The Love Spell
Celeste always was drawn to magical things – and now she was drawn to the most magical man!
A wooden sign which read, Gone to cast a spell – back soon sat in the middle of the shop door of the Witches Brew Book Shop. Inside there was a spooky charm to the little shop which smelled of joss sticks and patchouli oil.
There were rows and rows of books and baskets filled with candles. Displays of runes and tarot cards, scrying mirrors, and ritual oils.
Celeste, the young owner and a sensible, intelligent and lover of romance novels, was preparing for a forthcoming book launch to promote romantic novelist Crystal Vega’s new romantic comedy Spellbound.
Shelves were dusted; novels for the book signing were stacked in neat rows, the old floorboards creaking under their weight. Celeste stopped to admire the cover of the book with its glittering stars and mystical signs.
Crystal Vegas was an author Celeste admired and she was intrigued by this new book, particularly the part where the heroine used a spell to conjure up the love of her life.
Her own love life had been put on the back burner while she concentrated on setting up the book shop.
Perhaps it was time she should conjure up a handsome man for herself.
The book shop had only been open a year and she was finding it hard going, even though there was a wide variety of shops in the village, from antique to dress shops, which the villagers appeared to flock to, but very few visited Celeste’s shop.
She had noticed how people appeared to quicken their step as they passed by her shop and she wondered if it was because she sold unusual books and potions associated with witches.
Maybe they were afraid of anything to do with witches, or a shop called Witches Brew Book Shop.
Villagers were not the only ones who were apprehensive about the shop.
Even delivery men rushed out as quickly as they had entered.
That morning a delivery man quickly came and went, leaving a large cardboard box on the counter. Inside was an array of gift items to give away at the book signing.
Bookmarkers designed like the cover of the book, and gauze bags filled with tiny silver stars and pink love hearts took up most of the space at the bottom of the box.
When Bella, Celeste’s young and enthusiastic assistant, arrived for duty she exclaimed how lovely the shop looked with the display material that had been sent ahead for the book launch.
Bunting showing star constellations fluttered above her head, and cardboard cut-outs of witch’s hats sat on the shelves around the shop. Bright flickering lights in the shape of stars twinkled around the books displayed in the window.
“The shop looks beautiful,” she said, casually followed by, “oh goody – gifts,” as she peered into the large cardboard box.
She began to rummage through the items, each one filling her with delight.
“I love this part of the book signing.”
“So do I, but for some reason, I feel a little uneasy,” Celeste confessed.
“It’s because you admire this author’s work so much, I’ve noticed you always have your nose in one of her books. It’s because you’re finally getting to meet her, and that can be daunting. It’s just nerves.”
“That’s probably it,” Celeste replied.
They began to go about their daily activities, Bella dusted down many of their unusual objects which she found delightful and interesting. She loved the book section with its dark mahogany shelves full of unusual books all arranged in an orderly fashion, spines upright each book promising a world of intrigue and wonder.
Crystal Vegas’s book was selling well and enquiries were made about the book signing.
At the end of the day, they checked everything was in place for the morning and made their way home.
Later that evening, back at home, Celeste checked in on her mother who was suffering from a bout of sickness. She had turned in early with a cold glass of warm milk and a couple of pills.
Celeste retired to her bedroom and began to spread the contents she had picked up from the shop to perform the love spell on a small oval table.
She placed a green candle, a small pink heart, some ritual oil, and opened the book on the spell page. Following the instructions, she recited an incantation…
“This love spell shall not reverse or return to me with a wretched curse. Bring the love of my life to me, by this spell that I cast, may he be a love that will last.”
She was about to light the candle when she heard the call of a night owl in the distance.
At the same time, the light appeared to dim and a cool breeze filled the room.
She shivered and dropped the box of matches. It didn’t feel right.
She wondered if she should be dabbling in something she knew little about.
It won’t work anyway, she told herself, feeling despondent and quickly swept the items into the waste bin.
She didn’t sleep well that night. Images of the book floated around her head. When she woke in the morning, she felt uneasy, the remnants of her dream still clinging to her mind. It was not the best beginning to a book signing day.
It was a beautiful sunny morning as Celeste made her way to the shop and this made her feel a little better. As she opened the shop door, she received a text to say the author would be arriving at 2pm.
