Tell Me a Fairytale

I picked a daisy from the grass where I sat and idly twirled it around in my fingers. I was glad Vanessa had talked Miss Fisher into letting us walk to the park after dinner. The cloudless blue sky and setting sun gave me a sense of hope. I rested my gaze upon the flower I had picked. Though weathered, its petals were so beautiful and delicate, kind of like...

I glanced up at Vanessa. She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, her Bible resting upon them with her eyes buried in it. I could swear she had that thing in her hands everywhere she went. On our way here, she had been reading and crossing streets at the same time. Miss Fisher had even let her read her Bible while she ate. I had never been the most faithful believer in God, and I couldn't understand why anyone could be so enthralled by such a dull book. "So... you're religious," I said softly.

She looked up and closed her book, then showed me the five-pointed star below the title on its cover.

"Book of Shadows," I read aloud. "What is it?"

"It's a sort of Wiccan Bible." She looked down, and her beautiful eyes darkened. "It was my grandmother's."

I paused to study the melancholy look upon her face, then continued with my inquiries. "Wiccan?" I asked.

"I don't know a lot about it," she admitted, running her fingers across the book's leather binding. "I'm still reading. It's more of a spell book than anything else, though. I'll show you if you want."

I sat down next to her, and she began flipping through pages, explaining as best she could. I soon acquired a feel for the world of magic, and about a month later, that feel was more of a firm grasp. I was able to use magic in many ways, including communication with my mother.

Vanessa and I sat under the same tree that day. September was coming up fast, and that meant school. But right now, it meant the county fair, which was going on all around us as we read. Distracted from reading by all the noise and colors, I said, "Come on, let's enjoy the fair while it's in town."

"Do we have to?" Vanessa pouted, with no desire to stray from her precious tree just because of a few distractions. Her eyes were so captivating that they were nearly impossible to ignore.

"Please, Ness," I begged, mimicking her expression. "Just until the fair is over. Then we'll go back to reading."

She sighed, defeated. I took her hand and dragged her merrily through the fairgrounds.