Lila Walters was a woman of many hobbies. She liked to cook, sow, and tend to her Japanese garden, which was the envy of all her neighbors. She was also addicted to skydiving and traveling the world whenever she had the chance, and to top it all, she was also a witch.

Yes, a witch. Not like the ones from children’s tales with massive warts on their crooked noses and a predilection for flying around in old brooms. The dark arts didn’t seduce her at all. Instead, she was a practitioner of white magic, and all her spells were an extension of the power of Nature itself. Whenever she weaved that power on the tip of her fingers, she did it to promote beauty, growth, and prosperity in symbiotic harmony with the world around her. That connection had given her health and a relatively hassle-free life, and she would never do anything to jeopardize it.

It was therefore quite a shock when Penelope came to visit her on a warm Summer morning to ask her a favor.

“You want me to do what?” Lila gasped, pruning sheers in hand.

“I need you to cast a spell on Quentin as soon as possible. Please, you’re my only hope.”

Penelope Wingrave, born Jones, was a late-thirties beautician with an unpredictable sense of humor and terrible taste in men. She shared the same birthday with her long-time friend, but almost none of her pastimes save for the occasional shopping spree when she got tired of her wardrobe. They were also the polar opposite of one another features-wise. While Penelope was short, blonde, and loved to parade her fake tits in provocative dresses that were more cleavage than anything else, Lila stood over six feet four in flats, had chestnut-colored hair, and dressed conservatively even she went to the beach. She loved the sun but her fair skin couldn’t take much of it. Better safe than sorry was not just an often repeated motto, but also a way of life.

“What do you mean cast a spell on him? What happened between you two?”

“The bastard cheated on me, that’s what happened!”

The two women stood outside Lila’s house in the suburbs of California. Lila was wearing a long red dress with white flowers, gardening gloves, and a straw hat with a crimson ribbon, and Penelope rocked black leather pants, a leopard-printed tank top, and thick sunglasses dangling over her boobs. She was absolutely livid.

“Cheated on you?” Lila repeated her friend’s words back at her in a mix of surprise and confusion. “Didn’t you guys agree on an open relationship? If so, how on earth is that cheating?”

“I only said that because he was getting on my nerves at the time. I never thought he would actually do it!”

“Oh, please! Since when has Quentin been able to resist a sweet piece of ass? I’m sorry, Nelly, but if he’s really seeing someone else at the moment, then you brought this upon yourself.”

“Hey, you’re supposed to be on my side here! Chicks before dicks, remember?”

“First of all, that expression is as obnoxious as ‘bros before hoes’...” Lila declared. “And second, you shouldn’t have given him a way out if you didn’t really mean for you to use it. That’s a juvenile trap and you know it. How old are you? Twelve?”

“Hmph, you’d be pissed too if you were in my shoes.”

“No, I wouldn’t, because I would never put myself in that situation. If you’re looking for some sort of revenge incantation, forget it! I don’t do that and even if I did, I don’t think it’s deserved.”

“Will you let me tell you all the details at least?”

“If you must...” Lila sighed. She loved Penelope with all her heart ever since the day they had met but, sometimes, it was difficult to cope with her antics. “Let’s take a seat.”

“Sure.”

Lila guided her to the back of the house where two reclining chairs, a golden sunshade, and a plastic table with a margarita pitcher and two cold glasses were waiting for them. Penelope poured the drinks, stretched her back against the elastic fabric, and said,

“You know, the thing that irks me the most in all of this is not that she’s fucking another woman but who he’s fucking with because, frankly, I never saw that one coming!”

“Who are you talking about?” Lila removed her hat and used it as an improvised fan to cool the air separating them.

“He’s fucking Cindy Reed,” Penelope rubbed her temples and frowned.

“Fat Cindy Reed from college? Are you for real?”

“I wish I wasn’t, and she’s not fat anymore.” Penelope reached for the left pocket of her tight pants and produced a foldable smartphone whose screen had an ever-growing crease ruining the looks of the display. “This is her IG account. Look!”

