Lullventyr
The Sorcerer's Apprentice — cover illustration
Classic story

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

by Joseph Jacobs

A foolish lad serves a powerful master who guards a mysterious black book containing secrets of angels and demons. The lad is strictly forbidden from entering the master's private chamber or reading the forbidden text. One day, while the master is away, the curious boy sneaks into the room to explore his wondrous tools. He tries to use the alchemy equipment and the magic mirror but fails because he does not know the correct words to activate them. Desperate for knowledge, he discovers the black book left unchained on a table. He opens it and accidentally reads a line that summons the terrifying demon Beelzebub. The evil spirit appears in a flash of fire and demands that the lad give him a task or face death. Trembling with fear, the boy can only whisper a nonsensical command to water a potted geranium flower. Beelzebub obeys instantly but begins pouring barrels of water repeatedly without stopping. The room quickly fills with rising water that reaches the boy's knees and waist. He scrambles onto the table as the flood grows deeper, threatening to drown him completely. The water continues to rise past his armpits and chest while the demon keeps bringing more barrels. Just in time, the master returns home and remembers he left the book unlocked. He rushes into the flooded room and speaks the proper words to banish the demon. The water disappears, saving the lad from certain death and teaching him a valuable lesson about respecting boundaries.

How it begins

There was once a very learned man in the north-country who knew all the languages under the sun, and who was acquainted with all the mysteries of creation. He had one big book bound in black calf and clasped with iron, and with iron corners, and chained to a table which was made fast to the floor; and when he read out of this book, he unlocked it with an iron key, and none but he read from it, for it contained all the secrets of the spiritual world. It told how many angels there were in heaven, and how they marched in their ranks, and sang in their quires, and what were their several functions, and what was the…

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