”You don’t understand! I’ve been gone for four months,” I protested, but my parents stared at me with puzzling eyes. My mother was holding a knife in mid-air, her morning hair looked like an afro and the previous night’s make-up was smeared across her face. My dad gasped, causing his coffee to spill on the limestone tiled floors. For a moment I stared at the tiles under my feet. The design looked so simple and so much simpler than my life was right now. So many thoughts raced through my mind, but I couldn’t even focus on one.
But then one thought got stuck in my head, the day it all started…
I’ve always lived in this small town called Willow Creek. It’s a town where nothing ever happens. A town where nobody ever stays. It’s plain and hauntingly dry. This town hasn’t seen any rain for an entire year now. The swimming pools are all empty, almost as empty as the town.
After two months of no rain, Mr and Mrs Pearson, who kept the public school in town running, moved to a bigger city. Now every single child in this town has nothing to do and although it was fun in the beginning, it soon became a problem. Kids didn’t know what to do with their time other than to cause chaos and malice.
Adults complained, but nothing came of it. No one in town had any education to teach them, so everyone gave up. Parents considered moving to the big city, but they concluded that their lives were here in Willow Creek. Now every child will inherent their parent’s business. What other options do we have? We have no education, so why not?
But that’s the thing… my parents own nothing. My mother works as a cashier at the only food store in town and my father repairs cars in our backyard. But it isn’t technically our backyard. We are so deep in debt, Mr Snow, the man who owns the bank, even said that if my parents worked another ten years, they wouldn’t be able to pay off the debt.
So if my parents died I would be inheriting their debt.
At this revelation I decided to get a job.
A few of the employees working at the diner moved away recently. So their small loss, was my greatly appreciated gain.
And now this is where I am. Working in the dinner. Serving old people… and obnoxious teenagers.
I was standing next to an elderly couple serving them black coffee when the group entered. I was dressed in a green and purple striped dress, wearing purple sneakers. I looked ridiculous, but it was the required uniform. I was also praying that none of the kids from my high school dropped by, but seeing as this was the only diner in town, my wish wasn’t likely to come true. The group entered the diner with an arrogance that couldn’t be measured and they were oozing self-confidence.
Most kids would be shaking by now, but I only rolled my eyes.
Gina, the other waitress, was twenty-one. She had no money to move so she was stuck in this town, just like my family. I gave her a pleading look, begging her to save me, but she just shrugged and walked away, disappearing behind the kitchen doors. I groaned and quickly scanned the area looking for an exit.
“Mary!” I swung around, the entire group stared at me with mild horror and amusement. Bianca Snow was the leader of the pack. She ruled this town along with her dear daddy who owned almost the entire town, including the bank and this very diner. She was a black haired beauty with the most striking blue eyes. Her skin was the colour of almonds and she had the perfect pouty red lips. She reminded me of a modern day Snow White.
Next to her sat her Prince Charming, Dan Brown, his father owned the car wash shop and his mother owned a jewellery store, which consisted of cheap jewellery. But I couldn’t really judge… I had nothing.
With slow, agonizing steps I walked towards the group while cursing Gina for abandoning me. Bianca and Dan sat there with their four friends; Ashley, Shelby, Jake and Blaine.
Ashley and Shelby were twins. Their parents were both doctors. Blaine had a dentist for a father and a dentist assistant for a mother.
While Jake’s mother was a singer working at the Blue Lagoon Pub, she had an amazing voice and could easily make her own CD. I’m sure you’re wondering; what the hell are these families still doing in this town? That answer is simple; because they’re respected and famous in this town. If they moved to the big city nobody would give a flying rats’ ass about them. They had power here and they relished in it.
I took a shaky breath. My hands shook and they felt a little sweaty. I hated the reaction I was having. I hated the control they had over me. Luckily they didn’t know that. “Hi… my name is…”
Bianca rolled her eyes and smirked, “We know who you are Mary.”
Oh, right. I felt like an idiot.
Ashley and Shelby giggled
“What can I get you guys?”
“What can I get that is low fat and sugar free?” I frowned at this. Didn’t she know her father’s menu? This diner was the epitome of grease. Anything unhealthy and disgusting was served at this dinner. “Uh… water.”
Bianca’s face morphed into horror. “Excuse me?”
“Did she just say ‘water’?” Whispered Shelby or Ashley. I could never tell them apart. Bianca glared at the twins. They immediately shut up.
“How about a chicken salad?”
“There’s no chicken salad, but we do have a chicken burger.” Her face turned from white to red.
“Do you want me to get fat?!” I was baffled by her accusation. Was she serious?
