Double, Double, Toil and Lip-gloss

“I don’t trust her,” announced Glinda. The dull roar of the food court washed over them.

Elizabeth frowned, “Why not?”

“She’s a witch.”

“Aren’t we all? I thought…”

“Well, I’m just a wannabe.”

“But we’re learning…”

“And she’s weird.”

“Comes with the territory, if you ask me.”

“And too cute.”

“Okay… Not that we’re butt ugly…”

“Don’t let on... Here she comes.”

Madeleine had a rare quality. Girls envied her look, never knowing how she did it. Not merely pretty, she projected genuine warmth and a good-natured spirit not easily copied.

She exited Sephora, spied them and approached. “Hi guys.”

Glinda stepped up. “Hey, sister. Whatcha got?”

“I bought the Moon Dust Lip Eclipse and the F-balm Drunk Elephant Moisturizer. Couldn’t resist. Still thinking about the Stix and Bones and Psychedelic Sister. Too many choices. And they’re vegan…”

Glinda rolled her eyes. “No, Mad. The spell. What did you bring for the spell?”

“Oh, that.” Madeleine rummaged in her shoulder bag. “All the spell-ware you might want, candles, crystals, feathers, bells. What do you need? Who’s our target?”

Glinda nodded toward a boy standing with friends a few tables away. “Heath. The tall one. I need him.”

“I can see why. His favorite food?”

“Strawberries.”

“His sign?”

“Pisces.”

“I’ll bring my chalice. You have anything that’s his?”

Glinda produced an English test paper. Madeleine noted the ‘C’ in red at the top.

Glinda said, “I’ve tried spells before. Certainly nothing this big. I’m kind of new...”

“No worries, Glin.” She summarized the concept that spells enlist the elemental powers residing in all things. But they already knew that.

“Need anything from me, Mad?”

“Wear what’ll resonate for him.”

“Got it.”

“And rain water. That’s always handy…”

Elizabeth said, “I’ll bring water…”

Glinda asked, “Is there an app for this?”

“There is. But for me, pre-fab aren’t effectual like good-old, personalized spells.”

“It would be so much easier…”

“Think of this. When some twitter troll throws shade at you… You just block them. No biggie. You want that for your spell?”

Elizabeth said, “Personal is best?”

Madeleine nodded. “Hand made. Almost always. And who wants some glitch mucking up your results?”

“Or reversing them…”

“Right… And don’t forget, elementals may not be scrolling their Facebook timeline when you need them.”

Elizabeth asked, “How about the moon...”

“Good question. With Mercury in retrograde, the moon’s less influential.”

Madeleine checked her astral calendar and promised to bring appropriate ‘fixings’.

~

They met at Glinda’s home Wednesday night. Madeleine stressed the importance of intentional clarity and specificity.

“Don’t diffuse your energy.” She placed various crystals and other resonant items in a large circle on the back patio. “Your spell is memorized?” Glinda nodded. “Good. No point cribbing notes while wooing elementals to your bidding.”

Glinda asked, “I should stand…?”

Madeleine centered her in the circle and gave her the golden chalice filled with scented water. She nodded to Elizabeth who lit the incense and five candles. Smoke drifted in the still air and moonlight.  The yard looked like a painting. With minor prompting from Madeleine, Glinda cast her spell.

~

The next day Glinda wore a print dress decorated with hundreds of strawberries. The three girls awaited Heath’s arrival. Had the spell taken effect? Glinda fidgeted.

“There’s Heath.” The other’s followed Elizabeth’s gaze. She and Madeleine flanked Glinda as he approached. Glinda smiled. Heath passed with no acknowledgment. They were stunned.

Glinda turned on Madeleine. “Some witch. You let me down, big time.”

“I don’t get it Glinda. You did so well. Did you concentrate? Things take time. It isn’t an exact science.”

“I did everything. I trusted you. He didn’t even look at me.”

