, “You can’t take away my magic, I won’t let you.”

“Go ahead,” Gina tells the young man,” Ask him what he’s done.”

“What is she talking about?” The young man asks the leader.

“The dreams” The leader says,” The dreams where you see an army sweeping over the world, that is your army. You hear the people of the world calling out for help and you use this army to free them. When the whole world is under our control. There will be peace, and everyone will be happier. This woman is the one who you see in the dream who takes it all away.”

“I don’t know what happens because I always wake up before the dream ends.” The young man claims.

“When you should all see the end of the dream.” Gina declares. She touches all three of them and they all fall asleep.

They all had a dream.

They all saw the wonders of the kingdoms of the world. As these kingdom’s glory passed before them, their glory was swallowed up by a large army that swept over the earth. The army destroyed everything in its path. A madman led this army. The young man saw for the first time, that the madman was himself. As the army was approaching victory, a woman appeared to oppose him. A great sorceress. The two engaged in battle. As the dust settled, the woman who opposed him was bound in chains and cast down.

Gina was waiting at the edge of the field for the workers to return from a hard day’s work. As people pass her by, she sees him. He looks so young. He has his whole life in front of him. She steps in front of him.

“Hi” she says warmly.

“Hi” he replies, “I’ve never seen you around here.” His voice is warm and light and genuine.

“I just got here.” She answers, “I’ve been traveling.”

“Alone?” He inquires, “You must be very brave.”

“I can take care of myself.” She responds.

“I can see that.” He agrees, looking her over.

“You look happy.” Gina notes.

“I am. I have everything I want, friends, family, and an honest day’s work.” He answers, smiling.

“But there is one thing, isn’t there?” She asks.

“What do you mean?” He answers.

“There’s one thing that troubles you.” Gina clarifies.

“How would you know that?” He asks.

“I’m a seer.” Gina explains, “I can see into your soul.”

“Really?” the man asks intrigued, “and what is my trouble.”

“You have a terrible nightmare. You see the whole world consumed by war.” Gina answers, “and it frightens you. Your scared that your life will be ruined.”

“That’s right.” The man confirms. His face turns white.

“Would you like me to take the nightmares away?” Gina offers.

“You can do that?” He asks.

“I can.” Gina insists, “You will sleep peacefully from this night forward.”

“Will it hurt?” The man asks.

“You won’t feel a thing.” Gina promises, “I want to help you.” Before the young man answers, the great one approaches. He senses the spark in Gina. Gina senses the spark in him as well.

“Am I interrupting something?” The great one asks on approach.

“This beautiful woman says she can take away my nightmares.” The young man explains.

“Great One?” Gina asks confused.

“This is the great one.” The young man explains, “He is the greatest wizard in existence. His wisdom directs our kingdom. We are truly lucky to have someone like him to help us.”

“I am honored to meet you.” Gina says to the great one, “I am a great sorceress, this young man has been having nightmares and I have offered to take them away.”

“Great, you say?” The great one responds, “Where do you come from?”

“I come from a Kingdom far away.” Gina explains, “I have been traveling a long time.”

“This young man sees the future. He has the spark and it’s showing him things to come.” The great one explains, “I was just going to offer to train him.”

“What?” the young man asks, “Train me for what.”

“Train you in how to use magic.” The great one explains, “I need an apprentice. I’m not going to get here forever, and I want you to take my place when the time comes.”

“You must not train him.” Gina insists, “The spark, as you call it, will only bring him pain and sorrow. He must get rid of it.”

“I am offering him a chance at a better life.” The great one argues, “One where he will make a difference for everyone. He will be respected.”

“He’s happy now,” Gina counters, “The responsibility that comes with your offer is too much.”

“Don’t I get a say in this?” The young man interrupts. “What do you mean, a better life?”

“Not everyone can practice magic, only those who have the spark. You will come to live with me. I will train you to use magic. You will use for magic to benefit the kingdom, and everyone will respect you.” The great one explains.

“He’s not telling you everything,” Gina counters, “You will have to leave all the people that you care about behind. You will have to dedicate your life to opposing the nightmares you dream of every night. They won’t go away; they will get worse.”

“You don’t know that.” The great one pushes back, “He will see the vision more clearly and we can take action to stop this threat that he sees.”

“No, he needs to give up the ‘spark’ and be rid of his nightmares.” Gina insists.

“I’m right here” the young man interrupts again, “I can make up my own mind.”

