A Dark and Secret Magic

by Wallis Kinney

I want to stay in my bed, take Merlin into my arms, and grab the book on the side table.

Ginny, who has been a practicing book witch for two years and merely needs to hold a book in her hands to know its contents, can never understand why it takes anyone more than an afternoon to finish a novel.

Winifred creates all the spell books for the women of the Atlantic Key. The books are infused with her meta-magic, adapting to the needs of the witch they belong to. They are our diaries, reference books, and records of our magical practice.

“but I don’t have any champagne on hand.” I also have zero interest in carving an entire pumpkin to serve the punch in, as is required for the intention to work.

The walls are covered with time tellers, their minute and second hands moving in hypnotizing patterns. “Don’t stare at those!” Laurie says to me urgently. I rip my eyes from an intricately carved cuckoo. “Don’t want to get lost in time, do you?” she asks.

Saturdays make the best Halloweens. Crisp, clear skies and cool weather, with a high in the forties, is always preferable. Throw in a crescent moon to grace the sky during the day and set early, leaving the night dark and ideal for ritual casting, and there could be no better conditions for Samhain.