The Power of Imagination - Part 2

Saturdays often began the same way at house Rothmore. Reuben would head out to the gazebo for his morning meditation, giving Ryder a precious hour or so with the house all to himself. Reuben was very much a morning person, while Ryder was undeniably a night owl. So these rare moments of solitude during the early hours felt like stolen treasures to him — quiet, uninterrupted, and ripe with possibility.

But lately, things had shifted with the arrival of Renard, the foxfish. Renard’s presence was an unexpected blessing, especially since he was the only physical creature unaffected by Ryder’s poisonous skin. For the first time, Ryder could feel the weight and warmth of a living being, something far different from his imaginings. It made Renard all the more real to Ryder, solid in a way his muses could never be. The two had grown close, spending their days exploring the Rothmore estate together, Renard happily following Ryder wherever he went.

On this particular Saturday, Ryder peeked through the window and saw Reuben heading up the steps of the gazebo, coffee in hand. His morning routine was just beginning. “Perfect,” Ryder muttered to himself with a grin. He gathered his spell book and crystal ball, and floated out into the living room to set up his magic station.

“Well, what’s on the agenda today, Ry?” Alice’s voice echoed through the room before she materialized, her arrival startling Renard, who let out a small bark. Though he had gotten used to Alice’s sudden appearances, the foxfish still had moments of reflexive surprise. Ryder reached down to give him a reassuring pat, calming him quickly.

“Today is an imagination day,” Ryder replied excitedly. “I’m going to try casting again.”

Alice nodded approvingly. “That sounds wonderful.”

Ryder carefully unwrapped his crystal ball from its velvet cloth and set it on the coffee table. Floating just above the floor, his ribbon trailing beneath him, he gently placed his hands on the cool surface of the crystal. As his freckles began to glow, the glass shifted to cloudy, like rolling mists forming inside. Slowly, the scene within started to take shape — a field of blue and gold wildflowers beneath a cartoonish sky, surrounded by a forest and in the distance, a tiny figure of Alice appeared, identifiable by her crown of roses and thorns.

But the image was crude and simplistic, lacking the detail Ryder had envisioned. He tried to focus harder, directing his concentration on the flowers, willing them to bloom with intricate petals and rich blue and gold colors. Instead, the whole scene warped and distorted, causing the top half of the image to glitch. Ryder let out a frustrated sigh and pulled his hands away, watching as the scene shoot back to the plain crystal ball.

“What’s wrong?” Alice asked, her voice full of concern as she shifted from her crouched position to one of more alert, pulling herself forward a bit.

“It’s just not working,” Ryder groaned. “I can picture it in my head, but it comes out looking like a child’s scribble.”

Alice tilted her head thoughtfully, as if listening to something just beyond the room’s reach. “You’ve always been good at imagining scenes on paper,” she mused. “Why not start there?”

A light seemed to go off in Ryder’s eyes. “Of course! If I create the scenes on paper first, I can focus on the details and then fill in the gaps when I cast the projection!” He hurriedly opened his spell book to his notes on “Imagination Projection” and skimmed through his old writings. Then, with a wave of his hand, he visualized two blank pages transforming into a storyboard grid of eight boxes each.

Ryder worked diligently, filling each box with scenes. He began with clouds clearing to reveal a field of vibrant, blue and gold flowers. The next panel showed Alice running through the meadow, heading towards the forest’s edge where a small creek could be seen. Box by box, Ryder built the entire sequence, carefully sketching out each detail in a more anime style. Sixteen boxes later, he had a complete storyboard laid out, each frame capturing a key moment of the scene he wanted to create.

Just as Ryder finished the final image, the front door opened. “Oh, good morning, Ryder!” Reuben called as he stepped inside.

Ryder flinched, startled out of his concentration. “H-hey, good morning,” he stammered, quickly shutting the spell book, almost in shame or embarrassment.

Reuben raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. “What were you working on?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing,” Ryder replied shyly.

“Let him see, Ry,” Alice urged with a smile. Ryder shot her a quick glare, but he could tell from Reuben’s expression that they were in agreement for once.

With a resigned sigh, Ryder opened the book to the two pages of storyboards. Reuben’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Wow, Ryder, these are incredible!” he said, leaning in for a closer look. “It’s like a storyboard, right?”

“Storyboard?” Ryder echoed, unfamiliar with the term.

“Yeah, filmmakers use them to draw out scenes and figure out how everything will flow,” Reuben explained, still smiling. “It helps bring their vision to life.”

Ryder thought about it for a moment and nodded. “Yeah, that’s exactly what it is.”

“You really captured the details,” Reuben said, pointing to the intricate stone bridge in one of the boxes. “It looks like she’s at a crossroads here — where does she go?”

“I haven’t figured that part out yet,” Ryder admitted, a small sense of pride in his voice.

Reuben smiled warmly. “Well, it’s a great start. Keep it up.” He glanced over at the large pet bed where Renard lay, yawning and stretching his fins. “By the way, have you fed Renard yet?”

“Renard!” Ryder gasped, realizing he’d completely forgotten. He floated over to his little foxfish companion, who was now galumphing towards the kitchen in search of breakfast. Ryder reached down to give him an apologetic pat. “I’m so sorry, Ren,” he whispered.

Reuben chuckled. “It’s alright, I’ll take care of it,” he said, heading towards the kitchen to prepare the foxfish’s meal.

Once Renard was happily munching away, Ryder settled down to eat breakfast with Reuben. As they shared the meal, Ryder took in the steady stream of mundane thoughts from Reuben’s mind — a quiet, comfortable feeling. It was grounding, a reminder of the simple joys in their day-to-day life.

After breakfast, Reuben announced he was heading out to run some errands, which left Ryder with the perfect opportunity to get back to work. He returned to his station, the storyboard fresh in his mind as he placed both hands on the crystal ball. Closing his eyes, he visualized the glass shifting from clouds to the field of wildflowers. This time, he concentrated on each element, pulling from the detailed images he had drawn in the spell book.

The scene slowly formed within the crystal, more vivid and cohesive than before. Alice frolicked through the field, her movements smoother and less cartoonish. Ryder’s focus sharpened as she approached the forest’s edge, following the sound of the creek towards the stone bridge. Though not perfect, the animation was leagues ahead of his previous attempts. The details from the storyboard had made all the difference.

Ryder exhaled in relief as he let go of the crystal ball, watching the scene fade back to glass. He smiled to himself, feeling both exhausted and triumphant. “Practice makes perfect,” he muttered, proud of the progress he had made. He still had a long way to go, but today was a step in the right direction.