And Then I Wrote Marvel

Magic it Up

I went to a writer's conference sort of deal back in March, and I got to go to a lecture about how to use magic in your stories. He gave us five minutes to describe a normal action, then detailed the differences between hard and soft magic. He then gave us five more minutes to "magic it up." So I did. And here is the product. ( childofvictory and Aquamarine127 were there too.  LMScribbles was at the conference, but I don't know if she was at this lecture)

Normal Version
I reached up, trying to grab the rag off the top of the box. Why my mother decided to put basic household items this far out of even her own reach was beyond me. No matter what shoes I put on, which stool I grabbed, the top of the box was still inches away from my fingertips. I could see the ratty blue cloth on top, taunting me. I scowled at it, daring it to try something like that again.

I was fed up enough with this evasive blue rag that I was ready to break the rules a bit. I climbed up on top of the dryer. The metal made scary sounds, and I was afraid that it might alert my mother to my terrible rule-breaking. I was too scared of heights to stand up, but on my knees, I could easily reach up and grab the rag that I needed to clean up the spilled water.

Magicked Version
Sweat began to bead on my forehead as I tried to summon a rag from the box that was light years out of my reach. Ever since the news broadcast detailing the occurrence of the rare genetic mutation that allowed telekinesis in my home county, I had been sure that it was I that had been gifted with this. That was 3 weeks ago.

I hadn't lost faith yet, as I was sure that I had seen the TV remote wiggle a little bit last week. So I kept trying. I glared at the worn blue rag that I could see the edges of, and I figured that there wouldn't be any physical reaction, such as sweating, if I was really going to get this rag down here. It had to be me.

The broadcast had described how the local hospital had tested a baby girl 15 years ago and discovered this gene, but had not told the parents. They had left before they could do anything about the situation. Oddly enough, they couldn't find the name of the child on any of the results, printed or computerized. All they knew was that the baby girl was born late September and would be 15 years old now. That matched me perfectly.

However, my mother did not care for this sort of stuff, and refused to take me in to check. So here I was, trying to activate my telekinesis powers to get a rag to clean up a water spill without breaking the "don't climb on top of the dryer rule."

I blinked reflexively, and suddenly, I felt a soft presence enter my hand. I blinked again, this time in shock. The rag was right there in my hand.