Freddy and Michael turned around to discover the old man from the magic shop waving to them.
“Huh?” Freddy asked.
“Where did you come from? Michael added as the two boys walked up to him.
“That’s not important” the old man responded as they approached him. “The important thing is that you’ve finally met the wizard and understand what you’re up against.”
“I could have taken the wizard on right then and there!” Freddy replied defiantly. “Get me into that dog form and I would have ripped his face off.”
“It’s not that simple” Michael responded as he turned to Freddy. “The wizard is extremely powerful. If you had tried to take him on right then and there, then presuming it was even possible for Fido to make an appearance, he would have thrown you off of him, or hurt you or….”
Michael shed a tear as Freddy looked on with concern.
“….or worse.”
“He’s right, Freddy” the old man replied.
Freddy wasn’t sure who to pay attention to in that moment. His boyfriend was extremely upset, but the old man may have had important information to share. Deciding to have it both ways, Freddy placed his arm around Michael and motioned him to look up at the old man.
“The wizard is extremely powerful” the old man continued. “Not only does he have enhanced magical abilities, he also has an overpowering physical strength. He could take on two full sized grizzly bears with his bare hands. He could flip over a car with ease. He’s not the type of person that you’re going to want to rush at.”
“Then how are we going to defeat him?” Freddy asked. “If I was given this curse to turn into a dog, then what’s the point of having that power if I can’t take a bite out of him?”
“It’s not about offense, young man. It’s about defense. It’s about using your wits to defeat a wizard who has supreme strength and stamina. He may be strong, but what he lacks is wisdom. He doesn’t anticipate everything and he’s far too short sighted of a thinker to see sudden moves coming. His goals are narrow minded. He misses the big picture.”
Freddy and Michael continued to process this information.
“The key to defeating a wizard on the run” the old man went on to say “is to beat him at his own game. He overpowers, steals and then disappears without a trace. If you want to end his life of crime, then you have to pin him down and catch him before he can make off again with the ring. Speaking of which…”
The old man held out his hand to the boys.
“Where is it?”
“Uh” Freddy replied, unsure of where it was at the moment.
“I left it in a safe at home” Michael answered.
“That was very unwise of you” the old man replied with disgust. “Leaving it unattended like that was a big mistake. What if the wizard had tracked it down? He would have barged in, fended off your family with fatal means if necessary and then stolen it from your home with little effort.”
“I had a good reason for that” Michael snapped. “I didn’t just leave it there for it to get stolen.”
“You know, you’re not as smart as you think, Michael.”
“Stop underestimating me! Do you think it would have been a smarter idea to bring the ring right to the wizard’s house!”
A silence fell over them as the dark night grew quiet and still.
“I thought about that” Michael continued. “I knew what the risks were, but I had to weigh what the least bad option was. Of course I was worried for my parents safety, but if I had kept it on my person, or if Freddy did, then when the wizard came back from wherever he was, then he would have sensed it on one of us and stolen it like that.”
Michael snapped his fingers to emphasize his point.
“Then” he continued “none of this would have mattered because he’d be off on the run again and Freddy would be stuck turning into a dog forever. I thought this through, old man. I weighed all of my options and I went with the least problematic one that was possible considering the circumstances.”
“You didn’t even come close to thinking of everything” the old man replied curtly. “If you had, then you would have already figured out that you needed to teach Freddy how to summon the ring and then hide it telepathically when necessary.”
Michael stood in silence as Freddy wasn’t sure what was going on.
“Give me your hand, Freddy” the old man motioned to him.
Freddy hesitated before he looked to Michael. After Michael nodded in approval, Freddy extended his hand to the wizard.
“Now close your eyes” the old man continued.
Freddy closed his eyes, feeling a deep surge of calm wash over him.
“Now concentrate on the image of the ring. Breathe in deep and then exhale. Focus on its powers and then imagine it laying across your palm.”
Freddy began to breathe deeply in and out as Michael watched on in fascination. It seemed that maybe the old man was wrong about this crazy idea, until a chill began to flow through the air. Michael became startled as a flash of light struck across Freddy’s palm. After composing himself, Michael looked down at Freddy’s hand to see…
“The ring” Michael thought to himself as Freddy opened his eyes again.
“Woah!” Freddy exclaimed as the ring slipped and fell out of his grasp.
