A Galaxy Full of Magic

Adaline was walking along the pavement, almost at the society house she was invited to tonight to watch the eclipse. It had given a buzz around campus the whole month, ever since the actual date was getting closer.

There had been rumours and hushed tones along with the excitement as well. They had been trying to hide it, the stories and legends that came with it. Some more credible than others. Some more discussed than others. From what Adaline had gathered, they were all surrounding the same thing. Magic. Magic was real, her family had dabbled in it years ago with some bad results, making Adaline want to stay far away from it. Now it seems that she stumbled right back into it.

The society house where she was going was no different. There were a few like it, fully believing in magic. Though it was a thin line, what they believed in and what was true. Adaline could never tell. It was her suspicion, that a lot of them had some truth at their core. If people still knew what was true, was the question. Ever since coming to the university though, Adaline had made it clear that she wanted to stay away from any form of it. Real of imaginary. Which is why she was surprised when Sondra had invited her to come over tonight. Adaline had been hesitant, but Sondra had threatened to screw up their coursework and Adaline needed to pass that course. It was the hope that it wouldn’t be too bad. Sondra had promised her that she didn’t have to participate in anything, Adaline simply had to be there.

Adaline took the building in when she reached the steps to the door. It was an old building, with a big bronze knocker on the door. She took the last steps, raising her arm and the door opened before Adaline even had a chance to knock on the door.

‘We saw you coming.’ Sondra said, already waving her to follow her into the house.

She walked into the hall, the grand staircase with the old wooden floors. Sondra came walking back with a few beers and two bottles of wine. Adaline reached out to take the bottles of wine before they slipped from her arms.

‘I see it is a combined run.’

‘Well, since I was going down anyway. Saves us a trip later.’

‘Who else is here?’ Adaline asked as they were walking up the stairs, looking at the big house as they were quickly passing through it.

‘Most of the group,’ Sondra said.

With group, a sort of coven idea was meant. Adaline had been there before, studying with Sondra. Not that she had really met any of the others. They were mostly left alone.

They walked onto the second landing, where there was a ladder going up to the attic. Adaline followed Sondra up on the ladder, climbing through the attic window onto the flat roof next to it. There was a brick ridge surrounding the flat part of the roof. Battlements mortared on top of them, changing the atmosphere of the space. A collection of empty beer bottles and ashtrays was scattered around the roof. There were some chairs, a lot of pillows and there was even a couch on one corner of the roof. For tonight, it seemed that they had hauled some mattresses up on there as well. Bended in the middle, with a part leaning against the slanted roof of the attic to create a make shift couch.

It was all set for the eclipse. The moment of mere minutes when the moon would be covering the sun. It had interested Adaline, but for some it seemed to be real event.

As expected, Adaline didn’t know most people on the roof. Sondra took off, putting away the drinks and someone else took the wine bottles from her. It made her idle. There was no one really to talk to and Adaline had no idea what she was supposed to do. Looking over the roofs of the neighbourhood, there were more rooftops decorated in anticipation. They were all similar to the one she was on. It was no surprise, all the magical houses were here. Clustered together.

Someone else came walking up to her, offering her a drink. Possibly one that Adaline had just brought up herself.

‘Are you here for the ritual as well?’ The man asked.

‘The ritual?’ Adaline asked, looking over at Sondra, who had appeared at her side again.

‘She isn’t one of us, Lucio.’ Sondra said to the man.

‘Then what is she doing here?’

‘Watching the eclipse.’ Sondra took Adaline’s elbow and steered her away from Lucio.

Adaline looked over her shoulder. ‘What was that all about?’

‘They’re making it some sort of ritual.’

‘He said that.’ Adaline noted. ‘You’re not?’ Adaline had assumed that that Sondra would take place in it. Not that they ever talked about magic. As far as Sondra knew, Adaline didn’t know that it was real. Adaline had worked hard enough to keep it that way.

‘Oh no, I am. But I am not as insane about it as they are.’

Adaline frowned. ‘Meaning?’

‘That I want someone sane to talk to later tonight.’

It wasn’t an answer on her question. It was flatteringly evaded by Sondra, while complaining about her friends at the same time.

Adaline tried another question. ‘What is the ritual?’ She hoped that it wasn’t too bad, nothing that would spread out outside of those participating, nothing that would affect her. If it did, she would have to find a way to get off the roof. It all would’ve been easier if she simply said no when Sondra invited her over. She would’ve found some other way to deal with their group work for the course.

