Dream Shop

Today was a slow business day for Estrella. Since opening hour, there had been exactly one customer in her shop and to make it worse, the customer’s wish wasn’t anything worth performing magic on. The boy who came wandering into Estrella’s excluded space was a curious and loquacious human whose wish was to grow taller by a foot. Estrella found it annoying and almost didn’t want to grant it, but she had no other choice; it was required of her to help those who came her way, as long as the wish didn’t disrupt the order of nature.

Nevertheless, she was annoyed. Her helper, Kira, a boy with the appearance of a ten year old, was nervous because of her grumpiness. He didn’t like it when humans came in and made ridiculous requests; wishes that they could acquire with their own efforts. Kira knew magic wasn’t to be taken lightly, which was why he became worry when his mistress was distressed.

“Kira, make me some tea,” the witch called out.

“Yes, mistress,” he replied politely.

Estrella settled down at the table near the windows, which offered a view to the world outside. There wasn’t much to look at but the garden tended by Kira. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, but she knew it was artificial, an illusion created by the previous owner of the shop, and now maintained with a small amount of her magic. She didn’t mind it, though.
She liked the place, where she could be in peace and not have to meddle with human affairs, at least when no customers came. With this magic-based space being a part of her, she could monitor the arrival of creatures from outside. As Kira came back with a teapot, a cup, and cookies resting on top of the tray, Estrella detected a presence invading her space. She knew what it was and straightened up.

“On second thought, Kira, bring me another cup,” she said.

Kira took the hint with understanding. “Yes, mistress.”

Meanwhile, she sipped her tea patiently, waiting for the door to open. She had the feeling that this wish was going to be better than the last one; her guesses were always right. As she finished her first cup, the door pushed open, revealing an unfamiliar face. A girl with fearful eyes and nervous posture scanned the shop, not noticing Estrella as she watched from the corner.

“Welcome to my shop,” she greeted with a smile. The girl jumped out of surprise. She glanced hesitantly at Estrella, unsure of whether to trust this stranger, but she calmed down as she gazed into the witch’s unusual lilac eyes.

“Excuse me. I appear to be lost. Can you tell me where this is?” she asked timidly.

She took another sip. “Everyone who came here are lost, and this is a place with no name, you may call it however you wish.”

Kira came up and pulled the chair open for her. He smiled innocently at her, making her feel at ease. Everyone who saw him was always enchanted by his angelic face. The human girl sat down comfortably, avoiding Estrella’s eyes. The witch took in her features, which she found quite attractive for a human. Something about the way the girl held her place told Estrella that she was brought up in a prominent family despite her disheveled hair and clothes. There must be quite a story behind her wretched state. Kira poured her a cup of tea which she accepted gladly.

“Tell me, what is your name?” Estrella asked gently. The girl looked up, amazed at first then stared down at her hand. “My name is Jeanne, ma’am.” The witch was surprised at the formal address. She laughed softly, not meant to be rude. The girl glanced at her, self conscious.

“Oh, please, call me Estrella. No need to be formal.” The girl nodded.

“How did you end up here in that state, Jeanne?” She appeared confused, without recognition of what had happened to her. She thought hard for a moment, trying to recollect her memory. Suddenly, it came back to her, the horrible truth. She rose abruptly. “Oh no, Reid. No. no…” She held her head in fear.

Estrella grabbed her hand in reassurance. “Calm down. There’s no need to be afraid.” Jeanne only stared at her, horrified, trying to find a hint of lie in Estrella’s tone. There was none. She finally slumped down her chair, bracing herself to support her fragile mental state.

“Reid, he…he was shot. I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t do anything. What if he’s injured, what if…”She didn’t want to think of the worse scenario. Covering her face, she began sobbing. Then she looked to Estrella for comfort. “Tell me. Tell me that he’s fine.”
Estrella couldn’t find the right word to say; she was never good at being a source of safety for others. “I don’t know, Jeanne.” She let the girl cry for a moment before started to talk again.

“This Reid you’re talking about, what happened to him?” She made an effort to be as considerate as possible.

Through her tears and choking voice, Jeanne managed to mutter. “Reid and I, we were in love. My father was against it because he is poor. We eloped but they found us and…and he tried to protect me, they shot him…then I passed out.” The tears threatened to pour.
Estrella knew she was about to get into more trouble than she bargained for. She considered pensively as to what she should do. “Then it looks like you ended up here through your dreams.” Jeanne could not comprehend the witch’s words. To her, extraordinary things like magic did not exist in this world. Magic was no more than a fairy tale. If it were she and Reid wouldn’t be separated.

