When Magic Flows

CONSULTING SPIRITS, ICE SKATING AND GIRL TALK

“Allegra, darling, you can do whatever you want, but you have to come back at 4, ok? We need to get you prepared for your ceremony.” my mom said at the breakfast table while I was devouring a giant blueberry muffin. I love food, and my favorite meal was breakfast. It was the most important meal of the day, right?

“But, mom, why do I need three hours of preparation for this event?” I started to complain.

“You are going to be our next priestess, babe. You need to stand up for your responsibilities. You need to be presentable for tonight, we are going to ask the Goddesses’ blessings for your time as a leader.”

“Fine, but up to 4 o’clock?”

“The day is yours, sweetheart”

“So come on, Sybil, we have to be somewhere soon!” I said as an excuse from the table and stood up grabbing her arm on the way.

“Damn, I still had food on my plate, you idiot.”

“You’re talking to your future leader, dork.”

“Okay, I’m sorry, I still don’t understand why you are in such a hurry.”

“I have to go to the cave. I have to consult the sacred spirits and to know how am I going to be as our coven leader. I feel as there is so much that I needed to learn, so much that I should have experienced before this ceremony. I simply need to know, Sybil.”

“But Allegra, we are not encouraged to disturb the ancestor’s spirits,” Sybil told me with a worried face. I know my best friend, and I know that going against one of the main rules was not her thing. Still, I had to go there. I had to look for answers. 

“I’m going to be the next coven’s leader, right? I will have access to consult them in the future. Why postpone what I can have today? Come on! Hurry up” I told her, starting to run toward the forest.

Our coven area was a vast territory. It has the main house, where I live with my family and with other leader’s families, surrounded by a village, where the other members of the coven lived. We also have a waterfall, the forest itself, and a cemetery where they buried our ancestors. In the cave, the priestesses go to consult their spirits in a sort of an oracle. Since I was a future leader, why not give it a try?

When we arrived at the cave, I told Sybil to wait for me outside and I got into the cave, walked to the small pond, and paid the blood price to access, saying the enchantment that I learned from my grandmother “Dear ancestors from the Moonrise coven, I paid the price of the Scott family blood to summon thee today to answer our deepest questions” and waited.

The cave then was filled with smoke when some phantasmagoric faces appeared in the water and the spirit of Ariadne, the first enchantress started to talk “I see that the Scott child came of age already? Tell me, child, what is your deepest desire?”

“Did you know about me, O powerful?”

“We know about everything, child. Now, tell us what you want to know?”

“I would like to know what does it takes to be a good leader”

“Well, child, it takes abilities and heart. It takes courage to do what is right for everyone. It takes sacrifice and wisdom. It takes the wisdom to choose which battles to fight.”

“And how can I have these abilities, my master?”

“You have to follow your heart, beloved. Follow your instincts and they are going to lead the way.”

“One more question, master. What does expect me in the future?”

“We will only tell you this, Child: You will fight against darkness and have to be careful. There is a fine line between light and darkness, but the gray area can affect the light. Be careful.”

“Thank you, great spirits for this piece of wisdom”. I was satisfied that I came to talk with the ancients, but I must confess that I was intrigued. I knew it would not be easy, but of course, I wish they have told me just that my future would be bright. 

When I came down to the entrance of the cave, Sybil was there, killing time playing a game on her cellphone, and said “I hope you got what you came for. I also hope that no coven leader finds us here”

Right at that moment my mom and my grandma practically materialized in the air. My grandma was adorable, but this scares the crap out of me every time she does that, and now she seems to had taught my mom to do the same. And as always, I yelled, scaring the birds in the near trees.

“Calm down child. It is just us. Although is not recommendable to consult the spirits like this, I knew you would be here, on the eve of your ceremony. I can’t condemn you for it. I was here myself when it was my turn.”

