«Yes, I am a magician. Frankly speaking, not that prominent, as the ones, whose exhibits are placed in the Museum, but my fame has yet to come».
Ted waved his wand and the white oil-cloth turned into pink with a golden iridescent pattern. The colleagues laughed. It was clear that having been in the company of Ted’s predecessor, they had already become accustomed to such legerdemain. A waitress came up to their table – a pretty seventeen-year-old girl. The Museum collaborators seemed to be among her permanent clientele.
«Good day, gentlemen. Would you prefer to order your regular meals? Who is this young man?»
«This is our new co-worker from the Magic Department – Ted. Ted, this is Molly».
«Oh, you have succeeded in finding a magician, Mr. Merlegg? I will definitely drop in one of these days».
At that moment she noticed the oil-cloth and smiled at Ted.
«Please resume the previous oil-cloth, even though yours is much more to my liking, to tell you the truth».
Ted waved his wand once again and the oil-cloth returned to its white color. Molly gave a laugh.
After a substantial meal and a pleasant acquaintance Ted came back to the Museum and got absorbed in the archives. He was working until five o’clock p.m. and went home not hastily, at an easy pace. Thus, his first working day was over.
«Not as bad as I thought it would be in the beginning,» – he said to himself.
Chapter 3
In the evening Jeff came by to see Ted. The friends hugged each other and Ted showed his possessions to his bosom pal.
«Not bad! Not bad at all! You’re your own boss in here and there’s enough room to bring in a girl».
«Jeff, where are such thoughts from?»
«Why not, dude? We’re eighteen and it’s about time to find girl-friends for ourselves, eh? Well, you’ve found one already».
«Yep, tell me more about the party. What are you going to drink?»
«Is there any beer?»
«I’ve got everything, buddy. I’ve loaded my fridge with food».
Ted took two beer cans and gave one to Jeffrey. The friends sat down on the sofa in the living room and Jeff began to tell Ted his story:
«The party is scheduled for tomorrow at eight o’clock. It will be attended by the classmates, but only by a few of them. Alice scarcely agreed, and only after I had invited her friend Jane».
Ted made a wry face.
«Is Jane also coming? How shall I be able to chat with Alice then? These two girls never part from each other alone!»
«Leave it to me».
«Hopefully, you will cope with it».
Jeffrey smiled.
«How can it be different? Mind, all of this owing to my exclusive personal charm! So, how was your first day in the Museum? What exactly happened there between you and Alice’s dad?»
«Nothing special. When I was in the Magistrate we occasionally ran into one another in the hallway. He recognized me and asked how I was and what I was doing there».
«I hope that you didn’t start telling him everything the Master had shared with you?»
«No, what are you talking about? I just mentioned that I was having the meeting with the Third Master, he gave me directions, where to go, and…»
«And?»
«He pointed out that Alice had told him a lot about me».
«Really? May it so happen that she also doted on you?»
«If that were the truth…» – Ted sighed.
«How was it in the Museum?»
«Nothing outstanding. My boss is an ordinary person, a „white collar“ official. The Department is somewhat boring: various magic artifacts and three rooms, more likely to be hosting Disneyland, than a museum. My additional job responsibility is working with the archives. That’s about all».
«Not a single mysterious thing?»
«Nope by far. That was the first day, after all. Tomorrow I’m going to tackle the search».
«Good luck!»
«What are your plans?»
«No idea, Ted. I must give it a thought. Should I possibly become a famous traveler and monster hunter?»
Ted burst out laughing.
«Why not? The monsters trapped by you will be turned into taxidermies and forwarded to the Museum. I will be proudly telling the visitors how my friend demolished them all!»
«Sounds cool! But don’t you forget that all these monsters are protected by law. I’m going to come up with some fresh ideas».
The friends talked some more and when the clock struck ten p.m. Jeffrey decided to hurry on home.
«It’s late, Ted. You’re a busy man and you are to wake up early tomorrow morning».
«Yes, you’re right. Those times when we spoke until midnight have already passed!»
«See you tomorrow! Put on something posh – she must have never seen you wearing casual clothes, only a school uniform».
«Exactly!»
«Then this is your chance to show yourself!»
«I’ll try my best».
Ted saw his friend off. Jeffrey nodded to him before they parted, pressed his signet-ring and vanished into thin air. Ted came back to his flat and began his preparations to go to sleep. Then he lay down in bed and started pondering the upcoming day. How should he approach Alice, what should he tell her? It would not be enough just to talk to her. He must invite her for a date. But how on earth to do it? Should he just say, «Let’s meet»? On the other hand, why not saying that? I wonder whether or not Jeffrey has ever invited anyone for a date? Most likely that he hasn’t. Otherwise he would have shared his experience with his best friend a long time ago.
The following morning Ted woke up early, washed his face, dressed up, had a cup of coffee and went to work. The Museum was located in the vicinity; therefore he decided not to take advantage of his portal-ring.
Ted entered the Department, changed his clothes and began waiting for the visitors. However, the clock showed only eight in the morning, so the Museum was still empty.
«Let me seek the mystery in the meantime,» – decided Ted and headed for the archives. He left the door open, lest he miss possible visitors.
«What am I to start with? May I put all the stuff in order first? Put books on the appropriate shelves, scrolls and other antique papers into the closet. I will make up a catalog afterwards. That is how I might come across something curious».
First and foremost, Ted decided to look through the books stored on the shelves in the closet and to copy down their titles. He waved his wand and there appeared a thick notebook with a pen on the desk. Then he took the first volume from the upper shelf and sneezed out loud.
«Oh, so much dust everywhere!» – said Ted and sneezed again. – «What? Does no one clean here? Well, no big deal for me to clean the entire Museum».
Ted waved his wand once again.
«Tenaka!» – after a while the study-room was shining cleanliness. – «From now on I can work in a proper manner. So, what is there in here for me?» – Ted looked at the book he was holding in his hand. – «Hmmm, «The Magicians’ Code», the most important book. All right, it must be written: «The upper shelf –