The Nude Wizard of Modern Day

Here I am, spending my weekend and day off helping my parents move out of our home. They’ve been saying for years that they wanted to give me the house once they could afford to move out to the suburbs in the south. It’s taken almost 5 years since they said they were going to do it, but finally on my 23rd birthday, they are moving out.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to be sad not having them around anymore, but I get to have the whole house to myself, free of charge! This is possibly the best birthday present they have ever given me, and helping them move is the least I can do to repay them.

Everything they want to keep is now in boxes and being placed in a u-haul as we speak, but now I’m helping out clear the attic of all the junk they bought over the years. They were low key hoarders, and it was hard to convince them to let go of some stuff they’ll never use.

But as I rummage through one of the many boxes up in the attic, I find a strange looking book. It’s a hefty sized book you would see in some kind of rpg or fantasy game. It’s cover and spine are this dark purple with vein like texture. The veins all converge on a bright purple gem stone that looks imbedded in the cover.

I blow away some dust from the cover and open the book, my curiosity taking over. I stare down at the old looking pages, and the words inside are barely readable cause it’s written in some kind of old cursive.

“Damn, this could sell for a fortune!” I whisper to myself. Something this old and well preserved has to go for at least hundreds of thousands of dollars. This could set me up for years and years if I sell it to the right guy.

It feels a bit scummy to do this, but I’m sure my parents have more than enough books exactly like this given their spending habits. Like they were ever gonna pawn this off, right?

So, I hide the book up in the attic where no one will be able to find it, behind a small box of my belongings I chose to keep upstairs until I’m officially on my own.

The rest of the move went off without a hitch, and before I can enter the house as the official owner, my parents and I have a drink together on our porch. It feels oddly somber to be sitting in the exact chair I sat in while I was a kid whenever I would stare out at the sunset. This is a new chapter in my life and I am excited, but it means saying farewell to my parents for the distant future until I’m able to visit them.

“So how’s it feel, sport? Having a house to yourself?” My father asks.

“I’m not too sure. I’ll always see it as ‘my parents house’ for who knows how long, hehe…” I say, to which my mother and father laugh along with me.

“We just hope you’ll keep the place long enough for your kids to live in some day, dear,” My mom says, which is definitely some wishful thinking on her part.

“Yeah, maybe…” I reply.

“Remember son…” My father says as he places his hand on top of my hand. “You’re a full fledged adult now, which means you’re going to be responsible for a whole lot of stuff now. So promise me that when the time is right, you take up that responsibility.”

Outside of my job and I guess taxes, I’ve never really had any other responsibilities for myself, but with a house and living on my own, it’ll be tough to balance everything.

“I’ll try my best, Dad,” I reply.

The rest of the night goes on and I wave at my parents' U-Haul until I can’t see them anymore. With a bitter-sweet smile on my face, I walk back inside the house, now officially my home! Even though it’s a bit of a mess with all the boxes everywhere and basically no furniture, I take a deep breath as I let my eyes roll over the beautiful interior of the house... my house.