“What the great one is saying about your nightmares is true. You are seeing the future, but what you are not seeing is how this threat starts.” Gina says.

“What does it matter how it starts, what matters is that the threat is dealt with.” The great one says.

“What if I were to tell you that he is the one who starts it.” Gina says to the great one,

“He is the one whose army spreads across the world.”

“How could you possibly know that I can’t even see it.” The great one says, “besides, I would never let it happen.”

“You have no choice.” Gina insists, “If you train him, he will take your place by force.”

“That’s crazy” the young man chimes in, “I would never do that.”

“Yes, you will.” Gina counters, “unless you let me take your ability to use magic away from you.”

“No one can take away another person’s spark. “The great one protests, “I can’t even do that.”

“He will be able to do it.” Gina says, “and no one will be able to stop him.”

“What you’re saying is that I’m the one who terrorizes the world.” The young man asks.

“Yes” Gina answers, “unless the spark is taken away from you, you will leave everything that you’ve known, and you will never be happy again, but I can fix that.”

“I don’t know, I trust the great one, what do you think?” the young man asks the great one.

“You can't trust a sorcerous, for all we know, she’s the one who unleashes this great army.” The great one answers.

Mark found himself on his knees on the floor of Toby’s small house. Toby was there and Gina was there as well. Mark stood at his feet.

“Thank you” Mark said, “I thought I was dead for sure.”

“You’re welcome” Gina replied.

“How did you know and how did you get there.” Mark asked.

“It’s magic.” Gina explained, “Ever since the old man died, I’ve been able to make things happen.”

“The army isn’t invincible like we were led to believe.” Mark begins, “We met a large army on a great plain. A lot of people died and when the dust settled, neither side won. We withdrew but the enemy overpowered us in the middle of the night. I was captured and almost put to death. The war can’t be fought without soldiers to replace the ones who have died.”

“Life is better now” Toby admitted, “Everyone is working toward the common good and everyone is benefiting.”

“A lot of men have died.” Mark counters.

“They would have died anyway.” Toby shoots back, “War is the way it’s always been.”

“We have seen the future, and we know one thing. This peace can’t be maintained with our current technology.” Mark argues, “All empires fall, and this one will too.”

“Everyone’s happier.” Gina adds.

“Not everyone.” a new voice adds. No one noticed Carla had entered Toby’s house, “The leader, the guy who started this war. He’s not happy.”

“But he had brought freedom to so many people.” Toby answers.

“I’ll admit that people are happier, but he’s done it at the expense of his own happiness.” Carla adds,

“What are you doing here?” Gina asks Carla.

“The leader is looking for you. He wants to send you away to another part of the empire so you can live a normal life.” Carla explains.

“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” Toby asks.

“I don’t know.” Carla admits.

“Maybe I should meet this leader.” Gina proposes.

“Don’t do it. He’s a wizard, better than the old man was.” Carla warns.

“I know” Gina replies, “Bring the leader to the bakery and meet me in the back tomorrow.” Gina tells Carla.

That night Gina has a dream.

She sees a young man working in the fields. He works hard but despite that, he looks happy. When the working day is over, he congregates with his peers. They all work together, play together, and look out for each other. When the young man goes home, he has a dream that torments him. He doesn’t know how to use magic yet.

Then the scene shifts. He sees someone offer the young man an opportunity to practice magic. Gina sees the young man start to change. He becomes obsessed with his dream.

Gina wakes up.

The next day, Carla speaks with the leader. He tells him that he has found her. She works in the bakery, and she is the one responsible for making the bread. The leader will finally have the chance to remove the only obstacle in his way. Victory will be within reach.

He enters the bakery. The crowd is there. He moves past them and goes in the back. He sees Gina. He feels the spark inside of her. He tries to remove it but fails. He is not sure why he can’t remove it, but he tries again and again he fails.

“I must admit, everyone is happier since you took over.” Gina tells the leader.

“Who are you? Why can’t I take your spark.” The leader asks.

“It is not yours to take.” Gina replies without looking at the leader, “I’ve seen you before. I’ve seen the dreams that torment you. You used to be happy.”

“That was a long time ago.” The leader responds, “I must unite the world.”

“To what end?” Gina asks, “Empires rise and fall. No matter how much you want it to last, it won’t.”

“It will.” The leader insists, “When everyone is better off, they will make it last.”

“Nothing lasts.” Gina insists, “You’ve sacrificed your happiness for nothing. You left all those people who cared about you for nothing.”

“It wasn’t for nothing. It was for the greater good.” The leader explains.

