Five

Months passed like antelopes running through an open field and Edgar had kept true to his word. He had gradually taught her all she needed to know about magic. She was beginning to fall in love with that side of her much to her own surprise. Although they had to keep it concealed she could not help but sneak in one or two magic tricks when no one was looking.

“Cleo”, he handed over to her a basket of leaves, “Help me lay this out to dry, I’ll crush the powder and I will add to the new potion I am working on. There has been an outbreak recorded in Molvania and although we are yet to trace the origin of this strange disease, we must be able to curb the spread and treat the symptoms before it spreads into our lands”

She took it from his hand and nodded in understanding.

“Hopefully the scorching heat of the sun will dry them by evening”

She took the baskets with her and a mischievous thought crept into her head. They seemed to be finding their way into her heart every time…

“Okay Pa”, she took the baskets of leaves and proceeded to the back of the house. She spread them on a mat outside and casually watched them. She closed her eyes briefly and drowned out the constant tapping of the carpenter a few yards away, even the light chirping of the birds. In her head it was still as the early morning, by the time she opened them again, the leaves had shrunken, she had dried them by merely thinking of doing so.

She smiled to herself, proud of what she had done. She was getting better at establishing utmost concentration. She packed them back into the basket and rushed to Edgar excited to show him what she had achieved on her own.

“Grandfather”, she called out excitedly, her dress billowed in the breeze as she ran towards him.

“Cleopatra, what is the matter?”, he asked, he placed the lid securely over the bottle in his hand and turned to look at her with great difficulty.

“Here”, she handed the baskets to him, “Here are your dri…ed leaves”, she laid emphasis on the word dried.

When he took the basket from her and peered at it, his reaction was nothing like what she expected, he looked utterly displeased, “You used your magic?”, he asked the obvious question.

She nodded, “I figured it would save time and speed up whole process and look it did, my concentration is a lot better now”

“Come sit here my child”, he said, patting the stone that served as a chair besides him. And she did.

“There are no shortcuts to life at all, my child”, he began, “Those who use shortcuts sometime have had to pay dearly for it”

“I know you are yet to get over the excitement of your new found powers…”, he continued, “You are not to misuse it my child.

“I was not misusing it father, I promise”, she explained, “I was only helping, trying to make our jobs less tedious. On my side I was putting to practice all I have learnt from you about magic in these past months”.

He looked intently at her, “C…le…o”, he drawled out.

“Gra…nd..fa.. ther”, she did same.

They stared at each other for a while then they burst into laughter.

“Okay pa, I have heard all you have to say”, Cleo said in between smiles still not fully recovered from the sudden outbursts, “I will never misuse my powers again, I promise you” Edgar smiled at her revealing missing teeth, “I know I could count on you, come here”, his arms were spread wide.

“Pa, you have lost another tooth?”, Cleopatra asked in surprise.

He nodded, “I am aging quickly”, he said.

She walked towards him, “Let m have a look, there is nothing a little magic can’t fix”

“Cleo”

She tried not to stare at him, she was not sure she would be able to keep from laughing.

“You do not have to worry Pa, I would fix your teeth and…”, her eyes trailed to his greying hair, “And you hair of course, your hair…what color would you like your hair to be?”

He did not answer,

“Green?, Blue?, Yellow?”, she rambled on, “Whatever you want father, this grey makes you look old and I could change…”

Edgar reached for her, bringing her rant to an end, sending her dashing in the other direction

They burst into another round of laughter.

“When I was your age Cleopatra, no one could outrun me. You would not have been able to I promise you”

“Maybe”, she shrugged, then she broke into a wide smile, “Or I could just use magic?”

“Cleo!”

“Pa!”

“You know what?”, he said after a while, “Come closer and give Pa a hug”

“I love you so much grandfather but I do not want a hug right now”, she replied still smiling.

“Are you sure?”, he asked.

“Affirmative”

“I could teleport to where you are standing”, he said.

“That would be misuse grandfather”, she replied confidently.

“Exactly, I just want you to be good and safe at all times”, he said.