The Wifi Witches

Magic and connection need steady hands.

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October--and The Cafina Coffeehouse was hit by a tidal wave.

Of sprites, ghouls and other misfits that chilled the spinal bone.

It was the hangout of all teen hangouts--trendy, sleek, and full of life. Digital tools danced under the hands of technological conductors.QR codes summoned from beyond, flooding the air with magic.

Irene, a popular barista whose lattes matched Picasso's, was guiding new recruit Leo with the cafe's ropes. And there were a lot of them.

No, magic in the cafe wasn't about wand-waving, she reminded--it was the way sensitive apps ran.

And ran lives.

"Magic's a tool, not a toy. It's like your WIFI at home--one wrong tweak, and everything fails.

This isn't coffee. It's power. "

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Not that Leo bothered. He used WIFI liberally--to surf, to chat--

And installed it in his mobile--

To prompt the coffee machine to pour cuppas automatically.

While the customers didn't complain, the power dynamic was to tweak further.

With the arrival of rival tech mage, Cassian.

The guru hacked the cafe's WIFI systems--just to show he could.

Laptops brewed on schedule--their own.

Coffee gave DIY a new meaning.

QR codes summoned waitress holograms that set tables--without direction.

A string of minor curses gripped Cafina's WIFI--

Familiars.

They scampered between laptops at random, in a series of 'spriteful' giggles that covered the skin with goosebumps.

Login and social media prompts that sent customers into a tizzy.

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A latte brewed itself to near perfection--then burst into milk fireworks.

Irene and Leo came to the fore--for their jobs.

They scrambled, jamming wires into magical devices, each triggering another disaster.

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The absurdity in Cafina finally came to a head.

Almost everything in the establishment was in shreds---and there seemed no way to put the chaos--or the "spriteful" familiars-to bed.

Then, a lightbulb lit Irene's barista brain.

Reset.

Everything back to the beginning. A blank.

Go Wifiless.

Disconnect Cafina from the reaches of the outside world--and the spiteful sprites.

As if ants were biting her feet, she darted around the cafe yanking out the cords of laptops, mobiles and everything else that could serve as a digital device.

Not to be outdone, Leo did his own yanking.

Becoming Cafina's magical mother hen--

At least figuratively.

He ran around the cafe, hot on the heels of familiars who darted, daunted and taunted.

Yet managed to cram a cage to the brim with their mischievous forms--and grins.

The cafe breathed normally again, calm, grounded--well--coded.

After all was done, Irene threw herself against the bar's backdrop cabinet and laughed.

Leo had learned what she set out to teach--magic was strongest when guided, not forced.

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The devices hummed to life again as the perky familiars settled, their furry ears pricking, each with a disarming grin.

Though taken aback, Irene's patient regulars chuckled at the experience--and their presence.

The duo reviewed the cafe's Wifi and enchantments, adding safety protocols.

Irene jotted everything in a notebook.

Cassian, his message sent, slowly began dissolving.

"Remember--power, not show."

Leo uninstalled the WIFI.

The message had finally been received.

The cafe hummed quietly, without anything--

Familiar.

Curious, yet careful.

With concealed power---and great responsibility.

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Original microfiction by Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin. AI tags are coincidental.