Mythology
written by: Doug Hawley
@DougHawley8
“Good idea to walk by the canal today Roger.”
“Right, the weather is great Susie.”
“How are your studies going?”
“I’m about to finish my thesis.”
“What’s the title?”
“Traditional magic.”
“Did you learn about casting spells and curses? Is there any truth to any of them working?”
“Oh no, I think they are all myths.”
“I wonder if that is true. Haven’t you decided to cast spells on me?”
“What do you mean? How could you think such a thing?”
“Roger, there is a lot you don’t know about me. You’ve always thought of me as a hot body without a brain. That was a big mistake.”
“Honey, how can you say that? I’ve planned my life around you.”
“As I said, you were never interested in my background. My family has practiced magic going back centuries. What you thought was a thorough investigation of magic just scratched the surface. As we spent more time together, I wondered if I was just an object for you to practice magic on.”
Susie noticed that Roger’s hands were shaking a little and he was sweating in the cold weather before she said “That’s why I enlisted the genie Habib to check on you. We go back a long time and help each other out from time to time.”
Shaking and nervous, Roger asked “What did you find?”
“I’m glad that you asked. You weren’t just going to school learning about mythology, your family which got rich exploiting labor in Asia, paid for your visits to the Caribbean, South Africa, and China to learn more about black magic rituals, potions, and more. That’s why you think that you know enough to practice on me, you evil bastard.”
Roger attempted to appear skeptical and amused. He didn’t do a good job. “OK, I’ll go along with your crazy talk. What are my ‘evil’ plans?”
“I’ll give you a little credit Roger. You knew you shouldn’t talk about what you were going to do with me. However, Habib has many talents. He can read minds. I know that you considered many options. Turn me into a Stepford girlfriend who only existed to please you and exalt your ego. That may have been your kindest alternative. You considered turning me into various animals that you could keep as a pet, or using some of my internal organs to support other magic. Whichever plan you chose, I wouldn’t be alive long.”
Roger, after looking defeated, brightened a little. “Let’s just say your crazy story is true. I don’t care; I’ll just find a better girlfriend. I’m a good looking guy with a rich family. Do you really think that it will take me long to replace you?”
“If you were going to live much longer, that might be true. Did you notice the change in the coffee you had this morning? Did it taste a little different? I told you before, walking next to the canal, was a good idea. It is especially good when no one can see us. When it comes to magic and intelligence, I’m better than you.”
Susie bumped Roger into the canal. “I chose the evaporation curse for you. After drinking your dosed coffee, the next time that you got thoroughly soaked you would evaporate. It could have happened in the shower or bath, but I thought this would be fun. I might be able to save you before too much time passes. Should I?”
“YES, YES. We can work this out. You are wrong about everything.”
“Oops – waited too long.” Susie walked away whistling. She thought that cute guy at the grocery store would be fun, and wouldn’t cause problems like Roger did. When it came to men, Susie preferred the young and naïve.