“I wish I could take all of it back. He wouldn’t have gotten hurt because of me, if only we hadn’t ran away. Because of this love…”

Estrella gazed humorlessly at Jeanne. She didn’t like it when people took the weight of a wish lightly. She could snap a finger and the wish would be granted, leaving the human girl suffering because of her own recklessness.

“Is that your wish? Is it really what you wish for? Because I can make it happen,” she stated darkly.

Jeanne normally would think this whole conversation was nonsense; however, she had no strength left to refuse Estrella. In her mind, all of this was only a dream which she created to escape the cruel reality. It wouldn’t hurt to make a wish in a dream.

“Yes, with all I have,” she confessed. The witch smiled at this; it was time for business.

“All right then, is that your wish?” She reiterated, not wanting to grant a wish that the client made half-heartedly.

“Yes, I wish we have never fallen in love. That way none of us would have to suffer.”

Estrella gazed intensely into the girl’s eyes. Now, she must ask the most essential question. “Nothing comes without a price. If you make a wish, I will have to take away something of yours.”

“What would that be?” she asked, worried. Even though she lived her life without lacking anything, Jeanne still felt afraid that whatever the witch wanted wasn’t something she could afford to lose.

“Your lingering attachment for him. Give me the last bit of your love,” she demanded. Jeanne stared at her, confused. She had already decided to throw away her true love; there was nothing left to offer to the witch.

“In case you don’t know. Even if your mind had forgotten, your body still remembers.” She sipped her tea. “You can’t deny it never happened. What I can do is to reverse the situation, not turning back time, so it is in fact a possibility that you two fell in love.”

She caught a glimpse of Jeanne’s confusion. “It is a matter of time flow; I don’t expect you to understand.”

“If that is what it takes, I’m willing to give up anything.” She smiled ruefully.

Kira came up to the witch’s side, holding a rolled up parchment. He handed it to her and stepped gracefully aside. Jeanne watched as Estrella untied the ribbon, revealing a blank, yellowed page.

“This is our contract,” she explains, showing it to Jeanne. “You may look over it before establishing a contract with me.”

“But...there’s nothing here,” she said.

Estrella smiled at this, she always found it amusing when her customers made a wish without putting faith into magic, and this is one example.

“Look again,” she said.

Jeanne gasped as she looked down, catching sight of the magic performed on the page. Black ink flew across the page as scripted words appeared along the lines. Jeanne decided that it was just a trick of invisible ink. She read slowly and carefully, word for word.

“Yes, this is alright. Do I sign it?”

“Please, feel free to.”

Lifting up the quill, Jeanne stared puzzlingly at the clean tip. As she was about to look for an explanation, the witch encouraged her to continue with a smile. Although doubtful that it would work, Jeanne lowered the quill to the paper. To her surprise, the spot where the tip lingered began to bleed, black substance ooze from beneath the surface, permanently leaving an ugly mark. Jeanne quickly signed her name; each stroke painfully reminded her of her lover. As the curve in her name ended, the parchment rolled itself up, glowed in a golden light, and floated in the air to settle in Estrella’s palms.

“With this, the contract is complete. Your wish will be granted without delay.”

“What…what should I do now?” Jeanne asked.

The witched beamed affectionately at her. “Close your eyes, and have a sweet dream.”

Jeanne involuntarily shut her eyes, as if she were hypnotized by those lilac eyes. As her body relaxed, a fluttery sensation wrapped around her being. Her skin began to fade; the softness became glass-like. Her existence was no more, as she disappeared in a shower of glittering dust. The speckles glowed as they gathered together until the unison formed a small crystal the shape of a star. It gleamed like a star that had been newly created in the galaxy. Estrella extended a hand, and the crystal flew to her without hesitation.

“After all, this is the last time,” she muttered to herself.

“Would you like more biscuits, Mistress?” Kira eyes sparkled as he peered exuberantly at her.

His smile always lightened the heaviness in her heart. “I would love some.”

Before Kira could scurry into the kitchen, Estrella called out. “Bring me a lot of it. And one more cup, please.”

Kira nodded and she sat down on her chair again. Sipping her jasmine tea, the witch patiently waited.