Witch Doctors Inc: SEASON ONE (Completed!)

Part 1.3

I dream I'm falling from the sky. There are glittering gemstones all around me. I'm far from home, and I'm afraid. When I wake there's a strange sense of calm over me. I feel more aware of things. The sunlight at my window, my cactus collection on the sill, even the dust motes hovering over my bed - I feel their presence inside me. Like I could reach out with my mind and touch them.

I'm standing by my decision to quit. It's the right thing to do. I don't want to hurt anyone else. I'm going to hand in my resignation today. I'll have to remain in Witch Doctors Inc accommodation until I find another place though.

In the meantime I'm putting all my things in boxes. It feels a bit odd, as if I'm saying goodbye to them instead of my internship. I find myself leafing through my textbooks, hovering over passages I've read before. I linger on a page about fire quartz.

Fire quartz is a natural reservoir of magic. It is a clear crystalline stone which gives off a warm light similar to that of a flame. To date it is the only substance capable of containing magical energy.

Fire quartz was introduced to the planet a thousand years ago during a meteor shower affecting several continents. Its origin is unknown.

It's funny how my life revolves around this one stone. Without it I wouldn't be here at Witch Doctors Inc, throwing my career away. Without it Mrs Toebuck wouldn't be in the hospital. Our very society was built on this stone. What would we be without it?

I lay the book in the box gently. As I'm putting it away my gaze catches on another page.

Witches. Witches have held a dark place in the human imagination for quite some time. Beings with natural control over magic, they have haunted stories told over the centuries. During the Dark Ages, a period of war and famine spanning a century or so, accounts of a being known as the Dark Witch begin to surface. No evidence has been found to validate these accounts. Attempts to corroborate accounts of the legendary First Witch have proved similarly futile.

"Interested in witches, eh?"

I slam the book shut on my finger.

Ruby is standing by the sofa, her amethyst eyes glinting with amusement.

"How did you get in?" I demand. My finger's still throbbing.

"I have a spare key. I let myself in."

She doesn't seem to mind the appalled look on my face. "I thought I'd check in on you." She eyes the boxes strewn across my floor. "I didn't know you believed in witches."

"I don't." I'm pretty annoyed. Spare keys aren't meant to be used in this way. "Witches were made up to scare children. I'm not a child so I don't believe in them."

Ruby plops onto the sofa. "That's what they want you to believe." She puts her feet up on my favourite cushion. "Witches existed. Burning them at the stake was the only way to destroy them. My grandmother told me all about it. The stories have been passed down in my family for generations, going all the way back to an ancestor who lived in the time of the Dark Witch."

"Those people they burned weren't witches. They were the victims of superstition and fear."

Ruby shakes her head. "Most of them weren't witches. But the Dark Witch was real. She killed in secret, that's why it was so easy for people to cover up her existence. But people saw her. My ancestor saw her. She left a trail of scorched earth whenever she killed."

There are two things I hate: fairytales and conspiracy theories. This had elements of both. "Alright," I say. "It's your right to believe in witches, but it's not my thing, okay?"

Ruby smirks. "Well clearly it is your thing, or you wouldn't have shut that book so quickly."

I could strangle her. I really don't need this right now. My client is in hospital and my career is over. Can't she see that?"

Apparently she can't. She blathers on, about the Dark Witch and her erasure from history, until my anger is in my throat, scorching hot and ready to burst out.

The chandelier wobbles. A shard of glass tinks to the floor, right next to where Ruby is sitting on the sofa. My anger turns to panic. It's happening again. The air is buzzing with energy. I desperately try to squash down my anger, but Ruby is still talking, curse her, and panic is trembling in my bones.

"Thanks for checking on me Ruby," I shout, grabbing her by the shoulder and pushing her out the door. "I really appreciate it. See you later!"

"But-"

I slam the door in her face.

The chandelier is in full swing. It's going to fall. I block every thought in my mind. The room fades from view. Instead there's a city of towering crystal spears. Three moons shine above me. I'm colder than I've ever been in my life.

The city disappears. I'm back in my room. The chandelier is still. I sink into the sofa. I wasn't trying to brew a potion this time. There wasn't any fire quartz in sight. And yet it was that same feeling, that same surge of power I'd felt when Mrs Toebuck was berating me.

Onyx hops off the bed. I saw what you did. You can't bottle it up - it will build up inside you.

"I didn't bottle it up," I blurt out.

Onyx freezes. Oh? His black eyes bore into mine. What did you do?

"I thought of something peaceful...a city made of fire quartz."

Onyx is silent. It's starting to scare me a little.

"This curse is worse than I thought, Onyx. I thought I only stuffed up spells, but I'm out of control. I could have hurt Ruby. It's not safe to be around me...Onyx, you should go."

Onyx laughs. Your little spurts can't hurt me. Ridiculous.

"Onyx, do you know what this curse is? You know, don't you? Please, Onyx, you have to tell me, before I do it again!"

Onyx gives a soft meow. I will deliver your letter to the boss. You should stay here. Don't allow any visitors inside.

I bury my head in my hands. "What'm I going to do?"

The only thing you can do. Onyx turns to look back at me. Remember.

*