“No. I’m just stating the facts.” I caught a glimpse of Gina behind the counter. It looked like she was enjoying the view. She leaned on her elbows while watching the scene unfold.
“Ugh! Whatever, just get me a glass of water then!”
I took a few deep breaths and forced a smile. I hoped it looked like a genuine smile, but with my luck it probably looked like a grimace. “Would you like ice with that?”
“What kind of a question is that? Are you stupid? It’s like 35 degrees outside!!” She threw the menu in my direction.
Now let me tell you something, I am terrible at every, and any sport. I can’t catch a ball to save my life. And when the menu flew through the air heading for my face, I covered my face and hunched over. I thought of it as a protective stance. The group of bullies in front of me thought it to be hilarious. Bianca cackled above the rest.
“I can see the resemblance between you and your dad. Both weak and losers.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and kept giggling. I knew I was a coward, but what was I to do? I turned around and walked away. I could hear Bianca still insulting my family. I could hear her talking about my father’s debt while the rest laughed.
I passed Gina, “Can you cover the rest of my shift? I only have like five minutes left.” I said this sheepishly. I knew she’d heard their conversation and I couldn’t bear it. Gina gave me a sympathetic squeeze on the shoulder while nodding. “Sure.”
I wandered through the streets not knowing what to do with myself. I didn’t want to go home. Home didn’t feel like it these days.
The moment I step through the door I always feel as if the atmosphere is suffocating me. The need for money and stability has been an ever present problem in my parent’s lives. If things continued like this mom and dad would probably be divorced by the end of the year, which was four months away.
I could feel the tears forming in my eyes, but I willed them to stay at bay. Not wishing for them to fall, I quickly looked around for a distraction. Across the street was one of the abandoned shops. This one was a peculiar one. I’ve never seen it before. The windows were decorated with stars, velvet curtains and the words; Helen’s Brew and Broom Magic Shop. Strange name, I thought, but I walked across the street with timid steps. The gravel crunched harder than usual under my feet. I grimaced at the noise. The air seemed thick with tension. Taking my time to reach the shop, I saw a light flicker in the shop. Any normal person would’ve run away, but I guess I wasn’t normal. The light drew me in, like a moth to a flame.
I felt like sleeping beauty who was approaching her spinning wheel. I knew it was dangerous and yet I still did it. The door of the shop was unlocked and I was surprised to find the inside untouched. Most shops that were abandoned were thrown into chaos by now. A few have been burned down. But this shop looked… peaceful, spotless of any dirt. Although a bit of dust was forming on the shelves, the place still seemed immaculate. The light that was still shining was in the back of the shop behind a door that was half opened. Inside was a desk, a chair and a stack of papers spread across the desk. The light came from a candle that was burning. How did that happen? I looked around looking for a sign of a living being, anyone inside the shop, but there was no trace of anyone. “Hello?” My voice echoed through the room. Nothing and no one moved. I stared at the candle. There was nothing special about it, it was just an ordinary candle. White with wax dripping off the side onto some papers… I moved closer trying to get a good look at the papers. One paper was black with white writing. Strange, I thought.
HOW TO MAKE A WISH
Ingredients:
• Aspiration Candle
• Match box
• Sentimental object
What the…? What was this, a witch’s spell? Sentimental object? And where does one find an aspiration candle? Apparently the candle could hear my thoughts, because the light flickered again, but this time the light shone in the direction behind my back. I turned around and saw a shelf stocked with short blue candles. The shelf was labelled with the words: Aspiration Candles.
“That was easy.” I grabbed a candle and stuffed it in my bag. I then took the paper with warm wax on the corner and got the heck out of there. I may not always listen to my little voice of reason, but even I had my limits.
When I was outside the shop I saw the sky getting darker and clouds were forming and for the first time in a long time the wind was howling. I glanced back at the shop and saw that the light was out. I shuddered. Either the shop was haunted, cursed or someone had been in there with me. I didn’t want to dwell on it for too long. I headed home while trying to outrun the storm that was coming. Before I reached home the rain had started pouring. I was soaked through to the bone when I entered the house. Mom was sitting in front of the TV with a wine glass in hand, as usual. When she saw me she gasped and sprang to her feet.
“Mary, you frightened me! Are you alright? What happened? You should’ve been home an hour ago. I called, but you never answered.”
I frowned. An hour? It felt like twenty minutes. I seized my phone from my back pocket and saw four missed calls. My phone wasn’t silenced. In fact it was set to its highest volume. This was really freaking me out.
“I guess I got side-tracked at work. Sorry, mom, my phone was on silent.” I ran past her and straight to my room. Slamming the door shut, I sank to my knees. This day was getting weirder and weirder. After showering and putting on some warm clothes I retrieved the candle and paper from my pocket. I sat both objects on my desk and stared at them for a moment.
