Magic Ball: the Billionaire in Ranch

19 No Racing Horses, Just Spring Magical Water

Noah—being the workaholic that he is, slept soundly inside his office.

With a sleep-induced voice, Noah mumbled, “I’ve got to stop sleeping here.” Using the back of his hand, he wiped the dried drool off his face. He stared at the calendar in front of him. “It’s that month already, huh?”

It’s been nine months, and his birthday is coming up. Now that he has all the time in the world, he figured that he could easily go back home at Knox and celebrate his birthday with his family. Maybe they can have a quiet dinner at a fancy restaurant, or he would just let his mother cook him his best birthday spaghetti. He sincerely thought about it, but then he remembered he had a lot of things going on that still needs to be solved.

He’s turning twenty-six years old this year, and his mother had been bugging him to get himself a girlfriend. Noah had to breathe ten times to stop himself from snapping. It’s not like he was in a rush, and her timing was ultimately off. It got him feeling guilty that he was talking to his mom like dry sand. He couldn’t get himself to be cheerful, not when his expenses are just pilling up without his investments earning anything in return. He has got to pull himself together!

Sure, he has money in his account, but he’s basically the new guy in the business world. That meant if he wasn’t wise enough on taking care of his investments and keeping his millions rolling, he can, without a doubt, lose everything within months.  

Noah had to admit that he was becoming anxious day by day. Risking the money he earns is pretty tough already, what more if he wouldn’t keep the roulette rolling?

When Michael sent him the invoice of the foals he had purchased from Jason, Noah didn’t feel good about it. The money he splurged on the foals is two times bigger than the worth of his house and considering he even bought the place in a secluded subdivision.

And just like what he did with his dogs, he brought the foals inside the Magic Ball and had them live there for a few months. When he came to visit with his three dogs, the foals grew faster than he expected them to—it was another miracle from the Magic Ball.

With the help of drinking the spring water in the magic pond and eating the particular grass weed on the fields, the foals instantly grew into at least two years older in advance of a horses’ average age.

Snowflake and Bean, as Jason had promised, grew into the likeness of their mother and father. Bean, with his obsidian mare and piercing, dark, round eyes, was notably the biggest among them. Noah observed that the other horses tend to follow Bean whenever he takes a run around the entire farmyard in the Magic Ball.

Snowflake watched from afar, but when she begins running beside Bean, she would have this specific neighing sound she would make—a counterpart of a human’s smug remarks—whenever Bean would lose a foot behind her. It's kind of like the horses are having their own make-believe racing inside his farmyard. Though Jason had clearly cautioned him that they are strictly not bred for racing.

Of course, there was always the familiar ache of wanting to own a racing horse gushed through Noah’s tightening chest. He vowed he would have one no matter what—just not today.

Noah’s dogs would follow and run with the horses whenever he takes them inside for a quick visit. He’s glad that they get along well. He even caught them barking and neighing at each other—as if the lot of them were talking in a language Noah didn’t have knowledge of. It would be nice if he did though, but Noah laughed the idea off.

Noah had figured that most of the animals he raised inside the Magic Ball became more human in their actions and expression of human emotions. They would, sometimes, wind up crying in a corner when Noah scolds them for swimming in the pond. They were like children that got scared and were sorry for disobeying what their parents had warned them about.

Now, since Noah had already extracted and managed to grow the Magic Ball’s grass weed at his Stream Ranch, he also had this crazy idea to do the same with the spring water. But the thing with it is that he would have to manually irrigate the water out from the Magic Ball. However, he has the telekinesis ability to be able to take out an object with the use of his circulation breathing. Noah still wondered if he can make it possible for him to collect water from the spring and bring it to his Stream Ranch without the situation looking suspicious or worth anyone’s attention.

It seemed a lot of work for a single man.

He had been trying to wreck his brains on how he would be able to do it without wasting time and effort. Also, he would have to make up another one of his long list of lies so that Thomas, Wynn, and Nancy wouldn’t bombard him with questions as to why he suddenly wanted to have the animals drink the particular water, or have the plants watered with it.

Noah winced.

Especially Nancy.

She was the perceptive one, probably because she’s the youngest cowboy among the bunch of them. Noah also had the same inkling he felt with his sister Mary whenever Nancy stares back at him with a similar intensity as that of Mary. It’s like they see through him once the lie leaves his mouth.

Thomas, on the other hand, seemed like the type of person to already know about the situation at hand. Noah caught him several times, pretending to not know about the things he had been telling him, but in reality, he already has an idea about it beforehand.

If the time came that he has no choice whether to reveal the Magic Ball or not, Noah prayed to any god or deity listening to him right now that they would choose Thomas. Wynn would probably freak-out the moment he gets sucked inside the crystal layer of the Magic Ball.

