Breaking the Spell

Once upon a time there was a man who lived near a beautiful lake. He loved his lakehouse, far away from the craziness of the world. He enjoyed the solitude immensely, everything was perfect. Well almost perfect!

One crisp Autumn day he was sitting on his deck looking at the lake. He had taken his morning swim and was enjoying sitting in the sun, alone with his thoughts. Would the day ever come where he would finally spend more time in his home, than he did on the lake?

His story was a little tragic, for long ago he had been captured by an evil fairy, who had placed a spell on him. She had turned him into a Duck!

Fortunately his friends had rescued him from the forest but they hadn’t been able to break the spell! He still looked like a duck, waddled like a duck and quacked like a duck, so he was a duck, though not really! He was able to talk, but after every few words he would let out a QUACK! It drove the poor guy crazy! Not to mention, his friends as well, when listening to him.

They promised that they wouldn’t give up trying to find out the cure and today was the day that they planned to try the latest cure.

His one friend told him to cross his fingers and toes in hopes that it would work. He then laughed as he remembered that he couldn’t very well do that, for he was a duck!

The poor man couldn’t wait to have his hands and feet back again! Oh to look like a human again! No more duck face! If his friends told him to make a duckface one more time for the camera he was sure to lose it! They thought they were hilarious!

Hearing a car pull up, his thoughts were interrupted. They were here, the time had come. Would this cure work?? He waddled towards the car with his webbed feet and a pensive duckface.

After greeting the 3 guys and chatting and quacking a little, they got down to business.

“Here is the magic potion for you to drink. Its coffee made with extra special beans. A raspberry, caramel,banana, marshmallow flavor.”

The poor guy grimaced and had a very pouty duckface, he hated coffee! But he hated being a duck even more!

He went to start slurping it, for its not like he had hands to hold the cup. His friends said, “Wait! Has to be rigbt at Noon! You have 2 minutes to wait.”

He gave his friends a look, but they had straight faces as they told him he had to follow the rules exactly.

“Go!” They shouted! “Keep slurping until its all done!”

Mr.Duckface slurped and slurped, and a few times he felt like puking! At last he finished, but he was still a duck!

Now we need to say a chant over you and you need to stick your head under the water while we say it. He gave them a questioning look again but waddled down to the lake. Stuck his head in the water and his bottom in the air.

His friends started chanting and suddenly he was sputtering! He lifted his head up spitting out water. He was human again!!

“It worked, it worked!!” He shouted with utter joy, dancing a jig. His friends were ectastic. Everyone was in high spirits when Kendra pulled into the driveway.

She was grinning from ear to ear. “I see that this is a day of celebration!”

Mr. No longer Duckface had a broad smile! “Yes, that magic potion coffee was the worse and being upside down in the water wasn’t fun but it was all worth it!”

Kendra had a confused look, “a magic potion….upside down in the water?? But all you had to do was…”

His friends quickly interrupted Kendra. ” Hey buddy, lets all pose for a pic and how about going for a ride on your boat?”

“Wait! I want to know what Kendra was going to say.”

All eyes were on Kendra and she noticed the pleading look in his friends eyes. It took her a moment but she figured it out, and had to restrain her laughter.

“So no more duck lips, eh? Too bad, I thought they looked good on you.” He made a face at her and she laugbed, telling them to all go out on the boat and she would whip togethet a celebratory meal.

Watching them go she shook her head laughing. Oh, if he only knew that all that was required to break the spell was the chant. Something his friends were fully aware of! She walked back to the lakehouse. Fun was always around when one had crazy friends!