Magic Spark

Melinda sat resting on the sofa at her new home filled with boxes. The utility knife rips through tape. Box after box unpacked and broken down. Taking a rest tries to take a quick nap. Her closed eyes immediately open at the sound of a constant clicking sound inside her head. After several minutes of trying to ignore it abruptly gets up looking for the source.

Was it the plumbing? Electricity? Is this haunted? The click starts to be accompanied by a buzz and a ringing getting louder as she gets closer. Making her way to the library starts to feel a slight vibration under her feet. The library was the only furnished room still with the books, sofas, and area which she rolls back revealing a trap door. Through the cracks of the hidden panel it emits a soft purple glow.

“What the?” She breathes, this is not what she expected to find in the house given to her by the elderly lady she befriended and cared for the past decade. The few living relatives not even mentioned in the will, corrupted, she said.

Stepping on the first step but retracks at the sight of a sconce lighting with blue-green flames. Extinguished as fast as she steps off. Gathering her courage descends the stairs. New sets of scones lights lit up with every step, but only those sets and the stairs in front descended into darkness. Every bend of the spiraling staircase seems endless.

Until finally she finds herself in a lab. Tesla coils, lightning rods, and a table of beakers. A science lab was her first impression. But dried herbs, crystals and orb on a table, and tomes of spells changed her perspective, Magik.

A gram-o-phone sits in the center of the room with a note saying ‘play me.’ She stares at the note.

“Well” spoke an old-wise sound voice which startled her a moment, a slight shiver down her spine. Looking up she finds a raven on the top of the gram-o-phone’s horn. As if it wasn’t unusual to talk, the Raven continues, “are you going to play it?” His head cocked to one side. The note flitters to the floor.

“Well,” He speaks again, “what are you waiting for?”

“You can talk?”

“All familiars can talk, but only heard by their partners.”

“But that would mean…”

“Yes, Gretal summoned me for you. Listen and you will understand.”

Cranking the handle plays back a message sounding surprisingly clear considering how old it was.

“Hello Melinda,” Gretel’s voice just audible above the crackling static. “I’m sorry I never revealed my true talent and yours during my lifetime. I meant to someday, but I suppose I waited too long. I’m a magic guardian and possess the magic spark. I noticed your spark when we first met, but knew it was small suggesting you weren’t aware of your abilities. Perhaps that is why I stalled, trying to find the best opportunity to explain and prove something you were unfamiliar about.”

“My daughter had the spark and the potential to be a guardian at one time, but that was a time ago. She changed not for the better and became estranged. Regardless, this is the circumstances now, but I have a friend that will train you and your familiar will be by your side as well to help learn to help your spark grow. First, let me show you your power. The gray sphere on the table next to you; it is a relic stone that detects magic. It would even provide proof to you of our hidden strength.

The raven flies to the table perching on the stone. A dull gray stone with shallow light shining through it. Picking it up it’s the size of her palm, but weighs as heavy as a brick. She had to hold it in both hands.

“What do I do?”

“Hold it to our chest and close your eyes. Not much else to do, the stone does most of the work for you.”

With all that she saw and heard she couldn’t deny it now. Does what she is told. Perhaps a bit of her suspected there was more about her charge. But not quite this. Eyes closed she lets her thoughts go. It can be processed later. Indeed, the house wasn’t just willed as an award for her friendship; Gretel saw something important - to be trusted. Suddenly a soft glow shone through her eyelids, opening them and seeing the dull stone turned bright purple.