Beautiful Lily

Mary's spell

"I know your story," Henry claimed as he approached Mary. Mary was taking Neal on a casual stroll through the town, pushing him in the stroller when Henry approached them. She turned to face Henry as he caught up to her but was unsurprised by his abrupt visit.

"Do you?" she replied to him unfazed. Mary continued pushing the stroller as they rounded a building and headed towards the docks. "Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

"It's Saturday. On weekends I stay with Emma, but there appears to be some sort of commotion happening at the diner so Emma's over there trying to figure out what's going on."

The air was crisp and clear and the sun shone brightly. Humidity was at the perfect percentage and a balmy breeze could be felt drifting in their direction. The temperature was a lovely seventy degrees and no one would have thought anything of it, except for Mary. The breeze coming from the docks at the harbor caught Mary's attention so she walked towards it to get a better feel for it.

Henry watched Mary curiously and added, "I know you're magical. I've read your books and seen the movie. You travel to different parts of space, visiting different realms, meeting different people..."

Mary was listening as Henry ranted on about her, but she was more concerned about the breeze gaining subtle strength. She looked out into the ocean and up at the sky as they walked along the docks. She focused so hard at the Wind that she forgot her surroundings and became incredibly lost.

"Oh dear," Mary mumbled out loud.

She stopped pushing the carriage, which caused Henry to stop, and looked around them. As she tried to familiarize herself with the new surroundings, Henry noticed Mary's confusion and asked, "What? What is it?"

"I'm afraid I have wandered a bit too far and am now lost."

"I'm sure if we just..." Henry said intending to help Mary out, but as he turned around to see if they could back-track he realized he didn't know where they had traveled to either.

"Not to worry. I will just ask for directions."

"From who? There's nobody here."

"Do not be ignorant Henry, there is always somebody here." Mary looked around and when she spotted a seagull perched on a railing she exclaimed, "Ah ha!" And with great relief, she promptly strolled over to the seagull and asked, "Excuse me sir..."

The seagull cocked its head toward Mary as if listening to her. "...I do apologize for disrupting your spectating, but my friend and I are incredibly lost. Would you be so kind as to give us directions back to town?"

Henry looked back and forth between Mary and the bird, shocked by how Mary approached the animal, as if it was a common thing. The seagull jerked its head this way and that, then fluttered its wings before squawking obnoxiously back at Mary. Mary listened intently and respectfully as the bird cawed. Henry couldn't understand what the bird was saying at all. When the bird stopped it looked over at Henry. It gave one last caw before flying away from them.

Mary turned to Henry and caught him with his mouth hanging open. "Close your mouth Henry, we are not a codfish."

Henry immediately closed his mouth and asked, "What did he say?"

"He said that once we round this corner, we should stick close to the docks and follow them until we see the warehouse."

"No, I mean... when he looked at me."

"He said that you have gum under your shoe and should remove it immediately before trekking it elsewhere." Henry looked down at his shoes and low and behold a giant wad of gum stuck to the side of his shoe. "Come, let's not dally. I always say 'best foot forward'." Henry grabbed a piece of old receipt paper from within his pocket and when he did his best to remove the litter Mary ushered him, "Spit spot."