Skreeeeeechk. Skreeeeeeechk.
Janine hated the noise her marker made when she dragged it across the paper. But it was impossible to escape it. Not with her job.
Skreeeeeeck.
”How many more of these are there?” Rio asked. ”Can we go home soon?” Wordlessly, Janine pointed at the big pile of books on her desk. They were stacked right next to her nameplate.
Janine Evergreen, Expurgator
It read. Every time she saw it, she had to roll her eyes. Expurgate was just a fancy word for censor. But they couldn’t write that on her nameplate, because then it might cause people to ask questions. Nobody likes censorship. Barely anyone cares about expurgating.
Words. Words had power. Janine knew that maybe better than most people.
”I don’t want to wait till you’ve blacked out all sensitive words in these books. I want to go hooooome. I think I smelled a mouse in your bedroom yesterday. I want to hunt it.”
”Why didn’t you catch it yesterday then? What kind of useless cat are you, Rio?” Rio stood up and stretched like cats do.
”I’m not useless. I wanted to wait and see if there are other mice too. If I eat one, the others might be too scared to show themselves. And aside from that, it’s not my job to keep your house pest-free! I’m a familiar, not your pet!”
”Aren’t familiars supposed to be useful? Provide spiritual guidance or something like that?”
”Yes!”
”So what do I need spiritual guidance for?”
”You’re a witch!”
”So is everybody else.” She turned back to her books while Rio sat down next to her, his tail twitching from one side to the other. Janine knew that Rio knew that she was right. But it didn’t make either of them happy. @suesa
Hundreds of years ago, magic didn’t exist in the world. There were stories, but most people believed they were fake. And then many things happened. The world almost got destroyed and magic resurfaced. Bit by bit, it spread around the globe until everyone possessed magical powers of one kind or another. And it never went away again.
The problem with special powers is that, as soon as everyone has them, they’re not special anymore. Bit by bit, people have to take on ordinary jobs again. It’s just the type of job that changes.
Everyone had been convinced that technology would change people’s lives, nobody expected magic to do it.
And it wasn’t just the jobs it had influenced. Politics changed a lot too, as it usually does after a catastrophe. With billions of powerful magic users, there needed to be new rules. And out of the ashes of destruction and anarchy rose …
An oligarchy of the strong.
Not everyone had the same degree of power. Some were more gifted while others could barely lift a feather with their mind. Those who could destroy whole cities with just a thought were the ones who placed themselves in the positions of rulers. The others had two choices: Accept it or die.
The population dropped a bit, during the time of change.
But this too had been a while ago. Janine hadn’t even been alive yet. She had just heard the stories read the books. And then censored the books so that nobody could prove that the leaders were telling lies.
”Why can’t you just use your magic to remove all the bad words and then go home”, Rio complained.
”We’ve been over this. Magic can be reversed. This marker, on the other hand, is permanent. Look, it even says so on its casing.”
Several hours later, Janine had finally filled her quota for the day and was able to go home.
”Can we do some cool spiritual journey?” Rio asked while he tried to keep up with Janine’s big steps. ”Pretty please? We haven’t done it in a while!”
The witch wanted to say no. She felt tired and emotionally drained. A spiritual journey was almost the opposite of what she needed. But when she looked at Rio, she just couldn’t say no. It wasn’t his fault that he had been bonded with her. He had just been unlucky enough to be born the same minute as her and then assigned as a familiar for life. Which, in his case, would be exactly as long as Janine’s.
”Alright, but only a short one.”
”Yessss!” His ears perked up and his steps became more energetic. He loved trips to the spiritual realm.
Back at home, Janine lit some scented candles. Technically, those weren’t necessary, but she liked the atmosphere they created. Today, she had chosen one that was labeled “ocean breeze”. It smelled like salt and sand.
”Are you ready?” Rio asked.
”Sure, why not.” Janine closed her eyes and let her soul leave her body. It attached itself to Rio, who jumped and then …
She was underwater. The cold, blue ocean was calm around her. It was dark. She couldn’t move, but it was fine. She didn’t need to move. Water was flowing through her pores.
”You’re a sponge”, she heard Rio’s voice. Well, she didn’t really hear, she had no ears. But she knew Rio said it.
