Charming Idea Mar, mm
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A Charming Idea • Alex Mar
A Charming Idea
T
HE
street outside was busy. The bell above Evan’s shop
door had barely rung more than three times that day.
Evan glanced up from where he was cataloguing the
Christmas merchandise, keeping a healthy distance from the
mistletoe that had been one of the most requested items for
the holidays. The smell of the thingsa mix of baby powder
and holly and a heady, sweet scent always attached to
anything laced with Satyr’s winemade him shudder. Just
like its source, it was potent, and just being near it set Evan
on edge. He still remembered the incident with the Satyr’s
mistletoe of 2000. He’d never been able to look at his Aunt
Bertha and Uncle Jack the same way again. Traumatized for
life.
Looking out the charmed frost that rippled on and off
the surface of the windows, he saw that it was already dark,
the shadows broken only by street lights as the non-magic
folk hurried down the street, trying to get that last-minute
present. They didn’t see his shop, of course. Evan could only
imagine what things they would get up to if they ever walked
into a charms shop.
Compared to last year, this Christmas Eve was slow.
He’d made his best effort though, and the shop was all
decked out in its festive glory. He’d managed to get the holly
to line the tops of old wooden shelves. The little reindeer
pranced around and peered curiously around other stock
and charms. The floor had been changed from its black-and-
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A Charming Idea • Alex Mar
white checkered tiles to white, green and red. He’d even
managed to time it right this year and had the most
beautiful snow butterflies lighting up the firefly glasses.
Looking up, Evan saw the mermaid in the ceiling mural
ripple. She shifted on the rock, her tail moving lazily so that
her fins caressed the big number five as her left hand
pointed up at the twelve. Her hair fell all the way to the
water, long silver locks adorned with a circle of garland. The
mermaid yawned, covering her mouth with her free hand
and peering down at Evan, one eyebrow arched, clearly
saying
What are you still doing here?
Time for closing then.
Resigned, Evan crossed the shop floor, the sound of his
boots on the tiles echoing in the shop as he made his way to
the counter and set down the records. A small tilt of his head
at the door, and the sign twirled away from the glass to settle
back down, displaying the closed sign. Evan doubted there
would be any other customers.
It wasn’t that his shop wasn’t popular. On the contrary,
charms tended to be the number-one gift choice for witches
and wizards, and although Evan was a low level wizard, his
gift had always been in charms, and few in London could
produce the quality of work he did. But hey, times were
hard, and the recession was not exclusive to the non-magic
folk.
It didn’t take long to cast a little charm and tidy the
small shop up and then Evan was stepping out into Charing
Cross, shoulders hunching right away against the cutting
cold of the wind as it sped past the street. He’d tossed a scarf
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A Charming Idea • Alex Mar
around his neck, wrapped it high and loose enough that it
came up to his chin, and he’d buttoned the thick black wool
cloak right up.
The thick heels of his boots sank into the snow-turned-
to-slush lining the pavement. It glittered, dark grey and wet
under the street lights.
Christmas decorations had been put up, stars and bells
crossing over the street in arcs, their lights blinking yellow at
passers-by to remind them of the festive season.
The wind whipped at his hair, and it kept getting in his
eyes. If his mother had been around, he would’ve gotten a
stern “I told you so” for not having cut it. The fringe had
gotten out of hand and always got caught behind his glasses.
“Bloody hell,” he muttered as the next blast threatened
to push him over. He was surprised people were still out at
all in this kind of weather. The skies were clear, stars
studding the night like faraway fairy lights, but the air was
cold, the type of cold that sank into the knuckles and left
him feeling like he didn’t have any fingertips.
Finally done, he locked up and started home.
He hadn’t taken more than three steps when the phone
in his pocket vibrated. Only one person it could be on
Christmas Eve.
Evan tucked his left hand into his other pocket and
tugged out the phone with his right as he continued down
the road, eyes on the ground to keep from stepping on the
worst of the slippery bits while avoiding colliding with
everyone going in the opposite direction. They didn’t bother
to try to avoid bumping into him, though. He sighed as he
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A Charming Idea • Alex Mar
glanced at the screen and saw his sister’s name flashing on
the screen.
“Did Mum put you up to this?” he asked.
Keller laughed. “Yes. Well, sort of. What are you up to?
Closed the shop yet?”
Evan nodded even though she couldn’t see him. For
some reason, he’d never gotten the concept of the phone call.
He wasn’t a fan of the thing, and if he could do without it, he
would. “Yep, I literally just closed up a few minutes ago. I’m
heading home now. Has Aunt Em started bringing out the
food yet?”
“Her and Mum are still locked in the kitchen. And
actually, I’m calling because Lily has a request for you. She’s
a bit upset that you won’t be spending Christmas with us.”
Lily was Keller’s daughter and Evan’s only niece, and
she’d come out looking more like Evan than either of her
parents. Whereas Keller had their mother’s lookspale-
blonde hair that fell straight as an arrow down her back and
their mother’s rich-blue eyesEvan had come out quite
different, not exactly like their dad but definitely favoring his
genes.
His hair was curly and the color of copper. It fell in his
eyes all the time, always getting trapped between his glasses
which didn’t quite help. He’d also inherited the freckles. They
crossed over the bridge of his nose, like a wave in the palest
of browns. He had them on the backs of his hands and the
curves of his shoulders too. The only thing he had in
common with Keller and his mother was his mouth, a bit
wide and thin, but the heart-shaped upper lip was there. Lily
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