“The cost was too high.” Gina states.

“Come with me.” The leader orders. Gina complies, not because she must, but because she knows there is nothing the leader can do to her. Gina is taken to the dungeon. She has never been there before. Her hands and feet are bound in chains.

“You will stay here until I decide what to do with you.” The leader announces. Gina does not respond. The leader leaves her by herself. It takes some time, but eventually Gina falls asleep.

Gina has another dream.

“Who are you looking for?” Carla asked the leader.

“I felt something inside the bakery and then it was gone.” The leader answered.

“What he you feel?” Carla followed up.

“Another person who could use magic.” The leader explained, “When you are as powerful as I am, you can sense when someone else in the area can also use magic. If there is someone else here that can use magic, that might be a problem.”

“People are happier now. Life is better. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to ruin that.” Carla thinks out loud.

“Some people just aren’t happy, no matter what life is like.” The leader follows up.

“Are you happy?” Carla asks the leader.

“No. No one who leads is happy.” The leader explains.

“Why not?” Carla continues.

“Because you always have to keep an eye over your shoulder.” The leader answers.

“Maybe this person who can use magic just wants to be left alone.” Carla suggests.

“That might be true, but I have to know for sure.” The leader says.

Carla felt sorry for the leader. He had all this power, but he wasn’t happy. He could do anything he wanted and yet, he is fighting this war, trying to save everyone. Carla and the leader continue their tour. Carla is impressed with how different everything is. Everyone does seem to be happier.

“I want to help,” Carla offers, “What can I do?”

“I’ll tell you what, you can lead the staff that maintains the castle. If you prove you can handle that, I’ll give you something more challenging.” The leader offers.

Carla wasn’t sure what to say. She knew the entire staff that maintains the castle because she was part of that staff. The others are likely to resent her getting a promotion over them. Furthermore, the person who oversees the staff now probably isn’t going to like being replaced.

“What is the person that does that job now going to do?” Carla asks.

“We’ll find something for them to do. You don’t have to worry about that.” The leader assured.

When Carla returned to the Castle. The person in charge of the staff gathered everyone together. He explained that he had just been given a promotion that was effective immediately and introduced Carla as his replacement. Carla then got up to address the staff, but she wasn’t sure what to say.

“Thank you. I am honored to accept this responsibility. I know that you will do continue to do an amazing job. Back to work everyone.” Carla announced.

“To the point, I like that.” The leader approved, “I am aware that these people are going to try and stab you in the back. Handle it the right way, and you will have a bright future.”

“How do you know?” Carla asked.

“Because I know people.” The leader answered. Carla knew the leader was right. She was one of them and not all of them liked her. She needed to weed those people out fast.

“I won’t let you down.” Carla promised.

“I know” the leader agreed. After saying that, the leader left Carla to take care of other matters. Carla was left alone with her thoughts. Maybe she was wrong? Maybe she could fulfill her ambitions here in the past. The leader of the entire empire noticed her. She is being given a chance to show everyone what she can do.

Once Carla assumed control, little things started to happen just as the leader predicted. By themselves they were no big deal but accumulated, they added up. It didn’t help that the staff was uncooperative in identifying the ones responsible. It took Carla weeks, but she finally figured out who the culprit was. Once she did, she assembled the staff.

Once the staff was assembled, she called out the offending staff member and informed her that she was being transferred. Once the offending staff member was gone, Carla started giving little rewards in recognition for well-done jobs. Over time the staff started to like Carla being in charge.

One day Carla got a visit from the second in command.

“We have not been able to locate the princess yet.” The man informed Carla, “We are certain she is still here somewhere and that she has disguised herself. She may even have had help. Once we capture her, we are going to send her to the other side of the empire where no one knows who she is. We will give her something to do, and she will be able to lead a normal life there. We think you can help us find her. You have done an outstanding job. Find the princess and your future will be secure.”

“How do you know I can find her?” Carla asked.

“Because we now know that she was the other girl that was with you when we found you the night, we liberated the people here. The leader would like to speak with her.” The man explained.

Carla wasn’t sure the man was telling the truth about what would be done when Gina was found. However, she couldn’t deny that they are being treated more than fairly and that everyone was generally happier now that these people had come. Maybe Gina would be better off on the other side of the empire, leading a normal life.

“Okay, I will do what I can to help find the princess.” Carla promised.

“Hey, can I borrow a pencil?”

