Falling into the cauldron of a love potion

A non-fiction story of when I was young and fell in love with a witch.

Have you ever been so in love that you've summoned thunder?

My regular routine had now become to wake up at 4 pm, roll out of bed, hit the computer and dive into the vast sea of the internet. My digital persona had become my only identity, I had nothing outside of it. In the online world, I had a sense of belonging, in here I had successfully climbed the ranks of competitive gaming and was part of a thriving community. Away from the keyboard, I was just a shadow, a nobody, someone you'd only pass by in the streets. I had gone through ninth grade without managing to make one single friend, and the summer holiday had been a welcomed relief from all the pressures of social hierarchy.

I cleared some junk off my desk, to make way for my breakfast; wonderbread and chocolate-spread. It had been a couple of days since I last took a shower, so I reluctantly convinced myself to do just so. Every move was a mental strain, as my senses had been dulled to a gelatinous goo from a sedentary existence. As I exited the shower with only the towel as garment a 'ding' drew me back into the computer. Lindsey had contacted me on Messenger and a jolt of excitement traversed my spine. "Meet me at the crematorium tonight at 11. Important!"

No doubt Lindsey was an oddball, but she was as mysterious as she was beautiful. Her long blonde hair contrasting her dark laced dresses, and her eyes always outlined with dark makeup. She was into magic, witchcraft, the real deal. The kind witches had dabbled with for thousands of years; potions, curses and devotion to mother earth. Even though I had no supernatural beliefs, I had feigned interest in her dabblings to gain her attention. Lindsey was going to perform the ancient ritual of celebrating fertility during the summer solstice, to make the soil horny and the sky moist.

The last crescent of the evening sun sank below the horizon in our small port town. I was not used to exercising but the bike ride up the long hill to the forest was a breeze. Coming up on the crest of the hill, I saw the dark crematorium with the green copper roof emerge in the glade. The glowing moon softly illuminated the fog, giving the place a living quality. The foreboding scenery had an inviting darkness, l'appel du vide, as the French call it. I see Lindsey in the distance, standing there like a ghost in the fog, with her pearly white skin and small figure. She was breathtakingly ethereal.

"Hi Richard, I'm so glad you came!" - She greets me with a smile. We chitchat for a bit, catching up on what we have been doing during the summer holidays. Lindsey suddenly looks at her watch. "Oh no, she's soon midnight" referring to time as a 'she'. She grabs my hand with her nimble fingers and lead me into the groove where she had prepared the altar of the ritual. With the sweep of her hand, she ignites the kindle with a matchstick as if summoning the fire with magic, enveloping the glade in a pulsating red menace. A growing sense of fear of the forbidden arose in my mind. Lindsey hurriedly described each step of the ritual as she was going from candle to candle lighting them. "This is a pagan tradition, someone has to call the spirits of rain every season or they won't come, like they stopped doing in the Saharas" She proclaims with serious eyebrows. I chuckled to myself as I realized that these were her mother's scented candles. I told myself that magic does not actually exist, and I am just here so I have a reason to spend time with Lindsey. "You look very skeptical" She remarks as I observed her flowing about like an elemental. "You know, those who don't believe in magic will never find it!" she continued. Something about what she had just said resonated in me.

The ritual involved summoning the spirits of the four winds; the east, the west, the south and the north. Holding up the burning thyme in a ceremonious fashion in each direction. The smoke from the thyme, the chanting of the magic rhymes and the sanctity of the moment opened up a space of devotion inside of me. As the steps of the ritual continued we entered into a sort of synchronized trance. Repeating the mantras, circling the fire, calling on the aid of the elements; water, earth, air and fire. I was playing this theatrical ceremony until Lindsey breaks out into a joyous dance, and the tension of the moment vanishes and we both explode like madmen howling at the moon...

"Thank you, Richard!" Lindsey looks me deep into the eyes with a sense of gratitude, she hugs me with a warm tender. As she wraps her head around my neck I can smell her sweet perfume and the universe stops for just a brief moment of eternal bliss.

We slowly stroll through the starry veiled forest, passing the winding city streets to the harbour. We talk about all things important for teenagers; school, life and the future. As we enter the seaside, we spread a blanket on the ground and lay down to stargaze. There is a sense of adventure, and we are both young and free. We delve deeper and deeper into each others being.

-"Finally, right on time..." She points assuredly towards the horizon! The lightning danced across the sky just across the sea and displayed all its' splendid power like a peacock, just for us. We both shared a deep awe of mother nature and sensing her response to our calling. A doubt started to creep into my awareness "Was magic real? Had we really summoned the rain?" We both lay still and enjoyed the nectar of our doing.

What we did forget to notice was that the thunderclouds had been coming closer, and closer... Until the sky opened up and the pounding fury of thunderous rain drenched us. We hurriedly wrapped ourselves in the blanket and headed for safety, but we are far from shelter. The thunderbolts were now crackling like whips above our heads. We run from house to house. There is no safe place. We run. Nowhere to hide. Finally, there, in the garden of a large mansion, a small playhouse. We leap into the tiny house, huddle up in the corner. Out of breath and bewildered "What the hell did just happen?" as we stare at each other in silence. We break out laughing as giddy excitement cascades our beings and we fall into embrace that lasts for the second eternity that evening.

I knew she had a boyfriend, and as we sat there together, the whole universe became a witness to the eternal dance of forbidden love. It felt like we had two opposing forces tugging us; one pulling us together and one driving us apart. My being was overloaded with desire.

In this small playhouse, our life had been joined together for one magical night on the summer solstice. This night was a significant event for the both of us, and one that we would never forget. We made one of those corny promises that if we were single when we turn 20, we would start a relationship together. In this moment it felt real and true, because we both knew that we would not see each other again until then.

The morning sun was a welcoming warmth in my teeth-shattering bike ride home. I sway the bike back and forth in the middle of the street with a tremendous smile on my face. The wee hours of the morning made the town feel completely dead but I was refueling it with life.

I came home where my parents were sound asleep, I snuck back into my bed and wrapped the warm blankets around me. I fell asleep into the third eternity of bliss that evening.

Looking back I did start believing in magic that night and I still do to this very day. I think we become blind to the real magic that happens all around us, every day. If we did summon the rains by magic that midnight's eve is up for you to decide, but what I do know now is that we fell deeply and madly in love. Love is the real magic, it will move mountains, vanquish pain and create time. And the promise in the playhouse? Magic made it come true!