Chapter 1

    Pulling the old tattered book down from the rickety shelves, Leah let out a deep sigh.
    She blew the dust off the leather-bound cover, squinting in the candlelight to read the title.
    Satisfied that she had finally found the correct book she hopped off of the ladder and made her way over to a table and set the book on it with a loud “thump”.
    It was hard to imagine that just a few weeks ago everything was, from what she had known at the time, normal.  Half of what she knew now she would have dismissed and cast aside as utter nonsense.  Seeing as to most sane people - it was.
    Last month she would never have imagined getting out some adder’s tongue from the pantry for her mother to use.  It would have been odd.  Very odd, seeing as the only thing her mother could cook was macaroni and cheese, and even then, only with some much needed assistance.  And besides that, she wouldn’t have known what adder’s tongue was, let alone that it was actually a plant (or it could be the tongue of a snake, depending on the potion).
    The thought of anything concerning magic would have been completely ridiculous before.  Magic was for kids.  It belonged in stories for children – or for David Copperfield – not in her life.  But now, the realization of the world around her was feeling more and more natural as time passed.  She wasn’t quite used to it yet, but she assumed she would be in time. 
    Sure, sharing a room with a mountain troll wasn’t the greatest experience of her life, but it was still something to experience.  It had its ups and downs.  Well, mostly downs.  No one would want to share living quarters with a troll.  They tend to carry a pungent odor that smells a bit like waffles combined with a three-month-old carton of Kung Pao chicken.
    But that’s how things were now, and there was no escaping that. 
    It’s not everyday that you find out that you’re actually an ancestral witch and that your uncle is really a merman (Leah’s Grandma once had a very wild night in Costa Rica).  But Leah had accepted it all – eventually.  Naturally it would take some getting used to.  Just a little bit. 
    Leah absently flipped through the musty pages of the book, searching what it was she needed.  It was important that she find it before it was too late. 
 

Reviews

[Kaiko]

Hey I loved it. Really quite humorous, yet creates imagery really well.

I have read this before and I thought I reviewed it...I almost would swear I have...Possibly someone stole it because I don't remember the author being you....I could just be crazy though.

[Bran the Broken]

Good, refreshingly humorous start!

[Kristin Brecoe]

Haha. I love this intro. The imagery was fabulous. It makes me want to continue. Too bad I shouldn't be on here in the first place. I should get back to work...

[Miranda]

I love it! It paints a picture into my head, I can't wait to read the other chapters you have up, keep writing! :)

[beefjerky]

this really put a picture in my head! i like it... WOW!
beefjerky

[Void Unspoken]

This is really really good!!! It appears that you put a lot of time into your writings. I think its great and I hope you keep up writing!!!! GOOD... GREAT JOB!!!!
())--%---

I like how you created the main character and the setting. Something simple, 'normal' even, becomes complex.
Good use of detail and establishing the background for the character and the events that happened that you refer to.
And must say that I'm surprised that no one else has reviewed this. Too lazy, I suppose.

On to the next chapter.