I’m sitting in my 10th-grade Chemistry class when I speak those fated words. We’re about to take a test, one of those scantron things that have to be filled out in No. 2 pencil only, and I can’t find my pencil anywhere. I lean over to the kid sitting next to me. Tom Peli-something. He’s a bit weird, and I’ve never really spoken to him much before, but I’m desperate, and this kid’s always prepared.

“Sure.” Tom pulls another pencil out of his backpack. Before he hands it to me, he holds it up between us. “Just so you know, it’s haunted.”

“What?” Did I just hear what I think I heard? I knew the kid was weird, but what the hell?

Mrs. Conway’s sharp voice pulls me out of my thoughts. “Put everything away except for your pencils and erasers. I will not pass out the test until everything is away and the room is quiet. And you will need the entire class period for this test.”

After a few more whispers and shuffles of books and other materials, the class grows quiet. Tom is still holding the pencil between us.

“Whatever, I’ll take it,” I say, grabbing the pencil out of his hand.

Tom just shrugs. “Okay. I warned you.”

Mrs. Conway hands out the test, and I get to work filling in the little bubbles for what I hope are the right answers.

C. Hydrochloric Acid

A. Carbon Dioxide

B. 18 Electrons

C. Hydro—

“Of all the things you could do with a pencil, and you’re just filling in those little bubbles?”

I look up at the sound of the small voice. It sounds like the speaker is right in front of me, but there’s no one there. I look around, but no one else seems to have heard the voice. Confused, I return to reading the next question.

If a sample of matter is uniform throughout and cannot be separated into other substances by physical means—

“I’m not complaining, really. It’s just that there are so many other things you could use me for.”

Again, I look up, but there’s no one there. I glance over at Tom, but he is focusing on his test. I scan the room, looking for any sign that someone else heard the voice, but all of my classmates have their eyes on their test.

“Do you need something, Mr. Speero?” Mrs. Conway is at her desk, glaring a warning at me over her glasses.

“No, Mrs. Conway,” I answer quickly and try to get back to my test.

But when I pick up my pencil to fill in the next bubble, I notice something on the eraser. Something sitting on the eraser.

“I mean, you could doodle, or even sketch a masterpiece!” the thing says. “You could write a story or a letter. Even an essay would be better than this!”

I gasp and drop the pencil on my desk, drawing the attention of several of my classmates and my teacher.

“Mr. Speero! Is there a problem?”

“Um, can I go to the bathroom?”

Mrs. Conway looks at me sternly and then rolls her eyes. “Fine. But don’t dawdle, or I might suspect you are up to something.”

I just nod at her, stealthily grab the pencil, stuff it in my pocket, and walk out of the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I think I see Tom smirking at me as I leave.

When I make it to the bathroom, I pull the pencil out of my pocket and stare at it. It looks like an ordinary pencil – yellow except for the black lettering spelling out the brand name and a number 2, with a dull, lead point on one end and a pink eraser held in place by its metal holder.

Suddenly, the eraser begins to morph. Two little arms stick out and grab the edge of the eraser, and soon a head appears. The little thing pulls itself all the way out as if he were pulling himself out of a hole. When his entire body emerges, he sits down on the edge of the eraser and looks at me thoughtfully.

I stare back at him in fascination. He looks like a fully grown man, but he can’t be more than half an inch tall, and he’s entirely white, though slightly transparent. He’s wearing an equally white, equally transparent outfit consisting of khakis, a collared shirt, and a sweater vest, and on his nose sits a pair of wire-framed glasses.

“What are you?”

The little man shrugged. “Ghost, ghoul, poltergeist. Call me whatever you like; I’m not picky.”

“Tom was telling the truth?”

“He usually does. One of the reasons most people think he’s kind of weird.”

“So, do you, like, belong to him?”

The ghost looks indignant. “I don’t belong to anyone! Tom just happens to be the current keeper of the pencil that I haunt. Or, at least he was. Now, that honor has been passed to you!”

“What? Because I borrowed the pencil?”

“Yes!” the little ghost says excitedly. “And now you get the benefit of my great wisdom!”

“Look, I just needed a pencil to take this stupid Chem test.” Then an idea hit me. “Wait, the benefit of your wisdom? Does that mean you can help me on my test?”

He sighs. “I suppose I can. But I wouldn’t be much help. The sciences are all well and good, but they don’t hold the pure passion and depth of literature or art. If you really want to put me to work, set me loose on an analysis of Shakespeare or a short story about the futile pursuit of love. I was a writer, painter, and professor of art and literature in a past life, you see.”

