A Touch of Magic

Chapter 10: The Araminta Legacy

Gladys thumped a book down on the table in front of me. A puff of dust made the cat on my lap sneeze and the rescued golden coin bounce on the table.

"This is a book of magic spells collected by your ancestors. If you must give it a name, I suppose it's your Book of Shadows. It informs you of any spell whether it's worth its salt or not. Page thirty-two. Alchemy."

My ancestors. I wanted to know more about my past, but looking at Gladys' face I knew that was not on today's list of jobs.

I opened the leather-bound book.  The spine creaked, igniting an awareness of history I never knew I had. Touching the ancient ink, feeling the grains in the paper, I became excited, forgetting my questions for Gladys. Every page was covered in beautiful calligraphy, so small it was hardly readable, except the gilded title and a sub heading explaining the nature of the spell.

"Twenty nine. Awakening true love."

A Seeing Spell: For a mortal to recognise their true feelings for another.

George. The way he put his arm around me in the snow. Did he have feelings for me? My heart thumped. I could really use that spell, but what if I tried it and his feelings were nothing more than big brotherish? I wasn't ready to find that one out. Yet.

Dawlish stretched and jumped onto the table.

Gladys tapped her fingernails on the open book. "It is not all prehistoric. I know it looks that way to you. After the first hundred pages or so, spells are typed and there are images. When you have time it's worth a peruse."

It was Friday and I wanted to meet Zara. Perhaps Gladys had a life too. I took the hint. "Page thirty-two. Basic Alchemy. You mean it gets even more advanced?" I didn't bother checking Gladys' face for an answer; it would be 'need to know'. Sitting up straight, I read aloud. "To manipulate the elements and turn any metal or amalgam into gold."

I stopped, hearing the sound of pouring tea from across the kitchen. I looked at Gladys, seated in front of me. I still found it unnerving she could do that, and more unsettling that in theory so could I. Dawlish placed his paw on the first line of the spell; I continued.

Place metal or almalgam upon a stone altar and concentrate the third eye upon its shape and size. Meditate on the wholeness of the solid. See, with the third eye, each part of the metal to the smallest part and further. Repeat, 'My energy is thine', until an energy orb is created. Take this energy and offer it to the metal. Then say thrice, 'Thy smallest parts I do change from one element to another.'  Caution: It takes intense energy to change the elements of a metal. The newly alchemised item may be hot and volatile.

Dawlish looked sharply at Gladys.

"I didn't do all that." I said, confused.

"No." She tapped the coin on the table. "It seems you summoned up the energy without preparation."

Dawlish meowed, Gladys looked sharply at him.

It wasn't making sense.

With a change of face and brightened tone of voice Gladys spoke, "A question Araminta. How does one know when to cast a spell and when to... magic?"

I thought about the fizzy drink. It was a now or never moment. "Because often there's no time for a spell."

"It is more than that, delve deeper. Think." Our tea appeared in front of us. I sipped; it was nettle and lemon today.

"Um. Sometimes it's more than a one step process. If I wanted to find Mum a husband," heaven knows where that came from, "I couldn't just wish for a man to propose, I'd have to find someone suitable. I couldn't point to a random guy and say marry my mum."