I Put A Spell On You

SELEN got off her bicycle and knocked at the door, carrying a jar with concoction on the other hand. A few minutes went by... Still, no one opens the door for her. She heaved a sigh and sat on the doorstep. Maybe the client was still fast asleep. She laid the jar beside her and propped her hands on her chin as she looked up at the sky, watching the break of dawn.

It was too early in the morning, too cold it would make you wish to stay on the bed. But Selen woke up every day even before the rooster makes that cock-a-doodle-sound. She was her grandma's only errand girl. No matter how cold it was, she had to put on her cardigan, get on her bike, and deliver the concoction to every client wherever they are.

Selen wondered how many more minutes she had to wait until someone opens the door for her. If only she could sneak inside. But that's a little risky and tricky.

She yawned. "Gah! I want to go back to sleep."

She closed her eyes slowly. The wind swooshed, and she heard the dry leaves on the ground rustled. Selen could not help but smile. She always finds it entertaining to listen to the sound of nature. It seemed to heal her soul. Then, she heard the door creaked. She grabbed the jar and stood up immediately. A woman in her late forties greeted Selen.

They bowed their heads at each other. And then, she handed the woman the jar of concoction.

With trembling hands, the woman accepted the jar and looked at her. She could see the cloud of worry in the woman's eyes as she stared back at her.

"A-ah... I almost forgot." She fished a note in her cardigan's pocket. "This is the prescription on how to take the concoction."

"Thank you, Miss," the woman said somberly.

"You're welcome..." She heaved a deep sigh.

"Wait for a while. I'll go get the payment."

Selen waited again, but unlike before, it only took the woman approximately two minutes to come back.

"Here..." She handed Selen a small brown envelope.

She took it quickly and securely placed it in her pocket.

"If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail us."

The woman grabbed her by the arm when she was about to turn around and leave. "Y-yes?"

"Would it really cure my husband?" the woman asked in a hoarse voice.

Selen caught the woman's hands and pressed them gently.

"Our family's into this business even before I was born. Every client was satisfied with our service," she assured the woman.

"My husband has been in pain for two years now. No one could cure him in the hospital. The doctors didn't know what's wrong with him." The woman started crying.

"The concoction will help him regain his strength. Soon, my grandmas would be able to break the spell." She patted the woman's arm.

Selen came from a lineage of white witches. Her grandmas fight the spells of the evil witches that harm people. They make concoctions to heal those who could not be treated in a hospital. And sometimes, they make love potions for the desperate ones.

"I... have to leave."

She got on her bicycle and looked back. The woman remained standing by the door, watching her.

Selen started pedaling away.

VIOLY looked at the grandfather clock in the living room before strolling to the kitchen. It was past six o'clock in the morning, and yet Selen hasn't returned from running the errands. Whenever that kid was late, even for a minute, she always felt nervous. Violy could not help but think that Selen ran into trouble.

"Ate Cora, Selen isn't back yet," she informed her elder sister.

Cora halted from grinding the garlic and turned to her. "Did you call her?"

Violy scratched the side of her neck. "I've been calling her, but it just keeps on ringing. I'm afraid that- "

The backdoor swung open, and a muddy Selen entered the kitchen.

"You! If you won't answer your phone, better throw it on the river and let the fishes have it!" Cora nagged at her. "Look at you. You're covered with mud. Where the hell did you dive?"

A small black head appeared from Selen's pocket.

"Mew..." the kitten said.

"I saved a kitten," Selen smiled proudly. "She was trapped in the mud."

"You just wasted your time. You should use your time practicing witchcraft!" Cora scolded Selen.

Selen's eyes started to wet, and with her lips pressed into a thin line, Violy knew the kid would cry anytime soon.

"Ate Cora..." Violy reprimanded her sister.

"What? Am I wrong? Selen is turning twenty-one soon, yet she couldn't make a simple concoction or perfect a simple spell. What kind of witch is she?" Cora slammed the pestle to the mortar.