“Of course you were,” I mutter. “Look, I gotta get back to finish the test or Mrs. Conway will fail me for suspected cheating. Sorry, but I don’t have any use for a haunted pencil. Tom can have you back.”

“Wait!” the little man shouts at me as I exit the bathroom. “I can make myself useful! I can! I’m intelligent and ambitious. Together, we can really go places!”

“Not interested.”

“Please, don’t give me back to that idiotic boy!” the ghost begs. “I cannot stand that imbecile!”

Getting tired of the little ghost’s whining, I shove the pencil into the pocket of my jeans, but that doesn’t shut him up. His muffled voice stays with me all the way down the hall from the bathroom to my chemistry class.

“You don’t know what it’s like! He’s had my pencil for four years, and I don’t think I can take it a day longer. Please! Don’t give it back to him!”

His pleas are starting to wear on me, and I consider giving in and just keeping the pencil for the sake of the little whiny ghost professor, but when I enter my classroom, I come face to face with Mrs. Conway.

“Are you ready to take your test now, Mr. Speero?”

“Um, actually, I need a pencil.” Her raised eyebrow tells me that she doesn’t quite believe me, but she still leads me to her desk, pulls a sharpened pencil from her drawer, and hands it to me.

“Anything else?”

“No, Mrs. Conway. Thank you.”

I walk silently to my desk as Mrs. Conway sits down at hers. The little professor is still yammering away in my pocket, making my next decision easier. I pull the haunted pencil from my pocket and hold it out to Tom.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” I whisper.

Tom looks up from his desk and glances at me and then the pencil. The little professor is now on his knees on top of the eraser, his hands clasped as he pleads with me. “Don’t do it! I’m begging you! I’ll do anything! I’ll—”

Tom shrugs and reaches for the pencil. The instant Tom takes the pencil from my hand, the ghost disappears, and I can no longer hear him.

Tom smiles down at the pencil. “Hello again,” he whispers to it before sliding it back into his backpack. Then, he goes back to his test without another word.

Trying to shake the memory of the tiny ghost from my mind, I do the same.

Which element below has the highest electronegativity?

“You haven’t done what I told you to do.” The new great one announced.

“We need more time.” One of the advisors answered.

“You don’t have any more time.” The great one informed the council causing fear to wash over them.

“A lot of changes must be made. We can’t just wave our hands and make it happen.” Another advisor protested.

“You haven’t made any changes, and you don’t intend to.” The great one answered,

“Now you will receive your punishment.” The great one started waving his hands around and uttering words that sounded like nonsense. When he was finished, the King and all his advisors turned into rats.

“Now the outside fits what is on the inside.” The great one said, although now none of them could understand him because they were all rats. Now he needed to address the people. The Kingdom was no longer a kingdom but an empire. He would need to turn it into a well-oiled machine, swift and efficient. To do that he would need to create a machine where everyone knew what was expected of them.

News of the King’s demise spread quickly and soon everyone was gathered. The great one stood up to address the crowd.

“For what seems like forever, the masses have always worked so that the few could lead fantastic lives. The life of abundance and luxury. A man should toil, first for himself, and then for the common good. I gave the King a chance to put this idea into practice, but he refused. He didn’t want to give up his power. So, I turned him and all his advisors into rats.” The great one paused to let this information soak in.

“Now we must forge a new future. One where everyone benefits, not just a few. Where everyone gets a chance to use their talents, first to benefit themselves, then to benefit others. Among you there are natural leaders, people who are respected by the community and able to organize people to accomplish great things. We need you to step up and use those talents. I have written out the rules that we will now live by as well as the tasks that need to be done. Life will be better, both for you and your children. Together, we will make it better.”

The people stood in silence. They didn’t know what to think about this new thing the great one is going to force on them. All their lives, all they’ve known is toil. They felt comfort in knowing that there was someone in charge directing society. Now that was all gone. What would become of them without a King? They all knew they couldn’t oppose the great one. If he thought this new thing was what should be done. They would all have to do it whether they wanted to or not.

The great one started identifying these natural leaders and over the next few years, he put them into place. At first, no one noticed that changes were being made. However, everyone noticed when food production increased. Everyone started to wonder where all the homeless people disappeared to. Crime became almost nonexistent. The people noticed that their lives were getting better and there was no King to thank for it, they had themselves to thank.

It took some time, but the great one had everything in place. It was time to start the war. Everyone was gathered for the announcement.

