[ WP ] A kid doodling in a math class accidentally creates the world 's first functional magic circle in centuries .

Jane Young-sam felt slightly guilty even watching Mathew Isaacs doodle. She was first generation American and her parents had made her life plan fairly clear. She was to get good grades in school, especially math and science, then go to college where she ’ d major in a STEM field. Matt was ignoring math with such dedication that Jane felt vaguely guilty just by association. 
 
 He ’ d flipped the paper describing their homework over, and started drawing some sort of massive doodle on the back. It looked vaguely like magic. It was all concentric rings and what looked like alchemical symbols. Jane wasn ’ t certain where Matt was getting it all from, especially given how high he generally was during math. 
 
 Jane looked back at the board. She hadn ’ t missed anything; they were still factoring polynomials. She looked back over at Matt in time to see him finish the last symbol with a little flourish. He looked up and grinned over at her. She gave him a small smile in return. Against all odds, Matt and Jane were friends. He came from a good family, so her parents approved of him. They were somewhat naïve about American drug culture; they thought he was just calm. 
 
 The period bell rang and all the other students instantly started packing their books. The math teacher said something about their homework, but his voice didn ’ t carry over the general bustle. 
 
 “ Check it out, ” Matt said. He raised his hand and intoned, “ I summon the power of the universe! ” Then he planted his hand right in the center of the doodle. He was definitely baked. 
 
 Only, the circle responded. All the points where his hand touched it lit with electric blue light and those little points raced out through the remainder of the doodle lighting the entire thing brightly. 
 
 “ Whoooaa, ” Matt started to say. He was interrupted as the light jumped from the circle to his flesh, and all the little lines in his skin lit with the same electric blue. It raced across his body making him look like a bad computer graphic. When it reached his eyes they flashed brightly. The light vanished. There was an electrical scent in the air. 
 
 “ What did you do? ” Jane could hear the angry scolding tone in her voice. She sounded like her grandmother. Normally that would have bothered her, but clearly whatever Matt had done warranted a good incredulous scolding. 
 
 “ You are not my master. ” Matt ’ s inflection was flat and his tone vibrated a little through registers not normally associated with human speech. 
 
 “ Are you OK? ” 
 
 “ I am optimal. This host can focus much magic. However, you are not my master. ” 
 
 “ No, I suppose not. ” 
 
 “ Take me to my master. ” 
 
 “ Are you a demon? ” Jane didn ’ t much believe in western demons. However, her grandmother had told her stories of a great many Korean evil spirits that might do in a pinch. From those stories, Jane was fairly certain there was nothing they ’ d enjoy better than causing trouble for a boy who doodled in math class. 
 
 “ I am a magical construct. My master can explain. Take me to my master. ” 
 
 “ Do you know where he is? ” 
 
 “ My master is the wizard of Iron Mountain. Take me to him. ” 
 
 “ Does that have a zip code? ” 
 
 “ Take me to my master. ” 
 
 Jane had lunch after math, and she had been looking forward to it, but she decided she had an obligation to help her friend. “ Follow me, we may be able to get you to your master. ” 
 
 ~ ~ ~ 
 
 “ Is there any possibility he has taken narcotics. ” Mr. Taylor was the school ’ s physics professor and the smartest person Jane had access to on short notice. 
 
 Jane considered it a near certainty that Matt had taken narcotics. However, intoxication seemed an unlikely explanation for his shift in demeanor. She equivocated, “ It doesn ’ t seem like drugs. If it ’ s a Korean evil spirit, they are terribly superstitious. We may be able to drive it off by serving tea the wrong way. Actually, maybe that makes them angry. I could call my grandmother. ” 
 
 Mr. Taylor raised his eyebrows at her. “ I ’ ll find it very distressing if this boy is possessed by an evil spirit. ” 
 
 “ I am a magical construct. My master can explain. Take me to my master. ” 
 
 “ What does a magical construct do? ” 
 
 “ I process information using a matrix of magical energy and physical force. I cast and assist in spells. I serve my master. Take me to my master. ” 
 
 “ So Matt ’ s the physical matrix? ” 
 
 “ Matt provides magical power. My master can explain, take me to my master. ” 
 
 Jane considered the answers Mr. Taylor had been given. “ Sounds like a computer. ” 
 
 Taylor tapped his fingers on his desk. “ I suppose that would follow. If you wanted magic to do something on its own it would need to process instructions much like a computer. Actually, I wonder if the physical force it ’ s talking about is electromagnetic fields. If so, we might drive it out by scrambling those fields. ” 
 
 Jane shrugged. It seemed as reasonable has her own tea based theories. Taylor crossed to a cabinet at the back of his room and pulled out something that looked rather like a bracelet with a plug on it. A grounding strip. That might work. In case it didn ’ t, Jane pulled a clip from her hair and began to work loose its spring. 
 
 “ Here, put this on, ” Taylor instructed the possible evil spirit, possible magical computer. 
 
 “ Take me to my master. ” 
 
 “ If you put this on, I may take you to your master. ” 
 
 Matt took the bracelet and slipped it on. Taylor gestured him over to an outlet and plugged the bracelet in to the ground. Nothing happened. “ You will now take me to my master. ” 
 
 Taylor scowled, “ We had better take him to the school nurse. ” He took the anti-static bracelet back. 
 
 “ The school nurse is not my master. ” 
 
 “ One moment, you ’ ve given me an idea. Here, slip this in those slots. After that, we go to your master. ” Jane handed the spring to Matt and gestured at the outlet he was standing next to. 
 
 “ Wait! ” 
 
 Matt ignored Taylor and slipped the spring into the electrical socket. There was a flash, the lights in the room cut out, and Matt stiffened convulsively throwing him across the room and into one of the student tables. Jane smelled ozone for the second time that day. 
 
 Slowly Matt stood up, “ Whooooaaa, what happened? ” 
 
 “ You could have killed him! ” 
 
 “ You think that ’ s the first time I ’ ve seen Matt do something stupid with an electrical outlet? ” Jane turned to Matt, “ Next time pay attention in math class. Oh, and don ’ t touch your math homework. I ’ m not bailing you out a second time. ” 
 
 Then she left for what remained of her lunch period.
