Mysterious Melica

Just like her name everything about her was mysterious, from her sly smile to her long hat and large silver pendant, everything gave off a dark aura that was enough to unnerve someone from afar.

But Angela was not one to believe in magic or spirits or any of those sort of things easily, she was a believer of evidence, if there was no evidence, then to her all such things were mere talk and nothing more!

Ever since she came to their quiet town, everyone talked about her all the time, she was strange and something about her just felt odd, like instincts being alarmed whenever she approached, people couldn't define what it was and the thrill of that made them more eager to watch her perform.

"My magic is real magic, no stupid tricks, no hidden secrets, this is the art of a trained magician, something that you don't see around anymore", thats what she used to claim in every show of hers, but it wasn't enough to convince Angela, she tried to find the hidden trick in her magic but always came back displeased.

It had started to bother Angela, Melica was just another con artist to her but even though she thought of her as a fraudster, there was something splendid about her magic tricks, she couldn't pinpoint what it was but it made her anxious to find out.

Her disappearance acts were unlike those of other magicians and if she was being really honest to herself, it was unlike those she had ever seen in any of the magic shows, her ability to disappear and appear in the middle of the audience, left everyone scratching their heads but no one could figure out how she pulled it off.

The curiosity in her poked her to find out the secret of Melica's magic, to reveal the mystery of the Mysterious Melica. She thought hard and decided to offer herself as an apprentice to Melica.

Whether Melica was in need of an apprentice or was willing to take her in, was a different question altogether. She hated to admit it but she was really nervous, she didn't like being turned down, and if her friends got to know she was sure to become the town joke!

To her relief, Melica was in need of an apprentice and she was going to look for one but was happy to have someone approach her, she didn't even have to feign to be swayed by her magic, Melica was unbothered about anything, she didn't even ask her name!

She got to know her name was Angela only after she had performed with her twice, working with her made Angela more curious how this careless woman was able to pull such sophisticated tricks that made even experienced magicians falter. No matter how hard she looked around there was no clue to the splendid magic.

It had been nearly two months since she had started performing with Melica as an apprentice but to her disappointment she wasn't getting anywhere near her secret, it frustrated her, she was just wasting her time with a careless and stupid woman who might not have any secrets to her magic!

One day after the show, Melica called her backstage, she thought her apprenticeship was over because Melica had found someone new or she was moving somewhere else, she was a traveling magician after all!

Her guess was right, her apprenticeship was over because Melica was leaving town, much to her relief, but what she said next was something Angela hadn't expected even in her wildest dreams, Melica revealed the secret to her magic was that she was a witch who was trained in black magic and as a gift for all her work, she could ask Melica for any charm or spell, she wasn't going to charge for it!

She stared at her for awhile in disbelief but quickly thought of something to ask her because she didn't want Melica to feel she didn't believe her, that would hurt her and thats the last thing she wanted to do to her teacher.

As she looked at the heart shaped silver pendant in the moonlight, she felt nervous but also satisfied, in her haste she asked for the first thing that came to her mind at the moment, something that would make her popular, Melica gave her a sly smile and fished out the beautiful pendant.

It would give her popularity was something she could never believe, and popularity was something she was sure that she had never bothered about but she couldn't think of something else, she didn't regret it though, she had gotten a beautiful thing to remember Melica.

All her disbelief earlier in all the dark things and magic of the world had evaporated in the next few months, the popularity pendant brought her popularity but also misery at the same time, she had earned herself weird admirers who sent her used things and stalkers who terrified her, also haters who disliked her newfound popularity and did everything to make her life a living hell.

The pendant had become a curse rather than a gift, she burned it, tossed it in the lake and even buried it but it would still somehow come back to her, and if she didn't wear it her throat would burn and itch, she cursed Melica but was also desperate to find her, she was the key to undoing this curse.

Her constant search on the internet for any rumors or information on where Melica could be, proved exhausting, she had lost sleep and her eyes hurt from staring at the screen for hours but it finally led her to a clue where Melica could be.

It was far from her town and with all the stalkers and haters around her it was a dangerous journey but it was her only hope to free herself, she just prayed to find Melica there and that her journey proved to be fruitful.

She did find Melica there and she suppressed her anger and urge to beat up Melica, she was no longer the Mysterious Melica, to her now she was a witch that trapped her.

Melica told her that every thing comes at a price but if she was ok with giving up her popularity then she had to toss the pendant in the lake with the chant, 'I don't want this pendant anymore, the Goddess of dark arts can take her gift back'.

It was no more a gift to her but a curse that she was eager to get rid off, the first thing she did when she reached her town was throwing the pendant in the lake with the chant as directed by Melica, but to her horror when she went back to her room, the pendant was still there on the desk, with it's beautiful silver heart gleaming in the moonlight.