‘We are going to honour the moon and stars, we might see some of those if it gets dark enough.’ Sondra clarified about the latter.

‘Honour the moon?’ Adaline asked. ‘In what sense?’

Sondra kind off shrugged. ‘It’s not that important.’ Another topic that Sondra would not freely discuss with her.

‘Why I am here, Sondra? Why make me come?’

She looked honestly surprised by Adaline’s question. ‘Because I wanted you here. I thought you would like it.’

‘A ritual I am not going to take part of?’

‘Not the ritual, but being out. Talking to people, socializing. It is good for you.’

‘Sondra,’ Adaline said with a sigh.

‘No,’ Sondra firmly said. ‘You are almost always holed up in your room. I know you don’t care for any of this, but this is something to talk about. You can avoid small talk. You just have to get through this first part.’

‘Except that you don’t let me talk to anyone, telling them that I am not here to take part in whatever you exactly are doing. And I assumed, that afterwards, you’re all going to talk about whatever it is that you are doing.’ Adaline was getting a bit frustrated.

‘We are honouring the galaxy.’ A girl came walking up to them.

‘Leave it Blanche.’ Sondra told her.

Adaline pointed towards Sondra. ‘She just said that it was about the moon and the stars.’

‘Aren’t those part of the galaxy?’ Blanche asked.

‘Not every animal is a cow.’ Adaline retorted.

‘Sharp.’ Blanche admiringly spoke, looking surprised at Adaline’s answer. ‘The stars and the moon are made up of magic, rather they contain magic. They are matter, bound together and trapped in there, is the magic. Unlike in the rest of the galaxy, where the magic floats freely in space.’

‘So technically, you are arguing that we are floating on a piece of rock in a sea of magic?’

Blanche pursed her lips, looking up for a second.

It gave Adaline a moment to notice that Sondra had wandered off, talking to some people a few steps away.

‘I would say a sea of potential. Magic does need guidance. We only call it magic, but technically it is a form of energy.’ Blanche said. ‘But I like the way you are thinking.’

‘Then you would think that there would be more of it.’ Adaline remarked.

‘More of what?’ Blanche sat down on the edge of the battlement.

‘Magic. If it is floating in the galaxy like that.’

‘That is exactly the point: it is floating in space, how are we supposed to reach it?’

‘Is it different?’ Despite her own best efforts, Adaline was still intrigued. It was easy to pretend that she wanted to know more to protect herself, the more she knew the better she could stay away from it. It was lie and she knew it, but for now it was still comforting.

‘Reaching for it?’

Adaline shook her head. ‘No, the magic that is floating out there.

‘I don’t think so.’ Blanche frowned again. ‘Maybe more powerful?’

‘You rectified your first statement right away.’ Adaline noted with a smile.

Blanche laughed at that as well. ‘I don’t know.’ The smile crept in her voice. Pursing her lips to contain it, to pretend this was a serious conversation still. Like she knew what she was talking about.

‘The truth is, that we don’t know.’ She finally admitted. ‘Just like we don’t know the start of the universe.’ They would argue that those were related, at least had something to do with each other.

‘Then how does the eclipse come into play?’

‘it is a natural phenomenon of magic. We use magic, pray to it as it were. It seems only right to honour the natural form as well.’

There was movement around them, people were moving to the prepared seating area. ‘You can still join if you want to.’ She pointed behind her with her thumb.

As beautiful as Blanche had made it sound, Adaline still wasn’t eager to participate. Though she had eased her mind about it. It was less a magical ritual as more an observing. Something holy to them, would be a good way to put it.

‘I’ll just watch.’ Adaline replied, almost bashfully following Blanche to the rest of the group.

‘Us?’ Blanche asked with an uneasy laugh.

Adaline looked own for a second. ‘Well, you and the eclipse of course.’

‘And I here I thought I had your full attention.’

They walked over to the forming circle. Adaline standing a bit off to the side.

They were all sitting down, lighting a candle of their own. Some of them had staked out the better spots, taking either the mattress or the couch.

The light was fading. Adaline looked up, the moon sliding in front of the sun. Night time had always safe, peaceful. A blanket over the horrors of life. Now the sky was something else that she had to fear. Her attempts of escaping magic still not working.