Lila lowered her gaze at the screen and raised a quizzical eyebrow. Cindy had been the laughing stock at the campus during her freshman and sophomore years, and all because she weighed a little over two hundred and fifty pounds. No one really used the word fat when talking about her, with the derogatories ‘porker’ and ‘lard-ass’ being the most commonly used. A History teacher had even joined the slander once, a remark that earned him a one-week suspension and made Cindy switch schools a month later. Lila remembered her all too well, and even though she hadn’t been one of the most disparaging voices during that period, she had still contributed to the overwhelming climate of oppression and mockery that plagued Cindy’s life.

“Wow! Are you sure it’s the same person? She looks so different!” Lila exclaimed as she perused through the colorful gallery of swimsuit pics interspersed with casual wear. 

“It’s her, alright! I saw her with my own eyes when I followed Quentin to her house last night. How the fuck she became that gorgeous top model is beyond me, though.”

“You’re not serious, right?” Lila handed the phone back to her. “There are all sorts of miracle diets and surgical procedures she could have gone through in the last twenty years. Clearly, she’s been taking care of herself and, the way I see it, that’s a good thing.”

“Well, she could do that and stay the fuck away from my boyfriend!” Penelope emptied her glass and poured herself another margarita. “I hate her.”

“I thought you hated Quentin.”

“My hate is big enough to encompass more than one person at the same time. Are you sure you can’t help me?”

“And how would I do that, Nelly?”

“I don’t know... you’re the witch, not me. Maybe you could cast a spell to make his cock shrivel or something. It doesn’t have to be anything permanent... just a little taste of revenge for the humiliation he’s putting me through.”

“Again, a humiliation you’re to blame when you said yes to his idea. And shrivel his cock?” Lila chuckled. “No! Magic is a precious gift that shouldn’t be squandered on petty acts of revenge.”

“So you really think I’m being petty?”

“Yes, otherwise I wouldn’t have said it. Have you tried solving your conundrum the easiest way?”

“What do you mean?”

“Talk to him, for fuck’s sake!”

“And tell him what?” Penelope feigned shock.

“That you don’t want an open relationship for starters. Get him in a room, alone, and pour your heart out instead of following him in the dead of the night to see if he’s screwing around or not. You’re both grown-ups, so figure things out on your own.”

“That’s easier said than done.”

“Oh, yeah? And why is that?”

“Because you’ve always been the more mature of the two of us.”

“Tell me something I don’t know...” Lila sipped her glass and crossed her legs.

“I mean it. You’ve always known what to say and do when you’re in a relationship and I can’t help but mess things. It seems everything is easier with you.”

“If that were true, I wouldn’t be alone, don’t you think?”

“Well, do you even want a boyfriend or a husband?”

“Hmm, no... I like the way things are right now, to be honest.”

“And there you have it!” Penelope slapped her left thigh. “You made a conscious choice and you’re living with it, but when it comes to my choices, they’re always a disaster waiting to happen and, frankly, I’m getting tired of it.”

“Well, I’m sorry things aren’t working out for you the way you want them to, but if you want my honest opinion...”

“I need to start making better judgments of character. Is that what you were going to say?”

“No. What you need to do is calm down and ask yourself what you really want going forward. If you think Quentin is worth the trouble, then follow my lead and talk to him to see where things go, but if you decide you’ve had enough, then let him do whatever the fuck he wants and move on. There’s plenty of fish in the sea.”

“Yeah, I suppose you’re right... I’m still pissed, though.”

“You’ll get over it soon enough, you’ll see. Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid in the meantime, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Penelope emptied the second glass. “But hey, since you’re not willing to do something to his cock, how about a little concoction to make me forget this whole ordeal ever took place?”

“If you keep drinking the way you are, you won’t need anything else, Nelly,” Lila smirked and took the pitcher from her friend’s hands before she emptied it, too. “Just relax, okay?”

“Yeah, sure.”