Janine tried to find out what she could do in this form. After a bit of experimenting, she was able to move something. Her flagella, as Rio told her. They increased the flow of water. She felt the oxygen flowing through her body, along with … food? Bacteria!
Normally, she would have been disgusted by the sheer amount of bacteria passing through her body. But right now, right here, it was great. It was the way a sponge lived. So calm …
She didn’t know how much time had passed when Rio led her soul back to her original body, but the candles had burnt down and the wax had solidified. Janine touched it. It was cold.
”That was weird”, she said.
”I’m sorry”, Rio replied. ”I didn’t want to disturb you. I just thought it might be nice to get away from everything for a bit. To have some peace …”
”It was nice. And you’re right, I needed a calm place.”
She picked Rio up and cuddled him. Life sucked, but at least she had someone to rely on.
This weird story was brought to you based on three keywords I have been given: solidify (by @calumam ), sponge (by @sykochica ), expurgate (by @geekpowered ). The universe this plays in is loosely based on @apsu ‘s current storyline which is very intriguing and you should totally check it out.
Picture taken from pixabay.com
The story was a delight as always, very different what you've written before. I grinned at this:
Even though it's kind of clear that in many fantasy worlds magic is something common and everyday for the people living in the fictional world - but it is rarely pointed out that magic is not actually special at all if anyone can do it.
Magic would be as amazing as being able to putting your pants on.
The story was a delight, I hope this will stay as a single post and you don't need to continue on the story as it's perfect as it is :)
You're afraid for your world :)
I agree with you @apsu if it is really spectacular, the story is well done, there is no need to continue it so perfect @, congratulations @suesa
steemit is awesome am loving it
Great story :)
I love the way you write :)
And magical subjects are so rewarding when it comes to imagination :)
Keep it up!
I always believe that magic is science and that every human has special power. All we need is to remember them or learn them.
A very nice story, I enjoyed reading it :) Keep it up!
Wow great story @suesa! I've been meaning to write some fantasy myself. I need to get on it lol.
I liked the backstory given about the return of magic to the world and how everyone could do it to one degree or another. It would make defeating the most powerful magic users nearly impossible without inside help.
Simply loved it! Steemit is becoming my favorite place to read bedtime fiction.
Good to hear :) If you want a metric ton of finished fiction stories, check out the link in my profile. I created a google drive with my finished stories in PDF form.
Sure I would love to :)
Love it, love it, looove it!
It was a long time since I last felt something while reading about it.
Being a sponge in a sea or an ocean rules!
Oh, and, uhh, I've always loved stories about magic.
Not your usual storytelling theme, however, I enjoyed it. You are very good with detail and conveying exactly what you mean.
Thank you,
Spencer Coffman
Nice story. But it almost seems like it's unfinished. Like this is only Part 1.
I hate you sometimes xD
Nice story, altho I felt like this was an introduction to upcoming events.
I have to admit I also like getting away from the real life and be a sponge for a while, or a bread maybe, like @apsu.
I bet Rio has an abnormally wide jaw, with extra sharp teeth.
Rio is a magical cat, he can have as many sharp teeth as he wants
I really got upset ! you made me sad ! and never forget this action of you! you are a writer and this action is disrespect for your readers! what a pity that I've spent my time to translate your story into my language to underestand it... i usually upped a few percent posts in steemit to keep my votting power but cause i like your story upped you 25 percent of my vote... but you downvote me just cause you are 70!! it's a bad action actually when a writer or a poet do this! by the way i never forget this... in our world there is the same from powerful people to weak people to do what ever they want !!! even without any right ! In the end let me tell you read one of my poems.. i didn't send it's link cause sending link is against the rules i don't want do any spam, but send a shot from it to you just can read it
good luck @suesa ....
I flagged you down to the equivalent of a 25% vote of yourself. It's really bad taste to upvote your own comment 100% while you upvote the post itself with 25%. I just made it equal.
lots of people and powerful people upvote ownself in their comments 100% .. do you ever down vote them?? and ... i upped others a few percent 2, 3,5 ,,, but upped you 25 percents of mine !! by the way its not important , but i tell you this is bad for a writer .. all the people must do kindness with each other ! we are here to learn a lot of thing from each other !
