Author's Note: Just a one shot I wrote up for the TikTok Series Cafae Latte, by C.M Alongi
Cyrus and JC stood at the counter, watching the young woman pacing in front of the cafe.
"She looks nervous," JC noted. "She's been out there for ten minutes now."
"Yeah, but why?" Cyrus wondered. "It's not like the cafe is taboo or something. Unless she's part of that so-called Christian group that keeps trying to get rid of us, even then they come in no problem."
"Evangelical or Catholic?" JC asked.
Cyrus shrugged. "I don't see any crosses. Jehovah's Witness maybe?"
"What's going on?" Rethu asked joining the conversation.
JC pointed to the young woman outside the cafe. "Trying to figure out what her deal is. She's been pacing for several minutes. Any thoughts?"
Rethu studied the woman for a moment before speaking. "Whatever it is, I doubt religion is playing a role. She just seems anxious and obviously not from around here. Look at how she's dressed. It's 50 degrees out and she's wearing a heavy coat. My guess is Florida or Alabama."
"If that's the case, why is she here?" Cryus asked. "Don't they have cafes down there?"
Before any of them could say anything else, the woman in question walked in and right up to the counter.
"Hi welcome to Cafae Latte," Cyrus greeted. "Today's special is the Arcane Rush. It's a Red Bull of your choice, and a drop of Eldritch Blood run through the filter with a coffee roast of your choice. It'll keep you up a week."
"Um, no thanks," the woman said. "I was wondering if I could talk to whoever, um, specializes, I guess, in curses?"
"So you want the boss," Cyrus stated. "She is in the back doing inventory at the moment. Just give me a second to go and get her."
"Thank you," the woman replied as Cyrus began to walk away.
Rethu and JC continued to study the woman who was now right in front of them. She was now bouncing nervously from foot to foot and kept fidgeting with the ring on her finger. She still wore her coat, despite how warm it was inside the cafe. JC could understand being nervous about asking Bob for any kind of magic. They remembered how long it took them to rack up the courage to ask about their dead name being erased from existence. But this woman took it to a whole other level, and if Rethu was right about her not being from around here, then it must be something bad. Whatever it was, JC couldn't even begin to imagine.
After about a minute, Cyrus came back with Bob.
"I understand you have a question about curses," Bob inquired.
"Yes, ma'am," the woman confirmed, but offered no further information as she stared at the three workers behind the fairy sorceress.
Bob looked at her three employees. "Don't you three have tasks that need completing," she suggested, hinting that this woman probably wanted the conversation to continue in private.
The trio quickly made their way to the back of the kitchen without a word. Each of them understands not wanting others to know their business.
Once they were gone, Bob looked back at the woman, studying her. This woman looked like she hadn't slept in days, as if she was afraid to close her eyes even for a second. She was clearly running from something.
"Why don't we sit down to talk?" Bob suggested, gesturing to a nearby seat.
"Y-yeah, that sounds like a good idea," the woman agreed.
"Cyrus," Bob called out. "Can you make me a Heavenly Latte with a dose of pixie dust? Charge the Neighbor's Account."
"On it, Boss," Cyrus replied.
"Now, can you explain to me what's going on?" Bob asked as the two of them sat down.
"I heard from a couple of fairy friends down in Florida that you are well known for your powers, especially when it comes to curses," the woman started.
"So it would seem," Bob agreed. "I didn't realize that knowledge of me extended all the way to Florida."
"Well, these fairies served with you in the Fae Realm as healers," the woman said. "You came up quite a few times whenever we hung out."
At that moment, Cyrus came out with the drink and handed it to Bob, who then handed it to the women. "Here, drink this. You look like you're about to explode from the nervous energy you're giving off."
"I didn't order or buy anything," the woman said, cautiously taking the cup.
"This was charged to the Neighbor's Account," Bob said. "It's just steamed milk with honey and pixie dust. It'll help you calm down enough to get through what it is you want to ask me."
