Mysterious Magic

Chapter One

A sunny, clear sky awakes me one Friday morning. Thank goodness it's the weekend now. The buzz of the alarm rouses me from my mind, urging me to begin the day.

It's only a few hours later that I'm arms deep in flour and sugar as my golden Labrador licks his paws in the corner, when the high-pitched ring of the doorbell sounds. Rushing to wash my hands but before I even get close to the door it bangs open followed by my colourful neighbour making herself at home.

"Hello, Iris. To what do I owe the honour of you gracing me with your presence today?" I ask, rolling my eyes.

"Hush you! And go fetch an old woman some tea!" She croaks. Iris is a sixty-year-old woman but dresses as though it's still the eighties; meaning she sticks to a very boohoo look and sticking to in your face colours. She also has the speed of a Cheetah - I found that out the hard way. Her husband, Albert, was very orderly and a stickler for the rules, sadly passed away a year ago. Ever since Iris has appeared at my house every day and I wouldn't have it any other way, even though she drives me up the bloody wall every minute. I know she gets lonely in that house all alone, and I enjoy the company.

Iris nods her thanks as I hand her possibly the best cup of tea I have ever made, if I do say so myself. But by the look on her face and the way her mouth scrunches up, it's not.

Next time.

"When are you going to find a nice man?" Iris asks, it's the same question every single day. I shake my head, thinking why does she even bother anymore?

"You know that I'm too busy to have a man in my life," I reply lowering myself on the sofa across from nosy old woman.

"Such a sad excuse for such a beautiful girl," Iris says out of the blue, causing me to blush. She isn't normally one for giving out compliments. As we sip our tea and bask in the comfortable silence, the door bells rings again. Both of us look at the other, confusion spread clear across our faces. No one else really visits me except for Iris and the mailman. Making my way apprehensively to the door but before I even get near it whoever is on other side starts to bang repeatedly. The sudden noise causes me to pause startled. Jumping as a hand latches onto mine unexpectedly, I turn my head to Iris only to see her shaking her head; an indication to not answer.

A minute later we can hear footsteps leave my door. Sighing loudly in relief, "Who was that?" I question.

"I don't know, Callie."

Shortly after Iris leaves to go home, making sure about fifty times that I'm going to be alright here by alone. I lie each time, knowing if she suspects otherwise, she'll never leave. The situation leaves me shaken so I distract myself with the finishing baking the good for tomorrow's party. It's only when I'm lying in bed that night that my mind wanders back to the voice and what did I want? Hopefully whoever it was had the wrong address but something about it has left with feeling off - unsettled. As the confusion, worry and fear swirl around my brain, my body eventually succumbs to sleep.

The next couple of days, my routine became a bit easier. The unexpected guest never came by again and Iris querying how I am became less and less as the days wore on. Focusing all my energy on baking has helped push away that off feeling left the incident. It also seems as though word of mouth is extremely beneficial for a business, especially a new one like mine, as every couple of hours the ping of the phone sounds as I receive another message of a customer inquiring about an order. It has been both a blessing and a curse because I'm both happy and exhausted. Even Iris has commented that I should think about getting an assistant.

"I know this woman who enjoys baking. And she always makes the most amazing home-cooked meals; starts from scratch and everything. She also might have mentioned something about looking for something new, I'll give her a ring and set up a meeting for you." Iris states. The look on her face suggests that I don't have a choice, but I know it's because she cares.