Frederick had loved to read since he was a little boy and his eyes widened when he entered the old book store and saw the rows of books. He glanced at many of the titles as he slowly walked down one of the rows and he froze when he saw a weathered book called "The Book Of Spells". He quickly paid the store clerk and ran home as fast as he could. His heart was racing as he ran to his bedroom and locked the door. He decided that after 17 years of life he was going to experience some of the most exciting adventures he could imagine. He flopped down on his bed and gently opened the cover.
He found several spells that might prove interesting, but the one that caught his eye was called "Breath of Life". When used properly, it claimed to bring any non-living item to life for 24 hours. He thought carefully then looked around his room until he spotted his collection of toy soldiers standing on his dresser. He had loved to play with those soldiers since his dad gave them to him for his 10th birthday. There was one particular soldier that was his favorite. He always wondered why this was the only soldier that didn't carry a weapon. He always pretended the guy was a scout. Frederick didn't know why, but he was strangely attracted to the young soldier.
He was anxious all through dinner and excused himself to "do his homework". He read several spells then planned his words carefully. He picked up the soldier and combined a growth spell with the Breath of Life spell. He gently rubbed the soldier as his hot breath blew up and down the plastic toy.
He became frustrated when nothing happened. He placed the soldier back on the dresser and got undressed for bed. Frederick was almost asleep when a shadowy figure crept across the room and climbed into bed beside him. "I must be dreaming", Frederick thought to himself. Then he felt a warm, soft hand land on his chest and slowly move down. "Private Williams reporting for duty, sir!"