Spelled

The best part of coming home for Halloween was always flying over the sparkling rivers and grand oaks of the forest that enclosed our little town. Breathing this air meant breathing the air of carefree days climbing trees, learning to fly, dipping poison apples with childhood friends.

As I got closer to Hagsbury, though, my thoughts were replaced with worries for my mother. Well, maybe not as much “for” her, but “about” her. She was the primary topic of conversation on every phone call with my sister, who never ran out of complaints. The overarching theme: our mom was old. Every year, she became more stubborn, more scattered, more annoying. Normally, it didn’t bother me much, but her incessant allegiance to tradition had also worsened since her children moved out, and she clung to what she could from the past. This included the annual Midnight Haunt, which was easily my least favorite part of Halloween ever since I was little.

As I got older, I tried to discourage my family from participating by explaining the psychological effects of scaring young children. Many struggled with supposed hallucinations and lifelong fears, and the worst part was that adults were more likely to question their sanity than to believe them. To participate in such an event certainly went against the ethical obligations of my profession. Not that my mother was concerned with that. 

“Why do you need to understand the brains of mortal children?” She’d ask, “Their minds are small. End of.” 

At least if I became a partner at my practice, she could recognize my competence in owning a business, but that seemed far off. I worked with several psychologists, but there was one that seemed to pose a threat my goal: Luc Whitebridge. He seemed to have access to the owners of the practice that I just couldn’t crack. They listened to his ideas for growing and improving the business, no matter how mediocre. I would’ve killed for just one of them to even hear mine out. It was clear that I was loved by our clients, and my skills and education brought in more than anyone else, but Luc must’ve had access to that mystical “boys club,” or he had some other kind of pull I didn’t know I about. I refused to believe I was being overlooked due to pure sexism, especially in our field. Maybe it was just his charm; anyone could admit Luc was an attractive man. He was tall and built, with a youthful smile and timeless fashion sense. Or maybe his shameless flirting actually worked on the partners. Maybe if I had any respect for the man, it would work on me too. 

I finally glimpsed the tall Evergreen that marked Hagsbury and directed my broomstick toward it. I landed on the top branch and hopped down each of those below it, which made up a grand staircase for those who knew about it. When I reached the bottom, I offered a polite greeting to Maxwell- the man who had guarded that entrance for as long as I’d been alive- and headed down the thin gravel pathways to my parents’ house.

As soon as I reached the familiar green door, it flew open, revealing my grinning mother in her classic ugly Halloween sweater, dotted in various monster faces and googly eyes. I missed her warm embrace, despite the scratch of the sweater on my cheek when she pushed my head to her large bosom. 

“Oh, Faye is home!” she shouted to the house as I pulled away, “my Faye!”

“Hi mom,” I laughed, pulling my broom through the doorway, “I missed you too.” 

She shook her head, “I’m sure you did, but I never stop missing you. I worry about you, it’s all I do! I don’t know, is something wrong with me? Therapize me baby, fix me with that million-dollar education.”

I began to roll my eyes when I heard a door creak from upstairs. “Oh, is Jade home already?” 

“What? No, your sister is working at the school until 5 today, you know, with the Halloween showcase and all.”

My sister was an elementary school teacher, and the Halloween showcase was her time to shine.

“Then who…” I trailed off when the source of the noise appeared on our spiral staircase.

“Oh Faye! I didn’t tell you about our special guest! He needed a place to stay for Halloween, I guess his family was busy being powerful and famous and all that. And who am I to refuse? Faye, this is Luxus Levisay,” she leans in and murmurs, “you know, from the stories!”

My mother is absolutely giddy. Of course, she is hosting a Levisay for Halloween. They are one of the most famous witching families, known for their services to the realm using the ancient spell book passed through their lineage. They created most of the barriers to witching villages, including Hagsbury’s, blocking them from view of wandering humans. But this was no Levisay.

“Hello, Faye,” the man I knew as Luc Whitebridge pulled out his big, charming smile, holding out his arms as if to say “Ta da! I’m here! Invading your secret town and childhood home!” 

My gaze met his golden-brown eyes, and I remembered to close my mouth. I looked back and forth between Luc and my mother before finally speaking. “What are you doing here Luc?”

“Just as she said. I needed a place to stay for Halloween, and Vera was just lovely enough to accommodate me!”

Vera? My office enemy was on a first name basis with my mom. 

“How did you know where I live? How did you get here?” I asked, incredulous. 

