Found at superversivesf.com. No image credit given

L. Jagi Lamplighter has just announced at the magic schools page for Superversive SF, the upcoming publications of Fantastic Schools 1 and 2.

One of the two volumes, I don’t know which one yet, will feature my fantasy short story “Sorcery’s Preschool”. I very, very loosely based the main child character on my four-and-a-half year old granddaughter, which was a lot of fun. However, she won’t really appreciate the story until she gets a bit older.

According to Jagi, volume one will come out this spring, but as I said, I have no idea if my tale will be in the first or second tome. I guess she received so many great stories that she decided to spread them out.

This is the first official announcement and it’s pretty general. In part, it states:

Longing for more stories of life at magic school, look no further! Here you will find stories of magic boarding school, but also stories of magic military school, stories of magical outcasts, of magical secondary school, of magical preschool, etc.

Now here’s a small excerpt of my story to whet your appetite:

“Emily dear, magic is in our blood. We will always have it with us. But we must use it in love, otherwise the gift becomes a curse.”

“Huh?”

“I know. It’s hard to understand, sometimes.”

“I do want to be a good girl, Grandma Agatha. I want to make Mommy and Daddy happy.”

“And your brother.”

“He’s a pest sometimes…”

“And…”

“I love him, too, Grandma. I guess I don’t want him to be scared of me, either.”

“Then when you learn what I learned, that’s when you’ll show them how much you love them.”

“If you say so, Grandma, but…”

“Yes?”

“This is a magic preschool, right?”

“Of course it is.”

“And the other kids and the teachers use magic right?”

“A little more complicated than that, but yes.” Agatha saw where the child was leading but decided to go along.

“Then part of learning not to use magic is learning when to use magic, right?”

“Yes, but with control. Remember what Yoda said to Luke.”

Emily giggled, recalling how much fun it was to watch those old movies with her parents and brother. She could still taste the hot, buttered popcorn they all ate while snuggling together on the sofa every “movie night.”

“Okay, but just one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Do I get my own wand?”

“My dearest child, you are far, far too young for a…oh, here we are.” Agatha laughed because it was like the girl was asking if she could pilot her own car…or attack helicopter.

Completing the half-circle around the hill, nestled between two verdant mounds swept by a perpetual, snow-kissed wind, stood the Preschool of Tabbinshire.

“Is that my school, Grandma?” Emily stopped, transfixed by the stately vision.

“That it is, dearest. Like it?”

“Wow! Danny’s going to be so jealous.”

“Well, I suppose he will be.” Agatha smiled, both in accord with her granddaughter’s sentiment, and as a wave of nostalgia erupted from a long dry well of time.

The pebbles lining the path to the door, turned to stones, then rocks, and finally became massive boulders, giving way before the outer walls and towers.

The Keeper’s Tower was just to the right of the open twin doors, which were fully ten feet in height, and each one half as wide. The tower, made of rough, river stones like the rest of the temple, rose a full three stories, the top becoming a tall, thin spire. There was a warm, golden light shining from each of the five windows, in sharp disagreement with the slate, overcast sky.

“It’s a converted Druid Temple,” she responded to the child’s unasked question.

“A what?”

As more information becomes available, I’ll be more than happy to share.