"How many times am I going to tell you that I don't want to be like you? I don't want to be a witch!" Selen countered.

"You were born into this family. That only means that being a witch is your destiny." Cora said through gritted teeth.

"I want to live a normal life!"

"Does our life look abnormal to you?" Cora scoffed.

"How can you call our life normal when the neighbors would throw rocks at our house or even set it on fire whenever they learned about who you really are?"

"It's been ages since that happened. People invest their time in the fruits of technology nowadays, Selen. There were only a few of them who still believe that we exist. There is nothing to be afraid of. Besides, we are doing it right. Fret if you harmed those people, like what those evil witches do."

"Hey, hey, hey, you two..." Violy butt in. "Enough of this for now, okay?" She sauntered towards Selen and tugged her to the bathroom. "You and your newly found friend should take a bath now."

"Violy, stop spoiling that kid, will you? That is why she always argues with me. She knows that you are always there to back her up," said Cora.

She did not mind what her sister said.

"Your Nana Cora is getting older and older. Look at her nagging at both of us every time she has the time," Violy whispered.

"You're not mad at me, Nana, right?" Selen pouted her lips.

"Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because I don't want to be a witch..."

Violy smiled at her granddaughter. "You are free to choose who you wanna be."

"Thank you, Nana!"

Selen was about to hug her, but she quickly stepped out of the bathroom.

"Wash first so we can have our breakfast."

"Hm..."

SHE HEARD voices just outside her bedroom. Selen was already awake, but she kept her eyes closed. Nana Cora, Nana Violy, and her childhood friend Reinald discussed how to surprise her once the door opened. So, Selen made a plan too. She covered her body with the blanket.

After a few moments, she heard the door creaked. There was a popping sound, and they started singing the happy birthday song. But Selen did not move an inch and kept her eyes shut. Soon, they stopped singing. She felt someone climbed on the bed and shook her body.

"Selen? Selen, wake up!" said Nana Violy.

"You brat!" She heard Nana Cora cussed at her.

"Nana Violy, Nana Cora, we all know that Selen is awake," Reinald said and giggled.

Then, she felt a tickling sensation on her soles. She pressed her lips together to suppress her laugh, but her friend continued tickling her, and soon, she could not take it any longer. She sat up quickly and burst into laughter.

Selen saw Nana Cora at the end of her bed, patiently holding the cake in her hands. She turned her gaze to Nana Violy, who was smiling at her. And lastly, to her friend, who was wagging his eyebrows while waving a hand like a fool.

"Happy birthday," they said in unison, loud and lively.

She just crinkled her nose in response.

"Selen..." Reinald said somberly. "Here you go again."

"You already know that I don't like celebrating my birthday, yet you still bother yourselves." She jumped out of bed.

Selen didn't like her birthdays. That was the same day her parents died. Her dad died in an accident, while her mom took her last breath the moment she came out of the womb. She was an orphan since day one. She grew up under the care of her two beloved grandma witches. Despite the love and care they have given, there always comes a time she yearned for her parents.

"It's your twenty-first birthday, we just thought-"

She went inside the bathroom and slammed the door.

Selen leaned her back against the bathroom door. They were still inside her room, talking about her.

"Such an ungrateful witch," Reinald yelled.

"Ssshhh! Let's not blame her..." said Nana Violy. "If I were in her shoes, I'd feel the same, though."

"So, what are we gonna do with this burning candle in this poor cake?" asked Nana Cora.

She felt something bumped on her leg. When she looked down, she saw her pet, Lulu. The kitten kept bumping on her. So, she picked her up and bumped her head on it.

"Mew..." it meowed softly.

"Are you greeting me a happy birthday too, Lulu?"

She placed the kitten above her head. It started purring.

"Sorry, Lulu, but I don't celebrate my birthday. No treats for you today."

THE BREAKFAST was served when Selen went to the kitchen.

"Reinald will be joining us for breakfast since he is here." Nana Violy put a fried egg on her plate.

The cake was on the table, but someone scrapped the greetings out of it to make it look like an ordinary cake. Okay, that was kinda brilliant.