They kept talking for another half an hour, with Lila talking about everything and nothing to keep her mind distracted. Over the years, Penelope had had too many boyfriends, with most of her relationships ending up poorly. It was therefore not uncommon for her to cry on her friend’s shoulder, but it was the first time she had tried to get her to interfere in a non-natural way. The main reason their connection worked was the fact Penelope has always respected her abilities instead of taking them for granted as a tool for personal gain. To have her change so dramatically that day was a sign of just how sad she really was inside. After her mood finally cleared up, they said their goodbyes for the day, and Lila finally returned to her garden to restore the balance and harmony of the place.

She was about ready to store her tools away when she received a phone call. It was her mother, Sarah, reaching out from sunny Florida where she was living her twilight years with her second husband and their five dogs. A retired nurse, a profession she exercised for over four decades, Sarah had taught Lila everything she knew about magic, including when not to use it to allow Nature to follow its course. She was a kind soul who had already seen too many horrors in her life and was now enjoying a well-earned dose of peace and respite. However, she was also about to unwillingly become a catalyst for something completely unexpected and dangerous. It all began with a simple question,

“Hey, honey. How have you been doing?”

“Everything is okay, Mom. How are Ted and your furry boys?”

“They’re all lounging by the pool, waiting for me to join them. We’re thinking of adopting another one soon.”

“And you’re sure you can handle another dog in your life?”

“Of course, Dogs are easy. It’s people who are complicated, you know that.”

“You got that right.”

“So... tell me what you’ve been up to.”

“Oh, not that much. I quit my job at the accounting firm but you already knew that. Still looking for something new.”

“Any good prospects so far?”

“Not yet.”

“Okay. I trust that will change soon enough.”

“Me too.”

“You really don’t have anything new to share?”

“I wish I did, Mom, but no, unless you want to hear what Penelope has been up to again.”

“Let me guess... men issues, right?”

“Yeah. That predictable, huh?”

“Oh, for sure! She was always in trouble even as a teenager, so I can’t say I’m surprised. What happened this time?”

“She agreed to something she didn’t really want to and now she’s paying the price.”

“Details, please.”

Lila told her everything and her mother’s reaction was the same as hers. However, she couldn’t stop feeling sorry for her either.

“It’s sad how she can’t catch a break, but did she really ask you for a spell?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah. I was just as surprised as you. She’s really upset with this whole Quentin and Cindy business. Her innermost insecurities are rearing their ugly heads again.”

“That sucks but I’m glad you’re there for her. I think she would have lost herself a long time ago if it weren’t for you.”

“That’s what friends are for, mom.”

“You wouldn’t happen to have a picture of this Cindy, right?”

“I can show you several from her IG account, why?”

“I’m just curious about the woman that got Nelly so worked, that’s all. Can you send me a link?”

“Sure... hold on a second. There you go.”

“Thanks. Hmm, and you say this is the girl everyone used to make fun of in college?”

“Yeah. She went through quite a radical transformation but a lot of things can change in twenty years, so it’s not really that surprising.”

“Oh, absolutely, but...”

Silence. Sarah’s voice choked in her throat as she realized something was amiss in the pics she was looking at.

“Mom?” Lila asked. “Mom, is everything okay?”

“Hmmm, sweetie, did you see this?”

“See what? What are you talking about?”

“The tattoo on her left wrist. Are you sure you didn’t notice it?”

“I... no. Let me...” Lila pulled up a sexy picture of Cindy and stared at the intricate design she had etched on her tanned skin. It depicted a snake coiled up in a spiral, surrounded by a ring of flames. The design was unusual and yet she was sure she had seen it somewhere else before. “What’s so special about it?”

“Think, dear. Remember the training you had when you were young... You know what this is, and it means trouble.”

She was right. Lila covered her mouth with her hand as she remembered the pages of old grimoires where similar illustrations could be seen. The unsettling realization made her almost drop the phone on the ground.

“It’s a coven brand,” she concluded.

“Yes, but not a regular one,” Sarah replied. “It’s a possession symbol. This woman has been enslaved by a practitioner of the dark arts and bears the mark to prove it.”

“Oh, fuck!” 

((to be continued))