The woman took a sip, and her body seemed to relax immediately as the pixie dust did its job. "Thank you. I know it's not normal to give your name to a fairy, but I'm Jessica."
"Folks around here call me Bob," Bob replied. "How can I help, Jessica?"
"I need to know if you can curse my mother?" Jessica asked.
Bob was used to people asking her to curse others, but being asked to curse a parental figure was a first. "Are you able to provide me with some more information as to why?"
"She's an abusive, narcissistic, evil woman," Jessica explained. "She tormented and beat me throughout my entire childhood. I got out at eighteen and moved in with my now husband and his mom. Things were good. I was better in so many ways. Until a few months ago, when our home caught fire, we had no choice but to move in with her while we waited for housing. At first, things were quiet and somewhat stable. But things are getting worse. I can't take it anymore. I won't be able to protect my daughter from her wrath forever. It's only a matter of time before she turns her hatred towards her. And my daughter, who is four years old, is Autistic and non-verbal. We have been promised help and haven't received any, because it's Florida and the healthcare system sucks. And there are hardly any resources available where we live that are willing to help. I will not subject my child to Autism Speaks, which is what my mother is trying to do. I know what I'm asking for is big, and I don't even know if your magic stretches as far as Florida. But I'm desperate and am willing to pay whatever it takes to protect my family."
Bob listened intently as this woman gave her the highlights of her life's story. This woman had been through hell and was fighting to stay out of it. Fighting for her family. "That's going to take a lot of power, so it will cost quite a bit. But I will be able to do it."
Jessica seemed to visibly relax upon hearing that she'd succeeded in her mission. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. How much?"
Bob knew very well she could overcharge for her services and take the young woman for every penny she had on her, but she also knew better. She wasn't going to price gouge a person who travelled hundreds of miles to ensure her family's safety. "Three hundred dollars?"
"Deal," Jessica agreed with hesitation.
"I will need her name along with where she lives, given the distance," Bob explained.
Jessica reached into her pocket, pulling out her wallet, a piece of paper, and a pen. She hastily wrote down the information Bob was requesting and handed it over along with the payment. "May I ask what you're planning on doing to her?"
"I don't really know yet," Bob replied truthfully, staring down at the name. "But you should know within the hour. Someone in the household will be calling to inform you of the results. You are more than welcome to stay here and relax."
Jessica nodded, taking off her coat, revealing dozens of scars, all with varying degrees of healing. Some were over a decade old, others looked like they had happened within the past week. Bob felt a surge of anger flow through her that she hadn't felt since JC's uncle had shown up. She stood up and headed back to her office.
Once in her office with the door locked, the sorceress began speaking the wretched woman's name aloud over and over again. After saying the name for the fifth time, she got a mental image of the woman, seeing life through her eyes. Accessing her memories. Her mind was flooded with memories of a young girl cowering in a corner, covering her head, as fists repeatedly hit her. She felt inexcusable rage towards a child who was powerless to stop her. The memories jumped forward, the girl was now a teenager and still unable to fight back. The teenager was covered in scars and bruises. She was bleeding from a blow to the head, begging for her mother to stop. The vile woman just screamed that she should kill her.
Bob had to stop herself from ending the spell early. Everything about this woman made her feel sick. She pushed the memories forward to the present day. She saw a young man shielding a child as the woman screamed at them. She was demanding to know where her daughter was. The young man was speaking calmly while backing up. But his words weren't getting through to her. She pushed a bit of good magic through and aimed it at the young man and child, shielding them while she finished casting the spell.
With the connection to the woman fully formed, she spoke in the woman's mind. "Rebecca Anne Smith, you are no longer allowed to harm anyone who comes near you. You are forever cursed to take the form of a frog. Those who witness this will not harm you. They will take you to the nearest pond and release you there. There, you will live out the rest of your days."
Bob felt as the woman's body shrank and contorted into that of a bullfrog. With the transformation complete, Bob severed the connection and collapsed into her chair, exhausted emotionally and physically. She had just gotten a small taste of what Jessica went through behind the eyes of her abuser. That woman didn't have an ounce of remorse in her, she enjoyed hurting her daughter and many others.
