Benefits of being a sidekick

1. The learning opportunities abound. Whether it be slaying a dragon or fixing a tire, your hero will probably have something to teach.
2. As a sidekick, you avoid receiving the majority of blame when one of the hero's adventures goes awry.
3. When you and the hero are captured, you can often count on the villain ignoring you. This is your chance to get free.
4. Depending on the setting, you get a colorful attire and the chance to give witty remarks.
5. It is your job to take care of the team pet. Be sure not to be late with Wonderpup's lunch!
6. You might be the one who gets to test all of the new gadgets you and the hero receive.
7. Other sidekicks will enjoy hearing of your amazing feats; so long as you give them plenty of time to tell theirs as well.
8. Keep an eye out as you explore; something you see may aid the hero.
9. Depending on your hero, the food may taste better then what you can cook.
10. Sidekicks get neat names!

To the tune of the "Itsy Bitsy Spider"

The big scary velociraptor leaped up the building side.
The soldier ran away to try and stay alive.
His partner fired a ray gun which instantly vaporized,
The big scary velciraptor who leaped up the building side.

Cool Accessories

1. Bow tie.
2. Pocket watch.
3. Gauntlet style gloves.
4. Hat.
5. Glasses.
6. Scarf.
7. Belt buckle.
8. A trench coat or duster.
9. Boots.
10. A personalized handkerchief.

Rainy Day

Thunder crashed as lightening ripped a path through the sky.
The rain pelted the city; forming shallow ponds and slippery streets.
Water dripped from a leaky roof into buckets and kiddy pools.
The smell of wet dog saturated the air, coupled with the aroma of mud.
Candles burned and flashlights glowed, giving light in homes where the power had gone out.
Families huddled together, laughing as they focused on each other.
While outside the rain continued to fall.

For Suggestions

1. In an attempt to further the progress of something.
2. When your assistance has been requested.
3. To better personalize a gift.
4. When it can  help break a creative  block.
5. As a help with projects that the you may not be familiar with.
6. They can be an amusing break from reality.
7. They can be the source of a new idea.
8. As an introduction into an activity that you never had an interest for.
9. When a compromise is necessary.
10. To help make someone else smile.

The Firstborn (Part Two)

Seventeen years later

From a cliff overlooking the forest, I watched the sun rise. Raising my hand, I twisted the magic flux. A large crystal phoenix materialized on the cliff, its body capturing the morning light. I looked at the statue, stifling a sigh as I waved my hand. The magic dispersed, leaving the familiar smell of bread in its wake.

“Crystal again?” Asked the only voice I had ever heard besides mine. I looked at my master. Due to being exposed to the magic flux, his body had been disfigured. With a short stature and abnormally long arms and fingers, large gold eyes, and wide ears, he had commonly been referred to as an imp in the past.

“Yes. It is still the default substance for my manipulations.” Concentrating as I flicked my fingers, a silver flask appeared before me. Catching my creation, I lifted it to my lips. Magic flowed onto my tongue, each drop a different flavor. As I drank, my master spoke.

“It is time.” I stopped drinking and studied his appearance. His golden hair was fading to blonde, while his face showed signs of his centuries.

“How long do you have left?” I asked, snapping my fingers. A small, cushioned chair appeared; which my master sat on.

“Not much longer. Three hundred and eighty-seven is quite a long life.” He stared out at the sunrise. “Most likely another day or two. Then you will take my place.”

I looked out at the sun, the magic in my blood allowing me to stare into the fiery orb.

“Am I ready?” I asked quietly.

A shrill laugh, followed by a sigh. “You know enough. My master taught me for twenty-three years.”

I closed my eyes, remembering the lessons of my life.

The first; the effects of drinking magic. It was what separated my master and I from normal people. Having drank magic all but three days of my life, I was able to sense and reconfigure magic. It also had an affect on on my body. I would live longer then a human. My appearance was not disfigured in the same way as my master, but it was changed by the magic. My skin was crystal, altering its coloration based upon the light. My eyes were copper, while my hair shone silver. Despite my crystal skin, I could still bleed.

The second lesson; my inheritance. After my master's death, I would inherit his duty. Go into the world, and aid those in need for a price. For all magic had to have a price. We had paid ours; disfigurement and a reliance upon the magic we drank.

“How should I begin?” I asked, looking at my master. He snapped his fingers and a scroll materialized. He opened it: revealing a map of the surrounding area.

“There is a kingdom to the south of these woods. That would be a good area to begin.” He handed me the map. I took it and placed in a pouch on my belt.

“When should I leave?”

“Soon. But before you leave, there is a final lesson that I must teach.” My master stood. Facing me, his gold eyes revealed an ancient life. "There will come a time when you must choose your successor. Before that time comes, you must make a decision."

He snapped his fingers. Two images etched in fire appeared before me in the air. One was of a couple with a child. This image changed, following the growth of the child; spanning lifetimes, the child and father lived while the the wife parished.

