70 Simmery Axe

           James Wells finished adjusting the last items on the shelves, then lit three candles placed strategically throughout the floor space. He then checked the wards, reinforcing them to make sure that all who entered gained a sense of calm and peace. Looking around, he dusted his hands together and said to himself, “Well, that’s that. Ready as ever!” He walked over, raised the front blind, turned the sign to OPEN and unlocked the door. It was the one-month anniversary of the grand opening of 70 Simmery Axe, and at 11:37 that morning, a young girl walked in. Her aura was green, but shaded to black, showing sadness.

           “Good morning, and welcome to 70 Simmery Axe! How may I help you today?”, he asked. The girl had stopped, closed her eyes and inhaled the scent of the candles and the various other fragrances of the shop. She opened her eyes and said, “It smells like heaven in here!” As she spoke, the black in her aura lessened as the wards calmed her.

           “Thank you for the kind words. Is there anything in particular you are looking for?”

           She looked around the store and said, “I don’t really know what I’m looking for. At least, I thought I did when I came in, but I’m not so sure now.”

           He smiled. “Please feel free to look around and ask me any questions that come to mind. I’ll be behind the counter.”

           As he stepped behind the counter, a black cat came out of the back room, jumped onto the counter, then settled in for a session of grooming and licking. He petted her, then opened a laptop and started making notes on what inventory needed ordering. He could sense the sadness creeping back into the girl and the wards reacting to it. She continued to browse for a few moments, then came up to the counter and spotted the cat.

           “Oh, how beautiful! Can I pet him?”, she asked.

           “Her, actually. What do you think, Shasta? Can the nice young lady pet you?” The cat stopped grooming, looked at the girl, then started to purr as she got up and walked over to the counter’s edge while sniffing at her. The girl gently stroked her and as she did, the cat bumped her head against her hand.

           “She likes it. What a sweet kitty.”

           He grinned. “Most of the time. She’s convinced that she owns the place and she lets me live here because I can open the food cans for her.”

           The girl smiled and continued to pet the cat. After a moment, she  looked up and said, “I do have a question.”

           “Shoot. If I can’t answer it, I can make something up that sounds very believable.” She snickered at his answer, then said, “I was curious about the shop’s name. Where did that come from?”

           “Now that I can answer. It’s from Gilbert & Sullivan’s opera The Sorcerer. My name is James Wells, and I always claim that I am the great-great-grandson of John Wellington Wells, who was the Sorcerer in the opera.”

           “Wow, that is so cool.” Her eyes got a faraway look for a moment, then she said wistfully, “I wish magic were real.”

           “Oh, but it is. It’s all around us, but most times, we don’t see it as such.”

           “Oh, of course you’d say that. This is a magic shop, after all. I saw the magic kits you have on sale.” Just as she said that, the grandfather clock in the corner struck noon.

           He stood up. “Tell you what. It’s time for a cup of hot chocolate. If you’ll share one with me, I’ll explain in more detail.”

           She thought for a moment, then nodded.  “Okay, it’s a deal.”

           “Great!” He reached under the counter and came up with two place mats. Handing them to her, he said, “If you would be so kind as to put these on the Ouija table in the corner, I’ll start the chocolate.”  She took the mats and headed to the corner as he stepped into the back room, grabbed two cups and two packets of hot chocolate mix. He filled the cups with hot water from the coffee dispenser, added the chocolate, then opened the small refrigerator,= and took out a bar of dark chocolate. Breaking off two squares, he dropped them into the cups, then took them out. She had seated herself on one of the chairs surround the table and he set one cup in front of her and the other across from her. As he walked over to the door and flipped the sign to CLOSED, he said, “May I ask your name?”

           She said, “Oh, sorry. I’m Amy Vandover.”

           As he sat down, he said, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Vandover. I hope you like the chocolate – it’s my own secret recipe.”

           She took a cautious sip. “Oh, that’s good. What’s your recipe?”

           He smiled. “It’s a secret, remember? It contains two mystical ingredients from the far ends of the earth – Swiss Miss mix and Ghirardelli’s 85% dark chocolate,” She laughed, then said, “Okay, so magic is real. You were going to tell me about it.”

