Shadows

Part 5: Carissa

       So apparently there's a thing called 'high school'. That's where older humans torture younger humans. Quite disgraceful. But finally a month passed and my father came back from wherever he went.

"I'm back," my father said, closing the front door behind him.

"Don't you have something to tell me?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said looking behind him, "come into my room."

We proceeded to walk down a hall then turned left into his room. We sat on the bed and he looked over at me and smiled.

"So, like I said over the phone, this secret has been passed down from generations to generations. We are the only family that has this secret. So that means we need to keep it a secret, right?" he asked me. His eyes were trying to pry an answer out of me.

"I'm not five, you know," I snapped.

"I know, sunshine, but I have to take precautions. Do you about shadow tellers?" he asked.

My heart skipped a few beats. Shadow tellers. I was hoping he'd give me more information on the subject. I thought for a second. My father didn't know I have the book.

"No, I don't," I said.

"For a brief explanation, they're the highest level of magic folk. They also can manipulate shadows to do their bindings." He paused to see if I was catching on, so I nodded, like I understood. "Okay, well, there is a spell in which, if used in the wrong hands, could destroy all of mankind as we know it."

I nodded again.

"Well, that spell has been passed down from generations to generations," he said.

"So you know the spell?" I questioned.

"Indeed. The spell is called The Devastation Spell. And you need three things to complete it," he said.

"Uh huh," I said.

"The three ingredients are this rock," he said placing a small rock in my hand, "a maple leaf, and finally, a shadow."

"That's it?" I asked surprise that the spell was so simple.

"Well, they also would need to cast a shadow circle, and get the rock. That is why I made you in charge you of it," he said proudly.

"I'll make sure no one but me touches it," I told my father.

"I knew I could count on you, Carissa," he said smiling.

He walked out humming 'You Are My Sunshine' by Johnny Cash. I waited till he closed the front door behind him, and I went to the window and looked out. He was getting into his car and looked back at me, he smiled and waved. I waved back. He got into his car, shut the door, and drove away. I watched him drive into the distance. I clutched the small rock and my hand, then hurried to the door to go find a maple leaf.