“Well actually, my family kind of set up your whole town barrier, so I just flew down that evergreen path. As for how I knew about you, I make it my business to keep track of every witch and wizard living in the human world. It’s a pretty hazardous endeavor.”

I couldn’t believe this man was claiming to be a Levisay. And tricking my poor mother! “You have to leave.”

“Now Faye!” My mother gasped, “he is an honored guest!”

Luc smiled politely, “Faye, I came here because I hoped your family would welcome me. You always spoke of them so highly, and I’ve never experienced a true family Halloween. It’s a big night for my parents, so they’ve always had to work. And… honestly, I’d like to spend some time with you as well, if that’s ok. I’ve never met a witch that cared so much for the human world, and I really enjoy working with you. I’d like to get to know you. And I’m of course happy to help with whatever holiday preparations your family needs.”

Here he was again with the flirting. I wondered if he made a habit of meeting the mother of every woman he wanted to bang. 

I was about to respond when I glimpsed her pleading eyes. If Luc was truly who he claimed to be, this would be big for her. For her business. “Okay,” I sigh, and head up to my room to unpack. 

I’d heard stories of Luxus Levisay. Everyone had. Years ago, a story swept through the witching realm about Luxus single handedly stopping a vast fire before it reached Hexton, his home city. Supposedly, the fire was started by a small wizard playing with a spell book, attempting a warming spell that was too advanced for him. If that was truly the man in her living room… It could explain a lot. No one was permitted to use magic in the human realm (except on Halloween) for the obvious reason that it would endanger every witch and wizard there, giving away knowledge of our power. Aside from that, it was just unethical. A powerful wizard, especially one as powerful as Luxus Levisay, could abuse his power to achieve a significant advantage above humans, and when that kind of power gets out of hand….

If it were found that a Levisay was using magic to get ahead in the human realm, it would be the biggest scandal in a long time. I certainly couldn’t accuse him of doing such a thing to get the attention of our bosses. I didn’t even know of a spell that could accomplish that. There is one book, however, that contains hundreds of spells that I’d never heard of. And I knew exactly who had it.

—

If I wanted to determine if this man truly was playing fair, the spells within the book would hold the answer. I just needed to get him out of the house. Remembering what Luc had said about helping with holiday preparations, I suggested that my mom send him to bring in customers at the bakery.

“What a perfect idea!” she beamed, “I could use some extra help. Why don’t the two of you go and dip some poison apples at the window? That way everyone walking by will see the face of Luxus Levisay in my bakery!”

“Oh, uh, yeah mom, I’m definitely going to help with holiday baking, but I’m kind of tired, you know, long flight. I’m sure Luc, uh, Luxus can handle some poison apples on his own today.”

“Nonsense, Faye, he is our guest. Please try to make him feel welcome. You can take a nap when you get back.”

Several minutes later I found myself walking Luc down the street to our family bakery. It’s impossible to say no to that woman, meaning I’d have to wait for a chance to look for the book. And now I had to spend my afternoon making small talk with the man I thought I’d be free of for the holiday.

I noticed his eyes on me at the edge of my vision, and when I looked up, he grinned. “So, this is where you grew up.”

“Clearly.”

“Do you miss it?” he asked, pushing for a conversation I didn’t want to have.

“Yes, I miss it. I miss my family, magic, the bakery. It’s a perfect little town. So perfect it drives me crazy to be here for more than a week. So perfect, nothing I do here will ever have meaning.” He was quiet for a moment, and I could tell he was struggling for a response. “I’m not your patient. You don’t have to analyze my childhood. I’m just saying that I think I’m doing good for people in the human realm, good that I could not have done here.”

Luc finally sighed, “I get that. We can make real lives for ourselves in the human realm. Experience things we would never see here. That’s why I left, too.” He paused, still eying me, “But the people here matter, too. You could make a lot of difference for this town.”

“That’s easy for you to say. Your family’s power is half of what keeps Hagsbury so perfect.” I could see why someone with such an intense family legacy would want to make a life of their own. Although, if the stories are true, he had what it took to live up to it.

He just shook his head. “Your mom told me that you’ve been trying to stop the haunt.” Of course, she did. I could already feel the heat building in my cheeks.

“It’s barbaric,” I said, simply, “They don’t understand what it does to these children. The lifelong trauma, the anxiety disorders. The people here are good, they just don’t understand the true consequences of their little game.”

“So why don’t you tell them?”

I laughed, “I try every year! Last year, I even put flyers all over town! I made a speech at the elementary school’s Halloween showcase! Some of them listen, but the tradition is so ingrained in our town. Even my mom insists our whole family participate. I won’t, obviously.”