Yes, I downvote them too if they do this. And I upvote those who don't upvote themselves. I am not against selfvotes per se, but I disapprove if upvoting your own comment more than the post. I flagged you with 4% and left you 6 cents, more than you gave me. I could have flagged you a lot more if I wanted to. But I didn't want that.
ok... come on ... i want to forget this at all.. good luck
I was about to say "I don't hold a grudge" and then saw that you upvoted your own comment with 100% again. Are you serious?
no , i think you don't care enough :) i upped your comment 100% power ,, not mine! and again i upped your comment 100% power not mine! be happy dear , good luck
How many more of these are out there. That was really good.
It was actually planned as a single story
Oh ok. I thought it may be a chapter out of a longer story. I get it now.
I usually post longer stories, I just felt like writing something short this time :)
Truism. Also, I would love to add that a perfectly advanced technology is almost indistinguishable from magic.
Nice piece ma'am
Hi, i really like this story! I think witchcraft is very interesting, have you thought about writing a book? 🤓👍💕
Published two, but in German and under my full name so I prefer not to share it on Steemit ^^ But thank you!
I could almost relate this story to your claims on the chat room of being the "cult" itself . You really can write. Now am wondering if i should write on the fish , the ketchup , the oven. Just wondering.
You promised you'd write that poem!
Haha :) . Sure . There it is https://steemit.com/busy/@fego/who-cared-about-the-fish-in-the-oven
SO this isn't a great example as in the comments the same bug isn't happening here. But I noticed there are no spaces behind some of the " " you have. Same for my stories, I've tried to correct this by adding another space but it hasn't worked lol. Thought I would comment on that as it really bugs me.
Otherwise, I enjoyed the story, curious to see where you take it. :)
Markdown sometimes sucks a bit, yes.
Writing about magic and science is quite a Herculean task, because it requires a lot of details to blend in, whether a process or a drama or a free write, however this is amazing @suesa, well detailed and enjoyable
Shreeeeek. O the humanity.
Well, Rio saw wrong. She was a giraffe with a snorkel. I saw evidence!
Food bacteria, yeah, right. Rio was feeding her mice through snorkel to the spiritual realm.
This might be my favorite story. I love how you explained the marker :)
I am way too proud of the marker joke
Magnificent pen as always. I have always been fascinated by magic though I only read (or watch) stories about it from your world. African stories portray witchcraft more or what you would call dark magic I think. This was a treat :)
Dear madam @suesa , you always have fresh ideas to write. I'd love to read it while sometimes need to translate (i am beginner in learning english actually).
By the way, Does Janinehe have no parents? He orphaned? What happened to her in past? can not wait for story..
Warm Regards
She's an adult and moved out from home a long time ago. She doesn't get along well with her parents, they're unhappy with her job choice. She is too, but she'd never tell them they're right.
Oh my God, she hides her feeling from her parents. Dear Janine, i understand your feeling.
Very cool story, you managed to keep it short while still giving enough background information, i'll definitely check out your other stories!
great story , Keep it up
can I ask you why you have down vote me ??! @suesa
nice story telling.. this is great fantasy story keep going :D I like your story
I love stories specially love story ahh it's good
Refollow me
Be happy and enjoy steemit
great to share
outstanding creativity
Thanks for update nice story and amazing article steeming @suesa
Great work done. Its nice and all the best
This story is like a true story, I like to read it @suesa
Actually thought Janine was some sort of mermaid. Lol!
Truly magic would be meaningless if everyone had possessed it. Notwithstanding, sorcery has some negative attributes attached to it.
Risky experiment from Janine and Rio
Nice story. Witchcrafts have evil connotation in Africa and no one would ever wish to come under their demonic spells.
Everyone had been convinced that technology would change people’s lives, nobody expected magic to do it.
I love this story so much, but witchcraft and magic I see both to be demonic.
can I ask you why you have down vote my comment ??! @suesa
love is magic :)
And that is all the magic you will ever need. :)
A great story. Thank you for sharing.
It's amazing story @suesa, you should write a book:)
Fantastic. Really good. Thanks.
Upvoted, resteemed, & followed.
Nick
Upvoted, resteemed, & followed
thanks. have a nice day
Nice story . The topic you chose is quite interesting for me . Your writing is easy to read ( This does not mean it is elementary) You give a deep description of the scenes , and that makes your story quite "smooth" to follow .
I enjoyed every bit of your story, it was different but it was quite good. look forward to read more from you :) Keep writing
Yes you are creative writer... @suesa