A spell for love - microfiction

*be careful what you wish for*

‘Tall, dark stranger. That’s not much to ask, is it?’

Emily carefully dragged a stick across the ground, ploughing a shallow pattern into the dirt. First a circle, then the shape of a heart. Around the outside edge, she wrote her name repeatedly, separating each word with an ‘X’.

Once finished, she got to her feet and stooped over the pattern to examine it. Happy that she had done it just as her mother’s book had described, she carefully removed a purse from the hemp satchel she had draped across her like a bandoleer. She withdrew a sewing needle, and with a swift jab, pricked her forefinger. The sudden sting made her jump despite expecting the pain. She squeezed her finger until a droplet of blood formed. Rocking rhythmically back and forth she whispered magical words of summoning. Emily flicked her finger and let the drop of blood fall to the ground. She then gathered some of the autumn leaves that had fallen around her garden and placed them over the dirt symbol. The girl dropped to her knees and shuffled up close to the pile of leaves. From within the bushes, not ten feet from the girl stood a man. He had been attentively watching this spectacle from his vantage point - enjoying the little private show just for him. A mild night breeze had carried the girl’s sweet scent, and it aroused the man. The girl was close enough to touch if he wanted, close enough to grab.

‘Tall, dark stranger. That’s not much to ask, is it?’