Unexplained Powers

                  “Now where is it? Where did I put that little gem?” Brynhilda talked to herself. She rummaged around several shelves, chests of trinkets and family heirlooms. She loved that her family kept so many sentimental objects through the ages. Those objects helped connect her with her ancestors. Although at this moment, she wished they were a bit more organized. Brynhilda moved some old wood carved figurines, a necklace made of teeth, and a bag of gemstones. She looked for something very specific.

                  The day before, Brynhilda followed the instructions in the children’s book that taught her how to cast a spell, revealing the Gumtal translation of the Runic-Gumtal. She captured a glimpse of the text changing, but as she repeated the spell, she could never hold it long enough to transcribe the Gumtal characters. Once again, she found her progress at a standstill.

                  The only clue came from the fascinating reality of the children’s book teaching her magic. Her family held onto an extensive collection of children’s books, all marked with her family seal, all kept in the cottage library. Brynhilda thought, if a single children’s book contained truth, then presumably the others might contain hints at other truths. If so, the discovery would end up changing how they view their entire world.

                  The night before, Brynhilda collected all the children’s books she could find, and began researching them. After a long night and a focused morning, she came across one story called “The Spark of Magic”. The story followed several characters that set out on a quest to become magicians in their kingdom. Brynhilda became interested in the section that explained how we all have magic within us. Some are stronger than others. But in any situation, the magic must be awakened by an object consecrated to hold magic, designed to ignite the magic in those who wish to pursue it. A magical ‘spark’. The story also warned of the potential misuse of magical sparks and the appropriate ages to blend with one’s biology. Since Brynhilda’s age exceeded that of any warning, she became most interested in the objects that contained the ‘magical spark’.

                  Reading the story conjured a memory of a fascinating crystal her grandmother showed her when Brynhilda was young. Her grandmother claimed the crystal was ice that would never melt, although she wouldn’t let her touch it. Her grandmother told her at the appropriate time it would be a gift to her and that with such a special gift would come very specific directions.

                  Her grandmother unfortunately passed away much sooner than expected, and never gifted the crystal to Brynhilda. Her mother didn’t seem to know much about it, and the memory faded with time. Then one day she came across the box years ago during a rare binge of organization to the cottage. The discovery excited Brynhilda, reminding her of her grandmother. She imagined making jewelry out of it some day in the future. Then she placed the crystal in a pile, planning to deal with it later. As organizational binges usually go, a portion of her work became perfectly organized, yet most of the clutter remained in piles stuffed away to be organized at a later day. Brynhilda rummaged through those ‘to be organized’ piles, trying to remember where she put it.

                  “Why can’t things be left where I want them to be?” Brynhilda thought out loud.

                  “Ha!” She found the box! Brynhilda rushed back to her table, placing the unique hand-crafted box on her desk, the lid held tight with a series of latches and levers. She snapped and unlatched the metal clasps with a smile of excitement. The box lid lifted, revealing the protective glass case. Wrapped in white fur, sat her grandmother’s blue crystal.

                  “Of anything my grandmother owned that could be a magical spark, this would be it.”

                  Brynhilda rubbed her eyes. Her adult mind expected a typical crystal, the usual rocks that are found and smoothed. This crystal looked like ice. Then, stranger still, it seemed to glow. Her child’s mind remembered the crystal that way, but being an adult, she had since corrected her memory to be that which fit reality. No amount of eye rubbing changed the appearance. It looked like ice, and it glowed.

                  Brynhilda opened the glass case, then went back to the children’s book. Reading through several pages, she mumbled to herself.

                  “…no special instructions? I guess I’m supposed to touch it?” She reached out and picked up the crystal with a shrug of her shoulders.

                  It felt cold, like ice. This perplexed Brynhilda. She had to override her reaction to set it down to avoid melting it. It didn't melt. It didn’t seem to do much of anything, except feel cold. She looked back at the book, wondering if she missed something, reading through the story to see if it offered any additional insight.

                  Then suddenly she felt something. A slight tingling, which at first seemed like her fingers going numb. Then it started feeling warm, even though the crystal remained cold. The sensation increased, spreading throughout her hand, traveling up her arm and into her chest, filling her with the strangest, yet invigorating sensation, momentarily taking her breath away.

                  “Wwwwow! That was, that was, ha, ha ha!”

                  No words to explain the warm sensation. It felt like her blood flowed with warmth as the tingle coursed through her body, then slowly faded away. She set the crystal back in its case and went back to the children’s book. She found no other instructions for the ‘spark’, but reading the story, the magicians moved into the basic training of magical principles.

                  The story taught that connecting magic with the physical world is the first step. She quickly dove into several options of spells to try. One practice exercise taught the young magicians in the story how to turn a page using magic. A simple way to learn how the magic from within connects to the physical world. Brynhilda shook her head, still somewhat unsettled that a child’s book could teach her magic. She studied the words. She held out her hand above the page and called out the proper words, sliding her finger through the air, hoping to turn the page of the book. Nothing happened. She tried again, and still nothing happened.

                  She thought about the things she read. She focused. Brynhilda thought about the importance of believing in magic. She thought about accepting it as part of one’s own being and how it connects to objects and the life around her. Brynhilda closed her eyes, holding her hand above the book, and called out the magical words. She thought about the page in the book, what it feels like, the texture of the paper, the tensile resistance of the page. Her mind began to feel it. She knew she held her hand above the book, although it felt like she touched the page. Then with a quick movement of her finger.
                  ‘flick’
                  She opened her eyes, and the page slowly fell on the other side of the book.