SETTING: ‘TZU PRANO’S MAGICADEMY’
YEAR: 2021, late winter

~

It is a rainy day. The Marscapone House, once a school for young spellcasters, has been brightened by the presence of EMILIA ERNEST and her young son RANDOLPH. AEGWAIN, newly re-committed to her title as Matron of the Magicademy, is leading a lesson in elementary cantrips.

Aegwain is energetic and merry today; she begins to dance to an invisible tune.

AEGWAIN 

I CALL THIS ONE -- 'WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK'.

A broom in the corner of the room begins to twitch. Randolph, a blond youth of three or four years of age, is fascinated by this display. He gasps.

RANDOLPH ERNEST 

IS THIS ... MAGIC?

AEGWAIN opens her mouth to answer but the room is frozen as the smell of wet tar flows into her nose. The familiar sweat of fear quickly overtakes her rational mind.

The smoke quickly dissipates to reveal KEVIN MARSCAPONE, frowning.

KEVIN MARSCAPONE

ANYTHING YOU COULD TEACH THEM --

He pushes out his left hand while lowering his gaze in disappointment. The broom is pushed against the wall leaving the drywall dented.

KEVIN MARSCAPONE 

AND THIS IS ALL YOU CAN MUSTER?

KEVIN stares at the rug in silence, leaving the room heavy with awkward intensity. His hand remains on the broom, quivering just slightly.

AEGWAIN is speechless. She is quickly aware of sweat leaking from her pores and grits her teeth in quiet resistance.

EMILIA & RANDOLPH have never seen the man before. He is a surprising sight in his blue&black patterned suit, some kind of thick fabric with an uncertain sheen.

But even more surprising to the young aspirant is that AEGWAIN has been rendered dumbstruck. She has never seen the young witch like this. It is as if her mother had caught her in an embarrassing fib.

KEVIN MARSCAPONE 

SLOTH... GLUTTONY...

He releases the broom and it falls with a thick

THWAKK.

He raises his head to meet AEGWAIN’s eyes, but her gaze is trapped in the opposite corner of the room; a sink and a fireplace long-rendered unusable.

KEVIN MARSCAPONE 

NO. -- THIS IS NOT WHAT MAGIC IS FOR.

Randolph hasn’t moved; he is staring at KEVIN.

KEVIN’s anger seems to lighten as he removes his eyes from AEGWAIN. He instead catches the gaze of the boy and tries, but fails, to muster a smile.

KEVIN pulls the red rose from his suit’s breast pocket and presents it while pressing toward a kneel. It has been fastidiously pruned of thorn.

With pause, the boy takes the flower.

KEVIN MARSCAPONE 

BESIDES WHICH --

He stands and catches the eyes of EMILIA, staring with her chin slacked, the sight of which leads him to inquire at AEGWAIN’s state.

KEVIN MARSCAPONE 

THE BOY CAN'T WHISTLE, WON'T EVER... (pause) WHISTLE. HIS ACOUSTICS... ARE MEANT FOR A DIFFERENT GIFT.

AEGWAIN has finally calmed down enough to begin to notice her anger rising, but she can’t find words.

KEVIN MARSCAPONE 

THIS IS OVER, MYRTLE'S MAGICADEMY IS DONE, THERE'S NOTHING LEFT THAT CAN BE DONE HERE. TAKE EMILIA --

AEGWAIN tries to interrupt him but fails and closes her mouth again.

KEVIN MARSCAPONE 

THE MAGICADEMY IS DONE. MOTHER -- _OUR_ MOTHER -- IS NOT HERE.

In a moment, the smell of tar is all that remains between the two young women.