Table of Contents

1. The Second Visit . . . 3

2. Pack Up!  . . . 7

3. The Long, Long Ride . . . 10

4. Bright the Next Morning . . . 16

5. Memories to Come . . . 20

1. The Second Visit

Mina and Liam hadn't seen Zam the Wizard in a few months. They started to forget about their magic encounter with him, until one day when there was a POP! and Zam appeared out of thin air. "Hey kids!" he said. "You're back!" Mina and Liam cried in delight. Zam smiled. "I've been busy, but I want to go on another adventure!"

           💥

    Mina beamed. "Next week, we're going on a ski 

trip!" she exclaimed in excitement. Zam scratched his beard. "What in the whole wide world of magic is that?" he asked.

    Liam giggled. "It's when you go on vacation to ski. Skiing is when you put two long things on the bottom of your feet and slide downwards on snow."

           ⛷

    Zam's face lit up. "That sounds like fun!" he commented. "Well, kids, can I come too?"

    Liam and Mina nodded. "Of course!" they cried.

    "What day is this on?" questioned Zam. Mina scratched her head. "I don't know exactly," she said. "We have to go upstairs. But what if Daddy finds you?"

    "Don't worry!" Zam said. "Us wizards are only discovered by those who we want to."

                                            🗓

    They all went upstairs, and for a moment, they could hear their dad's footsteps coming towards them. He opened his door. "Hi Mina and Liam!" he 

said cheerfully. "Sorry I couldn't talk to you. I'm a little busy. See you later!"

🚪    Mina, Liam and Zam were so relieved when their dad went back into his room and closed the door. "That was a close one," Mina said. "But the day we're going is December 27!"

2. Pack Up!

It had been a couple of days since their last visit from Zam the Wizard. Then, that morning on December 27, Zam appeared again in Mina's bedroom. "Hi Zam!" said Mina, who was reading a book about a little girl.

           📖

"Hi Mina!" said Zam. "Please tell your brother that I'm here. I hope I won't bother you when you're packing up." Mina said she didn't mind. Then she poked her head into Liam's room and said, "Zam's here!"

           🎿

    "Okay!" Liam shouted back. "I'm almost ready!" He hurried up packing the rest of his clothes and toiletries. Liam ran downstairs to greet Zam. "Hi!" he said. "I'm so excited to go skiing. It's my first time."

    Zam grinned. With a wave of his staff, a suitcase appeared and a pair of skis, along with a pair of poles. "It's my first time skiing too!" Zam said. 

    Liam smiled just as Mina came downstairs. She  

was shocked to see the things appear out of thin air! "Magic is some really cool stuff," Mina noted.

    Zam grinned. "I've been practicing it for a long time, but it still amazes me more every day."

           🧞‍♀️

3. The Long, Long Ride

It took about ten minutes to get every single thing in the car, and everybody was relieved that it was over. Mina, Liam, and their parents hopped into the car, as well as Zam, who put himself in the middle. "It's going to be a long ride," warned Liam. "Three hours!"

           🚗 

    Zam waved his hand. "Can't be too bad," he said. "Once, I was stuck in a cave for a week with no food!" He laughed at that. "When we talk to you, will 

anyone else hear?" asked Liam. For a moment, the three were quiet, listening if the parents would say something. They didn't. "Good," Mina said in relief.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦    Soon, Mina felt her eyelids drooping after an hour. She yawned and said, "I'm going to go to sleep, Zam." This made Liam yawn, too. Then Zam started yawning, and they all fell asleep at precisely the same time.

    Liam was the first to wake up. He liked pretending he was still asleep so he could hear what the parents

were saying. That day, Liam's mom and dad were talking about skiing. They spoke in hushed, quiet voices. 

    "What about the weather? I mean, if it's snowing, it will be harder," said Liam's dad.

    "Don't be ridiculous, skiing involves a big chunk of snow," replied Liam's mom.

           🌨

    "You don't know anything about skiing." Liam's dad's tone was harder now. His mom sighed. "Why?"

           ☁️

she asked.

    Liam's dad said, "For starters, the snow is going to make it cloudy. On the top of the mountain, it will be gray and hard to see anything."

    His mom sighed again. "I guess you're right," she said. And that was the end of the conversation.

    Liam decided that this conversation was way too boring for him. He wanted to fall asleep again, so in an instant, his eyes were closed.