Fast Magic, And Other Services

As desperate as one can be, I guess, though Raúl, who would never think he would ever need the services of a Madame, but here he was in front of a big blue door surrounded by purple velvet walls and green somber lights. The air was chill and smelled of drunken roses spilled everywhere, and even though he was a supposedly atheist and anti-magic pro-naturalist to his core, there he was.

This house of witches served fast magic; always truth at its core, never in its details, customers advised. 

And here I am.

The door opened to an office? A forest? A waterfall? Raúl wasn’t sure, but he needed to be hidden and unseen fast. If his followers were to know- A red little bird crossed his eyesight, danced around his head, and poked his shoulder as his small scream and clumsy steps let him into the office.

Finally here! I doubted the cards for a second, said Madame Leo with laughter. 

She was big, heavy, bright, deep-soil skinned, and loud, with a perfect smile. Her hiking boots, shorts, and sports bra made her seem like she was about to start walking past her office into the forest behind her desk. I mean, it couldn’t be 

Follow me! 

No, no. 

Yes, for my 8:45 appointment, I had written down that a hike is the only way to find the answers you are seeking. It will only be 5 minutes, come!

Will anyone see us?

Who knows?

༄

Raúl didn’t have a problem walking, and he wanted to make that clear with Madame Leo because he was very connected to the earth and the roots and hugged a tree daily. Even more, he knew if magic were to fade away again, plants would be the only source humans would have of life beyond the animal world and beyond our fears, operations, and hopes. More so, he knew that this magic thing would always be a danger, and he preferred the company of the reliable mosquito buzzing its way to neon lights and death. But after years in between cursed relationships, he knew only magic would be able to undo what magic had done. 

Tell me, what’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Asked Madame Leo

What? Sorry, I paid for the fast-track version of this. I don’t think we have time for small talk.

You are entirely correct; ice cream flavor? Your fav? 

Still struggling to take her seriously but wanting to move on, he admitted his obsession with Vanilla Ice Cream.

Plain Vanilla Ice Cream?

Yes.

Is that because of a sickness, or are you just like that?

What do you mean, am I just like that, lady? I’m-

First, I am no lady, and second, I see now how that’s your favorite flavor; come here then, this is our spot. 

She signaled two mossy rocks and waited.

What?

You need to sit. 

Wh-Now, please hurry up; we only have a few minutes. 

And whether it was magic or not, whether he wanted to sit, he ended up with his ass on that rock after a wind knocked him gently. It was easier to ask as few questions as possible. 

Now, stand up and see what you left behind. 

He turned to see the dent he had left in the moss bed. He didn’t know what he was supposed to see until the wind pushed him again. Resting on the soil just in front of the rock laid the note that he knew cursed him to this day, but he crushed it a long time ago and left it in his early twenties apartment trash corner. While picking it up, he remembered his band members and the music that would play his life as if he would die any second in a scandalous adventure. Never to confuse it with the somber chimes from where he grew up. 

The note said, “You are a fucking liar. You are cursed. Your brain will only work in questions when trying to write music, and you’ll never be able to write notes even if you know it by heart.”

༄

He used to fuck around a lot those times. Going out, fender blenders, and blacking out were the norm. There was a space between getting better after a depressive episode and the music would come to him. He would get lost in his studio for months before coming out with a new EP, and his notebook would hold it all, music included. He would be obsessed with the notes he would come up with for weeks, opening and closing the notebook with all of its soul innit. But making art got hard as soon as drugs and benders and getting better stopped working. She remembered her. Red-haired freckled skin, but he couldn’t remember her name for his life. She was good. Better than him. But she was younger, and he knew what he had to do. Twiking, mixing, and magic, and his best EP was out. 

༄

You’ll have to jump now, don’t think about it. Run down this trail until you find water and jump with your clothes on. Afterward, get out, find the nearest mint plant, and chew while walking back into my office. Please walk back; my office and their trails do not have an ending site yet. If you have any more questions, I’ll answer them as quickly as possible until your time runs out. 

༄

Is this natural mint?

Yes!

I don’t understand…

I thought you would enjoy a cold bath and fresh mint.

But how does this help?

Oh no, it doesn’t!

What?

Didn’t you read the note? An honest life is only difficult when you can’t stop lying to yourself; the rest is easy, love. Thank you so much for coming! Come back any day!

I knew I shouldn’t have come. 

༄

As soon as he closed the door behind him, he felt the warmth of magic near his right side and could catch a glimpse of light from his pants pocket. The note was there again in his life, and as he was about to get it out, a nearby door was slammed loudly. Raúl?