The food and drinks order arrived, and Celeste and Bella set everything up at the back of the shop on long pine tables, spreading the little gift bags and bookmarkers at the front.
They arranged some old, battered chairs into rows for the customers and brought an old table and comfortable chair out of the storeroom to use as a book signing area.
Celeste became anxious as the morning progressed and so, to alleviate some of her nervousness, she decided to run home and check on her mum’s cold and see if she needed anything.
When she arrived, she was horrified to find her mum standing over a table with all the spell casting items she had thrown away displayed on it.
The green candle was lit and the book was open on the spell casting page.
And, horror of horrors, her mother was reciting the spell!
“What are you doing?” she shouted.
“I’m reciting a love spell for you.”
“For me?” she repeated.
“Yes,” her mother replied, “There… it’s done. I do know all about these things you know.”
“No, you don’t,” Celeste retorted.
“Celeste, my dear,” her mum said calmly, “what you are unaware of is that I grew up in a family of witches we did spell work all the time.”
“A family of witches?” Celeste exclaimed. “How come you never told me any of this?”
“Well, I was waiting for the right time,” she exclaimed, “although I did think that you would find out about it by yourself one day.”
Something radiated from within Celeste… how had she missed the signs?
There had always been a strangeness to her family… the bundles of herbs hanging from the ceiling, the unusual aromas that lingered in the kitchen after darkness, her mother dancing in the moonlight with her weird aunts. But she had pushed all this to the back of her mind.
It all seemed to make sense now, and perhaps this was why she had an interest in witches and spells.
Celeste’s mother looked at her daughter with interest. She only wanted the best for her and if she could help, then what was the harm?
“Anyway it’s done now. I must admit it’s a good spell, and we’re lucky to have a waxing moon – that always helps.”
“But you shouldn’t be dabbling in my love life, Mum.”
“What’s the point of being a witch if you can’t cast a spell?” she replied, looking pleased with herself.
Celeste felt outraged but she didn’t have time to express her annoyance, it would have to wait.
“Well you appear to have recovered from your cold,” she said, “so I’ll see you later. Behave yourself – if you can.”
She gave a half-smile as she turned to leave.
Mothers!” she said to Bella when she returned, but Bella decided not to pursue the matter further.
The shop began to fill up with a stream of dedicated followers of the author, moving like enchanted shoals of fish to their seats ready for the book signing.
A hazy cloud of chatter filled the air.
A mysterious cloak of condensation covered the windows, obliterating the outside world.
A breeze playfully caught the bunting as the shop door opened and a small woman with flaming red hair and amber eyes, wearing a large black brimmed hat and a long purple coat, swept in with an effortless saunter – followed by an extremely handsome dark-haired man.
Celeste stepped forward to welcome them, her mouth dry with nerves.
“Pleased to meet you, Miss Vega.”
“Oh! I’m not Crystal Vega… he is.” She turned to point at her companion who appeared amused at the situation.
“It happens all the time,” he said exposing a dazzling white smile.
He stretched out his hand to shake hers and time slowed everything down. As she gazed into his midnight blue eyes, she thought she saw a starburst in them.
His voice was soft and lilting, like an audible caress, and no one else existed as the chatter from the shop’s occupants faded into the background.
“Celeste, Celeste!”
Someone was calling her name and suddenly she found herself back in the commotion of the noisy shop.
“Yes?” she replied dreamily.
“Shall we begin?” the woman with flaming red hair asked.
“Yes, by all means.” She led them to the table, aware of a faint smell of warm spicy herbs in the air.
She stood at the back of the room as if under a spell, a mere observer of a phenomenon that she could not quite explain.
She heard very little of what he said or how he explained why he wrote under a woman’s name. Whatever his reason, it didn’t detract from the fact she still admired his work.
Besides, he was a good-looking man with dark tousled hair – in fact, he was exactly what she had always wished for.
His soft silky voice suddenly burst into her thoughts as she heard him say, “I guarantee this spell works every time.”
“He’s just saying that to sell books,” Bella said in a hushed voice.
“I don’t think so,” Celeste replied. “I think he’s telling the truth.”
Then he glanced at her from the table and she was sure she saw an aura of twinkling stars whirl around his head like the ones on the cover of the book.
Yes, she thought to herself. Love spells do work.
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