Glenda had a paramount meeting to attend to, but no one could find out about it, or there would be far more explaining to do than she would be ready to share. She glanced in both directions down the hallway outside her door.

Good, no one in sight.

She quietly shut the door to her classroom before locking it, trying to draw as little attention as possible to her actions.

All the while, she knew that what was about to happen had severe long-term consequences. What they were, Glenda had not figured them out yet. Her heart pounded, and her palms sweated as she stood outside the large double doors before pushing them open and stepping inside.

An eerie glow appeared in the room, followed by the disembodied head of the Principal, floating inside a jar. She was an odd-looking woman with wavy, blonde hair inside a substantial murky green fluid-filled glass jar about the size of a milk jug. There was much to discuss and little time for pleasantries.

“Welcome,” The Principal greeted.

“Thank you, Mistress,” Glenda replied with a curtesy. “I received your call earlier today. What was it you wished to discuss?”

“Hmm, I can’t seem to remember now. Oh, my memory is not as good as it used to be.” The headless Principal looked around the room as Glenda stared in confusion momentarily before speaking up.

“But, if you can’t remember, then—”

“Oh, wait; I remember now.” The Principal piped up in a playful, peaceful manner. “It’s about the assignment - did you give it to them?”

“Why, yes, I did,” Glenda replied, still slightly confused.

“Excellent work.” The principal turned to face an unknown point of interest. “It’s always nice to see our school, tradition, and students thrive and prosper.” She spoke calmly.

“But of course,” Glenda replied with a soft smile.

The Principal turned her attention back to Glenda. “I’m proud, so do keep up the good work, ok?”

“Certainly.” Glenda’s smile grew wider.

“Oh, and before you go?” The Principal called out to Glenda as she turned to face the unknown point within the darkroom.

“Hmm?” Glenda waited for her to speak before leaving.

“I want you to make sure that they all succeed... and no cheating either,” She ordered with a devilish grin. “Understand?”

Glenda gulped and let out a sigh. She wouldn’t dare want to talk back to the principal, regardless of what she thought. “Yes, I do.”

“Very well, that is all I want to discuss for now. Thank you so very much for your time, Miss Glinka.”

“It’s Glenda.” She corrected, “But you’re welcome, I’ll be sure to keep in touch with you.” She added as she reached for the door once more.

“Indeed, I’ll see you later.” The principal chimed in before Glenda closed the door behind her.

.-.-.-.

Meanwhile, after getting a clean pair of clothes, Benjamin walked through the school’s front doors with his shoulders slumped and head lowered. He had received these fantastic gifts but couldn’t figure out how to use them, and figuring it out on his own would take time. He couldn’t conquer the Earth without these tools working, something he didn’t have.

Chi-Chi and Harry followed along, exhibiting similar faces of concern for their Master, Benjamin, once again fearing that his plans for world domination would be in jeopardy. That wouldn’t help their policies either. They had to find a way to cheer him up and encourage that spark of evil again, but how?

“Come on, master, cheer up!” Chi-Chi squeaked.

“But how can I?” Benjamin asked dejectedly. “The teacher was no help; what good are they if none can tell me the basics of wizardry and magic?”

“Didn’t she say it was part of the test?” Harry reminded him.

“Well, I guess she did...” Benjamin muttered and sighed.

“You shouldn’t get all bent out of shape. I mean, it’s only been one day out of seven.”

“You have a point. Guess we better keep trying when we get back to our dorm. “Benjamin replied, a little calmer now.

“That’s the spirit master!” Both Harry and Chi-Chi chirped at their Master’s renewed will.

Both parties grew lost in their thoughts as they walked away from school, while on the way down the stairs, a shadowy figure lurked in the tree line behind them. Benjamin paused at the edge of the tall hill. He stood near the brink of the school property and looked out over the town and pastures below.

This world and the next will all be mine soon, He thought, with his vigor returned. ‘I just have to figure this sphere out.’

He lifted his orb out of his pocket and held it in his hand. That was when a force hit him from the back, as if something shoved him from behind. A shadowy figure used dark magic to push, as if commanding the wind itself.

After he picked himself up from the ground, Benjamin watched in horror as his sphere slipped from his hand and rolled down the hillside, picking up with every second. Chi-Chi and Harry leaped into action and hurried down the slope after it.