Withdrawing an exhausted sigh, Noah got up from his table and headed straight to his kitchen counter to make toasts and bacon.    

Noah’s had his gardening gloves on as he marched his way to his blooming vegetable garden at the back of the wooden cabin. He figured it was time to harvest. He planned on delivering every vegetable to the Stream Ranch afterward. He also needs to check if Thomas had been feeding the animals with the particular grass weed from the Magic Ball.

While pulling the carrot out from the soil, Noah remembered that Nancy called yesterday to inform him that she discovered that the grass weed Noah had her plant on a big lawn wasn’t growing the way a healthy grass would. It didn’t develop into mature grasses, but the most common result is that they die from premature sprouting.

That had Noah worrying—again. He mentally made a note that he would have to think fast—and by fast, that meant that he has to find a plausible way to hose the spring water to the Stream Ranch.  

Nancy expressed her grievances when she called Noah on the weekend, her voice sounding dejected from the other line.

They just wouldn’t grow that nicely, Nancy said. I expected lush green, but the color turns back into fungus-like!

Noah put a hand to his chin, “I’ll have that figured out,” he assured her. And he would because he needs to get his hands on that spring water right this moment. He needs his animals to eat it.

He imagined Nancy was raising her thin eyebrows at him,

“I’ll see you all tomorrow.” He ended the call and drank three gulps of his dark coffee.

Honking in front of his Stream Ranch’s gate, Wynn greeted him with a salute, his eyes sparkling with mischievousness.

“Why, hello, Captain Noah,” he said, his voice low and humorous.

Noah grinned. “Ah, yes. Here I am. Now, where’s your father? I need to speak to him.”

It was as if the lungs ran out of Wynn’s body. “Please don’t tell me you’re firing him.”

“What?” Noah snapped in disbelief, “I wouldn’t. I just need to talk about the grass weeds I had Nancy plant on the eastern side of the ranch.”

“Ah, I see. Actually, she’s still at that part of the ranch. She’s been busy with those grasses. I guess no one wants to let you down.” Wynn smiled, and it was the most genuine smile Noah had received from a co-worker.

“Thank you,” he started, “for always doing your best. I’m grateful.”

Wynn waved his hand as if to disagree, “Oh, you don’t need to. You’re the person that brought us to this haven. Pops had been more cheerful ever since. He once told me he’s been living the dream.”

Noah smiled even though he hadn’t done it in weeks. He honked the car three times before proceeding to park near the gate.

He got out and staggered to where Nancy is crouching, her eyes observing the grass beneath her.

“Nancy,” Noah called.

Nancy jerked, the gloves she removed fell on the dirt with a thud. “Whoa, you scared me there,” her eyebrows raised. “What’s up?”

“The grasses—” he began, his eyes drifting past Nancy, and then back at the grasses his shoe had been stepping on. “Would you let me tend to it for today?”

Nancy made a face, and Noah knew she would.

“Have the carpenters surround this field with materials that could cover me inside.”

“Are you telling me to instruct them to barricade you inside this field?”

Noah nodded. “Correct. Now, if we’ll get to work?”

Thirty minutes later, the carpenters had successfully installed barricades surrounding the field where Nancy planted the seeds.

Taking the Magic Ball out of his backpack, Noah held it toward the sun, the crystal layer reflecting diamond-colored images on his nose.

He reached his fingers inside and began falling at fast speed inside the Magic Ball. He heard his behind crack the moment he lands on the fertile soil.

With a bucket in hand, he began scooping water surrounding the World Tree. Then, he went back to the Stream Ranch and splashed water on the seeds. He let out a sigh and thought he could use his telekinesis ability instead.

Sitting crossed-legged on the ground, Noah willed his mind to think of the bucket beside him. He did the deep breathing circulation and had exhaled thirty-times with one breath while thinking of the bucket being placed beside the World Tree’s spring water. Noah opened his eyes. His smile widened as the bucket was no longer beside him. Poking his head inside, he saw it exactly where he imagined it to be.

Repeating the same process, this time, Noah had thought of filling water inside the bucket. He penetrated his head on the crystal layer and saw that the bucket had water in it filled to its brim. Noah’s excitement grew as he did the deep circulation breathing once more. He felt the splashing of water to his right. Opening his eyes, he saw the bucket back to his side.

He continued watering the field until his arms became sore. One of these days, he would unexpectedly grow and shape the muscles of his arms.

That day, Noah left and had Nancy tell the carpenters to remove the barricade. Noah figured she wanted to ask questions, but like the good girl that she is, she kept quiet.

Several days later, Thomas called his voice in disbelief with a hint of suspicion when he said, “Mr. Martin, the grasses—”