“I do.”
“Then I’ll teach you,” she chirps. “Come here.”
She pulls down a large dusty book from the shelves abovethe counter, its papers stained and falling apart. She drops it onto the counter which disturbs the dust, creating a cloud and making us cough.
“Sorry.” She wafts the cloud away. “I know most by memory so don’t tend to get it down often.”
She flips through the pages carefully. Whizzes of colour and smells and cuttings from plants zoom past my eyes as she flicks through.
“In here are all my recipes. Most things you need can be found in the garden or the forest around us. Some I do have to import but that is the beauty of having Amazon now.” She chuckles to herself. “Nature has so many uses and many healing properties. Plants tend to be linked to different properties such as, I am sure you know, lavender and relaxation or eucalyptus and breathing properties. It’s then a case of creating the right mix for the right purpose. Also, a little magic helps.” She winks.
“I don’t think I have magic. Dream telling, yes, I can believe, but as for making a spoon stir, I don’t think—”
“Have you tried?”
“Kind of, with the salt grinder. But—”
She cuts me off. “Harriet. If you have not tried more than once, you don’t know. Look, come and try with this potion. I have added most of the ingredients, but we need spice for the heart. Add that chilli and then concentrate on the spoon. Use your intentions. Use your power and feel the confidence within that power.”
I step towards the pot boiling on the stove. I sprinkle in some chilli flakes and step back. I concentrate on the wooden spoon sitting in the mixture. I close my eyes and breathe. I focus on the spoon and send the thoughts of intention through my eyes. I feel tingling around my hands which flows up through my arms and into the rest of my body. I continue to focus to the point where all around me falls silent. The tingling intensifies making me feelnervous, but I continue to push the intentional thoughts through to the spoon.
Move the spoon.
Move the spoon.
Move the spoon.
It moves, only slightly, but it moves. I continue the focus, pushing the thoughts with more power behind them, changing the intention to stir the spoon in the pot as I realise “move the spoon” does not give much instruction.
Stir the spoon in the pot.
Stir the spoon in the pot.
Stir the spoon in the pot.
Stir the spoon in the pot!
It stirs. Janky and awkwardly but it does one long stir around the pot before my focus is taken away by a cheering Granny who is now dancing and clapping in the kitchen.
She dances on the spot clapping her hands. “You clever girl! I knew you could do it!”
Did I honestly just make a spoon stir with my mind? I know I have seen Granny do it but seeing someone else do something like that and you doing it yourself… well, that is just bonkers.
“Did I just…?” I stare at her in disbelief.
“Oh, Harri.” She pulls me into her. “I knew you had it in you! There is so much for you to learn. The power you possess is strong! You remind me of myself.” She blushes and clicks her fingers making the long wooden spoon stir in the pot. “Soon you’ll be able to manipulate the objects around you to do your cleaning.” She laughs. “But remember, that to us, magic is in our blood, to others the unknown is scary. Which can make people act unkindly towards these things. The world has never been ready for magic, nor will it probably ever be. So, we use our wisdom and power in the shadows.”
“But imagine what we could do.” I look at her with the newpower of magic flowing through my veins.
She smiles and sighs. “I remember being so eager at your age. It’s wonderful, but yet, my darling girl, there are many who are out to hurt us, so please, this is to be only used in the comfort of the cottage.”
I nod, sad that I can never show who I am and the realisation that if Greg’s mother or Greg lets slip my family’s secret, the risk my family would face is far too dangerous.
The tingling almost burning sensation is still lingering around my body. Like when you drink sparkling water, almost like TV static, but I can feel it all the way through me.
“My body feels weird.”
“Oh yes, you will get used to that, dear. You have woken up sleeping magic that has been around for centuries. It needs time to get used to you and you to it.”
