January

Issue 28

    It wasn’t until the morning after that Jani realized what she had done.
    She had decided to go into town to get Dathen some breakfast.  He was especially fond of the honeyed croissants from Madame Leh's Bakery.  She thought she would be able to get into town and back before he woke up.
    The morning was bright and peaceful.  Everything seemed fine until she passed her neighbor's house.  The normally contentious married couple was snuggled on their front porch feeding each other grapes for breakfast.  They giggled between mouthfuls.  Jani couldn't remember a single time previously that they hadn't been either arguing or seething in quiet resentment.  This morning though, they gazed at each other with adoration.  When they saw Jani, they waved happily then went back to their blissful breakfast.
    Jani thought it was strange but she let it go. However it wasn’t long before she encountered another strange sight and began to realize what had happened.
    A little further towards town, Jani passed a trader who was stopped on the side of the road.  That wouldn't have been unusual except that he was meticulously brushing his horse as he recited love poems to her.
    It all began to fall into place.  The spell had gotten away from her.  She had only meant to affect one person, Dathen, but somehow the spell had leaked out of her house and into the surrounding territory.  She wondered how far it had spread.
    "At least I didn't turn him into a frog," she thought.  Then there would be a sea of confused, croaking people littering the countryside.
    Jani had nearly turned Dathen into a frog several times; he could be so infuriating.  One time she got so annoyed with him that she changed his nose to an ugly, bulbous one with a wart.  He didn't understand why in the midst of their argument she suddenly started laughing.  When Dathen reached a hand towards his face, Jani quickly changed it back.  By the time he got to the mirror his appearance was normal again.
    Looking back at the trader and his horse, Jani noticed that the poor horse seemed more confused than adoring.  At least the miscast spell had only affected the people.
    Jani decided that she would have to look for Sorcerer Brecc in town and see what could be done to fix the mess she'd made.
    When she entered Brecc's shop, he was standing at a mirror, cooing to his reflection.
    "Oh, no," she exclaimed without thinking.
    Brecc heard her and turned briefly to look at her, "Oh, Jani, come in, come in.  It is a glorious day, isn't it?  And look," he gestured to his reflection in the mirror, "don't I seem especially handsome in this morning light?"
    "Sure, quite handsome.  But Brecc, there's a problem."
    "A problem, you say?  There can't possibly be a problem on such a lovely morning.  Everything is so perfect, so beautiful."  He winked at himself in the mirror.
    "It's the love spell you taught me yesterday."
    "Ah, yes.  Dathen."  He turned to her, suddenly grave.  "It didn't work?"
    "No, it worked.  It just worked too well."
    "Too well?  No such thing.  What?  Dathen loves you too much?"  Confusion marred his face but he caught a glimpse in the mirror and seemed enchanted by the expression.  He began trying to look more confused, then happy, then angry, as if it was all a delightful game.
    "No, Brecc, listen to me.  Stop that."  Jani finally stood between Brecc and the mirror.  He looked like he might turn her into a toad, but at least she had his attention.
    "What is it, then?"  He tapped his foot impatiently.  "Hurry up."
    Clearly he didn't want to be separated from his beloved for long.
    "Okay, here's the deal.  The spell got loose and affected people other than Dathen."
    "Other people?  Who?"
    "As far as I can tell, everyone from my house all the way into town, including all the people in town."
    "Everyone in town?  Not me certainly!"  He patted his chest as if evidence of the spell would be found there.  "I feel fine."
    "Brecc, you're in love with your reflection."
    "Well, sure.  Have you ever seen such beauty?"  He brushed Jani aside to catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror.  "I mean who wouldn't love that?" he exclaimed, pointing to the reflection as evidence.
    Jani rolled her eyes and walked away for a moment.  "This is ridiculous," she muttered. Then she turned back to Brecc and said, "Look, just tell me how to reverse the spell."
    "Easy enough."  Brecc pulled a book from a nearby shelf and jotted something on a notepad.  He tore off the note and handed it to Jani.  "Here's your prescription.  Just chant this over the spell-bound person and the spell will be broken."
    Jani took the paper gratefully and headed home as fast as you could.
    Dathen met her at the door.  "My beloved, where have you been?  I've been desperate without you."  He wrapped his arms around her and began kissing her neck.
    "Not now," she said as she wriggled free of his grasp.  "Come inside, I have to tell you something."
    "Of course, darling one.  Whatever you want."
    "Sit there," she motioned to a chair and Dathen sat obediently.  "And don't interrupt me.  Let me finish what I have to say."
    "OK."
    Jani unfolded the piece of paper and chanted,
        "Reverse, revise,
        a mistake I've made.
        Love's love
        but only if freely gave."
    There was silence.  Jani looked at the back of the paper.  "That's it?"
    Dathen's voice caught her attention.  "Jani, what am I doing here?"
    She looked up and saw that the love in his eyes was gone.  "You came by to borrow some sugar for your morning tea.  Don't you remember?"
    "Oh, yes, tea.  I guess I'm not quite awake yet without it."
    Jani got a small container of sugar from the kitchen and handed it to Dathen.  "Stop by anytime."
    "Thank you.  I guess I'll head home now and have that tea."
    Jani stood at the door and watched him go.  When he was nearly out of sight, the trader she had seen earlier galloped by on his horse.  He waved at her as he passed.  Jani couldn't help but think the horse looked relieved.
    Later she walked back into town to confirm that everything was back to normal.  Everything seemed to be.  She thought all was well until she entered Brecc's shop and found the sorcerer still at the mirror.  Her panic quickly faded when she heard that he was grumbling about the wrinkles on his face.  
    "Oh, well," she thought, "some things even a spell can't fix."