According to my new old man friend, if you need silver for a spell, the best way to get it is at a coin collecting store. Dimes minted between 1916 and 1945 are 90% silver, which is enough for magic. They cost about 3 bucks each. Actual silverware with enough silver in it is 80-100 bucks per fork or spoon or knife.
He showed me how to sew because the person that casts the spell has to make a charm bag themselves. It won’t work if someone else sews it for you. You sew each coin into a small bag and then all the small bags are sewn together into a bigger bag. I suck at sewing, but magic doesn’t care if it looks good. He said that if the bag ever touched any metal besides silver its power would be ruined, so I put my finished charm bag into a plastic bag. He didn’t like that for unspecified old man reasons but he allowed that it was a good idea.
The spell he taught me is pretty simple. They all are when you get down to it. It reminds me that spells aren’t necessary. They’re like training wheels. If you can move beyond that mental crutch, you wouldn’t need spells. If you had the juice you needed, things would just happen when you wanted.
But knowing something and believing it are two different things. I can’t imagine working magic without a spell. It’s like that scene in that dumb computer movie. They tell the dude from John Wick that he’s in a simulation and he can jump super far if he wants to, but he still falls because knowing isn’t enough. He didn’t believe.
Even the most powerful mages I’ve heard of couldn’t do magic without spells though, so I won’t beat myself up about not being able to do it.
Frank told me about a million times that the spell wouldn’t work without an immense source of power. Laura brought out the staff so he could examine it. She was nervous. I don’t know if she thought I would try to steal it or the old man would try steal it or both. She got a little teary eyed. Milham told me that she stole it from her mother to stop her from using it for bad shit. Given what I know about her mother, I can see that being emotional.
Frank examined it for a long time and declared that it would be sufficient. Then he told me it was evil and after I use it, I should destroy it. I told him that was up to Laura because it wasn’t mine. She agreed that it should be removed from this world. I said I’d take care of it.
“It may not be so easy to give up the power when the time comes” Frank said, giving me the old man judgement eyes.
I told him it would be no problem. I’d done it before. I couldn’t help but think about Gary and the detective and I got a tiny bit misty myself.
Rocket Cat 