Trapped Within

 

“Where am I? How did I get here?”

I woke up to find myself in strange surroundings. I was dressed differently; it was as if I was in a renaissance fair. I pinched myself trying to wake myself from a possible nightmare, but I soon realized that I was wide awake. I looked around, trying to figure out if I was being held captive. I tried to use my powers, but nothing happened; there was most likely a spell preventing me from using them. Having no other choice, I turned the door before me. It led to a hallway.

I tiptoed down the hallway, not wanting to alert any possible abductors, but there was no one around. I soon found myself in a dining room. I walked around wondering how I ended up there. And then I heard a voice. I looked around, but saw no one. A door then opened, revealing a giant eye on the other side. The giant put its hand through the door and grabbed me at once, pulling me out with haste. To my surprise, I recognised her: it was Nelly, one of my kindergarten students.

“Nelly, what’s happening? Let go of me!”

Nelly’s eyes widened. She dropped me at once and ran away. A few seconds later, she brought her mother to the room.

“This one, mommy! She talked!”

“Okay, let’s see,” her mother said, picking me up. “Can you speak?”

I said nothing, fearing what witchcraft was involved—and what consequences it may have borne. Nelly’s mother smiled and put me down.

“See, hon? She can’t talk. It’s just your imagination.”

“I didn’t imagine it, mom! She really spoke!”

“I’m busy, Nelly. I have to go now,” her mother said before leaving the room.

Nelly turned to me and begged me to speak, saying she wouldn’t call her mom again. And so I did, leaving her stupefied for a moment. I then explained to her that I was her teacher, and that I had no idea how I got there. I asked her if she had met anyone strange, but she said no. It was then that I realised what had happened: I helped an old man with his groceries the evening before at a supermarket parking lot; he had rendered me unconscious with a spell.

I didn’t know whether he was a warlock or a demon, but I needed to contact my mother since she was the only person who could help me. Nelly contacted her for me. My mom was relieved; she had been chanting a spell to locate and retrieve my soul, but it seems there was a spell preventing her from finding it. As she knew where I was after the call, it only took her a minute to bring me back.

Using the residual magic that was left behind after the attack, we tracked my assailant down: he was a demon. I couldn’t help my mom since I was powerless, but she had help from our coven. Five of them hunted the demon down and retrieved my lost magic. The demon was destroyed in the process. The next day, I gave Nelly one of my childhood dolls as thanks for helping me. She promised me to keep what happened a secret.