Growing Magic

Learning is an ongoing process.

Growing Magic is part one of a series I will post on Sundays for the next little while. I hope you enjoy it!

Photo by:Natalia Y. (@foxfox) | Unsplash Photo Community

Thunder boomed and lightning crackled in the hallway outside the bedroom door. It was followed by a whoosh of warm air as the remaining debris was swept away. At last light could be seen flickering under the door.

“Knock knock.”

“Hey kiddo. Is it safe to come in?” her dad asked, ever the polite guy.

Juli sighed and sat up. “You are always welcome dad. Please come in.”

“What happened this time?” he inquired gently as he entered the room. Paper airplanes were zooming around the limited space. In the corner was a famous magical book where the main characters had popped out so the story was now in three d. He looked over at his daughter.

She set her book titled Medieval Witches and How To Rid Yourself of Them upside down on the bed. There was no point in alerting him to her magical efforts to get rid of her stepmother by waving it in front of his face.

“Oh, the usual,” Juli replied. “I use magic. She has a fit. Says I am disrespecting her. I came up here to read. She thunders and booms away,” she said, waving her arms about. Suddenly the noise in the hallway ceased altogether.

“Ah,” replied her father. “You know how she feels about you using magic.”

“Grrr,” Juli intoned. “You use magic. She uses magic. I use magic. When mom was alive she used magic. I can’t use magic around Anne. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“We haven’t talked about this aspect of it before. It just seemed to satisfy her that you should use your magic less. But it doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Why would that be?” he asked.

Juli looked at him trying to see where this was going. “All I know is that she doesn’t want me to use magic,” said Juli rather sullenly.

“C’mon Juli. Think about it. I can use magic around her. She can use magic but she objects to you using magic. What is it about you using magic that would bother her?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Juli tossed and turned that comment around. Her eyes widened. “She is embarrassed by my magic?” she whispered. Her dad smiled a bit more. “Why would she be embarrassed by my magic?” she wondered. Her eyes opened wider. She reflected on Anne’s use of magic. “Sometimes her magic falters,” said Juli. “It doesn’t always do what she desires.” She smiled. “My magic is stronger than hers,” she determined. “My magic is stronger than hers,” she said louder. Her eyes opened wide and flew towards her father’s face.

He smiled. “There you have it.”

“Oh dad. I never mean to embarrass her.”

“Of course not,” replied her father. “You are just being you.”

Juli’s mind kept working around this one. “Why would her magic not be strong? I mean, isn’t magic just magic?” she asked.

Her father started slowly. “It is and it isn’t. For some people magic is innate. You just have it because you have inherited it. Sometimes this magic is weak in some people and in other people it is unbelievably strong. In you it is very strong. Not everyone has the power that you have. And some magic is learned. There are people whose only magical power is because they have learned it. There are some who are never able to learn enough to make them stronger.”

Juli gave this some thought. “My power out performs her power? Is she afraid that I will use it on her?” Juli asked.

Her dad walked over and picked up the book. “She might be on to you,” he deadpanned. “Having a book about spells to rid your life of people is probably a good clue.”

Juli put her face into her hands. “I will do what I can to be accommodating. But if..”

“Juli,” said her dad quietly. “Remember your power will always be there. There will come a time when the strength of your power will be necessary, welcomed even. Until that time let it go,” he said as he walked to the door. “You need to finish setting the table.”

“Already done,” said Juli.

“Juli,” her father said sharply. “We don’t use magic when exercising our muscles is a better option.

“She is outside. She’ll never know.”

“Control,” he said as he exited the room. “Remember control.”

She looked at her closed door and wondered out loud, “how much could I help her without getting caught?”

She looked up as a voice called her name from the picture of her father over her desk. “Juli, you may be strong but you are forgetting my other skills. Let it go and just be you.”

“Yes father,” she replied as she stored the thought for later when she would be alone. She proceeded to put his picture face down for now. She had some things to think about.