by Dani Corlee
But a witch? Witch! That was really a concept she couldn't accept. Not yet, at least.
“Listen. I need to digest all these things. I...” She paused, nervously rubbing her hands. “I think I can accept magic, but the whole thing about witches, their pointed hats, the cauldrons and flying brooms is something that really bothers me.”
“I have a pointed hat and a broom. And a low-necked, sexy black suit to match. I bought them all at the Party Jokes store downtown. For Halloween, I mean.” Lucille intervened with a grin, which showed her ever-present chewing gum.
CHAPTER 13
The alarm went off, too loudly for Kimberly who tried to hide under the blanket like when she was a child. She stretched her arm out of the bed, trying to reach it and switch it off. Her hand wandered in the air, then with an annoyed and tired voice, she shouted, “Stop it!”
The alarm stopped. Suddenly aware of what had happened the day before, she sat up with her eyes wide open.
It hadn't been a dream... It was real. Was it? Still confused, she didn't know what to think of the whole matter.
She imagined some of her future conversations: “Yes, Mom, everything's okay here. The house is turning out well. Oh, I forgot to mention I've turned into a witch.”
She hid her face in her hands. Well, she had faced many problems lately and was able to cope with them. This was just another one to add to the list. She sighed and felt better. Soon after, though, thousands of doubts came again to her mind. Witches? Really?
She lazily went about her morning routine, extremely glad this time she could set the perfect temperature for her shower just with her will. Perhaps the situation wasn't as bad as she thought. She only had to understand what all of this would entail.
She went to Aurora's room. Her daughter was still sleeping like an angel, and Kimberly wondered about her powers. Lucille and Isidora hadn't mentioned possible powers for her, but Kimberly knew very well all the strange things Aurora had done in the last few days. She must have gained powers, too. What would a kid with all those powers do, especially at four? Aurora was sensible, but nonetheless a child. How could she understand what she could do and what she couldn't? What she could show to strangers, and what to keep hidden?
Too many things to consider. At this point, she needed someone to talk to. Not her mom, for sure. She hadn't even read fairy tales to her as a child because she, an engineer, labeled all that stuff as dumb and counter-educational. Nor her closest friends, Cindy and Angela, who had known her since their school days and would think she had lost her mind.
She went downstairs to prepare her breakfast.
“Hey,” she said aloud. “Why not? I command a cup of coffee and doughnuts!” She made a face, feeling stupid. Nothing happened. She shrugged, wondering how the whole thing worked. Maybe she didn’t have any powers after all? Maybe she was safe!
She switched on the coffee machine and looked in the cabinets, searching for the ingredients, happily anticipating a hot cup of coffee and delicious, hot doughnuts topped with chocolate and colored sprinkles. Then she closed her eyes, sniffing the nice smells, when she realized it wasn't just her imagination. She opened her eyes and turned to the table, which was set for breakfast with her best placemats and china, and a plate full of doughnuts and a jar of coffee were waiting for her.
“How?” Feeling confused, but also hungry and grateful for the gifts, she sat and ate her breakfast.
Late in the morning, after having worked hard to arrange the other things in the house, she decided she would call Lucille and have a chat with her. Aurora was in her room, playing with her many toys, and she could take some time to understand the situation.
She didn’t have Lucille's number but was sure she didn't need it. She took her smart phone out, not really knowing what to do, then simply said “Hello, Lucille?”
“Hello, Kim! Are you better this morning?”
“Yes, I am. I need to talk to you. I need lots of explanations. And guidance, too, I suppose. When can we meet?”
“Now is fine for me. What about you?”
“Yes, fine for me, too.”
“Okay, I'll be there now,” she replied, while the doorbell rang.
“Wait, there's someone at the door,” Kim replied and opened it, finding Lucille there laughing, still holding her phone.
“Oh!” she exclaimed, “Were you already coming?”
“No, I came when you told me to!”
“Do you mean you... flew here or teleported yourself? Or whatever?"
“Yes, sort of.”
“I suppose I should get used to these things.”
“There's time yet to learn!”
Kimberly invited Lucille inside and took her in the kitchen. “Have a seat,” she said, while handing Lucille a plate of pastries she took out of thin air and pouring her a generous cup of coffee.
“So, can you tell me what happened? How? Why?”
“I'm not sure how it happened. Did anything strange happen to you in the last few days?”
“Are you joking? Do you mean stranger than turning into a witch?” She stared at Lucille.
“No, I mean something unusual which might have turned you into a witch. I don't know, a sudden sun ray that hit you and was hotter than it should have been, or colder... any strange butterfly resting on your shoulder... that sort of thing. It could have been anything. This house, too. It used to be our previous master's house.” She looked around but couldn't see any trace of the previous inhabitant.
“Was it?” Kimberly looked around with a shiver as well, then continued, “Can a butterfly turn a human into a witch?”
“Witches are humans. And no. Not a normal butterfly. It could have been a fairy. I don't know.”
“Oh, yes! I read a horrible piece of poetry which I now think could have been a spell!”
“A piece of poetry? Where did you find it? In an old book?” Lucille asked in one breath.
“No, in an old teapot.”
“Can I see both the teapot and the spell?”
Kim flushed, embarrassed. “I think I threw that piece of paper away. As for the teapot, it was very nice, and I kept it. Let me see, it should be with my old china. Yes!”
She handed over the item to Lucille, who smiled. “I remember it. It belonged to Dolly, the previous owner of this house. I was sure the house had something to do with it. As I told you, she was our master, a powerful witch loved by everyone, a good and cheerful soul. And the poetry must have been a spell she created to solve our problem...”
“A problem? What problem?” Kimberly asked, alerted.
“Never mind. It's not important now.”
Kimberly looked defeated and hid her face in her hands. “I didn't expect my life would take such a turn! What will I do now?”
“I wish I could answer that.” Lucille looked thoughtful. “I suppose I would expect someone in your situation to be happy and excited. I see you aren't. You should live your normal life, but also get some training. I suspect you have the ability of an adult witch. That is, you are more powerful than a growing witch, and therefore you need to learn how to use your powers. We don't want you to...” She cleared her throat and went on. “Turn a nasty neighbor into a mouse or an unexpected and unwanted guest into a worm, do we?”
Kim looked at her horrified. “No!” she exclaimed. “Could I really do these things unintentionally, just with a quick thought?”
Lucille was amused by her sudden fear and giggled. “Well, yes, you could. But we will teach you to control your powers.”
“Today, I commanded a cup of coffee and doughnuts, but at first nothing happened. It took at least five minutes for those things to appear.” It was a statement, but Kimberly looked at Lucille inquisitively.
“Uhm... I believe those things didn't show at all when you commanded them. Probably afterward you asked for them and that's why they appeared. All you get is a gift. Always. Everything. You being a witch or not. Be grateful for what you receive, and ask for it. Nothing is
owed to you. Remember that.”
Kim looked surprised but didn't reply. That sounded fair, though. She had many things to ponder now.
“And what about Aurora? She is so young. How can I explain all of this to her?”
“She will get used to these things. Try not to make big spells in front of her, at least at first.”
“No, I mean... she can make them, too!”
“What?” Lucille startled, opening her eyes wide. “How can that be?”
“We read the spell together, and I suspect that some strange things that have happened to her are due to her powers.”
“I didn't think it possible. I didn't realize she has powers, too. We need to start her training as soon as possible before she behaves strangely in front of non-witches. I must talk about it with Isidora at once. This is something totally unexpected.”
“Non-witches?”
“Yes, that's what we call people other than witches. Remember, we are a minority, so chances are she’ll run into more non-witches than witches in her everyday life. But first, there's something else we must talk about.” Lucille paused, carefully choosing the right words. “Your coming had been foreseen.”
“Well, you are witches. I suppose you can predict the future, too!” Kim nodded, as if it was something that made perfect sense.
“No, your coming had been foreseen a long time ago. There's much more about it I cannot tell you now, Kim. Isidora will explain everything when the time is right.”
“Holy cow! If you came here to make me feel better, now you are scaring me. What could be bigger than this?”
“No, I'm sorry. Don't worry. It's nothing bad, but I'm not allowed to tell you anything more. Let me say hello to Aurora and I'll go.”
CHAPTER 14
“Yes, Mom, everything is okay here. Yes, everything is in order, every item put away in its proper place.. What? No, I'm not going to mess everything up... Yes... No, I don't need you to come here to organize my fridge, my closets, or my bathrooms!”
Rubbing her head with one hand, Kim switched off the phone before her mother could call her back with any other suggestions. “Engineers,” she whispered. Her mother was the perfect example of them: practical, always very efficient thanks to a cool mind trained to check everything, to classify and arrange every single detail of her life and of her husband’s and daughter’s. Kim suspected she had developed an artist’s mind as a rebellion against her mother being so realistic and down-to-earth.
When she started painting, her mother had labeled her passion as a waste of time, the temporary dream of a teenager, and hadn't changed her mind even when some of Kim's work had been shown and sold in a well-known art gallery in their town.
Kim didn't really want to sell them, but they had helped pay her college tuition, even though her quite-wealthy parents would have provided for it. At that time, the fact that she paid her own way had been a huge boost to her self-esteem.
After her marriage, she had stopped painting, mainly due to Aurora's birth, but now she had planned to set the tower room up as her studio.
The last thing she needed was her mother coming and messing everything up. Kimberly could just see it now—her mother rushing in, adjusting spaces and objects her own way. Which was probably the most logical way, but it wasn't hers. Moreover, how could she deal with all the magic stuff with her mother around? What if Aurora flew or made things appear and disappear? If that was even within her abilities, of course...
She picked up a few toys from the kitchen floor, thinking she could have probably just had them jumping into her hands, but she would have felt stupid trying it.
She still believed it was a dream, or a madness, and that nothing had actually happened. It was something so bizarre there was certainly no way it could be true.
Yet this was the day she'd find out for sure if she truly had powers. Isidora was waiting for her at the club. Kim was excited and quite anxious, not sure she wanted to know what she was going to say. Rubbing the back of her neck, she realized her hands were sweating. Also, she kept on swallowing.
“My goodness! I haven't been so nervous since my graduation!” she mumbled, rubbing her hair.
“Hello, Mrs. Pupp, hello, Aurora! Let me call Lucille for you.” The receptionist welcomed them and made a call.
Lucille arrived at once, sporting a gym outfit in pink, and chewing gum as usual, and greeted them with a huge smile.
“Let's bring Aurora to the playground and then we'll go to Isidora. She is waiting for you with Celeste.”
After a few minutes, Kimberly entered Isidora's office. Isidora pretended to be the manager of the Magic Club and therefore the office was meant to be for her job. In reality, she managed the whole community from there.
She didn't know what to expect. Probably something very witchy, like in old fairy tales. What she found was a big corporate room, like those she had seen many time in movies, modernly furnished with every comfort. But what caught Kim's eyes first was the huge window, which took up an entire wall. The scenery from there was breathtaking. On one side, there was the modern part of the town, with tall buildings and busy streets, but from the other, there was the residential side and then the country, miles and miles of fields and trees shining in the sun. It was a clear day; the air was thin and the landscape went on seemingly forever. Could that thin line of light blue glittering in the far distance be the sea?
She realized that, hypnotized by the landscape, she’d only muttered a quick greeting to Isidora, who was sitting in a tall leather chair and to Celeste, standing at her side. Isidora asked her to take a seat, and she smiled in return while waking up from her daydream. That was a picture she would have loved to paint!
She looked at Isidora's big glass desk. Very corporate indeed. There was a big screen on one side and one of those phones with more buttons and functions than one could ever need on the other. A leather binder sat in front of Isidora, and many things you could expect on such a desk: a mahogany pen holder, a pile of files and papers. Behind her, on a small table against a wall, there was a ball, probably made of glass, resting on a short, wooden stand.
Isidora had silently watched Kim scanning her whole office. Now she saw her staring at the ball.
She leaned forward a little and asked, “Do you like it?”
“The ball? Yes, it's nice. Quite a heavy paperweight, I guess.”
“It's a crystal ball.”
Kim giggled. “Oh, a crystal ball, really! Really?” she then added, widening her eyes, understanding Isidora had been serious.
“Yes, it's an ancient one. Rome would have been founded hundreds of years after it’s creation,” she replied. “Do you want to touch it?”
Kimberly's eyes seemed to be hypnotized by the magical piece. Celeste took it and carefully placed it on the desk in front of her. She stretched a hand out and drew it near the ball, which started to look as if it were alive. Swirls of colored smoke moved inside and undefined shapes formed.
She withdrew her hand quickly, afraid of the experience.
Isidora cleared her throat and sighed deeply. Regardless of all her experience, she wasn't totally prepared for what she had to say.
Kim looked at her and realized the incongruity of the situation. She was there, in a witch's cave which looked like an executive manager's office, touching a crystal ball which seemed to come alive at her touch. Then Isidora herself. For a moment, her mind saw an image from The Devil Wears Prada. The room was slightly more austere than the one of the editor in the movie. Nevertheless, Isidora looked a lot like her, the same perfect and chic dresses, a similar sophisticated cut to her silver hair. The same solemnity in her eyes. Kim couldn't help giggling again. Yet, Isidora’s eyes always smiled, in contrast to the editor’s in the movie.
“Kim,” she said. “May I call you Kim, my dear?” She didn't wait for an answer. “What I'm going to tell you is very important. We don't know why it happened, but we already knew you were coming.”
She stopped searchin
g for the words, her hands tightening on the armrests. How could she tell somebody who wasn't expecting such a revelation that she was your Queen, and hundreds of thousands of people in the world were looking to serve and obey her?
She would have waited and given her only a piece of this revelation at a time, but many other witches in the world were putting pressure on her to be allowed to meet the new Queen, and Isidora feared that some witches would use any method to talk to her, maybe even pushing her to move and live in their territory. After all, having a Queen, The Queen, in one's own community was a huge advancement from the perspective of all the witches’ groups.
