The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Once upon a time, there was disarray.

A chaotic struggle of beasts raged. These leviathans clawed at each other, pulled on each other's tails, screamed, howled and seethed.

In the midst of this stood the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Worried, hesitant, self-doubting, he stood in sheer impotency, wand by his side. A look of panic marked his fresh, young face.

What could he do? These beasts were making such a mess. He had no knowledge of magic. The wand in his hand was useless. He waved it endlessly to no avail. He had even waded into the fight on several occasions to try and separate the struggling pair, but every time the poor boy emerged dejected and humiliated. There was just no way to make them stop.

Then one day, the Sorcerer returned. The Apprentice was overwhelmed with joy. 'Master, Master, please help me separate these monsters. Show me how to make them disappear!' The Sorcerer waved his wand and the beasts miraculously disappeared. The Apprentice was amazed. 'How Master, how?' The old wise Master smiled knowingly. 'None of it is real my boy. None of it is real.'

The Sorcerer patted the Apprentice on his shoulder and disappeared. No sooner had the Sorcerer disappeared than the beasts got up and recommenced their fight in earnest, this time, it seemed, more vehemently than before. The Apprentice raised his wand, now emboldened by the wise words of his Master, and shouted at the top of his voice 'You are not real!'.

The beasts instantly vanished. The Apprentice was dumbstruck. It worked! Fantastic! Thank god! Praise be to the wise old Master! Supremely contented the young Apprentice proceeded to go about his business, tidying up all the mess the beasts had created. Brimming with satisfaction he carried out his chores.

Suddenly he realised that something was watching him. Spinning around he was stunned to see the beasts standing there in the flesh, totally restored to life, eyeing him with trepidation. Anxious he began to question whether or not the trick had work. What's more their eyes had a sinister, expectant glint that seriously unnerved the young lad.

The Apprentice was afraid. Raising the wand he stammered: 'D-d-disappear!'. The beasts began to smile. 'Disappear I tell you!'. Their tongues began to loll in a malicious fashion. 'Disappear, now! Damn it! Disappear you beasts!'. No sooner had he finished his encantation than the beasts began to writhe in violent struggle, recommencing the dreadful chaos, oblivious to his commands.

'Disappear!' he screamed, time and time again, but it made no difference. He was powerless. He sat dejected, crying. 'Why?' he cried. 'Why?'

After some time in this sorry state he was surprised to feel the hand of the Master on his shoulder, warm and comforting. The Sorcerer's eyes were full of compassion. 'My dear boy' he whispered gently. 'Remember what I told you.' The Apprentice blinked for a moment. The Master smiled.

Then he realised. A slow smile of contentment spread across his face.

Looking up he was not surprised to find that the beasts had vanished.