‘We’re thinking about it,’ said one of the students, who’d been regarding a price tag with raised eyebrows.
‘Take your time.’ Uncle Oswald said it cheerfully, but a scowl tensed his mouth as he finished ringing up Tessa’s order.
Tessa returned with her carefully packaged cat sculpture, which swung in a gold-stamped paper bag with twine handles.
‘Half price? You’re definitely coming on my next yard sale adventure,’ she whispered. ‘That was some impressive haggling. Although don’t you feel bad ripping off your own family?’
Effie waggled a chunk of heat-treated amethyst at Tessa. ‘Honestly, yours is one of the better pieces in here. What he’s done to this amethyst is criminal. And those crystal grids are just laser-etched cutting boards. If I were a betting person, I’d say the gems are ordered in bulk online, then dipped in nail polish for some extra shimmer.’
‘Well, you have to give him points for creativity.’
Effie was unconvinced. ‘Do I, though?’
Squaring her cardiganed shoulders, she went up to the students, passing out her head librarian business card. ‘We’re doing an evening class on crystals at the library later, if you’re interested. It’s mostly geology focused, but we can teach you how to pick out fakes.’
‘Are fakes a problem?’ asked the student in the pink beanie.
‘Huge,’ said Tessa, her naturally long-lashed eyes wide. ‘Imagine thinking you’re getting a crystal to help you sleep, and bam. You’re grinding your teeth like you’ve been mainlining espresso all day.’
The student with the green-and-white striped hair grimaced. ‘We’ll think about it,’ she called out to Uncle Oswald, whoseeyes narrowed behind his ostentatious glasses, which were so on the nose (literally) that they made Effie feel bad about being a glasses wearer.
The door chimed as the students waltzed out, their reusable bags empty but their bank accounts full.
‘You cost me a potential sale,’ said Uncle Oswald, folding his arms.
‘Are you sure?’ asked Tessa, wandering off to inspect an alchemical singing bowl. ‘They seemed like they were pretty au fait with all this DIY crystal stuff.’
‘Besides, they said they’d think about it,’ added Effie. ‘And when they come back, they’ll be informed buyers.’
‘Informednotto buy,’ noted Uncle Oswald churlishly.
Well, he’d said it, not her.
Effie jumped as Tessa ran a mallet over the edge of the singing bowl, sending a resonant tone vibrating across the room. Tessa grinned, then tested out another bowl.
‘Go on. You and I both know that you’re not on the up and up here. This isn’t magic. It’s snake oil. None of it works.’
Oswald snorted. ‘Bah. Who cares as long as theybelieveit’s working? That’s what we’re dealing in here, isn’t it? Belief. Moon-charged water? Sure, it’s nonsense. Crystals? They look nice. But if someone honestly thinks their necklace is helping with their mood or their memory potion is helping them pass that exam, what’s the harm?’
‘The harm is that it’s fraud,’ said Effie. ‘And at these prices, it’s also extortion.’
‘I have expenses,’ said Uncle Oswald icily. ‘Besides, if certain individuals wouldn’t gatekeep their magic, I could be more accommodating with my offerings.’
The hum of Tessa’s singing bowl crescendoed.
Effie bristled. There was no gatekeeping about it! Magic was a form of power, and it had to be handled carefully. You couldn’t go about casting spells and enacting charmswilly-nilly, thinking that you knew what was best for everyone else. Every action caused a reaction, and every spell had consequences. Which was why Effie kept hers small and mundane.
‘I’d like the picture of Mom you promised,’ said Effie, ‘and then we’re leaving.’
Uncle Oswald stuttered – this whole interaction clearly hadn’t gone the way he’d wanted. ‘We got off on the wrong foot,’ he stammered, holding out a newspaper-wrapped parcel like an olive branch. ‘Let’s start over.’
The singing bowl went silent.
‘Sorry, dropped the mallet,’ Tessa called, scrabbling around on the carpet for it.
Grateful for the interruption, Effie took the parcel, holding it to her heart as though Mom’s warmth and goodness might seep from the picture into her. But she didn’t want to open it right here, not in front of Oswald, whose presence only ever darkened things.
She checked her watch. ‘Make it quick. I have to get back to work – I have a crystal display to put together.’
