The Trouble With Spells by Lacey Weatherford

to call upon your powers at any given point in time, I want you to
learn to recognize the energy.
    “Just close your
eyes now and clear your mind. I want you to try and think of nothing. Use deep
breaths to help calm you, like we use in the meditation rituals at the store.”
    I did as I was
instructed, letting my mind drift peacefully, and soon began to feel deeply
relaxed.
    “Very good,”
Grandma’s voice said softly after several minutes had passed. “Now keep your
eyes closed and listen carefully. I’m going to start saying random words, and I
want you to think about them like you normally would, visualizing them mentally.
Do you understand?”
    I nodded.
    “Tree,” she said.
    Instantly, my mind
was flooded with the image of a beautiful oak tree in its full green leaves of
spring. I could see the gnarled twisted branches as the sunlight filtered
through the flittering foliage. I could even smell the tree, and I reached out
to touch it.
    “Cat,” Grandma’s
voice cut through to me.
    Immediately, I was
nuzzling Jinx as she rubbed herself up under my chin. I could hear her purr and
feel the tickle of her whiskers, and it brought a smile to my face.
    “Flower,” her
voice came again, and I was leaning over the most beautiful red rose. It hadn’t
completely opened yet, but it was still round and full with the most delicious
scent coming from it. I reached out to grab it and felt one of its thorns sink
into my finger.
    “Ouch!” I said,
and I snapped back to reality. I looked at my finger and could see the blood oozing
to the surface. “How in the world…,” my voice trailed off as I questioned what
I was seeing. I glanced at Grandma and Vance, holding my finger up for them to
see too.
    “You were
manifesting,” Grandma said, smiling a look of approval at me.
    “Okay. What does
that mean?” I asked.
    “It means your
powers are much more advanced than we originally thought. Normally, only you
would experience the things you were seeing.”
    “You mean you
could see them too?” I asked, surprised.
    “We experienced it
just like you did.” Vance held up his pricked finger.
    “Amazing!” I said,
truly meaning it.
    “Your finger is
bleeding?” Grandma asked him. “Mine isn’t.” She showed us her hand. “What did
you see exactly?”
    “I saw myself
reaching out to grab the rose, and it poked me,” he said. “Didn’t you?”
    “No,” she replied,
shaking her head. “I saw hazy images of Portia trying to pick a flower
projected in front of me. I find this very interesting that you experienced it
from her perspective. I knew there was something different between you two.”
    She stared at him
for a moment, and I wondered if he would tell her his suspicions about us, but
he didn’t volunteer any information.
    “Hmm. I’ll try to
do a little research on this later to see if anyone else has kept a record of
such a reaction. Let’s try another exercise for now though.” Grandma picked a
wooden bowl up off the table. She placed it squarely in the middle. “Portia,
see if you can make this levitate.”
    She didn’t give me
any further instructions, so I just concentrated on the feelings I had
previously and tried to direct those emotions toward the bowl while thinking of
the word “up” in my mind.
    It took a few
seconds, but I began to distinctly notice the bowl starting to wobble a bit
from side to side. I concentrated harder trying to focus all of my energy into
that dish. Instantly it lifted off the table, floating several inches above it.
    “Wonderful!”
Grandma said, clapping her hands. “I can’t believe it!”
    “Is that good?” I
asked her, not knowing.
    “It’s unheard of
on your first attempt. You’ve got much better control of your emotions than one
normally does.”
    She bounded around
the table and gave me a hug, while I smiled at Vance over her shoulder.
    “Look at the bowl,
Milly,” Vance said, redirecting her attention. Grandma and I both turned to
look at the