The Owl House: A Witch Among Us

I Was A Teenage Abomination

The morning after yesterday's excitement was not off to a good start for Luz and Esper. They had been forced to do "cleaning duty" outside, and were now staring at a revolting sight that could only be described as disgusting. "Well, Luz, Esper," said Eda, elbowing Luz. "Did you ever think you'd witness something as breathtaking as this?" She gestured to a towering trash slug corpse, surrounded by muck and garbage. The buzzing of flies was audible all around them. Luz shook her head and plugged her nose, stuttering, "I really don't like this." The stench of rotting flesh from the trash slug was overwhelming, causing Esper to cover her mouth to prevent herself from gagging. She joked weakly, "Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Yes, nothing is more inspiring than the trash slug," Eda said, laughing. "It makes a home, a life from what others have thrown by the wayside, Until, blam, it gets blasted by a wave one day and croaks from all the salt. And then we get to sell what it's eaten." She pulled a rubber chicken and a pickaxe out of the slug's gaping wound, chuckling. Luz and Esper exchanged a long look, and Luz pleaded, "Please, don't make us do this." But King laughed and said, "Oh, come on, guys. It's not every day you get to pick apart a garbage carcass at the dump." Eda shrugged off their protests, saying, "Ah, nuts to both of you."

As Eda swung her pick at the trash slug, Luz decided to ask a question that had been on her mind. "Eda, what if we tried some new lessons for our apprenticeships? Like reading ancient scrolls or mixing potions or—" But before Luz could finish her sentence, Eda interrupted her. "Ugh, that sounds like a bunch of magic school stuff." Both Luz and Esper perked up at this. "Wait, you're telling us there's been a magic school all this time?" Esper exclaimed with excitement. Luz continued, "Like with winding towers, cute uniforms, and dark plots that threaten your life kind of magic school?"

"Mm-hmm. What's worse, they force you to learn magic the 'proper' way. But magic isn't proper. It's wild and unpredictable. And that's why it's so beautiful. I didn't finish school, look at me! Who wouldn't envy where I am right now?" Eda croaked with obvious annoyance, but Esper had stopped listening. Her mind was filled with wonders and mysteries, and you could see the stars and sparkles practically begin to flutter around her as she stammered about anything that came to mind. Meanwhile, Eda continued, "Hey, here's a lesson." She dropped her pick and stuck Luz's hand in a puddle of trash slug bile, saying, "A great witch is resourceful, like this!"

Luz pulled out a greasy slimeball and looked at it with disgust, her face scrunching up. "Actually, if it's okay, I think I'll head home and look at pictures of animals that are still... alive. Love you, King," she nervously laughed as she backed up into the woods, grabbing Esper's hand and pulling her along. Esper snapped out of her dreamlike trance, exclaiming, "Huh? Oh! Are we already going? Well, bye Eda! Bye King!"

Luz and Esper found themselves in the forest on the outskirts of where Eda and King were exploring inside the trash slug. Luz stammered, "Ugh! If magic's all about digging for slime balls, maybe I don't have the stomach for it." Esper jumped into her monologue, saying, "Same here. I hope we don't have to do that ever again." But before Luz could respond, they both heard a girl's voice echoing from deeper within the woods, "You can do it! You can do it!"

Both Luz and Esper peeked through the trees and saw a girl with large circular glasses who seemed to be struggling. She paced back and forth, muttering to herself, "You can do it. Even if you get a bad grade, it's not a reflection of you as a witch. And my parents are right. There are better opportunities on this track. Now, get to school!" As she took a step forward, she accidentally crushed a small flower. "Oh, no! Oh, little friend! I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, feeling guilty.

She kneels down and repeatedly traces a spell circle. The flower perks back up and fully blooms. Luz gasps. The girl's ear wiggles as something rumbles off screen. She turns as a wagon, being moved by magic, rolls to a stop in front of her, carrying a pot and a girl reading a book.