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Rill flew right to him and dropped a quarter on the table next to the computer. His heart fell. That was his trick? Disappointed, he stroked the bird and thanked him, and turned back to the application. Not this term. He started to close the lid of the laptop.
Rill gave a trilling sound, trying to get his attention. He choked down his disappointment. Why did a crappy wizard like him think he’d be able to call a top notch familiar? He should have known he was doomed to never get better.
Rill gave a squawk this time, so he finally looked up. Rill looked towards the window. He gasped at what he saw there. Birds were dropping coins on his windowsill. It looked like twenty so far, but more and more streamed in, dropping coins of all sizes.
Rill gave a sharp whistle. His breast fluffed up in pride. Oliver patted his head gently and started shoveling coins into a cap he had sitting on the chair.
“You’re the pied piper of birds!” he announced.
Rill cocked his head at him, and he felt an overpowering sensation of satisfaction. He smiled and opened his laptop. Under his familiar skills, he put, “can control other birds.” He finished up, paid the class fees, and closed the laptop. This had been a great day.
Chapter Three
The first thing he did when he woke up was check if his application had been accepted. Nothing. He wasn’t surprised, the workday hadn’t even started, and he’d turned it in after work, but he was still disappointed. He looked at the bird perch, but Rill was gone. His eyes flicked to the windowsill. The sill, the floor around the sill, and the ledge outside the window were covered with coins.
He hurried over and started scooping the coins off the ledge. He didn’t need coins dropping on unsuspecting residents or people walking by. He couldn’t afford to be sued. If Rill’s new friends were going to keep dropping off money, he’d better set up a better spot.
His grandfather used to keep a greenhouse on the roof. He hadn’t checked on it lately. Maybe he should turn it into an aviary for Rill. He checked the time. He had time to go look before work. He ran up the steps to the roof exit, propped open the door, and walked the five steps to the greenhouse.
The greenhouse wasn’t large, but his grandfather had made it. It was solid. The plants and planters inside were empty. No plants, no dead plants, just an empty building with pots and planters and gardening implements. It’d work. He walked to the edge of the roof that looked over his living room window. Birds were still zooming around it, dropping coins. He needed Rill to direct his buddies to bring their offerings up here. They could drop their coins in the empty planters.
He headed back downstairs, showered, and dressed for work. He made a sandwich to take for lunch and considered shutting the window. He didn’t dare. What if Rill tried to get in? His bond was too new, he wasn’t sure if Rill would come back if the window were closed. He shook his head and left for work. Maybe he’d have an answer when he got home.
It was a long day keeping his smile up and concentrating on his work while anticipating the thing he wanted most in the world. He made himself stop and pick up something for dinner, but that’s all the time he could stand.
He unlocked his door and rushed in. It hadn’t even closed all the way before he had his laptop open. Rill was asleep on his perch, and the pile of coins had grown. While the computer booted, he scooped coins off the ledge. Doing so woke Rill. Rill squawked, and he had the distinct feeling that Rill was pleased to see him.
“Hey, bud, could you have your friends drop the coins upstairs?” He thought hard at the bird, showing him the image of the greenhouse and the planters where the birds could leave their offerings.
Rill fluffed his feathers, and he hopped over to the window. The next few birds received a talking to, and then it all stopped. Rill hopped back to his perch, then seeing the open laptop, he flew over and perched on the top of the screen.
Oliver jumped when he landed, but then absently stroked a finger down the bird’s breast as he waited for his email to open.
His breath caught when he saw the email. It was marked, “Urgent.”
He frowned. That didn’t sound good.
He moved his hand to the mouse to click on the email, when someone pounded on his door. Rill rocked back and forth from foot to foot, agitated. “It’s OK, buddy. Calm down,” he said. He stood and walked quickly to the door—mainly so they’d stop pounding and bothering Rill.
He opened the door to see a stern man, dressed in the robes of a master of the wizard’s Guild.
“Are you Oliver Franklin?” the master said.
“Uh, yeah. I’m Oliver,” he mumbled, shocked.
The man stared at him, his foot tapping on the ground.
“Sorry, come in.” Oliver stood back so the man could enter.
Oliver’s heart was pounding, and his ears felt hot. He knew his color was high. He hated that every reaction he ever had always showed on his face. It was the curse of the red-headed. Pale skin that showed every change of mood.
The master wizard handed Oliver a heavy folded parchment. Oliver looked at it curiously. Was this an official acceptance letter? Did they hand deliver those? Or was it something else? He stared at it long enough that the master wizard cleared his throat loudly.
“What is this?” Oliver asked, not daring to open it without a warning.
“Open it,” the wizard commanded.
Oliver unfolded the paper. It was written on the official letterhead of the University of Alaska Wizarding School. He began to read:
