Ria smoothed down the non-existent wrinkles in her khaki shorts.Of course this was going to be painful.If every wall in the room wasn’t filled with overstuffed bookshelves that claimed no rhyme or reason to their arrangement, she would have gone searching for the tome herself.She didn’t have a week, though, nor did she have the desire to acquire six new paper cuts from flipping through a million pages to find the right spell.The wound from her scissor accident still hurt more than enough for her liking.
“Yeah, I took the coven’s advice and offered destiny love spells.”Ria took a deep breath, preparing herself, then added, “I kind of have someone who’s interested.”
The squeal her mother unleashed in the tiny space was so high pitched Ria expected the neighborhood dogs to show up at their doorstep.You’d think a woman pushing retirement age would have a little more decorum, but that word just wasn’t in her mom’s vocabulary.Neither was restraint, given how tight the hug was that she found herself trapped in.
“Mom, I can’t breathe,” she choked out.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” her mom said, releasing her death grip on Ria.“I’m just so excited.I’ve been waiting forever to see you embrace your magic again.Hecate’s slippery shoes, this is a wondrous day.”
“It’s not really that big of a deal,” Ria replied, inching backward and out of her mom’s reach in case the crazy woman got any more hugging ideas.“It’s only one spell.”
“Whatever you say, my little twitchy witch.I know this is the beginning of a new chapter for you.I always believed abandoning your magic would bring you nothing but despair, and look at how things turned out in Portland?Now that you’re home and casting again, everything will be daffodils and moonbeams.”Before Ria could react, her mom lunged forward, grabbed her by the arms, and started spinning her around the room.
“Please stop,” Ria cried, when her stomach threatened to revisit the noodle soup she had for lunch.
Her mom let go mid spin, and Ria crashed into one of the bookshelves.She landed hard on the worn carpet, and ancient tomes rained down, half burying her under musty old books.When the cascade finally ended, she rubbed her head and glared up at her mom.
“Ouch,” Ria bit out.“You know these things are heavy enough to be weapons, right?”
“Oh, pishposh.You’re fine.And look, there’s the one you need.”Her mom swooped over and snatched up the half-open book covering her right foot.“It must be a sign from Hecate.”
“Or it could be coincidence considering I knocked at least thirty different books off.”Extracting herself from the pile, Ria climbed to her feet and dusted off her now very wrinkled shorts.
Her mom wagged a finger instead of offering her daughter any help getting up.“Ria, you need to stop dismissing the signs of the universe.You know Hecate won’t bless your magic if you keep sticking your nose up at her.”
“Right.Sorry, Hecate,” Ria mumbled.It wasn’t that she didn’t respect the Goddess who watched over her family line and fueled their magic.It was more she figured Hecate had bigger things to worry about than some minor league witch in Seacliff.
Her mom plopped back down into the recliner, assuming her favored cross-legged position as she thumbed through the book.
“Destiny, destiny… I know it’s in here somewhere.”She flipped through half the spellbook before finally announcing, “Ah-hah!Here we go.The Destiny Love Spell, when someone needs fate to give them a nudge in the right direction.”
Ria held out a hand for the book, but her mom ignored her, leaning back in the chair with a dreamy look on her face.
“You know, I remember when your nana used this spell on me.I asked her to, of course.I wanted so badly to be a mother.And sure enough, three weeks after she cast the spell, I had one too many sangrias at a Christmas party and met your father.”She let out a wistful sigh.
Ria shook her head.No use interrupting her mom when she got wrapped up in the past.Much like a head cold, she just had to let it run its course.
“It was love at first sight,” her mom continued.“Or at least I think it was.I may have actually had four or five too many sangrias.Either way, we shared a magical evening, and nine months later you were born.”Her mom cradled the book to her chest as if it had been somehow directly responsible for Ria’s birth.“You were the greatest gift the Goddess has ever given me.To see you finally emerging as the magical butterfly you are is a truly inspiring feeling.”
Ria rubbed at her temples, glad she had made a double batch of the migraine potion.“Again, it’s only one spell, Mom.”
“For now, baby.For now.”
“Whatever,” she replied, thrusting her hand out insistently.“Can I have the book, please?”
“Oh, yes.Here you go,” her mom said, holding out the book reverently.“Do read it over carefully, and make sure to practice the gestures.”
“I know the gestures, Mom,” Ria replied, snatching the tome rather irreverently.It was just a book for goodness’ sake.“You had me practice this a hundred times as a kid.”
“Yes, well, you never know when you might need it.If your grandmother hadn’t been a fan of this spell, then you might never have been born.”
“Or I might have been born to normal parents,” Ria muttered, turning to head back toward the garden.“I’ll be outside if you need me.”
“Let me know if you want any help,” her mom called.“You know I’d love to cast with you again.”
“Like that’ll happen,” Ria said under her breath, crossing through the kitchen toward the back door, snagging an apple from the bowl on the table as she went.
“And don’t ignore the footnotes!”
