short story #13: A Cup of Love

To the normal people (as Uncle Albert and Aunt Rosie called the non-magical folk), Happy, Wonder, Sweety, and Naughty appeared like cute, miniature snowmen. But in reality, they were the trusted, enchanted minions of Uncle Albert. They stood guard and watched over “A Cup of Love” cafe – Uncle Albert’s latest project for the non-magical folk. The lovely, elderly couple waited on all their patrons and ensured that they got their cup of coffee/tea or the slice of their favourite cakes. Their warmth and sweetness reflected in the food that came out of their kitchens as well. Once you have had a whiff of the lovely smell, you wouldn’t be able to resist going in. Once you have tasted it, you will keep going back for more. There was something magical about the establishment.
Although if one were to ask Uncle Albert, he would ensure that all of it was made by their own hands. Absolutely no magic at all (Not that he was ever going to let the normal folks in on his secret abilities.) He would whisper to his wife at times, “No. Not even the tiniest bit of magic. There’s one thing I have learned in all my years of witchcraft. It’s best not to mix magic with the non-magical folks. The consequences can be alarming. Not to mention the fact that it would get us in trouble with the Ministry of Magic.”
But when it came to his enchanted minions, he foresaw no trouble with them interacting with the normal folk. They were kind-hearted souls who wished to help people. He knew and trusted them enough to know that they wouldn’t create any mischief.
But unknown to the magical couple, their quaint little cafe soon became the talk of the town. Rumour had it, that if one went to the cafe and thought about their deepest desires or dreams, it would come true!
There were numerous youth who had got accepted into their dream colleges, landed their dream jobs and so on. There were even a few couples who had found each other in the cafe! The list of miracles kept going on and on.
Not long afterwards, the matter reached Aunt Rosie’s ears. As soon as she heard it, she dragged her husband to a secluded corner and turned the full focus of her stern, penetrating glare on him.
“I thought we had agreed that it was best to keep the magic to ourselves while in the middle of the normal folks. Albert, what have you been up to? Are you casting spells to make their wishes come true?”, said Aunt Rosie with her hand on her hips.
Uncle Albert spoke up, “No, Rosie, darling. Absolutely not. I wouldn’t dare! You know me. I always say that it’s best not to mix magic with..”
But Aunt Rosie interrupted him with a wail, “But how else can you explain all the miracles that are happening in our cafe?”
Uncle Albert was lost for words. He had no idea indeed.
“I don’t know, Rosie. But I swear.. I have got nothing.. absolutely nothing to do with it”.
Little did they know or suspect that their cute, little minions were behind it. Under the guidance of their ringleader Naughty, they were working their own brand of magic. To quote Naughty – “They were not doing anything wrong. Helping people and putting them out of their misery counted as good deeds. Right?”
It was only a matter of time before the Ministry of Magic caught up with them. But until then, they will continue working their miracles. 🙂

This post was written in response to Sadje’s What Do You See prompt. Thank you Sadje for hosting this challenge. The challenge is to use the picture prompt as inspiration to compose an original story, poem, or a caption.

How long do you think the cute snowmen can go on with their magic before the Ministry of Magic catches up with them?

Image courtesy: Pixabay

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