“We have enjoyed prosperity like no other people have enjoyed before us. When people are left to their own devices, they are capable of amazing things. You have all proven this to be true. There are other people in other places that are not as fortunate as you are. They suffer under the yoke of oppression by those who do not care if they live or die. We can change that. We have assembled a great army and now we will use that army to free the people of the world, so they can enjoy the life that you all now enjoy.”

The people listened. They could not deny life was better, but they didn’t see any reason why they should be responsible for bringing this life to others. They could not go against the wishes of the great one. They would have to force the rest of the world to be like them, whether it wanted to or not.

The great one knew that the people did not want war, but when the whole world is under the same system and everyone is happy, war will no longer be required. The great one knew that a woman would rise to oppose him. He had seen it in his dreams. He still never saw how the dreams ended but now instead of rooting for her victory, he rooted for her defeat. It was his destiny to sweep across the planet. It was his destiny to rule the world and no woman was going to get in his way.

While Toby worked in the fields, Gina worked in the bakery. As she used her new powers to avoid getting fired, she started to attract attention because of its results. The quality of the bread that was made at the bakery became wildly popular. The woman who employed her became very happy.

Every morning, the people who came in who wanted to buy bread increased dramatically. Gina was learning to control her new powers and soon she could do just about anything she wanted. She felt empowered.

As the princess, everyone was afraid of her and only pretended to like her. As the baker’s assistant, everyone loved her because of the bread that she made. As the days passed, Gina began to feel better about her situation. She knew she was still in danger should anyone expose her identity to their new rulers, but she can’t say she was sorry the whole thing happened. Life did seem better now, not only for her but for everyone else as well.

Toby got used to the strangers watching him work. He wasn’t sure why they were there. They never said anything. They never got in the way. They just watched. After watching for what seemed like many days. The workers were all called into a meeting. At the meeting they were informed that the men who has been watching them were there to help them grow more food, faster. They were part of a vast empire now and they had a responsibility, not only to themselves but to the rest of humanity to be as efficient as possible. So, they started training the workers in new techniques. They built new equipment to aid in the process. Some of the things they did reminded Toby of the things they did in the future. Toby was amazed. The results were almost immediate. Toby couldn’t deny that life was better.

Toby could see Gina’s confidence grow with each new day. He could also tell she was happier. Gina felt comfortable with Toby now and he wondered if she could be persuaded to make the arrangement permanent. He didn’t want to blow his shot though, so he decided not to force anything. It would be better for it to develop naturally over time. At least that’s what he told himself.

Toby was concerned about Gina’s growing popularity. He could see that she was happier now, but he knew that the new powers that be were still looking for the princess and that when they found her, it would not be good. He felt like it was his duty to look out for her.

One day Gina felt something she had never felt before. She was at the bakery, and she sensed someone close. Someone who had the same powers that she had. She peeked out from the back room and looked through the crowd. There were a lot of people there and it was hard for her to tell who it was. Then she saw Carla. She had not seen Carla since the night they took her to the castle. Then she saw who was next to Carla. It was a man she had never seen before, but she knew he was the one. He was the one who had power and it wasn’t just a little power, it was a lot of power. She wished to be hidden.

When the leader walked into the bakery. He felt something he had not felt in some time. Someone in the bakery had the spark. He looked around but he couldn’t tell who it was. He thought that was a bit odd because he had sharpened his senses and could detect even the weakest spark in a person who was close by. A magician was trying to hide from him. No one hides for long. Many have tried and they all ultimately fail. As he had this thought, the thing he felt vanished. He looked to see if anyone had left the bakery. If he could no longer feel it, the person had to move away from him. He grabbed Carla’s arm.

“Let’s go.” he said sternly.

“I haven’t gotten any bread yet.” Carla protested.

“I’ll have some sent to your room.” The leader promised, “we need to go now.” The two exited the bakery. The leader looked down the street in both directions, but he just didn’t sense it anymore. Whoever it was, was now out of detection range. The person he was looking for was here. He was almost sure of it now.

That night Gina had a dream.

She was seeing all the Kingdom’s of the world and all their splendor, then she saw the people. The people who were used as pawns by the world’s elites. She could hear those people cry out for help. They needed relief from their suffering. She saw a man rise. It was the same man she saw in the bakery with Carla. He had a vast army at his command. He moved across the world, liberating the masses from their oppression. This war that had engulfed Gina’s Kingdom. It didn’t start or stop with them. The war would continue until it reached the end of the world.

