King Bartholomew summoned the Royal Alchemists to the throne room. They bowed before the king.
“Alchemists! You have failed to turn lead into gold.”
“From this day forward, I declare you shall no longer be alchemists. You are henceforth magicians!”
The chief alchemist lifted his head slightly to address the king. “Your Majesty, changing our name won’t change our results. Turning lead into gold takes extreme skill that magicians don’t have.”
“Nonsense! A magician can do anything. That’s why he is called a magician!”
“And if we still cannot turn lead into gold?”
“Then you shall be known as alchemists.”
100-word micro-fiction; a drabble