“Oh, guys! I’m so happy that you understand! I’m so relieved about it!” I told her 

“We did not come here to tease you, child. We came here to give you your birthday gift. But this is just for your eyes, and your friend’s, if you want to share this secret.”

Sybil made a curious face and told me reluctantly “I can take a walk if you want, Allegra.” But obviously, she said that just for saying. She seemed too curious to drop the subject. So I said “Stay. You are my best friend. I would tell you that anyway.” And then my mom and my grandma started to share a family secret with me:

“Long time ago our Scott family had so much magic in our veins that we were able to produce a token to channel our powers and this way enhance our magic. This token is used only and exclusively in exceptional magic, not the day-to-day witchcraft we have. You can store your power in it too and this token could be used as a prison for a doomed soul if you ever need it. This is the quintessence of our family magic, and it has to be guarded with your life as if it were a member of the coven, do you understand me?”

“Yes, grandma, I do. So, am I responsible to keep this token safe?”

“You take the responsibility to keep this token safe from your Power Flow to the day to your daughter’s Power Flow.” My mom said. “You have to guard it, use it if necessary, and keep our community safe through the power in this token, ok?”

“Yeah, sure, anything,” I told them.

At that moment, my mom gave me a small leather box that looked as if it could be replaced. In the second that my fingers touched the box, I could feel its power tingling the tip of my fingers and was amazed that such an object could contain a big power source. I felt a certain life flowing from the token. When I opened the box there was laying a small clear crystal in a golden chain, like a necklace. 

“May I?” I asked the two women.

“Of course!” they said in unison. 

When I put on the necklace, I felt the most powerful magic I have ever felt. I must confess that I have close to no experience feeling magic because I just felt my own this morning, but this was something more and that could not be ignored. This was as if all my ancestors' magic was stored in there, I felt an endless power. A source that was special but could also be very dangerous in the wrong hands. Now I knew the importance to keep this crystal safe and never reveal its existence to people I could not trust. 

Then the crystal became purple like a mood ring. “What does it means, the color change?”

“Oh, honey, this amethyst color indicates that the token recognized you as a Scott family member, the future priestess of this coven. It is powerful, isn’t it? But you must not wear it all the time. It is an unnecessary risk to walk around with such a preciosity.”

“Okay.” I took the necklace off and put it back in the leather box. “Where can we put it to be safe?”

“Back in the coven house, we have a special vault that was made for this purpose. It does not have a combination. It is protected by magic” my grandma said

“All in good time,” My mom told us. “We are going to keep it there for you so you can have a worry-free day and when this lesson comes, we are going to teach you how to use it. Now, we are heading back to the house and prepare everything. You have a good day, but remember:”

“Back at four, I know,” I told them as I grab Sybil’s hand and practically run from them. “Bye, mom! Bye, granny! See you guys later!”

“Where are we going now, Allegra?” Sybil asked me breathlessly as she was trying to keep up.

“Ice skating, of course,” I told her as she rolled her eyes. When it comes to skating, I was like a small kid. I absolutely loved it. If it were not for my extra work being prepared to assume leadership of the coven, I would definitely do some sport-related skating. It was the most magical activity a regular human could have in my opinion.

And this way I spent my birthday morning consulting spirits, ice skating, and girl talk. I knew that a part of me would never be considered “normal”, but I tried to keep my teenage years as normal as possible.

While I was skating, I felt as if I was flowing and the feeling of freedom was indescribable. I felt so happy and light and suddenly I started to hum a melody of my own. And Sybil exclaimed: 

“Allegra, your hands! Look at them!”

As I looked down, I saw it. My hands had a kind of silver aura and small sparks came from them. I was amazed and it was my first magic manifestation: the manifestation of happiness. 

I knew that our auras would glow accordingly to the deepest emotions in our hearts. I was ecstatic that my first one was happiness. It really suites me, after all. I enjoyed the moment for a little while and then I started to feel really cold and hungry. It was time to get back and face all the preparation my mom would have for me.