Memory segment part one

Memory segment- the heart of all magic
Part one

(Ark, Do you know what lies at the heart of all magic?) my father used to ask me this thousands of times when I was a child. I was 18 the last time he had ask me. ‘’ no father is it friendship and butterfly’s?’’ my father laugh loudly at my answer. ‘’ come  now Ark, now I know you’re not trying.’’ Father, you’ve ask me that question since the time I was to young to write and every time I answer, you say that I am wrong or only partially right.

‘’Alright boy, I see you are in no mood for riddles. How about a lesson then? Watch me!’’  Watch me, another phrase he used to say a lot. He always said it when his lesson was  a trick and no matter how hard I’ve tried I never got it right on the first try. ‘’Watch me’’ he said again, so I watch. He held a long sword in one hand and a crossbow in the other. My father always had a thing for human weapons especially the ones my mother told us to avoid. ‘’ tell me ark, you are in a duel, he showed me both weapons. Your opponent tells you to pick one, witch do you pick? I look from one weapon to the other. The sword had lost its edge but it was still pointy. As for the crossbow it looked brand new but I knew the crossbow’s one arrow had rotted from the inside by the smell of dead wood. The sword I said confidently. My father smiled. ‘’clever but wrong Ark.’’ He took the crossbow and lifted it into firing position. I saw him point it in my direction; years of self-defence practice took over. I swiftly raised the sword in hand and entered a defensive stance.

‘’fast’’ he said appraisingly. ‘’but you still lost the fight’’. You’re bluffing I retorted. My father was always one for mind games. He could make a bird doubt his capacity to fly.at his best he could make your body betray itself. However he never showed me how it’s done. Thankfully, I knew the crossbow couldn’t fire. The only reason I raised my sword was that this was my father’s lesson. And his lesson where never this easy.

My father’s smiles widen. He removed the arrow from the crossbow and toss it aside. He then spoke softly to the crossbow as if he was telling it a secret that was not meant for me. and then he pulled the trigger. A loud ‘swoosh’ could be heard as the crossbow’s mechanism launch a non-existing arrow. I smiled. I was about to say something clever when a violent tension crawled up my arm. The blade I held shattered and flew over my left shoulder. I was frozen in place not sure if I had been injured or not. All my clever words disappeared and I fell to my knees. (What?) my father laugh at my reply. Your face he said. You should have seen it!! (What!?) I said again irritation clear in my voice. how did you do it? I ask.  But my father just smiled warmly. A simple trick son… one you would know if you knew what existed at the heart of all magic.

I was irritated before, but now I just wanted to hit him. He gave me one of his mocking smiles and ran. I smirked as I ran after him.