She saw information flow in this new empire and the advances that there made benefited all who belonged to it. This man was going to force the world to become one, confident in the fact that once that happened, everyone would be happier.

Gina heard another cry for help, a specific cry from a specific person. It was someone she knew but he was far away. She had to get to him somehow, his life depended on it.

She woke up and for the first time in her life, she had purpose.

Mark woke up in his tent for the millionth time. Every morning was the same. He took down his tent in minutes and within 20, the entire army was ready to march. It was crazy how fast they could break camp, get in formation and march.

They had just entered a large plain. There was tall grass as far as the eye could see. Everything was peaceful. They continued marching. Then from out of nowhere, a single arrow came hurtling toward them. Another arrow followed a few moments later. The arrows kept coming until there were hundreds of them hurtling through the sky.

Some of them connected with their targets, most of them fell harmlessly to the ground. The army kept marching. Another wave hit, a few more soldiers fell, the army kept marching. When the army got to a certain point on the plain, the enemy sprang up all around them and attacked. The surprise gave the enemy an advantage, but the advantage didn’t last long. While the enemy did manage to kill quite a few soldiers, the ambush was quickly defeated.

The army continued to march. It started as a speck in the distance, then as it got closer, it got bigger. A huge boulder came hurtling at the advancing army. They managed to avoid being hit by it. Then another boulder came which also did no damage. Then several boulders at once came. It was too many to dodge all of them. The soldiers that were unable to get out of way perished. The army continued to march. More boulders came. The number of soldiers dwindled but they kept marching.

Finally, the source of the boulders came into view. Rows upon rows of machines that catapulted the boulders high in the air became visible. As the army got close to the machines, they stopped throwing boulders. The reason they stopped is because another army was there to oppose them.

The fighting was fierce, and Mark had thought that they had finally met their match. He didn’t believe there was an army that could oppose them, yet this seemed to be that army. Mark’s comrades began falling around him. He had to use all his training to stay alive. At a great cost of life, the army broke through the enemy’s defenses and destroyed the machines. When the dust had cleared, very few soldiers from either side were left standing.

Mark considered himself lucky to be one of them. The battle was a draw and Mark’s army retreated. They would have to wait for the new soldiers to arrive before they could make another push. It wasn’t defeat, just a delay of the inevitable.

They set up camp on the plains. Mark sat in his tent. He was tired. He didn’t want to fight. He wanted to go home. He wanted to see Carla again. He wanted to tell her how he really felt about her. He wanted to know if she felt the same way about him.

The next day Mark woke up in his tent. When he looked outside, he couldn’t believe what he saw. In the night, the enemy had infiltrated the camp and had captured the few forces that remained. They were taken to a prison and locked up. The plan was to publicly execute them as enemies of the state.

Mark was barely given enough to eat to stay alive. Of course, there really wasn’t much point in feeding the prisoners at all if they are just going to end up being executed anyway, they just needed to be kept alive long enough to make it to their execution.

One by one, Mark’s cellmates disappeared and never came back. This took longer than you would think. The reason is because they had to make a spectacle out of it. They had defeated this huge threat that had bulldozed its way across the planet. Stopping this threat was a big deal. So, Mark waited for his turn. Mark never wanted to fight, and he certainly didn’t want to die.

Mark wasn’t sure how much time had passed; He didn’t have a window and he couldn’t see outside. What he did notice was the number of his comrades still in prison was decreasing. There were only a handful of them left now. The odds of his “turn” coming up were high. Mark wished he could have stayed in the future. He could have graduated from high school and made a career for himself. He could have lived a life in peace instead of war. Now that life was coming to an end and there was nothing he could do about it.

His day finally came, He was dragged out of his cell and marched outside. A guillotine was waiting for him. A large crowd cheered, and he was taken up to the platform where the guillotine had been placed. Before Mark was put to death, the King felt it necessary to give a speech.

“A great army came to take over our Kingdom. That army has been defeated. It was at the cost of great life. We honor those who have died by executing the ones who remain alive that have attacked us without cause.” The King finished his speech and gave the signal.

Mark was moved into position. His head placed in such a way that it would soon be removed from the rest of his body. The executioner swung his axe, which in turn cut the rope that was holding the blade in its position. Once the rope was cut, the blade made its downward trajectory toward Mark’s neck with the intention of slicing through it. As the blade nearly reaches Mark’s neck, the blade mysteriously stops, as if frozen in time.