The other image was of my master, taking a child from a woman with straw colored hair.

"You may choose to take a wife while you are within a human lifespan. If you choose this, you and your child will have to watch as she grows old and dies; eventually fading to nothing but a wistful memory of days gone by. Or you can choose as I did: to gamble your name for a child. "

I turned away from the image of my mother to stare at my master. For one who has drank magic all their life, to reveal your name to another was to place your life in their hands. Bound to their whim, incapable of using magic unless commanded by the keeper of your name. It was a dangerous deal, but equal in value. A life for a life.

"So either I raise a child of my own, and watch as we both lose a woman we love; or I risk my name to claim a child who will have no memory of their parents, and thus not need to suffer the agony of watching a parent die."

He nodded. "If you choose to make the bargain, you must be careful in raising the child. As you have been raised without knowledge of your biological family, so must the child." Then my master took a purple pouch from his belt. "Until the time comes when that child must venture into the world." He flicked his hand and the pouch appeared before me. "These were the tokens I received from your mother before claiming her firstborn. They now belong to you."

I opened the pouch and tossed the contents into the air. Floating within the magic flux I had called fourth, I studied the two items. They were plain pieces of jewellery, such as a peasant would own. The first piece was a crude clay ring, which had a lumpy bit bulging out of the center. The next piece was a necklace: fashioned out of a leather thong wrapped around gray stone speckled with white.

"So she was a peasant?" I asked after returning the jewelery to the pouch.

"The miller's daughter. She had to spin straw into gold; an impossibility for one without magic. For three nights I spun for her: first claiming the necklace, then the ring. On that third night I received the promise that after she was wed, I would receive her firstborn child. A year later, you were born." My master shook his head. "As I had expected, she was reluctant to relinquish you into my care. I gave her three nights to guess my name. She failed."

I nodded. I knew the rest, for it was my life.

Raised in this hidden wood, surrounded by powerful magic. Taught how to manipulate others to my advantage, and how to lose a lesser bargain in order to win that which was of most importance.

My entire life had been in preparation to take my master's place.

"What should I call myself?" I asked. There would be instances when I would need a name to go by.

"Something easy to remember, that is not similar to your true name." He smiled, "I have gone by many names, but Spinner Gold was the one that I favored."

I nodded, stretching my arms. I bowed my head. "I will remember you."

My master met my gaze, his gold eyes softening. "That is all I can ask."

Things you can do with rocks

1. Create figurines.
2. Practice your slingshot.
3. Skip along the surface of a body of water.
4. Make a trail marker.
5. Grind wheat.
6. Build a wall.
7. Use as entertainment.
8. Break stuff.
9. Strengthen muscle.
10. Trip.

The Firstborn (Part One)

"Is your name Ferdinand?" The Queen asked, gently rocking her son. Her arms tightened around the child as the imp shook his head.
"Wrong again, miller's daughter. Only two attempts left!" The imp smiled, revealing crooked teeth. The queen glanced around the chamber, searching her mind for a name she hadn't tried. She knew from the previous two nights that this trial was hers alone. Her husband the King had awaited the coming of the imp the night before; only to fall into a deep slumber from which he had yet to awaken.
"Is your name Helmfried?" She asked. The imp released a shrill laugh, shaking his head.
"Only one attempt left!"
The Queen looked at the child in her arms. Peacefully sleeping, the babe was ignorant to the fact that his future rested on a name.
Without looking away from her child, the Queen spoke. "Is your name Melchior?"
The imp bowed his head for a moment, then lifted his hand. With a snap of his fingers, the child disappeared from his mother's arms.
"I have claimed what was owed." The imp said before disappearing as well.
Staring at her empty arms, the Queen wept.


Far away from the distraught Queen, the imp carefully set the child in a cradle. After watching the sleeping child for a few moments, the imp spoke. "Sleep well, my heir."

Small things that can add up

1. Water. A single drop might not do much. But when enough come together, try not to be downstream.
2. A crack. Nearly invisible when it began, it was left unchecked. Expanding beyond the limits, the crack collapses into itself.
3. Fatigue. You begin your day, expending your energy a little at a time. As this continues, you grow tired.
4. Distance. "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
5. A second. There are 86,400 seconds in a day. What will you do with them?
6. Interactions. Meeting a new person, you introduce yourself. Friendship begins when someone takes the time to say hello.
7. Food. Necessary for survival, how much or little you ingest has an affect.
8. Money. You take a dollar and place it in a jar. If you do this every day, it will add up.
9. Knowledge. Even a mathematician had to start with the basics.
10. Ideas. A single thought can grow, expanding into something far greater then the original idea.

Call to Adventure

Pick up your bow and put on your cap,
Exercise often, until you can run many laps!
Polish your sword and take up a shield,
On this journey your strength will build.
Remember provisions, to pack them well,
Else they could be lost during a powerful gale.
Camp should be made with the utmost care,
Lest monsters strike while you slumber there.
When at last the call to adventure ends,
Return to your home, to family and friends.