The First Spell

I couldn't focus on correcting the script for the rest of the day. I kept thinking about the glowing mark that I saw on our new CEO's hand. Was I really the only one who noticed it? I wanted to go home as soon as possible and ask Grandma about it, hoping that she would know what it was. I was both, terrified and excited. If it truly were magic, that would mean that I had experienced something supernatural for the first time in my super-rational life!

At 5 PM, I literally ran out of the office, got on the bus, and then rushed to my Grandma's home. At this time of day, Granny was still working at the magical shop, so I went straight there.

"Grandma! You won't believe what I saw…"

"Perfect timing!" she interrupted me, "Stand behind the counter for a while, will you? I have picked the herbs from the garden. We ran out of chamomile…"

As usual, she didn't wait for my reply. She just patted my shoulder and left the shop. I took a deep breath, and stood behind the counter like she told me to.

Grandma's shop was called "Amara's Magical Herbs", not too creative, since Amara was my Grandma's name. She grew all kinds of herbs, mixed them based on her own recipes, placed the blends in small linen bags, and sold them, claiming that they were magical. As a child, I wanted to believe that there was magic inside, but as I grew up, I thought of it as a marketing trick, allowing her to make quite a business.

Suddenly, the shop's door opened and a suspiciously behaving man entered. He was acting like he was on some secret mission, covering half of his face, and creeping towards the counter. As he walked closer, I recognized him. It was our neighbor's husband, half-bold, 50-year-old Mr. Morgan.

"Hello Mr. Morgan, what can I do for you?" I asked, smiling.

He cautiously leaned over my ear, constantly looking around like he was afraid someone would see him buying in Grandma's shop.

"I came… for… the-special-blend," he whispered.

"What special blend do you have in mind, Sir?" As I recalled, none of Grandma's mixtures were simply called "special".

"THE special blend…" he repeated, looking at me with pleading eyes.

I had no idea how to help him… except for getting help.

"Granny! Mr. Morgan came!" I shouted to call her inside.

Mr. Morgan flinched and hid in the corner of the shop, glimpsing through the shop window in absolute panic. Well… I wasn't sorry at all. He and his wife were among the people constantly talking behind our backs about how we were a family of freaks.

My Grandma came back and smirked, seeing how anxious her dearest client was.

"Mr. Morgan!" she called, grinning, "I guess the herbs were… effective?" she chuckled.

"Y-yes… Can I get some more, please?" He crawled back near the shopping counter.

"Of course you can…" Grandma smiled.

She pulled out one of her empty linen bags, then turned her back from the counter, opened a drawer with lots of different herbs and started throwing some of them into the bag. I observed her closely. When she filled the bag, she put a finger on her mouth as a sign for me not to react. Then she winked at me and smirked. I gazed at Mr. Morgan, who impatiently tapped his fingers on the counter and kept looking around nervously. He seemed more absorbed with not getting noticed inside the shop than with what my Grandma was doing…

Granny tied a red ribbon on the linen bag, then took the bag with both hands and closed her eyes. The bag started glowing for a few seconds, then the glow faded. I gasped and covered my mouth not to make more sounds. Grandma chuckled quietly watching my reaction, then she turned around with a grin on her face and handed the bag to Mr. Morgan.

"Here you go. Remember not to use it too often," she giggled.

"Thank you Mrs. Eden! Thank you, very much!" he called hurriedly putting the money on the counter, and leaving the shop in a hurry.

"Granny, what exactly did you give him?" I asked as soon as Mr. Morgan closed the door.

"Nettle, lovage, ginseng… and fennel," she smirked.

I burst out laughing, realizing that most of them are used for certain male ailments, diminishing masculinity…

"But… why the fennel?" I inquired curiously.

"Everything comes with the price… As a punishment for desiring my magic, he'll have a lot of smelly winds in his bedroom," she laughed, wickedly.

"Grandma… you are so bad," I chuckled.

"Thank you, deary," she grinned.

"But… what's with the glow?" I was dying to know what it was.

Grandma smirked and sat in the chair and beckoned me to herself. I leaned over her.

"I will tell you my secret," she giggled, "It doesn't matter what I put in the bag. It's the magic with the right intention that counts," she explained, lowering her voice.

"What?!" I called, trying to comprehend what she just said.

"It's simple Kassi. All you need to do is pick any herb you like, and fill it with the right magic. I'm sure you could do it yourself by now…" She prodded my shoulder.