We finally got to the bakery, and I began showing Luc how to dip the poison apples the way our customers expect them. We pushed the cauldron up to the window, causing a small audience to form, ogling either the deep green candy potion dripping from the apples, or the gorgeous man dipping them. Some children came into the shop, and I made sample slices for them to try as they watched.  Once Luc got the hang of it, he turned back to our conversation.

“Sounds to me like you’re doing something with meaning here.” For some reason, his sincerity made my chest feel tight. I wished it were true. If my nagging did anything to change people, it might’ve been. I’m about to respond, when a small wizard, no more than three years old, comes bounding toward us, his hand outstretched inches from the boiling pot.

My hear dropped, and I cried out, “No!” jumping out from behind the cauldron. It was too large, and I couldn’t make it in time. His little fingers nearly brushed the hot iron when suddenly, it disappeared. The whole room froze, and slowly, I looked up at Luc, who was standing in the same spot, looking eerily calm. If there was any doubt that this was the man everyone hoped he was, it was gone.

The boy’s mother came barreling into the store, sweeping him off his feet while thanking Luc profusely. In shock, the rest of the children began to leave, and when to door finally closed, the cauldron reappeared in the same spot.

“You can move things in and out of this realm at will. Without a spell or a potion?” I asked, heart still drumming in my chest.  

“When you have enough practice with certain spells, the words become like an accessory.”

“When you’re born with incredible natural power.” Even the simplest of spells requires some incantation, and I know very few people with the ability to eliminate that kind of mass from the realm. “When do you even train?” Luc had been living in the human realm for at least two years, and he told me that he rarely comes back to visit, since his family is never around anyway.

“I haven’t had formal training in years. Sometimes I practice in my apartment, but I use simple spells like that from time to time. Making things disappear comes in handy a lot. I can teach you if you want.” My eyes widen, and I force my mouth closed.

“You use magic in the human world?” I had my suspicions, but I didn’t really think it could be true. My other theory that he was just a likeable person with lots of connections was beginning to seem much more likely, and I felt terrible for the way I had judged him for months.

“Come on, you don’t? I mean little things, like cooking.” I just shook my head. “Wow. That’s noble of you. I mean, I don’t do anything that will get me noticed, and nothing too serious. But a little disappearing trick? I don’t see the harm in that.” He shrugged. He was kind of right. Especially if he could use spells as smoothly as what I just saw, it really was harmless. I looked away, realizing I might be too much of a goody two shoes.

“That was incredible. Your power, it’s…” I didn’t have the words. “Is the story about the fire true? That you saved all Hexton from that little boy?”

His face darkened, and I scolded myself for asking him about what was likely a traumatic story. I was about to tell him not to respond when he began, “I didn’t save Hexton. I stopped the fire, but there would’ve been no danger without me.” I gave him a puzzled look, and he continued, “When I was twelve, I was sent home from school for misbehaving. I was immature, and I thought I was better at magic than my teachers. We were working on this warming spell, and when my teacher finally had enough of me refusing to participate, he sent me home. I took the opportunity to go exploring the forest alone, and I thought I would show everyone that I didn’t need lessons to be the best. So, I tried the spell, and nearly ruined an entire city. It was a blessing my spell book gave me what I needed to stop it.”

His confession left me speechless, and all I could offer was a whispered, “I’m so sorry, Luc. I didn’t know.”

“I know,” he gave me a small smile, “my parents made sure to cover up that side of the story. The realm would think of me a lot differently if they knew my most heroic moment was really the work of a stupid, selfish little kid.”

“Why did you tell me?”

“It doesn’t really matter what this realm thinks of me. And… I trust you. I meant what I said earlier, Faye. I really like you. I’m sorry if I was annoying at work. Hitting on you like that was totally inappropriate, I just don’t have a lot of experience with beautiful witches, and I didn’t want to lose my chance. You have this understanding of the world that I knew couldn’t be human. That’s how I really knew you were a witch. And since I’ve been here, it’s confirmed what I felt about you. Your passion, your perspective. Your desire to help human children is so admirable. Really, I’d like to help.” Looking up at him, I allowed myself to soak in his words, felt them fill my veins. 

At dinner, the topic of the haunt came up, and he defended my argument my family, backing up every word. When he spoke, he had every set of eyes on him. My mother did not open her mouth once, but simply nodded when he concluded that we would not participate this year. I had never seen them this quiet, and when I looked in Luc’s eyes, I knew it wasn’t natural.