Nana Cora folded the newspaper and set it aside, and then turned to her. "You are twenty-one now. You should start finding yourself a husband."

Selen almost choked on her food.

"E-eh? I'm still too young to get married, Nana!" she whined. "I don't want to get married yet. What I want is to go to college."

"You won't be needing a college degree. Your sole responsibility is to produce kids and continue our family's legacy."

Reinald raised his hand. "I volunteer to be her husband."

Nana Cora picked the newspaper and slammed it to his head. "Shut up, boy! You can't marry Selen."

"But why?" Reinald pouted his lips.

"A-ah... because you are friends since childhood. You're almost like a brother to Selen. She doesn't like the idea of turning friendship into a romantic relationship." Nana Violy turned to her. "Right, Selen."

She heaved a sigh. "Yeah. Sorry, Reinald, but I'd like to keep our relationship this way."

He palmed his chest and acted like he was in pain. "I never thought getting friend-zoned could be this bad."

He had always been very vocal about what he feels.

Somehow, Selen felt bad for her friend. Reinald and his family had always been good to her and the grandmas. In fact, they were well aware of what they were and what they do. But they respected them and treated them nicely through the years. That was the reason why she and Reinald became best of friends. And even though his entire family moved to the city when Reinald started to study in college, he still makes time to visit her family on the outskirts of town. He was the good man every woman ever dreamed of.

"Anyway, I know the easiest way to find you a husband." Nana Violy fished her phone out of her cardigan's pocket. "I stumbled upon this awesome dating site-"

Reinald grabbed the phone from her grandmother.

"Nana Violy, this dating site is a trap," Reinald remarked.

"What?" Nana Violy's eyes widened. "How come?"

Reinald clasped his hands under his chin. "Well... most likely the users create an account under a false name. And not only that, some predators are using these sites to look for prey. It's pretty dangerous."

"I think we should better move to the city," said Nana Cora. "There's a big chance to find a suitable husband for Selen if we live in the city."

Selen's forehead creased.

"Nana, you dare to sell concoctions and do witchcraft in the city?"

"Well... some people nowadays even make vlogs about their abracadabras and post it online," said Reinald. "I think there's nothing wrong with-"

"Who says we will do that? We'll run a business, morons." Nana Cora smiled. "A flower shop and a restaurant business will do great, right?"

"Oh! That sounds great," Reinald agreed.

Selen puffed her breath. It looked like she could not stop her Nana Cora from getting her a husband.

"Reinald, you should help us find a good place," said Nana Violy.

He raised his thumbs with a wide grin plastered on his face.

SELEN!" a familiar voice called her name.

She pulled over her bicycle on the side of the street. Lana, one of her classmates way back in high school, approached her.

"Why do you have to be so fast?" Lana propped her hands on her knees, catching her breath.

"You know my grandmas, they would definitely scold me if I come home late," she told her friend. "Why did you run after me, anyway?"

Lana straightened her back and slapped her arm.

"Don't you remember?" Lana fished something from her pocket, a flash drive. "Last time you asked me to give you a copy of Sage Avelino's drama, the one that ended recently."

Selen's eyes widened instantly upon hearing the actor's name. She grabbed the flash drive from Lana and safely put it inside her bag. She and Lana had been fangirling over Sage Avelino since he debuted as an actor three years ago. Selen remembered quite well the first time she saw Sage on television. He was playing a minor role in a drama, but he had already caught her attention. And now, after three years, Sage was already one of the most-sought actors of her generation.

"Hmm... You're too fast when it comes to Sage," Lana teased her.

"Of course." She laughed shortly. "Ah, I am going to binge-watch this when I get home."

"Happy watching." Lana waved a hand, bidding her goodbye.

"Thank you!" She waved back.

Selen was grinning from ear to ear on her way back home. At last, she will see Sage again.

SELEN locked herself inside her room when she got home. She started watching as early as six o'clock in the morning. Now, at twelve o'clock, she was on the sixth episode of the drama. But she was unsatisfied.