Was I really considering doing this?
I stared at them for another few minutes. My mind was blank until a thought popped into my head. What would be the harm in trying? Magic didn’t exist. I’ll just do it for fun and laughs.
After that decision I grabbed the match box on my nightstand and read the instructions on the wax covered paper. The paper said that I had to find a sentimental object, place it in front of the candle and then light the candle. I then had to close my eyes and whisper my wish three times starting with; I wish…
Sounded simple enough.
Now I only had to find something with sentimental value. What would mean something to me? I scanned my bare room with its four walls. There was a small four poster bed pushed in the one corner and my desk in the other. I had so little clothes in my possession that it was all stacked in a suitcase at my feet. The duvet on my bed wasn’t even mine. The day mom and dad sold all our furniture to make a dent in our debt was also the day that our neighbours decided to move.
Their daughter, Alice, had an exceptional talent when it came to ballet. She got a scholarship and went straight to Julliard in New York. It was the most exciting news this town had ever had in thirty years. Before that a boy went to collage to play professional football.
Anyway, Alice was in New York for a month when suddenly she died in a car crash. Her parents were devastated and wanted to leave Willow Creek. They were in such a hurry they didn’t even sell their furniture. They gave it to us and ran. So that’s how I got my duvet, bed and desk. The day we got the furniture mom was so happy she baked dad’s favourite dish. It’s one of the last days that we sat together as a family and enjoyed ourselves. After that day mom and dad haven’t willingly been in the same room.
I thought back to the day Alice’s parents moved. They had also left a box behind. It was filled with Alice’s memories. I grabbed the thing from under my bed and pushed the lid back. I’ve only looked at it once. I didn’t know Alice that well, she was two years older than me, but she seemed so nice.
In the box was a few photos of her and her friends. Bianca appeared in a few. They were close back then. After Alice died Bianca’s personality reared its ugly head in my direction. She became a total bitch.
I rummaged around in the bottom and my fingers brushed against something fragile. It was a flower, a dandelion to be exact, that had been placed between the pages of a book. I remember this flower. It was given to Alice a year ago. She’d just gotten home when she found a boy sitting on her porch. He’d been there for hours and when he saw her, his excitement grew. He had sprung to his feet and had given her the most beautiful smile. He had been holding something behind his back. They had spoken for a few moments and then he had presented the gift to her. A dandelion. Alice had blushed and leaned forward kissing Dan’s cheek. Yes, Dan. The same one that was dating Bianca now. If Alice had kept this then it had to have meant something to her.
The list only said that it had to have sentimental value, but they never said whose it had to be. “This will have to do.”
I did as the paper instructed and whispered the words, “I wish I was rich. I wish I was rich. I wish I was rich.” When the candle was lit and nothing happened I grunted.
I knew it was too good to be true. I swung around and threw myself on the bed. Something under the covers mewed in protest. “Hey, Fuzzy! Is that you?” My pitch black cat appeared and his yellow-green eyes stared at me through half lidded eyelids. I guess he was really tired.
Suddenly there was a popping sound, like bubble wrap, and a cloud of pink glitter was raining down on me. I shrieked and sprang from the bed. Mr Fuzzy Boots looked confused and annoyed at the same time. He glared at me, as if it was my fault.
The candle was glowing pink while the glitter rained down upon me. When the glitter touched the ground and my lavender coloured duvet, which Mr Fuzzy Boots was laying on, there stood a woman with a giant pink wig atop her head and a bright yellow gown with a few red stains. She had wings attached to her back and they were the colour of gold. The wig looked like a nest meant for a bird, but also for a racoon who was desperate. The red stains looked like ketchup.
“Tada! I am Maggi, your fairy godmother! Here to make your dream come true!” Her fingers were clasped together and she had a big smile plastered on her face.
I spat a mouth full of glitter out on my nightstand and grumbled, “I think Tinkerbelle just threw up in my mouth.” I looked at the mirror against the wall and saw glitter plastered against my cheeks and eyelids and a few in my hair too.
“Oh, here… let me help you with that…” The woman dived into her own skirts and produced a handkerchief which was also stained with red. There was no way I was touching that!
“No! No, I’m fine.” I quickly grabbed a few tissues and vigorously swiped them on my face while shaking my head to get rid of the glitter.
After clearing my head of most of the glitter, I slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the strange woman in my bedroom. “Am I deaf or did you just say ‘fairy godmother’?”
“Nope, you heard right.”
“But you also said that my ‘dream’ would come true? Why not dreams?”
