Just a Little Magic

1314 words

Sarah sat in a glade in the forest; a short distance beyond was Moon Swallow Pond. The moon would be up soon, and she would try to perform magic; she patted the heavy backpack at her side. I hope this works.

* * *

Sarah Elswin had never been accepted as part of the small town of Danville. Her parents moved here two years earlier when she was thirteen; she'd expected it would take time to make friends, but it seemed the kids were chiller now than when she arrived. There was a clique in this place that everyone seemed to belong to; she just didn't get it.

People avoided her when they saw her coming and refused to talk to her. She'd even heard whispers that she was a witch, but she knew nothing about that; she'd even tried to talk to the school counselor, which was a total waste of time. The counselor tried to convince her that she was the one with the problem.

The last straw came when someone poured chlorine into her locker; her parents had complained because they had been required to replace all of her school books and supplies because the school had a video, which showed her pouring the liquid into her own locker.

Sarah knew she was innocent, but it was next to impossible to prove with the video. She had had enough of this place and these people, and she wasn't going to take it anymore.

When she first heard the tale of Moon Swallow Pond, she dismissed it as complete nonsense. Some folklore might have a basis in reality, but this tale was totally out there. However, a desperate situation demands an answer, even if it is a crazy one.

The local library didn't have anything about the pond, but Sarah searched through the newspaper archives online and was surprised to find a story over a century old, which verified everything she'd heard.

An old hag named Summer's Delight said that when the moon was full, Moon Swallow Pond would take all of its light and devour it, and that was when magic could be employed. Sarah wanted to believe the tale; these people had treated her so badly, and she needed help from somewhere to get her revenge. The full moon was tomorrow night. She wrote down the instructions and turned off her computer.

The next day she left town by midafternoon. Her walk on a narrow path through the forest was relaxing. She enjoyed the peace and quiet as well as the sight of the animals and birds.

When she arrived at the pond, she stopped and stared at it for a short while. It looked ordinary in every way. She was still not convinced of the magic, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

One thing puzzled her: if this magic was so powerful, why had no one tried to use it? She was driven by anger; she didn't really care if the magic worked or not. What mattered was doing something.

While she waited, she sat in the glade and relaxed. Of one thing she was certain, she would not remain in Danville no matter the outcome. She planned to call her grandmother and ask if she could live with her.

A groaning tree awakened her. She was disoriented for a moment, wondering how she could have fallen asleep. The wind had picked up considerably while she slept. In the distance, dark clouds had gathered. She prayed they didn't obscure the moon. “I don't want to wait another month.”

She removed a shovel, a metal container, and a plastic cup from the backpack and walked to the pond. She collected some water and dug up a chunk of mud and put it in the container.

She shivered, opened her backpack, then removed her sweater; thankfully, she'd come prepared. As daylight faded away, she gathered sticks from the ground and piled them up. She took some newspaper from the backpack and wedged it in amongst the sticks.

Clouds continued to gather until there was only a small opening in them; fortunately, a shaft of light still shone upon the pond. As soon as she saw the moon, she lit the newspaper. She placed the container of mud in the midst of the sticks and waited.

Moonlight dance on the pond, and she worried as rain slanted from the sky in the distance. The fire was going strong, and the mud was starting to bubble. It was time.

She remembered what the old hag said, “Magic requires a sacrifice.” She steeled herself and thrust her left hand into the container with the mud. She screamed as it seared her. She pulled her hand away and thrust it into the fire; her screams became stronger, then she pulled her hand from the fire and doused it with water; finally, she waved her hand through the air and said, “By the power of the moonlight, I wish to never be bothered by any of these people forever.”

At that moment, a thunderclap shook the air, and a bolt of lightening struck the bank of the pond. Moments later, the opening in the clouds closed, and the rain poured.

Sarah took her pack and hurried into the woods. She leaned back against a huge tree and relaxed. Her hand throbbed.

“Ouch.” Sarah rubbed her head where a pine cone had hit it. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was surprised to see that it was daytime. She pushed her hands against the ground and stood up.

She bent over to open her pack. When she put her hands on it, she gasped in disbelief. Her left hand was normal. She flexed it and wondered how this was possible. Magic requires a price.

Those words stayed with her as she walked in the direction of Moon Swallow Pond. She walked for a long while before coming to a halt. She should have found the pond by now. She couldn't understand what had happened to it.

She returned to her backpack. After she gathered it, she walked back toward Danville. She was curious as to what she might find as well as a bit fearful. As she walked along, she listened to the birds.

She couldn't find the path that led back to Danville; it was puzzling, but she knew she wasn't lost. She was surprised when she came upon a large animal track. It wasn't one she'd ever seen before. The odd thing was that it had three toes. She looked around and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw no large creatures nearby.

Finally, she reached the area where Danville was located. The familiar landmarks were all there: the tall hill shaped like a camel's hump, the purple mountains in the distance, the river that flowed through the middle of the long valley. Everything was there, except for Danville.

She stood for a moment and stared. Where did everything go? Her question haunted her, and her imagination could not even frame a reasonable answer. In the distance, she saw a bird, soaring in her direction.

The nearest town was Rockdale. It would take most of the day to walk there, but there was nowhere else to go. Rockdale was to the north, and she turned in that direction. Less than fifteen minutes later, she noticed that the bird she'd seen earlier was much closer, and it was huge.

At that moment, she realized something was very wrong. The bird in the sky was dropping quickly in her direction. She quickly looked around for a place to escape, but there was no where to run and no time.

* * *

“Ouch.” Sarah rubbed her head where a pine cone had hit it. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was surprised to see that it was daytime. She pushed her hands against the ground and stood up.