This unrealistic fantasy is set in a much simpler time where people didn't walk around with cell phones plastered to their faces or spent hours perusing porn sites on their laptops. Where imagination ruled supreme. So dear readers, jump right in and let your imagination take you on a short ride. Hope you enjoy, and as always comments welcome, both good and bad.
"I double-dog dare ya," Kenny sneered.
I glanced at him, then back to the open door of the tiny shop located on the outskirts of town. The sign above the door read,
Potions-Incantations-Fortunes
, and was owned by an elderly black woman that was rumored to be a Voodoo Priestess. Of course no one ever believed that, but that didn't stop people from wondering, including myself. In our little backwater town rumors like that were always popping up.
"What's the matter, Marcus? Chicken!" Kenny taunted.
Shooting him an evil glare, I said "Fuck you!"
We had first ridden our bikes past the shop on our way to downtown to hang out in the town square, neither of us giving it much thought. We were on a mission to score with the opposite sex, and nothing was going to stand in our way, especially some out of the way curio shop that looked like it had seen better days. Of course both of us knew that what we were doing was an exercise in futility. We weren't jocks. We were just your average run of the mill eighteen-year-olds, fresh out of high school and looking to get laid. It didn't matter that we were both virgins.
Three hours later we called it a day. Hell, we hadn't even talked to a single girl that whole time. Just as we were getting ready for the ride home I brought up the idea of stopping at the voodoo lady's place and asking if she had some kind of potion, or whatever, that would make us irresistible to the ladies. At first he laughed it off, but the closer we got to where the shop was, the more the idea began to appeal to both of us. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Right? When I told Kenny I was desperate enough to try anything he promptly told me that I would have to be the one that went inside. I called him a coward and raced ahead for a spell.
Now, standing just yards away from the open doorway, it was I who felt cowardly. But I wasn't about to tell him that. I had my pride after all. So slowly I approached the door, my heart beating faster with each step I took. I looked back once, just to make sure Kenny hadn't turned tail and ran, then stepped through the threshold.
The shop was dimly lit, the overhead bulbs barely glowing at all. On one side of the room stood a counter, the top covered with jars that held what looked to me like roots and berries. Several rows of shelves seemed to hold the same things, but in various stages of decay. Stepping further into the shop I smelt jasmine, the fragrance seemed to come from nowhere, and everywhere at the same time. I found it rather soothing. The soothing feeling quickly evaporated into thin air when I rounded a corner and came face to face with the proprietor of the shop. I stopped dead in my tracks and just stared, praying that I wouldn't crap myself.
She was a frail looking woman, with a noticeable stoop to her back as she shuffled forward and stood a few feet in front of me. On her head she wore some sort of turban the same multi-color as her flowing dress. Her feet were bare. Her eyes locked onto mine and it appeared she was sniffing the air around us.
"What bring you to my shop child?" she asked, her voice raspy.
"Uh..." I stammered, words failing to come to me.
She stepped closer, took a good whiff of the air, then smiled.
"You are a virgin." It wasn't a question.
"Y-Yes," I managed to say.
"And you want something to make da ladies like you," she went on.
"How did you know that?" I meekly asked.
Her smile widened, then she cackled and replied, "Dat what all male virgins want."
Screwing up my courage, I asked, "Do you have something like that? Something that will make me more appealing to women?"
Her eyes seemed to survey me from top to bottom. I knew what she was seeing. A guy that stood about five-nine with a slim build, unruly brown hair and inquisitive blue eyes. Not really a ladies man.
"Maybe," she replied after taking all of me in.
"But do you have something that would work? Maybe a potion, or a spell, or something?" I knew she could hear the doubt in my voice.
"How appealing do ya wan be?" she asked, pursing her lips together as she studied me.
"I don't know," I replied, clearly not understanding what she meant.
"You wan to be likable, desirable... or perhaps irresistible?"
Irresistible? That sounded fantastic to my young mind.
"Irresistible sounds good," I told her.
"Hmm, that a tall order," she said, once more eying me up and down.
"But can you do it?" I asked, my enthusiasm on full display.
"Yes. But it come with a price," she told me.