A lesson impatiently awaited by everyone – the lesson that taught them how to turn into something else. It was one of the most excitingly looked forward course in the school syllabus of the second semester in the first school year at Elmbridge School of Magic.
Both on the corridors of the school and on the corridors of the dormitories for younger students, one could hear talks about how diligently they wanted to attend all classes taught by Mr. Hans Von Halgen. A lesson where you could definitely learn how to turn into a multi-headed hydra, into a butterfly, into a lion, or even into a minotaur.
"Even if I get sick, I'll still get to that class. I can't skip the most beautiful lesson in the school syllabus," said a little blond child in a determined voice, who wore glasses too big for his little nose, forced every few seconds to set them back as they slipped.
Everyone around him approved him. At least everyone his age, because when a teenage student heard such words, he said laughing:
"The most exciting class? Just you wait. You have no idea what's coming for you."
The children looked a little worried at that older student, but the little blond brought their smile back to their faces.
"He just wants to ruin our day. You'll see in a few days or in the next hours, when I turn into a dragon. And I'll be huge. And we all can be like that. Wait until next week.
…
Finally the hours of the night passed and the children were happy on the last day of the first month of the year, or January 28, as the sceptics considered it.
Because yes, the wizards saw the year in another way, different from the sceptics. They had thirteen months of twenty-eight days. The months were: Freeze Month, Wolves Month, Old Dochia's Days, Changeable Time, Flowers' Month, Cherry Month, Blazing Month, Drought Month, Harvest Month, Frosty Month, Frost Month, Snowy Month and Gratitude Month. This division didn't change their life much compared to the sceptics', regarding public holidays.
All wizards, not just those at Elmbridge Magic School, celebrated the New Year on the same date with the sceptics, the same, Christmas, just six days before the New Year. On December 25, as the sceptics would say ... and all the other holidays were also celebrated on the day the sceptics celebrated them.
Only they had the year divided equally, in thirteen months, probably because everything seemed more ... uniform. They also had February 29 every four years, which meant nothing at all, only to announce that it was a leap year that year ... and that year would have three hundred sixty-five days.
Elizabeth got into the corridor and saw that the children in elementary classes were more than ready and excited to go to Professor Hans Von Halgen's day today.
Of course, Johnny waited stamping his feet, as if he were Johnny Thumper. But when he finally saw the girl, his face beamed up.
"I never understand what you girls need to be late. It doesn't matter anymore. Let's go to Von Halgen's class. From today I can turn into what I want and won't waste my precious time."
And he took the girl's hand and began to run with her, so that they got there before Elizabeth would realize they were in front of that professor's classroom.
He taught in one of the incredible gardens of the Sanctuary of Mystical and Non-Mystical Creatures belonging to the famous Elmbridge School of Magic. Without waiting for an invitation, the two got in with the other children.
The desks were set up in that garden suitable to relax for a good part of your life, an unbelievable setting for a school.
You could feel the wind blowing lightly through your hair, bringing fragrant scent of strong-smelling flowers colouring here and there the overall greenery with their tints.
As for the noise, all you could hear were just sundry voices of hundreds of little birds, chirping all kinds of songs giving an euphoric sensation to the ears, as pleasant as the silk touch onto the skin.
And of course, besides those trills, the Professor Von Halgen's voice could be heard too around the place ...
"Gg-g-g-ood day. Welcome to my class."
The children, instead of greeting, were glad as if the professor told them about a week of holiday.
This made Hans Von Halgen take a little courage. He felt nervous so he was a bit shaky and stuttering.
"Today we start the lessons about shapeshifting."
Again the same joy for all children, so that the professor almost stopped blubbering.
"Please open your book page th-three."
The children, impatiently did as they were asked. They hoped the class in set up Elmbridge School's mystical and non-mystical creatures' sanctuary would become a place full of lions, elephants or ... even dragons. Even greater was the joy when they thought that all creatures ... would be them, after shapeshifting.
They all opened the books, but when everyone saw what was on that page, all the joy on their faces disappeared with Von Halgen's confidence.
"Wh-wh-wh-what happened? Why a-a-are you sad?"
"Because we don't want to learn about mice. We came to this class with the hope that we learn about the most powerful mystical creatures in the world. About which the sceptics didn't even hear. Needless to speak about meeting them," the brave Alexander intervened.
The professor looked at Alexander questioningly, saying nothing, so the boy continued.
"And then to turn into them. And fight each other.
The professor wanted to say something, but Alexander was faster than he was in speech.
"Just pretend to fight, of course… not really," although you could see by his sly smile that it didn't pretend.
"Instead, we have to read page three about a poor mouse," added another boy.
Von Halgen looked at the children and immediately understood they wanted the same thing, as the daring boy, the little prince Alexander.
He breathed deeply, then spoke very calmly:
"What's your name, b-b-b-boy?"
"Alexander Soimesti, Professor."
"And do you r-r-really want to turn into s-s-s-some strong and big?"
"At least bigger than that mouse."
"Without reading what is wr-wr-written about it?"
"I'm not going to read a whole page about a mouse to know it's harmless."
The professor looked at the boy and smiled so visibly that Alexander didn't know what to believe.
"There are actually three p-p-pages about it. Full pages ... But I say to skip r-r-reading; I propose a f-f-fight instead."
Alexander didn't want anything else. The others as well.
For others everything was welcome, just not to read boring stuff about a mouse.
Prince Soimesti had now the opportunity to show his wizard qualities that he acquired from the best professors in the country, hired by his father with bags of money to turn their son into an eminent student.
And if the professors at Elmbridge, even some of them, saw his skills for magic and all the other subjects, they would certainly talk about him in the whole school and crown him valedictorian. Because the boy was sure he had all the qualities to become the best.
"I agree," the boy smiled as his crowd of supporters cheered and acclaimed him. Who should I fight with?"
The professor smiled.
"With the mouse."