The spell of light

The women in my family are all witches, capable of real magic. There is a specific thing about our abilities, though – each of us was blessed with only one spell to cast throughout our whole life. Mastering the spell of fire control made my grandmother a fearful destroyer and a bringer of warmth and light. My mother’s ability to heal any wound and disease lets her save countless people from death, that otherwise would be inevitable. My older sister Margaret is proud of her ability to read minds, even though it made her unwelcome in some circles, as some people strongly value their freedom to keep their thoughts to themselves. Even my younger sister Abigail, though only seven years old, has the power to look into the future, which sometimes scares her more than anybody else. And me? I can summon fireflies.

My sisters are constantly making fun of my abilities – in their opinion it’s a spell, that’s utterly useless for anything of importance. My mother and grandma don’t ever say anything, but they seem to be slightly disappointed as well. Margaret said that she once read from our mom’s mind that she was happy to have two other daughters apart from me because my abilities would bring us neither help nor fortune. She could have been telling the truth, but she could’ve also lied – she is a really mean one sometimes. For many years I was also convinced that my power was useless. Sometimes I’d even pretend in front of other people that I didn’t have any because I was ashamed of admitting the truth. That was until I discovered the real meaning behind it.

One night I was sitting alone in a park, sulking and thinking not-so-happy thoughts. Mindlessly and mechanically I was casting my little spell, again and again, summoning the little luminescent bugs that started to circle over a bench nearby. Only then I noticed that the bench wasn’t empty. A young couple was sitting there holding hands. “Look! The fireflies!” exclaimed the woman pointing at them in excitement. A bright smile appeared on her face. The man also smiled and placed a kiss on her cheek lovingly. “I haven’t seen anything that beautiful before.” He said. “Except you, of course.” He added and they both laughed.

The other night I was passing a graveyard where I saw an old lady crying over a grave. I didn’t want to disturb her mourning, but I also didn’t want to leave her alone in the darkness like that. Within a short moment, I sent a couple of fireflies her way. She reached her hand towards them and one of them sat on her finger. She smiled through the tears and I heard her words: “Thank you for this sign, my love. I believe now, that you are at peace.”

Since then, I have left my home every night to wander through the parks, streets, and along the river. I’ve been bringing smiles, prophecies, and good omens, letting people see those small lights for anything they want to see, anything they just need. Without a word from my side, without interference, I cast a spell of hope that guides people through the darkness of night and their minds. And when I come home and go to sleep at dawn, I feel at peace, because I know that I was blessed with a unique power of lighting up a light that doesn’t burn, whenever and wherever it’s needed while I can remain unnoticed.