Chapter 3

T he sunlight streamed through the window, casting a golden glow on Luna's black fur as she curled up beside me on the couch while I drank my morning tea. Today was a much needed day off, and yet, it felt lacking. As if something was missing and it wasn't my ability to tell the truth.

I sighed. "Luna, I can't…" I whispered. "Well, more like… nevermind." I sighed. Right. "I don't need to find Spells Hollow and break this curse."

Luna looked up at me, her green eyes filled with understanding and empathy. She purred reassuringly, her connection to me as my familiar giving her more insight. As she nuzzled against my hand, I felt a sense of determination surge within me. I knew she was right. It was time to do something.

I gathered my essentials: a small leather-bound notebook filled with my handwritten spells and charms, a pouch of magical herbs and crystals, and a few practical items like a change of clothes, water, and some non-perishable food. I tucked them into my messenger bag. I couldn't help but smile as I prepared a travel cat backpack for Luna as well, complete with cat treats, kibble, a tiny blanket, a bottle of water, and a collapsible water dish so she could ride safely inside.

Before leaving, I walked around my apartment, casting protective charms on each window and door. The mysterious figures from my dreams still haunted me, and I hadn't figured out what they had to do with Spells Hollow or me.

I opened the backpack with a window in it for Luna and she crawled inside. Then I set out for Charley's Charms and Curiosities, the magic shop Lydia mentioned that was known for its strange artifacts and potent potions.

The walk there wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. According to Lydia, the shop could only be found through intention. Since I'd never heard of it before, I'd never seen it even though I'd walked past it every day on the way to work and back.

As Luna and I entered, the small bell above the door chimed, announcing our arrival. Various scents swirled around me, making me feel simulataneously welcome and on guard. The shopkeeper, an older woman with curly white hair done up in a bob, greeted us warmly.

"Ah, hello! And who's this lovely little companion?" she asked, her eyes glinting with curiosity as she peered at Luna in her backpack. I glanced down to her nametag, Evangeline. It glowed and shimmered. Pretty cool. I loved the witchy world. Most of the time, anyway.

"Her name is Kitty," I lied, knowing my curse wouldn't allow me to tell the truth. It was better to intentionally lie and know what would come out of my mouth instead of risking it with whatever the curse came up with. "She's not my familiar."

"Is that so?" the shopkeeper replied, clearly amused by my response. "Well then, what can I help you with today?"

I hesitated, unsure of how to explain my predicament without accidentally spouting nonsense. "I'm not looking for a way to stay here," I said, hoping Evangeline would understand my true meaning… that I needed a potion or spell to take me to Spells Hollow.

"Ah, I see," they said, a knowing glint in their eye. "You're searching for a means to travel elsewhere. Perhaps a teleportation potion?"

"Absolutely not!" I exclaimed, relieved that she had understood my muddled request.

The shopkeeper tilted her head as she looked me over.

"But you just said…" The shopkeeper sounded confused, then her interest piqued. "There's a dark energy surrounding you. Almost like you're cursed."

"That's not it." I sighed.

Luna let out a loud meow, as if responding to Evangeline.

"Riiiight." Evangeline drew out.

As she began rummaging through shelves filled with colorful bottles and dusty tomes, I felt my frustration mounting. My inability to speak the truth made even the simplest conversations a challenge. Which meant that Evangeline most likely couldn't get me what I actually needed.

"Here we are," the shopkeeper finally announced, pulling a small vial from the cluttered shelf. The liquid inside shimmered with a mysterious iridescence. "This potion should not take you where you don't want to go."

When I reached in my bag to pay for it, she shook her head and raised her hand. "It's on the house. I insist."

"You're the worst person ever," I replied, my voice trembling as I realized what was coming out of my mouth. As I reached for the potion, Evangeline's sly smile stayed with me, leaving me to wonder if she truly understood my plight or was simply amused by my strange behavior.

"I hope you have a splendid day too!" Evangeline called after me.

With the potion securely in my possession, Luna and I left Charley's Charms and Curiosities. Despite my lingering doubts, I knew that I had to trust in the shopkeeper's knowledge and hope that this potion would be the key to finding Spells Hollow and breaking my curse once and for all.

A sudden chill crept down my spine as an eccentric old witch emerged from the shadows behind the shop. Now that I thought about it, she had been observing me silently from a dark corner of the store. She must have been the presence that made me feel on guard in the shop when the rest felt welcoming. Her gaze danced over me, like she picked up everything there was to know about me in a single glance.

"Ah, dear girl," she greeted me with a knowing smile. "You seem to be in quite a predicament."

I shifted uncomfortably under her penetrating gaze. Something about her didn't feel right, so I wasn't about to offer information about myself. Not that I would be able to convey whatever it was I wanted to say, anyway.

"Perhaps this potion will help you," she said, gesturing to my bag. "This is a 'fix anything' potion. It can address a wide range of problems, though its effects can be unpredictable."

Her cryptic smile sent a shiver down my spine as I hesitated. Potions were wondrous little things, but there was a major downside to them. If you used the wrong one, they could have disastrous consequences, or just be expensive duds. Could this potion really help me to where I needed to go or even break my curse? Or would it simply lead to further complications?