"Why do they make him a second male lead in this drama?" She scratched her head in frustration. "I ship him with the female lead. They have chemistry. Argh! Why do the writers make his character so perfect when he was just a second lead? Why? Why is it like that?" Selen snarled in front of her laptop's screen.

Then, her bedroom door swung open. Nana Cora, with a knotted forehead, came in.

"What is happening here?" Nana Cora sauntered towards the bed.

"Nothing, Nana. It's just that I'm feeling frustrated." She grabbed the pillow beside her and hugged it tightly.

"Why?" Her grandma's expression softened. "What made you feel that way. Tell me, honey." Nana Cora sat at the edge of the bed.

Selen pouted her lips and pointed to her laptop's screen.

"They made my Sage a second male lead!" She started crying. "After all the hardships that his character had been through, he still deserves a happy ending even if it's not with the female lead."

She stopped crying and pressed her lips together when she saw how Nana Cora's facial expression changed from soft to annoyed. Her grandma grabbed the bolster pillow and hit her with that.

"I am worried about you!" Nana Cora hit her again. "I thought something happened. And now, you're telling me it's all about that damn drama!"

"Nana, stop already!" Selen used her arms as a shield to her grandma's beatings.

"Why waste your time watching a drama that makes you frustrated? You should have used your time wisely. Like practicing witchcraft, or finding yourself a husband." Nana Cora breathed exasperatedly. "You're already twenty-one. You should be mature enough by now."

She pouted her lips.

"I don't call this wasting my time. I'm watching Sage." Selen clasped her hands above her chest and sighed dreamily. "He is the man of my dreams..."

Nana Cora hit her head with the bolster pillow.

"Man of my dreams, my foot! Do you think that actor would marry you?" Her grandma threw the pillow to the bed. "From the scale of zero to ten, you have zero chance of meeting him in real life!"

"Ouch, Nana..." Selen palmed her chest. "Your words cut like a knife."

"You better pull yourself together. Your illusions won't get you anywhere."

"But what if we meet, Nana?" She crawled to the end of the bed and held her grandma's hands. "Will you allow us to get married?"

"I told you to stop-"

"I said what if, Nana. It's a hypothetical question. There's no harm if you tell me your answer."

"As long as you are compatible with each other, I don't have any problem with that." Nana Cora pulled her hands away.

"Really?"

Her grandma sighed. "You better get out of here and join us for lunch. You've been here since six o'clock watching that. Don't you feel dizzy staring at that small screen?"

Nana Cora stormed out of her bedroom.

Selen grabbed the bolster pillow and hugged it. Then, she rolled on her bed back and forth, giggling like a teenager. Nana Cora was in favor of Sage. Now, her only wish is for their stars to align so that they could meet. And if ever they meet, she hoped they would have those spark like of those characters in his dramas.

She stopped rolling and stared at the ceiling.

In a few days, Selen and her grandmas will be going to the metro city to start a new journey. And based on her research, Sage lives somewhere in the metro. Her chance to meet him will be higher than zero now. With that thought, Selen squealed.

"WILL she join us for lunch?" Violy looked at her sister, who just came from Selen's bedroom.

"I don't know. I told her to join us, but she stayed in her room and squealed." Cora sat on the host's seat across Violy.

"What is she doing there?"

Cora let out a long and deep sigh.

"Fantasizing over that actor Wade? Jade? Ah, whatever his name."

"You mean Sage?" Violy laughed.

"You know him too?" Cora's forehead creased.

"Well... Selen introduced him to me a long time ago. Ah, when was that?" Violy propped her hand on her chin. "I think that was two or three years ago."

"Did she ask you if she could marry him?" Cora filled her glass with wine.

"Hmm..."

"What did you say?"

"I told her that if their paths would cross and they fall in love-"

"Violy..." Cora's lips pressed into a grim line.

"Yes, Ate?"

"You know that it was never the case."

Violy shushed her sister when she heard footsteps approaching.