           “Sure. There’s sleight of hand and illusions like I sell. Then there is real magic. What we call real magic is simply imposing your will on the world around you and making it conform to your wishes.”

           She frowned. “If that’s the case, everyone could do it.”

           “Everyone can. Look, here’s an example. Suppose I own a piece of land and I have a vision of an office building on it. I work hard to make it happen and a year later, poof – there’s a shiny new office building right there. Did I, or did I not, impose my will and vision on the world around me?”

           She started to answer, then stopped and thought for a moment. “I guess you could say that. But it took a long time. Couldn’t you just snap your fingers and make the poof happen right then and there?”

           “Ah – that’s a totally different kind of magic. It involves the manipulation of massive amounts of energy. I know the theory of doing it, but I’m not strong enough by myself. It would take two or three mages working together.”

           She looked skeptical. “So you’re saying it can be done. How about other things? How about……like a love potion? Can that be done?”

           He leaned back in the chair. “Amy, is that what you were seeking when you came in? Care to tell me? Or should I guess?”

           She sighed. “I guess it’s the same old story. Girl likes boy, boy isn’t interested, girl gets desperate. I’m sorry I wasted your time.” She started to get up.

           “Amy, wait. Let me explain something to you.” She settled back in the chair. He took a sip of chocolate, then continued. “To answer the question you asked, yes – there is a recipe for a love potion. But I refuse to give it to anyone because it has very bad consequences. It works great at first. It’s kind of like a fire. When you first light it, it burns bright and hot and it’s wonderful. But then the fire burns out. The love potion will wear off and can’t be renewed – it’s a one time thing. And the person you gave it to will grow to resent and hate you when it wears off. That’s the difference, right there. The fire will go out and all you are left with is cold ashes. But with true love, the fire might die down, but it never goes out. You’ll keep adding new fuel to it throughout your life. And it’s those warm, glowing embers that will keep you warm throughout the night.

           “If you are willing to take some advice from me – keep looking. One of these days, you’ll find that firestarter for yourself. Just keep wishing and imposing your will on the world. I can guarantee that it works.”

           She said, “And how can you do that?”

           He smiled again. “Well, just this morning, I was wishing that a beautiful, charming lady would come into the shop and we could share a cup of hot chocolate together. And voila!” He gestured to her extravagantly and she burst out laughing. Her aura turned completely green as she did.

           “James, that was so corny that it was actually flattering. I may be only 19, but I’ve heard some pickup lines before that were really bad. But that was kinda nice.”

           He bowed his head to her, then said, “Well, I didn’t intend it to be a pickup line, but I am glad that I was able to cheer you up and make you laugh. I hope our little talk helped.”

           He stood up and took the cups to the back. When he came back out, she was petting the cat again, sending it into spasms of ecstasy when she scratched around the ears.

           “Well, I see that you have been found acceptable for duty as a cat slave. She doesn’t normally respond to just anyone like that.”

           “She’s a sweet kitty.”

           He walked around the counter and stood beside her. When she looked at him, he said, somewhat formally, “Miss Amy Vandover, I have really enjoyed spending time with you today. I hope you won’t think that I am greedy, but I would like to see you again. Do you have any plans for Friday evening? Might I interest you in dinner and a movie, or whatever you would like?”

           She looked him in the eye, and replied in a similar formal manner, “Mr. James Wells, you may definitely interest me in dinner and a movie.” She took out her cell phone and said, “Let me have your number and I will text you my address.” He recited the number as she punched it in, then typed for a few seconds. As she put the phone away, his cellphone chimed with the incoming message alert. “What time do you close on Fridays?”, she asked.

           He gestured at the cat. “Well, as long as the boss has food in her bowl, she lets me close pretty much any time I want. How about I come get you at 6:30? Will that work?”

           “Absolutely. And thank you for the fascinating conversation and the delicious chocolate.“

           “Oh, believe me, it was my pleasure. I’m looking forward to Friday!”, he said as he flipped the sign to OPEN and opened the door for her.

           “Me, too – see you then!” He watched her for a moment until she turned the corner, then went back to the counter. Petting Shasta, he said, “Well, that was an unexpected pleasure.”

           “Yes, it was.”, answered the cat. “She certainly knows the right places to scratch. Don’t let her get away, James. And now – I think you said something about the boss having food in her bowl?”