Notes

Rustin Phelps and the Mighty Lantern
CHAPTER - I : Ilvermorny

It was a rainy and clouded day at New York City. Unlike his father, aunt and uncle, Rustin couldn't sleep that night. With an obscure light in his room, Rustin was watching the rain drops on the window. He turned around to see the wall clock, it was half past midnight. Meaning, it's 28th of June from now on, his birthday. He smiled, turned his gaze to the window, seeing his own reflection on it. What did his father, aunt and uncle buy him? "I hope it's a bicycle." thought Rustin to himself. His bicycle got old and the kids on the neighborhood often mock with him. "If my mom was still alive, she could repair my bicycle and make it look like brand new." Rustin thought. Then the smile on his face left him. If only his mom was alive, everything would be better. He tried not to think about her because it was supposed to be a happy day, happiest of the year but he couldn't help it. Things what his father told him started to fill into his mind. He was completely lost in his thoughts. It all happened last year, when he was ten and his father decided it's time to tell him about his mother. After the dinner, Rustin's father Akin told him not to stand up so they can discuss something. Curious child stood seated and watched his father as he cleaned up the table. Then his father sat down right next to Rustin, held his hand and looked right into his eyes before speaking. "Rustin," said his father with sympathy "It's the time that you learn more about your mother. I think you're old enough to hear it." Rustin, with a confused face, kept listening his old man really carefully. "There's no way to say this simply so here it goes - your mother was a witch, Rustin, a real witch who can perform magic and all that stuff." said his father. Rustin started laughing but the dad remained the serious face. "Okay dad but it's not April Fools!" said Rustin. "It is not a joke Rust, I swear. I can prove it." answered Akin and stood up. "Wait here." he said before going upstairs for a couple of minutes. When he came back, he got a picture in his hands, facing him. Akin sat down, turned the picture and handed it to Rustin. The kid took the picture and it didn't take long to notice it. The picture was moving, literally! There was a blue-eyed, brunette woman with a smiling face, Rustin's mother Sarah, and a strong man with brown eyes and brown, shoulder-long hair, Rustin's dad. Sarah was pointing a stick at Akin who is on the air, floating. Both were looking at Rustin, smiling. Rustin looked at the photo then to his dad, looked at the photo then his dad until he accepted that it was not fake. "You see, Rustin, she was making me float in the air with her wand." said Akin and pointed at the stick Sarah's holding in the picture. Rustin was shocked, confused, he couldn't believe his eyes. His mom, a witch, a real witch? No way. That's the coolest thing ever. "But if she was magical, why did she die, dad?" asked Rustin when he find the power. His dad got sad all of a sudden, lowered his head and said "She just couldn't make it, no matter how powerful she was. She died after seconds you were born, Rust."
Silence. Who would have thought that silence can disturb this much?
"What about you, dad, are you a witch too?" Rustin said.
"No, no." said his father. The question Rustin asked put a smile on both. "I would be called a wizard if I was magical. I'm not, unfortunately." the dad answered.
"Am I magical, dad?" asked Rustin.
"I have no clue. Normally, you would've done something unnatural but I haven't seen you did something like that, did you do anything like that?"
"No, I haven't." said Rustin and dropped his head down and then he raised it back with a huge smile on his face.
"What?" asked his dad.
"I did something like that! When me and my classmate were riding our bicycles from school to our houses, she fell down and hurt her knee. The kids there started laughing at her so I got mad and something really unnatural happened! The grass under the kids started to grow and grab them by their arm, threw them away and went back to its normal size. My friend also saw it so it was real!"
"That is... uhm, unnatural, yes. It's also harsh."
"They deserved it!"
"They probably did."
"So, you think I am magical?"
"I can't still be sure, we'll see." said his dad, smiled at Rustin and got up. Rustin took a look at the picture once again, folded it and put it in his pocket.

He was looking at that picture now. He must have lost for quite a long time. Rustin shook his head and looked at the wall clock again. It was almost one pm. He turned the lights off and went to bed. He hoped that he won't be much sleepless tomorrow. He closed his eyes and drifted to his world of dreams.