"Yeah… right," I smirked, having zero faith in my magical abilities.

"Give it a try!" she encouraged me. "Grab some herbs, and tell them what they should do. That is how you can make lemon balm and chamomile more effective than the most powerful painkiller for migraine."

"But… If you could use anything, why did you use the herbs that would really increase Mr. Morgan's potency?" I smiled, teasingly.

"That's because those morons do not believe in magic! I have to give them at least one ingredient that they can recognize," she claimed, irked.

I found her cunning side adorable. The way she talked about magic, she made it sound so easy, but it still seemed incredibly unreal. I couldn't imagine myself doing it just like she told me. Suddenly, I remembered what I wanted to know from the moment I saw her…

"Oh! Grandma, I almost forgot! I've noticed something strange today… Our new CEO had some shining mark on his palm. It seems that nobody else except for me saw it. Do you know what it could be? Was it something magical… like a spell… or curse?" I asked agitatedly.

"I don't know… What did it look like?"

"I resembled a bright, flaming circle… That's all I saw…" I admitted, realizing that wasn't a specific description.

"Well… it could be some protective spell… or a curse. I would have to see it closely to tell for sure," she stated, shrugging.

"I see… You are right… It's not enough information to tell… Besides, I saw it from a distance," I laughed faintly.

I felt a bit disappointed. As a scriptwriter, I could already imagine a living, breathing character like the powerful CEO with magical powers! By the way, that could be a good idea for a new drama… I instantly decided to write it down in my notebook. If only the ideas for the "The CEO's Only Weakness" were appearing in my head that easily, that could safe me and the team a lot of trouble.

That day, I promised Granny that I would work in the shop until the closing hour. It wasn't that tiring since only a few clients were coming into the shop each day. They were mostly regulars. Because there wasn't much to do, I took out my notebook and stretched my brain cells, hoping to get some ideas for correcting the script. It was almost closing time. Suddenly, I heard the door opening.

"Hello, how can I help you?" I asked, greeting the customer.

The person who walked inside was a tall and elegant man with glasses, wearing a business suit. He walked to the counter with a serious expression on his face.

"Hello. I need a very powerful painkiller for my boss. None of the drugs helps with his headaches… Do you know something that could work?" he asked, agitated.

"Sure, I'll just…"

I looked on the shelf where my Grandma used to put all the prepared for sell bags, but I noticed that all the blends for the pain were gone!

I grinned, panicking. I wanted to call Grandma, but I realized it was almost 10 PM, and she told me that she would like to get to bed earlier today.

"I'm sorry, we…"

"Please! It really is an emergency…" The man sounded like it was a life or death situation.

"All right…" I agreed hesitantly, "But you will have to wait a while for the blend…"

I had no idea what I was doing, but I turned away from him, opened the drawer with the herbs, and decided to imitate my Grandma, truly praying that it would work…

I grabbed a bag and a spoon, and picked something that could create a nice smelling tea. I thought that maybe that way, at the very least, the herbs wouldn't kill the patient… I picked some lemon balm, wild rose buds, and lavender, then I put it all together into the bag.

"Here goes nothing," I thought and shut my eyes.

I concentrated on healing all kinds of pain. I genuinely prayed that it would work, then slowly opened my eyes. The bag was shining! It was glowing just like when Grandma put the spell on Mr. Morgan's bag! I was ecstatic. I waited until the glow faded and turned around to face the worried customer.

"Here you go!" I called out, grinning.

"Thank you!" he bowed with gratitude, like I was his life saver, "How much do I owe you?"

I looked behind me to check if Grandma had any prices set on the painkillers, but I couldn't see anything. I decided to pick a random amount of money.

"15 dollars, please," I hesitantly smiled.

"Here you go," the man pulled out a $100 bill and called, "Keep the change. If my boss's pain goes away, he will give you a thousand times as much," he claimed.

I opened my mouth wide, absolutely stunned, but… decided not to argue with the client. He bowed one more time and rushed out of the store.

"I actually used magic! I used magic! I did a spell! I am a witch!!!" I shouted, jumping out of joy.

Luckily, I figured out quickly that screaming that you are a witch may not be the wisest thing to do… Especially when your neighbors already consider you a freak. Nonetheless, I was sincerely overjoyed. Only one thing bothered me.

"I wonder… how my spell will work on that poor guy…"