reminded by what his sister had said. Pick
something practical.
He skipped forward a few pages. There
was a spell called Clean. He knew this was
a popular one. He could make the dishes
do themselves, or send a broom around the
house for a minute or two to do the sweeping
for him.
He thought how his mother might laugh,
seeing the broom dance around the hardwood
floor all on its own.
“Just two more minutes,” the wizard
said, “If you’re looking for a spell that will
turn everything you touch to gold, I’m afraid
you won’t find it. These are common spells.
Nothing that will make you rich or famous.”
Snapshot caught Liam’s eye. It was a good
spell, but what would people say if they knew
he had chosen the same spell as his mother?
Would they make fun of him?
Finally, he found what he wanted. He
continued to frantically flip through the
pages just to be sure, but somehow he knew
he had made his choice.
“Time’s up!” the Wizard said.
Walking back to the car, Liam actually
smiled. He realized that it was the first time
he had done so in at least three days. He
wasn’t worried about his decision anymore.
Maybe there was a spell that would have
been even better, but he was happy with his
choice.
“You won’t believe it,” he told his parents.
“You won’t believe what I picked!”
“Wait, wait,” his father said. “Before you
say anything... whatever choice you made,
your mother and I want you to know we’re
proud of you.”
Liam couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“I picked Clarity,” he said.
His parents both shot him a confused
look. It wasn’t their fault, he knew, that it
wasn’t a very popular spell.
“It helps people,” he said, “to see all the
pros and cons of their decisions more clearly.
When it’s time for my friends to pick their
own spells, I can cast it and help make sure
that they make the choice that’s right for
them.”
His mother smiled. She scuffed up his
hair and said, “Now this is a moment I’m
glad I’ll remember.”
On the car ride home, Liam stared out
at the rolling green hills through his win-
dow. He thought about all the other spells
he could have picked. The pages of the book
were still turning in his head. He could have
learned a spell that would have helped him
translate a dog’s bark into human speech,
or a spell that would have let him breathe
underwater like a fish. No matter what spell
he had picked, he realized, there would
always be this game of what if? What if
he had learned a love spell, like his father?
What if he had learned a memory spell,
like his mother?
In the end, though, he could only pick
one, and the only thing he knew for sure was
this: He was happy with his choice.ANYBUGGY WHO WANTS TO
KNOW WHAT’S BEST TO DO
SHOULD JUST ASK ME AND
I’LL TELL THEM!SOUNDS WAY LESS
MAGICAL.
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