"First thing's first. Let's see if I can bring some spark back into this marriage. Let's see.. take a hair from each person, twist them together and burn in a candle's flame while speaking the following words.." Angela stopped reading aloud. Of course it wouldn't work, but no sense reading magic words out loud before the spell. But there was a problem, Jacob has started to go bald young and kept his head completely shaved, but maybe she could find another solution.
She got up from the kitchen table and went upstairs to the bathroom. First she checked the trimmer Jacob used to keep his beard neat, removing the head as she'd seen him do a hundred times to clean it out, but all the hairs were cut to tiny little bits. Maybe it would do in a pinch. She looked around the bathroom, trying to find something and then she saw it.
"Jacob.. I thought we agreed you wouldn't use the soap without a washcloth, but for once I'll forgive you." She wrinkled her nose slightly as she pulled the curly black hair off of the bar of soap in the shower. It was the problem with liking furry men, and it had taken her years to break him of the habit, but she guessed he still got lazy once in a while. She didn't think the spell had specified head hair either, here was hoping.
Angela returned to the kitchen and found one of her scented candles and a lighter to take over to the table. "Sorry, Gran, gotta use what I have on hand." She intoned as she lit the candle then plucked a hair from her head with a small wince, and using her thumb and forefinger twirled her blond stand together with the coarse black hair from the bathroom.
She gave the words she was supposed to say a few quiet reads before thrusting the hairs into the candle flame and saying them aloud. The smell of burning hair was hardly pleasant, but the cedar scent of the candle covered the worst of it. However as she spoke the words the candle flame went from yellow to blue to bright white, then winked out. A second later the yellow flame was back and dancing on the wick as if nothing happened. And it seemed nothing had happened. Other than the little trick with the candle, nothing.
"Of course, what did you expect, actual magic? Grow up, Angela." She closed the book and carried it upstairs to keep safe in her closet. She then got changed to go and do the grocery shopping, having wasted enough of the day browsing through that book. Though almost as a test, she pulled out her phone and texted Jacob a quick 'Thinking of you love', maybe he would respond, who knew how that spell would work if it did?
She thought about it the whole time she was shopping. Would it just make them more affectionate? Or was it something more active, like they'd become irresistible to each other? Would it be another honeymoon phase all over again? She just couldn't stop the thoughts circling her head. The only other thought to strike her was that maybe she needed to exercise more, sitting around the house seemed to be catching up with her as her clothes felt a little tight on her. She didn't even really notice when she plucked something off the top shelf when she normally needed to ask for help.
She unloaded her register at the cart, still in her daydream as she watched the groceries getting scanned and bagged. "Nice tattoo." The words made Angela blink a few times.
"What?"
"I like your tattoo." The cashier said again between scans, motioning at Angela's arm. Sure enough she looked down and her forearm was decorated with an intricate and well-designed flame tattoo. Angela felt a sinking in her stomach. She must have done something wrong. The spell was changing her, but if it was going for soulmates it was off. Jacob made no secret he didn't like tattoos, there had been a big fight in the house earlier this year when Andy had asked to get one for his birthday.
"Th.. thanks." She managed to stammer out, before paying and getting out to the car. She loaded up her groceries and got into the driver's seat. She had to reach down and adjust the seat, scooting it back a few inches as she was scrunched up over the steering wheel in the spot she normally kept it. She said a short prayer before lowering the sun visor and peering at herself in the small mirror. It was hard to get a good look but some things were definitely off. First, her blond hair was streaked with strands of fire red, and it had retreated a few inches, once brushing her shoulders she now sported more of a bob hairstyle, ending at her jaw. Jacob loved long blond hair. She also looked younger, most of the lines and creases in her face had faded away, she looked closer to thirty than her actual forty, the mirror was no good for a close look though. She shut the visor, took a few calming breaths and started driving home. The spell had worked, but unless she seriously mistook her husband's tastes or they changed, she had done something wrong.
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Andy was just not having a good day. Jeff had hogged their shared bathroom to the point he had had to go into his parent's bathroom to take a shower this morning, which also meant no morning jerk off. Not that he had had time after waiting for his brother. He had grabbed an apple to eat on his way to school because he had no time for breakfast and had grabbed one of those sour green ones he couldn't stand. He had left his lunch in the fridge at home, his cell hadn't charged last night so he couldn't even call Angela to bring it to him at school, and on top of everything he was starting to feel sore all over and gym class was next.
Maybe he was having another growth spurt he thought as he tugged at his tee-shirt. The one he had had a few years ago had made him feel all sore like this, and his clothes just didn't seem to fit right. Or maybe Angela shrunk them in the wash. He sighed and changed course to the locker rooms, a moment later his best friend Ryan fell in step beside him. "Dude, you look like shit."
"Thanks." Andy said sarcastically, adjusting his book bag on his back.
"Just thought you should know." Ryan smirked. Despite his blunt attitude, Ryan really was Andy's best friend. A bit of a jock, a stocky wrestler with bright red hair, he was also Andy's first crush, and the only person in the world that knew Andy was attracted to guys. Sadly, Ryan was straight, but was luckily flattered and amused by Andy's crush on him, which he sometimes teased him about in private, but it had only strengthened their friendship.
They got to the locker rooms last having come from the other side of the school, most of the guys had changed by now and were out in th gymnasium, a few more were getting changed as Andy and Ryan heard their PE teacher shout after them. "Zimmerman, O'Connell, about time you boys showed up, get a move on." The two boys put on a show of moving a bit quicker until they were out of sight and Ryan launched into his usual mocking of Coach Miller.
"Get a move on, boys, dodge ball waits for no man!" Ryan said under his breath as he tossed his bag in his locker and pulled out his gym clothes to get changed. "I swear, someone needs to punch him someday."
Easier said than done, since Coach Miller was not one of those PE teachers that went to seed, still on the young side, he was also a solid slab of muscle with only a bit of a gut, but it didn't stop Ryan from saying anything. Andy just chuckled as he stripped out of his clothes and tossed them in his locker before grabbing his gym clothes.
"Forget to shave or have you decided to go for the furry look?" It took Andy a moment to realize Ryan was speaking to him.
"What?"
Ryan motioned at his smooth, blocky chest before making a gesture towards Andy. "Here I thought guys like you were all about manscaping, had me fooled." Andy stuck out his tongue then pulled his shirt on over his head. Andy looked down at himself a felt like he had been doused in ice water. This morning his chest had been completely smooth and he had only the faintest wisps of darker hair below his belly button, so why did he now have a distinct treasure trail and a light dusting of dark hairs in the middle of his chest.
He reached up and ran his fingers over the hairs, shivering a bit at the feeling. "How? Those weren't there before.." Andy always knew he might end up hairy, his father was on the hairy side after all, but his mother's brother wasn't and he had begun to think he was taking after that side, at least till now. But no way that this much hair grew in that quick!
"I think it's called puberty, dude." Ryan said with a shake of his head. "C'mon." He turned and headed out for the gym.
"Yeah... right behind you." Andy quickly pulled his shirt on over his head, but now that he knew the chest hair was there he could feel his shirt rubbing against it. A new but not altogether unpleasant feeling, it also didn't help that the shirt felt a size too small and clung tightly too him. When he stepped out onto the gym floor he felt like everyone was looking at him, where those two girls giggling about him? Hejust kept his head low and went over to Ryan so they could partner up on stretching, only two periods until he could go home.