But now that family was safe to live their lives. They would heal from the trauma she inflicted and move forward. Bob lifted her tired head and looked at the screen for the security cameras, watching the young woman sipping on her Heavenly Latte, and staring down at her phone.
She wondered if Jessica would want a good luck blessing on top of having her mother cursed. It was tempting, given everything the woman had been through, but she made it a point not to bless people without their permission. Only on rare occasions did she do it. Maybe Jessica being rid of her mother would be a blessing enough.
As Bob was considering her options on the blessing, Jessica answered a call. She watched as the young woman began laughing upon realizing her mother had turned into a frog and was being placed in a pond. Relief seemed to wash over her as a sense of peace she hadn't felt in a long time settled in.
Bob, tired as she was, pushed herself up out of her chair and exited the office. On her way back over to Jessica, she asked Rethu to make her an Arcane Rush. As she reached the table, Jessica hung up the phone and looked up at her.
"Good news, I presume," Bob said.
"Yeah, my mother is a frog," Jessica confirmed. "My husband is getting our daughter dressed and taking her to the pond a few blocks down the road."
"What now?" Bob asked.
"I head home, I guess and deal with the fallout. Not quite sure how I'll explain this to my relatives since fairy curses aren't a common thing where I live," Jessica shrugged, seemingly unbothered by her relatives.
"They'll believe whatever you say without question," Bob promised. "It's part of the curse. If you want, I can also bless you to ensure things get better for you and your family."
Jessica seemed to ponder this for a moment. "Only for my daughter. She needs access to resources I can't give her at this moment. There's only so much I and my husband can do right now."
"You don't have to give me her name, just a picture, as she is a minor," Bob said.
"Yeah, sure," Jessica replied, picking her phone back up and showing her the wallpaper of a beautiful little girl.
"She is now blessed with good luck and health until she turns 18. After that, should she choose to, she can come back here and ask for her own blessing," Bob informed.
"That's great," Jessica said. "Do I owe anything else?"
"No," Bob said. "While you're in town, you should head over to Stoughton Street. There's a witch coven that specializes in charms that offer a wide variety of good luck and neurodivergent aiding charms for cheap. The charms can last anywhere from a week to years, depending on what you need."
"Thank you again, I'll be sure to check them out before I leave tomorrow," Jessica said as she stood up to leave.
Two weeks later:
"Hey Bob, UPS just dropped off a package for you," JC said, knocking on the open office door.
"Thank you, Jennifer Charles," Bob said, taking the package from them.
"Oh, it's from Jessica," Bob beamed after JC left. She picked up a pair of scissors and cut open the box, Inside was a bunch of shiny jewellery and a note.
To Bob,
Three hundred dollars wasn't enough for everything you did for us, so this box contains a generous portion of my mother's jewellery. I sold off all the stuff that has crosses and other religious symbols and sent you the rest. If you decide you don't want it, you can do whatever you wish with it.
I have no use for it, and neither do any of my relatives. All of whom are okay with the fact that she decided to become a frog and give whatever she had left to me. I am selling the house and whatever she had that has any semblance of value. Once everything is totaled out, I'm splitting the money with my brother and his family.
Oh, and my daughter is finally getting the help she needs. As soon as I got home, we got back-to-back calls from a speech therapist and a psychiatrist. We have an appointment to meet both of them in a week.
From,
Jessica.
Bob stared down at all the shiny jewellery, resisting the urge to touch it. As pretty as all of it was, she couldn't keep it. The wretched woman had cursed it, probably unknowingly. Anyone who wore it would become like her. The only way to break the curse would be to melt it down and turn it into something wholesome and beautiful. Something that symbolizes hope, peace, and happiness.
She closed the box up and slid it under her desk. She'd ask Rethu if they could melt it down and Nicolce if she knew anyone who made metal statues.