Magic

In all the world even in offices under bland desks, there is magic. Yes, magic. Real, beautiful magic. There's only one catch, you have to be a child to see it. Only a child can see the inner ship of a cardboard box or the beauty in a street mutt. Only a child sees the adventure of simply being. There are however children who have become too adult to see. Through tragedy or chaos, they have become mini adults. It is a great injustice to steal any child's magic.

Jesse was a child without magic, a child lost to facts and logic. He spent most days curled up with books about planes and ships and animals. He never played and very rarely dreamed. His hopes were horridly realistic and he had no time for imaginary friends. His mother feared for him, because he had once had magic and imagination. She feared robbing him of his childhood.

One day, Jesse was bribed out of his room and into the back garden by his mother. She had decided to take action. He walked about moping and whining about how sticks never taught you anything. Throwing himself to the ground he lay under the apple tree and thought about Newton. At least he thought Newton was the apple guy.

He started getting tired, as children often do when bored, and started falling asleep. He had a weird sense of falling and woke with a start. How weird he thought, he ,must have been dreaming, but he doesn't dream. Dreaming wasn't real and if it's not real then it's not worth doing.

Once again he grew bored and started falling asleep, this time when he felt he was falling he was too fast asleep to wake up. He fell and fell for a very long time till suddenly he was falling sideways, no, not falling, flying. Impossible he thought, how ridiculous, he must be dreaming. Horrid little dreams sneaking up on him like that. Then he was falling again, faster and faster. His heart was beating quickly, his breathing was fast. He was scared.

He stopped falling when he hit the ground, but it bent around him like a trampoline and shot him into the air. This time he was having fun as he fell back down towards the ground, too much fun to worry about reality. He laughed and bounced into the air many times before he decided to try something new. He jump to his left and the ground shot him up. He bounced forwards, bouncing across the world with somersaults and funny poses. He bounced until he banged his nose on an apple. Why would an apple be in his dream he thought.

Then he woke up in the yard under the apple tree, his mother looking down at him with worry. He then noticed that his nose was bleeding and next to him was a big red apple. It must have fallen on him, but his tree had green apples. Where did the red apple come from?

"Mom, where did the apple come from?" Jesse asked.

"Well, i have no idea. I guess Newton got his revenge on you for teasing him the other day." His mother smiled, her eyes creasing. He hadn't seen his mother smile like that in years.

"Maybe I better be more careful who i tease" Jesse tossed the apple away and smiled at his mother.

"Mom, do you believe in magic?"