Her Master's Whereabouts

By John Garrison

As the weeks passed and earlier sunsets signalled colder days,
the apprentice began to wonder less at her Master's whereabouts.
She took to reading the original texts herself, healing town folks'
maladies, and
conjuring images from her own dreams to entertain neighboring children.

Finally, years later, she came upon an earmarked page in a frayed spellbook,
and guessed at the outcome of an old man's boredom gone awry
on a summer afternoon.

The apprentice--now Master--walked to the Aeolian harp on the window sill
and struck her Master's favorite chord.
In that single note, she was sure she heard
a thin, small voice
like a message still being tapped out
against the wall of a long-forgotten cell.