Elizabeth said, “Maybe he mistook you for a compote. That dress would make a blind man squint.”

“Liz… You’re no help at all.”

Madeleine said, “That pinch of salt in the potion crossed the line.”

“Salt! I set everything perfectly. What have you done?”

Madeleine and Elizabeth tried soothing Glinda. “Did you repeat the spell exactly?”

“You paused at one point, maybe too long. Did you lose focus?”

“No! I did everything exactly right.”

Madeleine regrouped. “Sometimes a series of spells over a week penetrates a tough subject.”

“I don’t have a week. He needs to ask me to Friday’s dance!”

Madeleine pointed. “Lapis Lazuli!”

“What?”

“Where is it? I told you to wear it.”

“You didn’t.”

Elizabeth said, “I heard her. You forgot?”

“It would clash with my dress.”

“Then lose the dress. It’s essential.”

“I don’t even have lapis lazuli.”

“But I do. Or did.” She rummaged in her bag. “The pendant I gave you.”

“I swear…”

“Don’t swear. Maintain an aura of watery blue calm.”

Elizabeth muttered, “Sheesh!”

Madeleine took their hands. “We’ll meet tonight and re-do the spell. Only this time you’ll wear the pendant.”

“What happened to it?”

“Don’t know, but I have a spare. See you tonight.”

~

They met that night in Glinda’s back yard.

Elizabeth assisted Madeleine in re-staging the spelling circle, with various semi-precious stones. She lit the candles and incense.

Glinda rehearsed her spell. She wouldn’t forget a jot or tittle.

Madeleine carefully placed the lapis lazuli pendant over Glinda’s head.

“Ready?”

Glinda nodded, took the chalice and faced into the moonlight with closed eyes. She recited her spell with great feeling.

She opened her eyes and Madeleine placed a beautiful red apple in her hands.

“Repeat after me. Then bury the apple by the rose bush.”

Glinda nodded and repeated the additional spell.

“Deep within this apple’s core

I buried my spell, small as a spore.

Our love will now grow, from tiny to large

Our love will soon bloom as big as a barge.”

Glinda wiped a tear and said, “So beautiful…”

Elizabeth handed Glinda a trowel. She knelt to bury the apple and looked at her friends.

Madeleine said, “I think you’ve done it. To the morrow.”

The others repeated, “To morrow!”

Glinda smiled. No one spoke as they gathered their things and left.

~

Next morning, they stood by Glinda’s locker waiting for Heath to pass. Glinda’s blue dress matched her pendant. She’d never been prettier.

“There he is. Ready?”

Madeleine stood to Glinda’s left. Elizabeth took her right arm. Glinda beamed.

Heath approached. He smiled and stopped. “Elizabeth… hi.”

“Hi, Heath.”

“I wondered if you’d… let me take you to the dance?”

“The dance?”

He nodded. “Right. Will you go with me, Friday?”

“Oh… I’d love to.”

“Great! I’ll pick you up at six and we can grab dinner on the way. Okay?”

“That’ll be fun.”

“See you later.” Heath smiled, touched her arm lightly and walked away.

Glinda and Madeleine turned on Elizabeth. “Witch! You stole my spell!”

“But I didn’t. I didn’t do any spell. I just said ‘Hi’ to him.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I treated him like a person. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Glinda stalked away. Madeleine stared, stunned.

Elizabeth said, “I hope I didn’t make you look bad. I didn’t know...”

Madeleine shook her head. “Don’t worry about it.”

Elizabeth said, “Oh, I almost forgot. This is yours.” She pulled the missing lapis lazuli pendant from her blouse and handed it to Madeleine. “I knew you’d... want it back.”

“Thanks. You found it.”

With a hint of a smile, Elizabeth said, “Exactly.”

They nodded to each other and Elizabeth turned away. Madeleine called to her, “Have a nice time, Friday.”

Elizabeth waved and kept walking.