The ropes that were securing Mark’s hands disappear and he is free to remove his head from harm's way. The executioner grabs Mark. A mysterious woman appears out of nowhere.

“Forgive me, your highness,” The mysterious woman starts, “This person belongs to me, and I cannot allow you to harm him.” After saying this, both Mark and the mysterious woman vanish.

Carla was bored. Carla was bored out of her mind. She had been forced to stay in the castle in the princess’s own room and had not been allowed to move about freely. The servants brought her anything she wanted and while it was a lot more comfortable and a cell in the dungeon, it was a cell, nonetheless.

Carla missed Mark. Carla missed Toby. Carla even missed Gina. Before she had felt like she was in control of her destiny and now that control had completely vanished. The days wore on. The servants treated her like royalty. Several times she was tempted to use the secret passage to escape, but each time she thought about it, she decided to stay where she was. She tried to get information about what was going on outside, but each time she asked one of the servants a question, they would give a polite non-answer.

Then one day, she got a visitor, and it wasn’t just anyone. She had attracted the attention of the guy in charge and not just the guy in charge of this area, she attracted the attention of the guy in charge of everything, everywhere. He was old. Carla couldn’t be sure just how old he was, but she could tell that he had been through a lot.

“How are you my dear?” The leader asks.

“I’m okay. I’m kind of bored though.” Carla answers.

“That’s understandable.” The leader continues, “I hope you will accept my apologies for keeping you ‘locked up’,”

“It’s better than being in the dungeon.” Carla offers.

“It certainly is.” The leader agreed, “My second in command thinks you are a natural born leader. He can read people in moments, and he is never wrong. I have come to trust and rely on his judgement. We need leaders, leaders who can bring about the greater good.”

“Is that what your war is about? Bringing about the greater good.” Carla asks.

“I would hardly call it a war, but yes. What you say is correct. We are uniting the world under one system of government. A system which benefits all the people, not just a select few.” The leader explains.

“Why do you get to decide what the greater good is?” Carla asks.

“Someone has to decide, and once people get used to this new system, they are willing to fight to the death to keep it.” The leader adds.

“But why is it you?” Carla asks again.

“Because it’s my vision for humanity.” The leader responds, “and in my vision, you can use the talents you have to benefit, not only yourself but everyone else instead of wasting them because you lack opportunity.”

“What do you want me to do?” Carla asks.

“I want you to use your talents for leadership, to inspire people and get things done.” The leader answers, “You don’t know what’s going on outside because you have been here for weeks. Allow me to give you a tour, so you can see what I am talking about.”

Carla knew she didn’t have a choice. The leader and Carla left the castle and entered the city. The fires that had been burning the night of the attack were completely gone. The buildings that had been destroyed had been rebuilt. In fact, if you didn’t know that a battle had taken place, you would never know unless someone told you. Carla marveled at how ‘back to normal’ everything seemed and how happy everyone looked.

The city was clean and tidy, and everything seemed to be in place. Carla felt like there had to be something wrong, but if there was, she couldn’t see it.

“Now tell me, my dear. “The leader asked, “When was the last time you saw this place in a better condition than you see it now?”

“I’ve never seen this place in a better condition than it is now.” Carla had to admit.

“Pick any random person and ask them how they are doing?” the leader ordered, “Go on. Ask them anything.” Carla stopped a young woman who seemed like she was in a hurry.

“Excuse me.” Carla said to the young woman, “Why are you in such a hurry.”

“Haven’t you heard?” The young woman replied, “The bakery two streets over has baked the best tasting bread anyone has ever tasted. I’m hurrying to get some before it’s all gone for the day.” Before Carla could get in another word, the young woman was off.

“See, didn’t I tell you. Now ask someone else.” the leader prompted. Carla stopped a young man.

“Excuse me.” Carla said, “I would just like to know how you are doing today?” The young man stops to answer her. “I’m doing great.” The young man replied.

“Why is that?” Carla followed up.

“Before the attack, I was out of work. I was hungry. I didn’t know what I was going to do. They rounded me up and a bunch of other people and I thought they were going to throw me in the dungeon but instead they gave me a job. They said no man should suffer the humiliation of not being able to provide for his family. This attack was the best thing that ever happened to me.” The young man’s face was beaming with pride.

“Thank you” Carla said. Carla couldn’t deny what her eyes were telling her. Things were better. Things were better for everyone. The leader was right, who would want things to do back to the way they were before?

Carla couldn’t help but think there had to be some kind of catch, only she couldn’t think of what that catch was.