A Witch's Howl

ur nuts

"Why didn't I think of it?" I mused rhetorically. "The Eye of Nyctos, it doesn't harness its essence from darkness."

Donny, looking puzzled, asked, "What's that supposed to mean?" I shook my head with a smile and waved my hand. The book materialized right next to me and landed on the table. "Is this the best place to do this?" Donny inquired, his surprise growing.

"Have you heard the saying, 'if you acknowledge it, you give it power'?" I asked. "Ed and Lorraine Warren used to go by it, Lorraine was part witch. Anyways, spirits get their power from anything that basically emits waves of mental interconnectivity, so emotions."

Donny took a bite of his pasta and asked, "I hear a 'but.'"

"But," I continued, "this book isn't any kind of book; it's not just words; it's alive."

"You're telling me that thing is breathing?" Donny exclaimed, his eyes wide. The book suddenly opened, startling both of us, and Donny instinctively put his hands up in defense.

I looked down at the table, and the book revealed a spell of teleportation. I glanced at Donny and couldn't help but smile. "I'll be back."

I decided to put my theory about the spellbook to the test. Walking into the pack house, I spotted a houseplant near the entrance. I approached it, my mind focused on an unusual idea. I looked at the book, concentrating hard, and then flicked my finger, imagining the plant sprouting a pair of eyes.

Before I could finish the thought, Nathaniel, the pack's ever-vigilant beta, walked into the room. Startled and unnerved by the sudden appearance of the eyes on the plant, he let out a scream, nearly jumping out of his skin.

"Mr. Always at the right place at the right time," I quipped with a grin, referencing Taylor Swift's song lyrics.

Nathaniel composed himself, but his wide-eyed stare didn't waver as he cautiously approached the plant, clearly bewildered by the bizarre occurrence. I must admit, seeing those eyes on the plant was a surreal sight even for me.

I motioned to the plant and said, "You see this? It worked!"

Nathaniel blinked, still in disbelief. "How did you do that?"

I was about to explain my theory, but before I could utter a word, the plant's eyes moved, looking directly at Nathaniel. It let out a faint, high-pitched chuckle, which was both amusing and eerie. I gaped at it, bewildered.

Nathaniel took a step back, clearly freaked out. "Okay, that's... creepy."

As I watched the plant with growing curiosity and trepidation, its eyes blinked at us. Suddenly, the plant began to speak, its voice an odd combination of plant-like rustling and melodic chimes.

"Dada?"

Both Nathaniel and I stood there, jaws dropped, as the houseplant kept his eyes locked with Nathaniel.

"No" He says looking at me. Flabbergasted i looked at Nate as we're both shocked. The plant had imprinted on him.

"Dada?" The plant asked again. This time its leaves began to grow wet from the I think tears.

"Hi?" Nathaniel awkwardly says.

Nathaniel, equally astounded, looked at me and said, "Yeah, this might take some getting used to."

With the bizarre revelation that the spellbook allowed me to animate not just objects but to give them sentient life, I realized the magic I held was more extraordinary and complex than I could have ever imagined.

"How did you do this?" Nathaniel asks.

"The Eye of Nyctos, doesn't mean death. It actually the opposite most of the time." I inform.

"Can it kill it?" Nathaniel says while looking at the plant. I open my jaw offended. He rolls his eyes.

"I'm too young to be a father" he points out. Sebastian suddenly walks into in the room and looks at Nate with a confused stare.

"How dare you. This basil baby, is staying we can't just kill it!" I yell while pointing to the plant. Whose eyes are never leaving Nate.

"I'm planting this ....thing out in the backyard" Sebastian says grabbing the plant. He was trying to settle our little argument. He's suddenly startled with the eyes peering back at him.

"Kill it" he throws the plant to Nathaniel, who now looks offended.

"Don't insult him!" He says hugging the plant.

"So when you do it, it fine. But when i do it there's a problem?" Sebastian asks weirder out. With a flick of my finger the plant disappears from Nathaniel's hands and is now planted with the rest of the other plants in the garden. We hear a scream emerge from the garden.

"They'll get used to it"  I say pursing my lips. "Anyways, I have a revelation"

"That's great" Nathaniel says sarcastically.

I open the book in front of them and they look at it hesitating. "What does it say?"

"I don't fucking know? It's gibberish, Aveo radarvar" Nathaniel tries to pronounce. I poke his shoulder. "Exactly. You can read"

"Well, id hope so" Nate says.

"There's no words in this book. It's blank" I say giddy. "This text is meaningless, that why it doesn't work. We need to find the eye"

Sebastian, my ever-supportive mate, had a conflicted look in his eyes as I faced a room filled with opposition. Even Nathaniel seemed unsure about the choice at hand.

"To hell you're going to find that," a raspy, familiar voice chimed in from the corner of the room. It was Nonna, my feisty grandmother. She wasn't about to back down from this fight.

"You can't stop me, Nonna," I said with determination, bracing myself for the confrontation that had been building for years.

"Yes, I will. I might be old, but I'll milly rock you into a bush if I have to," she declared with her characteristic feistiness. My mother stood beside her, her expression unsettlingly serious.

My mother's input added to the tension in the room. "We don't come from powerful witch lines," she suggested. "Perhaps contacting a Cunningham? They are very well known for this dark magic."

I shrugged off the disappointment, masking the hurt that my own blood and flesh didn't seem to believe in me. Turning to Sebastian, I saw his conflicted expression and sensed the weight of his decision.

"It's best you help our pack as a pack witch. I'll make some calls," he decided, making it clear where he stood in the debate.

Nathaniel remained silent, while the room's attention focused on my response. I maintained a stoic expression, a mask to conceal the turbulence of emotions swirling inside me.

Breaking the tension with a bit of dry humor, I declared, "Very well, I'll drive you home. You've overstayed your welcome."

Nonna and my mom looked offended at my blunt statement. My mom tried to calm me, understanding my frustration.

I sighed and responded, "No, I get it. You think I'm not up for the task."

Nonna added her two cents. "Lilian, I know you're upset. It's essence is diabolical."

Sebastian intervened, suggesting, "I'll have my driver take them."

I nodded, my head spinning from the emotional whirlwind in the room. With a final salty remark, I said, "You're all going to regret this."

I turned and stormed out of the room, my heart heavy with the knowledge that I was facing an uphill battle, and my own family's faith in me had wavered. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but I couldn't afford to be distracted by self-doubt and second-guessing. There was a darkness out there that needed to be confronted, and my path was set, regardless of the obstacles in my way.