My fairy godmother gave a heavy sigh. “I don’t work like that. You only get one wish.”
“But aren’t you a genie then?” She stared at me with a disgusted look in her eyes.
“What on earth makes you think I’d be a genie?”
“Well… it’s just that you…” but the woman quickly interrupted. “And further more; what on earth makes you think genies even exist?!”
“But you… but… oh! Never mind.” I grabbed Mr Fuzzy Boots. At first it looked like he was trying to object, but when I stroked his head, he immediately calmed down and succumbed to the pleasure.
“Right! Let’s get on with it!” Maggi rolled up her sleeves and looked about ready for a boxing match.
I supressed a giggle and rather asked what she meant. “Your wish my dear! Didn’t you just wish to be a bitch? You and I are about to make that happen!” She swung her wand in the air. She looked about ready to cast the spell.
I quickly screamed. “No! No, I wish I was rich. Not a bitch!” My godmother’s face fell. “Oh, well I can’t do that, honey. But I have to say I was a bit confused when I thought you wanted to be a bitch. But on the other hand it kind of makes sense to be one if you want to stand up to Bianca, doesn’t it?” She had a wistful smile on her face.
“Yeah... no thanks.” She looked bemused while folding her arms and plopping down on the bed, right next to Fuzzy. I then realised that she’d been floating in the air this entire time. Frowning I asked. “What do you mean you can’t make me rich?”
“Exactly that! I can’t make you rich. I can’t make anyone fall in love with you. I can’t do anything that effects nature and I can’t kill anyone.”
She folded her arms in front of her and gave me a hard stare. Groaning I threw myself on the bed next to Fuzzy and Maggi. “Then what am I going to do?!” My eyes filled with tears.
“Hush, child. We’ll think of something else that you can wish for.” I only sniffed and tried suppressing the sobs that were about to escape my throat. “Let me think…” Maggi stood from the bed and paced the room. “What could you wish for that would make this debt problem of yours go away while your parents don’t get a divorce?” My head shot up from the pillow.
“How do you know about my parents’ debt and Bianca?”
“I make it a priority to know as much as I can about my clients.” I pushed myself up on my elbows and stared with inquiring eyes at her.
“Clients?”
Maggi nodded. “Yes, you are a client of mine. We make it a tradition to only help those who need it, like you.”
“So you know everything about me?”
“Of your situation, yes.” Maggi suddenly clapped her hands and waved her wand in the air with a bit too much enthusiasm. “Oh I know. I know! It’s quite obvious actually!”
Her bouncing caused a bright pink spark to fly from the wand and hit the ceiling. It bounced from the ceiling to the wall, next to me, and then landed on poor Mr Fuzzy Boots on the bed. He yowled and ran from the room. Instead of seeing a black figure disappear out the door, I saw a pink fur ball. “Uh… Maggi, I think Fuzzy just…” Maggi didn’t even notice Fuzzy’s escape.
She abruptly stopped hopping and interrupted, “I know exactly what you can wish for! You only wish for your debt to disappear! It’s the perfect wish! Your parents won’t have to work so hard anymore. You won’t have to kiss anyone’s ass and you can stop working!”
“And my parents won’t want a divorce…” I whispered softly. Maggi’s eyes softened.
She sat next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, honey. We’re going to make it all better.”
I gave her a grateful smile. “So I just make the wish and the debt will be gone?” “Oh, no. You first have to do something for us, honey.”
“Us?”
“Yes, dear. My fellow fairy godmothers and superiors. Magic ain’t cheap. You have to pay for it!”
Shaking my head and waving my hands in the air I exclaimed, “I don’t have any money. If I did you wouldn’t be here right now!” Maggi placed a finger upon her lips and shushed me.
“Be quiet! Do you want your mother to come in here and find me? And stop being so melodramatic. You don’t pay with money. You have to fulfil a task.”
I eyed her suspiciously. “What task?” “Nothing illegal, dearie. Nothing of the sort.”
“Then what?”
Suddenly I heard footsteps down the hall. “Mary, what are you doing?” Mom hollered.
I froze and so did Maggi she looked like a cat burglar, about to be caught. I bit my lip, “Uhm, nothing?” The footsteps disappeared. I breathed a sigh of relief. Maggi looked shocked, “She bought that?!” I shrugged, “Mom’s not the way she used to be. So what do I have to do?”
She gave a sheepish smile. “Well… it’s easier to just find out…”
I think I had a permanent crease between my brows, because Maggi was making no sense, at all. “How the heck do I…” Maggi quickly waved her wand. My limbs grew weak and my eyelids drooped. I felt myself falling. I felt nauseous. Maggi uttered reassurances, then everything faded into darkness.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