"Unpredictable?" I managed to ask, my voice barely above a whisper. I pulled the bottle out and looked it over. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, well," she replied mysteriously, "Sometimes the solution we seek presents itself in ways we never could have imagined."

As I weighed the risks of using the potion I'd received, knowing that it could either be my salvation or my undoing, my attention was drawn to one of the four symbols from my dreams etched into the bottle. The magic lamp. This discovery both reassured and unnerved me.

"Is there something significant about this symbol?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"Perhaps," she responded enigmatically. "Symbols have power. It could be a sign that you're on the right path... or it could simply be an intriguing coincidence. Either way, the symbol is only visible to you, so that makes you wonder."

With my heart pounding in my chest, I decided to stick with the potion. It was a risk, but one I had to take. When I went to respond to the witch, she was gone. Not a single footprint or sound of steps as proof she ever existed. Just the bottle I still clutched in my hand inside my messenger bag. How strange?

Once I found a secluded spot in the nearby park, I sat down on a bench. I set the backpack where Luna was curled up inside on the bench next to me. Pulling the potion out of my bag, I cradled the potion in my hands. Luna sat in her backpack, watching me from the window.

"Why not?" I whispered, recalling the mysterious witch's warnings about the unpredictable nature of the potion. Could things really get worse?

Uncorking the bottle, I hesitated for just a moment before raising it to my lips. The bitterness of the potion hit me immediately, the taste making me grimace. But within seconds, I felt a surge of magic coursing through my veins, a sensation both exhilarating and terrifying. It was as if every fiber of my being had been set alight, the energy threatening to consume me from within. Then it faded away, leaving nothing changed. I still sat on the bench in the park.

What the hell?

It definitely wasn't a portaling potion… though it was supposed to fix something, not actually transport me anywhere. Maybe it had fixed the curse and I didn't have to deal with it anymore.

"I love this curse." Nope, hadn't fixed the lying thing either.

Then what had the potion done?

My fingers trembled as I clutched the now empty potion bottle, my heart racing with a strange mix of anticipation and fear. If the potion hadn't done what I'd intended, then it had done something unintended. My palms started to sweat as I examined the potion bottle, my thumb tracing the symbol of the magic lamp.

A tingling sensation crept up my fingertips, as if they'd fallen asleep and were just now waking up. The air around me seemed to shimmer, as though reality itself was bending and warping before my eyes.

"Selene," a sultry voice whispered, its tone both seductive and forbidden. Startled, I glanced around the park, trying to locate the source of the sound, but found no one there. Luna looked equally bewildered, her ears flicking back and forth in search of the mysterious speaker.

"Who's there?" I called out hesitantly, not entirely sure I wanted an answer.

Even as I posed the question, a figure began to materialize before me… a man who was both mesmerizing and utterly terrifying in his raw, naked beauty.

Naked beauty wasn't metaphor. He was naked. Like buck naked.

As in standing with hands on hips, back straight, and soft cock on display for anyone to see. Were they supposed to be that long? Didn't they get bigger when… uh. Nope, not going there. My face burned as I pulled my gaze away from his member and went to his face.

"Hello, Selene," he said, his eyes sparkling with mischief as they met mine. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Azar, a Djinn bound to serve you and grant you three wishes." His presence filled the area with an electric tension, making it difficult for me to breathe, let alone think clearly.

"Uhh, wishes?" I stammered, my mind racing as I tried to come to terms with the impossible scene unfolding before me. How had this happened? Was it the potion? Surely, the witch hadn't intended for this... Or had she? Wait, she'd said it was unpredictable. Naked dude standing tall and proud offering to grant me wishes definitely fell into that realm.

I couldn't tell the Djinn what I wanted, so there was no way for me to use the wishes he said he wanted to grant me.

"Indeed," Azar replied, a sly smile playing on his lips. "But before we get to that, perhaps I should cover up." He gestured toward his naked form, reminding me that his impressive manhood was still on full display.

"Uh, no," I said, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. "I'm definitely not interested in seeing you cover that up" But as soon as the words left my lips, I knew I had made a mistake.

Azar's eyes widened in mock surprise, and he grinned devilishly. "Oh? You want me to stay naked? This wish I'll grant you for free."

Azar flexed his muscles and chuckled as my face burned hotter. This entire situation seemed too absurd to be real, and yet, here I was, face to face with a seductive Djinn who was now bound to grant my wishes. And while part of me couldn't help but feel intrigued by the possibilities, another part of me felt wary. Three wishes and my inability to tell the truth seemed like a disaster.

"Alright, Selene," Azar said as he sauntered over to me. He lifted my chin until I looked up at him, meeting his gaze. "What do you desire most? Remember, you have three wishes at your disposal, so choose wisely."

My mind raced with thoughts of Spells Hollow and the curse that plagued me. Even as I considered my options, I couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't quite right. Was fate cruelly flaunting a simple solution I couldn't use in my face? Or was my luck about to change?