"Children! Come now!", Maria called out to her grandchildren with a warm and inviting tone.
Maria, a wise and venerable grandmother, lives in a picturesque village at the base of the majestic Alaskan mountains. She was known for her kind heart and her talent for weaving captivating stories. Her grandchildren, Juan and Elena, often visited her on weekends with their mother to enjoy her company before returning home. They had requested over the phone that she tells them a magical and enchanted story upon their arrival that weekend. Maria's eyes sparkled with excitement at their request. "Of course," she said. "I have the perfect story for you."
As Juan and Elena sat on the floor facing Maria who sat in a rocking chair, with her steaming coffee beside her on a little table, she could see how eagerly they were prepared to listen to her story. Looking at their beautiful faces that reminded her of her daughter, their mother, when she was their age, she couldn't help but gestured for them to come to her. Holding them close to her body, she heard their little hearts beat faster than hers and realized that this might be the last time she would hold them again. Crushing them more to herself, she sniffed the back of their necks for their scents and then kissed their cheeks before releasing them to sit back down.
Beating back some tears, Maria said, "Are you ready to listen to the best story ever?"
"Yes! Yes! We are!" Juan and Elena said in unison
Then she began, "Once upon a time, back in time, in a small village called 'Magae villae'. A village that has the purest of magic."
Fascinated with the beginning of the story, Juan and Elena both took throw pillows from the sofa behind them and held them to their little bodies for comfort as they listened intently to Maria.
Maria continues her story, "There were two siblings, who lived in the village with their mother, both of whom possessed magical powers as witches. They both had different things they enjoyed doing or having. The older sister, named Sarah, loved coffee more than anything in the world. She would start her day with a hot cup of coffee out of the blend their mother made for her from special spices and herbs from their little garden behind their bungalow. Sarah couldn't do without the coffee every day as it is her source of strength. The younger brother, named Jack, on the other hand, didn't care much for coffee and often teased his sister about her love for it."
Taking a sip out of her steaming coffee, Maria continues, "Now, Jack became envious of his sister's love for coffee and why she gets to enjoy their mother's special blend. So Jack let his envy take over him and then he decided to play a prank on her by taking away her coffee at midnight using the vanishing spell their mother taught them a few days ago so his sister wouldn't suspect him. Though he was reluctant to use the spell because they had barely mastered it, his envy got a hold of him and he didn't care."
"Did the spell work?" an anxious and curious Juan asked.
Maria chuckled and said, "You will find out now." Taking another sip from her coffee again, she said, "Sarah woke up the next morning to make her coffee as usual but discovered her special blend was nowhere to be found."
Giggling mischievously, Elena said, "He did it. He is sneaky!"
Maria grinned and continued, "Realizing Jack had taken her coffee. Angry and frustrated, Sarah devised a plan to retrieve it and teach him a lesson too. She remembered a spell their mother had taught her, using poison ivy leaves to induce an intense itching sensation. She picked some leaves from the garden, cast a spell on them, and then placed them in Jack's underwear, waiting for him to put them on."
"Would he scratch out his balls?" Juan asked with a chuckle.
Maria and Elena erupted in laughter, filling the house with their joyous sounds. "You'll have to wait and see," Maria teased.
She continued, "Jack came in from the garden, sweaty and dirty from his chores and decided to take a bath, but as soon as he put on his underwear, he felt an intense itching sensation. Jack couldn't take it and began to scream for help. Sarah, knew her spell had worked. She and their mother went to see what was happening. Jack, now scratching his butt intensely, confessed to hiding Sarah's coffee. He apologized and promised never to do it again. Sarah said she wouldn't undo the spell unless he returned her coffee blend, but Jack said he didn't know where the coffee vanished to. Not having it, their mother ordered them to forgive each other and undo any spells they had done. They did, and from that day on, Jack learned to appreciate the power of coffee and never messed with his sister's again."
Maria closed her story and looked at her grandchildren. "What did you learn from this story?" She asked.
"We learned that jealousy and envy can make us do bad things and hurt the people we love," Juan said.
"And we also learned that it's important to apologize and make amends for our mistakes," Elena added.
Maria felt proud as her grandchildren understood the story. Realizing her daughter had abandoned the bread she was baking to listen to her story. Maria felt a sense of joy and peace wash over her. It was one of the best sights she had seen ever since her life began. Holding her hands apart, her daughter and grandchildren came into her arms without hesitation. Soaking up in their warmth, she knew that they would carry her memories within them when she was gone.
My entry to Spill The Beans Contest, Prompt 26.
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