The bookstore went almost unnoticed as Kali shuffled by.\u00a0 I say shuffled, because Kali was deep in a funk, a treacherous, black funk, the morose sort that consumes your every thought, dragging you down into a dark whirlpool of despair.\u00a0 It was just this sort of funk that had Kali shuffling down that particular street on that particular day.\u00a0 Her boyfriend of nearly three months, a personal record for her, had not called her for two straight days.\u00a0 And what\u2019s more, when she called him, his line was busy!\u00a0 This was not good and could mean only one thing\u2014he was growing cold.\u00a0 She\u2019d seen it before and it always hurt, but never like this.\u00a0 This time she was truly in love!\u00a0 She had to do something about it; only, she had no idea what.\u00a0 That\u2019s why she was in such a funk and nearly passed the old shop.<\/p>\n
It resided in an ancient, dilapidated building that leaned precariously against its neighbor for support.\u00a0 In the store window squatted an extremely fat, black cat atop a humongous pile of books.\u00a0 Above the door, attached at just one corner by a chain, a wrought-iron sign dangled dangerously, swinging in the breeze.\u00a0 On it perched a stuffed owl, barred, if I\u2019m not mistaken, holding a book in one talon and gripping its iron perch with the other.\u00a0 Above the owl, in faintly gilded gold letters, were the words, \u201cYe Olde Book Shoppe\u201d and beneath it, in smaller letters, \u201cInquiring Minds Want to Know\u201d\u00a0 And if that weren\u2019t enough to get the attention of any even moderately curious girl, the front door swung open all by itself.<\/p>\n
Kali entered.\u00a0 Inside her eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light.\u00a0 Everywhere there were books, books in great, huge stacks, books laying all jumbled across the tables,\u00a0 piled in heaps under the tables and even in the aisles.\u00a0 It was unlike any bookstore Kali had ever seen.\u00a0 In the center of it all, behind a dark mahogany counter, surrounded by mountains of books, stood an old woman, her spectacles thrust down to the very tip of her nose.\u00a0 Silver hair framed her face like a halo Kali had seen in Renaissance paintings.\u00a0 Skin the color of ivory stretched tautly over her tiny frame, with not a wrinkle or blemish to be seen.\u00a0 Kali knew in an instance that she was old beyond belief: her eyes gave her away.\u00a0 Piercing and intelligent and warm all at once, they spoke of more than any one lifetime could possibly behold.\u00a0 And even though they were what caught and held her attention, Kali could never recall afterwards what color they were.<\/p>\n
Kali realized that she had been standing for some time simply staring at the woman.\u00a0 She blushed and stammered, \u201cWhat a lovely store you have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNonsense!\u00a0 Balderdash!\u00a0 Say what you mean, not what you mean to say.\u201d\u00a0 The woman retorted in a surprisingly sharp voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I did, it is a lovely store.\u201d\u00a0 Kali said defensively.<\/p>\n
\u201cInteresting? Yes!\u00a0 Quaint? Maybe.\u00a0 A mess?\u00a0 Most definitely!\u00a0 Lovely?\u00a0 I don\u2019t think so!\u201d\u00a0 The woman pushed her glasses up and looked as if to study Kali more closely.\u00a0 \u201cWhat is your name, girl?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cK-k-kali,\u201d she answered, a bit put off by the woman\u2019s abrasiveness.\u00a0 With a little defiance, she added, \u201cAnd yours?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what are you seeking?\u201d the woman asked, ignoring Kali\u2019s cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeeking?\u201d\u00a0 Kali repeated a bit perplexed.\u00a0 \u201cNothing!\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman chortled.\u00a0 \u201cEveryone is seeking something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman paused a bit, searching Kali\u2019s face.\u00a0 Then she said, \u201cNo boy problems?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kali\u2019s amazement showed.\u00a0 \u201cHow did you know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cClose your eyes and turn around three times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Too confused to resist, Kali did as she was told.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, with your eyes still closed, move forward and pick up a book.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich book?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAny book you want, but you must keep your eyes closed!\u201d<\/p>\n
Kali moved forward gingerly, her hands in front of her, groping air.\u00a0 She came upon a pile of books and felt her way along them, fingers exploring first one book (too heavy), and then another (too big) and another, each one inspected, weighed, judged and rejected, all with her eyes clamped shut.\u00a0 At last, she gripped a little cloth-covered book with raised stitches along the binding.\u00a0 Her skin tingled at the touch of it and warmth spread through her as she held it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one,\u201d she said tentatively, half question, half statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cKeep you eyes closed,\u201d the woman barked.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much does it cost?\u201d Kali asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything and nothing!\u201d\u00a0 The woman was suddenly at her side.\u00a0 She took the book from Kali\u2019s hand and then returned it to her wrapped in crisp paper.\u00a0 \u201cWhen I tell you to, you can open your eyes again, but don\u2019t look at the book until you are again in your own room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
