Page 98 of A Spell of Midlife Mayhem

‘Sure. Why not? And you’ll need to buy some witchy materials before you start the course itself.’

‘I’ve got some already. I went to the Apothecary’s Potions and Scrolls shop a couple of days ago.’

Aunt Ruth smiled. ‘Excellent.’

Raven came back from the kitchen with a takeout menu. ‘How about I order us some pizza?’

I beamed. Things were looking up. ‘Sounds great.’

We ordered the pizzas and chatted for a while. I told Aunt Ruth and Raven about my encounter with my ex-husband and how stupid I’d been thinking that I should return to New Zealand with him. How I’d blinded myself to how things were with him before I’d left. And how I’d extricated myself from him at the airport.

‘The funniest thing was that the airline finally found my lost luggage, and I retrieved it and checked it in for the flight.’

‘What?’ Raven said. ‘You mean it’s on its way back to New Zealand now? And you think that’s funny?’

‘I’ve already replaced everything I needed. And with my luck, my stuff won’t get there, anyway. But I’ll ask for it to be rerouted back here.’

The doorbell interrupted our laughter. Raven went to answer it and came back with the pizzas.

‘Bags the ham and pineapple one,’ I said.

‘I don’t know how you can eat pizza with pineapple on it,’ Raven said. ‘In Italy, that would be sacrilegious.’

‘You’re missing out,’ I teased him, grabbing a box at random. It was the right one.

After eating, Raven said he had something to do and went out.

Aunt Ruth and I searched through the contents of the correspondence course until we found the witchy discipline test. I’d asked her what form the test took, but she kept me guessing. My best guess was multiple choice questions.

It wasn’t that. A cardboard fold-up construction like a flimsy dolls’ house opened up. A plastic bag full of miniature furniture came with it. Aunt Ruth seemed to enjoy watching my consternation as I followed the instructions and put all the little pieces where they were supposed to go.

‘Now what?’ I said when I’d finished.

‘Hold that thing in one hand.’ She gestured to the final piece, a thin rectangular piece of metal.

‘That’s a magical battery,’ Aunt Ruth said. ‘Minimal magical power storage. Only enough for the test.’

‘Okay.’ Clever. I’d have a little taster of real magic as well as finding out my discipline or whatever.

‘Turn the page. Now the fun begins.’

I turned the page. Several numbered exercises followed.

‘What’s your discipline, Aunt Ruth?’ I’d not asked her before.

‘Telekinesis. I can move objects. That’s how I can magically make tea. Bigger objects require more magical power. For anything major...’

‘You need your magic mirror.’ I groaned. That was another screwup I had to fix sooner rather than later.

‘How about you try the first exercise? It’s about weather control.’

‘I’m already good at that, Aunt Ruth. At my age, I can produce wind several times a day without even thinking about it.’

She hit me lightly across the arm. ‘Farting doesn’t count. This is actual wind, rain, even lightning for higher-powered witches. The exercise will be to produce that in miniature in a room in the cardboard house.’

‘Okay.’ I read the instructions. The exercise was simple. Battery in one hand for magical energy. Other hand outstretched. Look at a tiny chair in the dolls’ house. Think of creating wind.

‘The chair should topple over if you have this discipline,’ Aunt Ruth said.

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