Benjamin followed close behind, trying hard not to lose his balance and fall face-first down the hill. His earlier sadness quickly turned to sheer terror, for if he lost or broke his magical sphere, all his dreams would be over in an instant.

He couldn’t let that orb fall into anyone else’s hands. He tried desperately not to lose sight of the rolling ball as it bounced over rocks and through trees on its way down the large hill. Unfortunately, it disappeared over a small ledge.

Benjamin, Chi-Chi, and Harry reached the ledge and looked down the ridge at the ground below. They were stunned to find that the sphere was nowhere in sight; it had disappeared.

That’s impossible, Benjamin screamed to himself. I saw it go over this very ledge a second ago. It has to be around here somewhere!

The trio searched the bushes, rock crevices, and gulley. No sphere. Benjamin sat on the cement stairs beside some brick walls and exhaled loudly in frustration and disappointment. This day was not going well so far, and now this!

Chi-Chi and Harry were also exhausted from the quick run and day-long search. Harry plopped down on a nearby stone in an exaggerated and theatrical ‘I can’t go on’ way, with Chi-Chi falling right on top of him.

Just then, the stairs Benjamin had been sitting on shook violently. Benjamin was unable to find his feet fast enough to stand. The stairs raised, caught him squarely in the back of the head and knocked him back onto the ground.

“Benjamin!!” Chi-Chi and Harry cried, getting up from their position and ran over towards him. “Are you alright?!”

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” Benjamin repeated as he rubbed his head and blinked his eyes to clear his sight.

Within the space opened up by the stairway, Benjamin could see a vast graveyard in the distance and the center of the gravestones. He saw it.

“My sphere, there it is!”

Benjamin took out his wand and tried to conjure a spell to draw the crystal ball off from within the graveyard. No effect. Chi-Chi and Harry immediately went to retrieve the crystal for their Master. However, as soon as they reached the opening of the staircase, it rolled off again.

“No!” Benjamin shouted as he sprinted toward the graveyard.

The crystal ball moved along the ground without the aid of wind or gravity. Benjamin didn’t understand how this was possible, as it should have stopped a long time ago, seeing as it was on relatively flat ground.

What is making it roll so fast? He thought to himself as he followed the ball through the scattered and varying gravestones and tombs.

Soon, the sphere disappeared once more. Benjamin ran up to the edge of a dark vortex, swirling within the darkness of the graveyard, and discovered more stairs. Benjamin, Chi-Chi, and Harry were unable to see what lies below.

Two large torches next to the opening burst into flames, providing light to their surroundings. Grabbing one of the torches, Benjamin descended the stairs, with Chi-Chi and Harry following close behind. They tried to stay in the glow of the flames in fear that the darkness may consume them entirely should they fall out of the protection of the light.

There’s evil in here, I know it. Chi-Chi shared telepathically with her counterpart, Harry.

.-.-.-.

After what felt like an eternity, Benjamin realized there were no more stairs. He was at the bottom of the secret passage, but where was the sphere? Before them, the torch’s light revealed a large, dragon-shaped roller coaster car, floating within the space without a visible track beneath it.

The car had a big blue duck body for the front with black horns and an orange beak, complete with red central wings, and a green dragon-like tail stacked onto yellow wheels. The new surroundings utterly mesmerized Benjamin as if being drawn forward by an invisible force.

“Hey, guys, come check this out!” Benjamin called behind as if the others weren’t keeping up with him.

“I don’t know... it looks weird if you ask me,” Harry replied under his breath.

“But what is that? Is it even operational? And if it is, then where would it even take us?” Chi-Chi asked.

“Stop asking so many questions at once!” Benjamin ordered.

“Well, only one way to find out... right?” Harry brought up.

“Exactly,” Benjamin confirmed.

He boarded the coaster in the front seat. Chi-Chi and Harry looked questionably at each other before following their Master into the coaster. Abruptly, the coaster lurched forward and propelled through the air, as if they weren’t moving at all, and the very space around them melded around their bodies. The car took them in many directions: up, down, diagonal, and even loop de loops. Benjamin and his sidekicks got nauseous as their stomachs churned, and pondered when the crazy ride would end.

Eventually, the ride slowed down, catching them all off guard. Benjamin and the others noticed something in the distance, but couldn’t quite make it out. The coaster then came to a screeching halt, bringing them closer to what they saw right in front of them.