Kali opened her eyes and nearly fell over.\u00a0 She stood upon the very street she had shuffled down before entering the store.\u00a0 The woman was nowhere in sight and neither was the store.\u00a0 In its place an empty lot squatted between hulking buildings.\u00a0 Kali blinked several times as if to clear her vision.\u00a0 She felt numb, dreamlike.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t real, she thought, until she looked in her hand.\u00a0 It was the package of brown paper tied with cord.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, my!\u201d she said aloud, \u201cIt really did happen!\u201d\u00a0 She fumbled with the string, trying to work it over the corner of the book.\u00a0 Then she remembered what the woman had said.\u00a0 Slipping the package into her purse, she hurried to get to her room and see what she had bought.<\/p>\n
About half way there, she realized that she hadn\u2019t paid for it.\u00a0 This pulled her up short.\u00a0 That couldn\u2019t be right.\u00a0 That would be stealing!\u00a0 But what did she say, \u201cEverything and nothing?\u201d\u00a0 What was that supposed to mean?\u00a0 Was it a riddle?\u00a0 She hated riddles!\u00a0 Nothing means it\u2019s free and everything means it isn\u2019t.\u00a0 So which is it?\u00a0 How could it be both?\u00a0 It made her head hurt.\u00a0 Shrugging it off, she continued on her way, perhaps just a little less excited as she had been.<\/p>\n
Once in her room, she cut the string with a pair of scissors and ripped the paper off.\u00a0 The cloth cover was orange.\u00a0 Her favorite color!\u00a0 The title, hand-lettered in purple ink, was \u201cRecipes for Success<\/em>\u201d and beneath it, in smaller bright green letters, \u201cA Collection of Curses and Spells by Gilda Hogsbreath<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n Kali\u2019s hand trembled as she turned the cover.\u00a0 On the facing page, a poem was inscribed.\u00a0 It said:<\/p>\n On these pages <\/em><\/p>\n words of power<\/em><\/p>\n Comfort in your darkest hour<\/em><\/p>\n Be not hasty in their use<\/em><\/p>\n For they will not <\/em><\/p>\n abide abuse<\/em><\/p>\n This one thing is sure<\/em><\/p>\n If your heart is not pure<\/em><\/p>\n What you speak will transpire<\/em><\/p>\n But not as you desire<\/em><\/p>\n Heed this warning<\/em><\/p>\n Or else!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Kali frowned.\u00a0 Or else?\u00a0 Or else what?\u00a0 She turned the page and the backside was blank.\u00a0 \u201cWell, that\u2019s a silly poem, isn\u2019t it?\u201d she thought.\u00a0 \u201cAnd not a very good rhyme, either!\u201d<\/p>\n She began flipping through the book, perusing the titles at the top of the pages, things like \u201cFind Something Lost<\/em>\u201d, \u201cPut an End to Gossip<\/em>\u201d, and \u201cPut Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Every recipe listed ingredients under the title and beneath that, instructions.\u00a0 One called \u201cYou Call the Shots<\/em>\u201d sounded promising.\u00a0 Its ingredients included, \u201ca pinch of dry mustard, two drops of hot pepper sauce (the green ones), a sprig of clover, hair of a one-eyed cat (Calico) and three toe nails from a large dog, among other things and the instructions called for a quarter moon on a Tuesday between midnight and 2 a.m.\u00a0 Very strange!\u00a0 She continued to flip the pages until at last she stopped on a page in the center of the book.\u00a0 At the top it said, \u201cMake Him Stay<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHmm\u2026\u201d she thought aloud, \u201cThis sounds interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n The page contained a short list of necessaries: the tail of two Gypsy moths, \u00bd cup of white vinegar transfused with two crushed garlic cloves, an article of clothing from the intended target (preferably something intimate) and a dash of cayenne pepper.\u00a0 She could do all of this, except the intimate article of clothing.\u00a0 She had none of his clothes.\u00a0 That would be difficult, especially if he wasn\u2019t seeing her.\u00a0 The directions were even worse:\u00a0 grind the moth tails into a fine dust (very easy) and add a dash of the pepper.\u00a0 Sprinkle entire content over the article of clothing.\u00a0 Pour the garlic vinegar over all and roll up tightly.\u00a0 Do this on date with significance to both you and your target.\u00a0 Hide it in a dark place for exactly 240 hours, remove and wear.\u00a0 Your beloved will follow you like a faithful pup.\u00a0 Drawn to you like a moth to the candle flame.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The bookstore went almost unnoticed as Kali shuffled by.\u00a0 I say shuffled, because Kali was deep in a funk, a treacherous, black funk, the morose sort that consumes your every thought, dragging you down into a dark whirlpool of despair.\u00a0 It was just this sort of funk that had Kali shuffling down that particular street […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-prompted-writing","category-snippet"],"yoast_head":"\n