The old man gasped before he dived down to grab it.
“Be careful with this, Freddy” the old man said as he got up to hand it to him. “Make sure you have this on your person when you have it in your possession at all times. Never let it out of your sight.”
“This wouldn’t have been a problem if you had let me keep it” Michael replied.
The old man turned to face Michael with a curl of anger.
“You have misplaced this ring plenty” the old man replied. “Don’t delude yourself into thinking you’re so pious.”
The old man put the ring back in Freddy’s palm as he stepped away to face him.
“Close your eyes again” he commanded.
Freddy closed his eyes as he felt a tingling in his palm. It felt as if the ring was pulsing energy through his veins. Even though Michael had said it wasn’t alive, it certainly felt like there was a life force at work here.
“This time” the old man continued “concentrate on sending the ring to a secure hiding place. Think of a place where you believe that it would be the safest.”
Freddy thought for a moment as he became a bit anxious. He wasn’t sure what the old man would consider safe and he had a feeling that his reaction wouldn’t be so positive to what he was thinking. After concentrating for a moment, Freddy could feel a slight burning sensation as the ring heated up and then…
“It’s gone!” Michael exclaimed as it vanished into thin air with a flash.
Freddy opened his eyes to find that the ring had disappeared.
“Very good Freddy” the old man said with a slight smile on his face.
Freddy blushed at the bit of praise from the old man. It didn’t come easily, so he felt a bit of pride at the encouragement.
“So” the old man continued “where did you send it to?”
“Back to Michael’s safe” Freddy confessed sheepishly.
The old man gave him a look of disapproval as Freddy looked down at his feet.
“I know you don’t really like my boyfriend all that much” Freddy continued. “However…”
Freddy looked up with sincerity on his face.
“I trust him more than I trust myself. That’s the honest truth. It’s not just because he’s my boyfriend. It’s because he’s much smarter than me. I may not like that his friends sometimes put me down about being stupid…”
“Freddy” Michael interrupted as he reached out to him. “You’re not stupid. I’ve never said you were. Actually, I may have said so in anger, sometimes, but I didn’t mean it. I was just angry and I spoke out of anger.”
“You don’t have to defend me, Michael. I know that you’re the smart one. I admit it. And that’s why I trust you to watch it. Even though I know the old man doesn’t want you to hold onto it….”
The old man coughed, forcing the two of him to look at him. He had an irritated expression that showed he losing his patience. Freddy ignored this and looked back to Michael.
“I want you to hold onto it. I don’t trust myself to keep it.”
“Freddy….” Michael replied nervously.
“You better hope that your emotions don’t get the better of you on this one, Freddy” the old man called out as the two boys looked to him. “Love is a powerful thing, but sometimes it blinds us to what one needs to do in order to get the job done. I admire your heroism and your bravery. I admire your go to, can do, spirit, young man. It is commendable. But remember, there’s a time to be brave…”
The old man paused to give emphasis to his next statement.
“….and there’s a time to be smart.”
The old man began to pull a bag from his jacket and proceeded to look in its content.
“Before I go, I have one more thing to say to the two you.”
Freddy and Michael listened carefully as the old man roamed through his bag.
“Actually, two things” the old man corrected himself.
The boys continued to watch him.
“Follow Michael’s plan…”
The boys nodded.
“…and don’t let love blind you from making the right decisions.”
The old man quickly put his bag away and yelled.
“Look out!”
The two boys quickly turned around, startled to see nothing out of the ordinary. When they turned back again, they found…
“He’s gone!” Freddy yelled.
“He always does this” Michael replied with a groan. “I knew I shouldn’t have kept my eyes off of him. He has some magical way of disappearing and doesn’t want us to know how he does it. Ugh.”
Sensing Michael’s frustration, Freddy went to rub Michael’s back.
“It’s not a big deal, Michael. I’m sure if we really need him, he’ll come back and find us.”
“I don’t know, Freddy. I just don’t trust him.”
“What other choice do we have, Michael? We have to stay on his good side or I’ll be stuck turning into a dog forever.”
Michael sighed as he composed himself.
“You’re right, Freddy. And speaking of which, I have a plan.”
“You do? Well, what are you waiting for? When were you going to tell me?”
“I can’t tell you out here, Freddy. It’s too dangerous. Let’s go to….”