It was Jasper's 13th birthday and he thought something magical would happen. He was going to become a teenager and then things would just start to make more sense, right? He would be treated more like an adult and he would understand more adulty things, right?
No matter what, he was glad it was a Saturday so he could roll over and sleep a little more. As he rolled over, turning to face his nightstand, he saw something odd. His pet rock, Slate, was not there. Now it wouldn't be the first time that Jasper had had a dream that involved him kicking or punching and hitting his nightstand, dislodging his beloved Slate. But Slate anyway was hearty and always forgave Jasper, or so Jasper always thought anyways.
He had gotten Slate when he was just six years old after he'd been begging his parents for a pet. However, his parents correctly guessed that this desire would fade and it happened just to coincide with his interest in rocks. After Jasper became aware that he was named for a rock, he started to collect, study, and be in awe of them. And so, his parents got him a pet rock that they helped him name Slate.
Slate was actually a geode that Jasper had never opened, not a piece of slate. Jasper's parents thought if he ever got bored of having a pet rock, that opening a geode would prove fascinating to young Jasper. However, Jasper quickly grew attached to Slate and the thought of splitting Slate open was deeply upsetting. In fact, Jasper had veered away from geodes in his rock interest journey.
But now, Slate wasn't in the normal spot.
Jasper groggily got out of bed and looked around the floor for Slate. In the dim light, he didn't see it so he got out of bed to look under his bed.
"Ouch"! cried out Jasper. He had stepped on what felt like small gravel. Jasper started to panic, had Slate finally broken? Was Jasper standing on Slate's remains? Where was the rest of Slate?
Jasper ran across his room and turned on the light. He saw something skitter under his bed and he froze. Was it a mouse? It seemed more solid than that, but he couldn't be sure. Jasper grabbed his phone and turned on the flashlight. Crouching down, he shined the light under his bed to look at the critter.
However, what he saw was Slate.
Slate, for lack of a better word, was cowering next to Jasper's soccer cleats that he'd carelessly tossed under his bed. Jasper wasn't sure why he thought Slate was cowering, but it did look like Slate was shaking slightly, but maybe that was Jasper.
"It's okay," Jasper called out quietly, extending his hand to Slate.
Slate somehow crept forward and paused an inch from Jasper's hand where it wiggled. After a brief moment, it jumped into Jasper's hand. Jasper pulled Slate out from under the bed and beheld a living (breathing?) Slate.
Safe to say, Jasper had never expected to find a living rock, especially not one he'd had--and thought inanimate--for over six years. However, Jasper was in awe. He felt immediately bonded to Slate and gently stroked what he thought was the top of Slate (though Slate was fairly round, so it was difficult to tell).
"What do you need, little guy?"
Slate purred and snuggled into Jasper's hands. This wasn't the sort of magical event that Jasper had anticipated, but to be honest, he hadn't anticipated real magic to happen at all.
"Jasper, I thought I heard--oh," said Jasper's mom as she came in and beheld the scene in front of her.
"It's Slate, mom," said Jasper, "He's alive, I swear."
"I know, my dear. I thought this might happen today."
"What?" Jasper blinked in confusion and instinctively drew Slate closer.
"Many rock wizards awaken their familiar on their 13th birthday."
Jasper blinked again. Clearly, his birthday was going to be far more magical than he'd thought.
(Prompt by Kimisha Cassidy)
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