Blanket Kitty
The mongoose looking cute as hell, curled up in a blanket. This guy is the hardest to pass by without petting because he does stuff like this! He’s too friggin’ precious.
…Time for this week’s story…
Magic Mirror’s Mirror Magic
“You want my help stealing a magic mirror?” Juan said in disbelief. “Are you crazy? What if we get caught? Elena already lost her mom last year, I’m her only parent now. I can’t go to jail.”
“First, the guy who owns it is that guy who bought all those retirement homes then evicted the residents last year,” Jamal explained. “Second, where are you and Elena going to live if you lose your house? Everyone knows magic mirrors have all the answers you need. That’s how some families got filthy rich before magic became illegal. Magic may be legal again, but nobody knows how to make this stuff. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“Look, I would love to stick it to that guy and secure a good future for Elena, but how are we supposed to steal a magic mirror?”
“My buddy got a good look at the security while he was working on the roof of that old mansion. He says it doesn’t have cameras or an alarm system but they’re installing them soon.”
“Why now?”
“Don’t you watch the news? The old guy that lived there kicked the bucket. Now, that grandma-hater owns it,” Jamal took a drink from his beer, which had been sitting idly.
“I don’t know, it’s a big risk.”
“Big risk, big reward. Look man, I’m tired of waiting tables and working off-the-books just to survive. My mom needs help and I’d like to own a house one day. We have a chance tonight or tomorrow, that’s it. I looked at the map and already found a route. I just need someone I trust to come with me. If you don’t want to risk it, I understand, but we could at least entertain the idea.”
Juan considered it as they drank and discussed the possibilities. Jamal showed Juan the research he had done and after a couple hours Juan was in. The following night they convened in dark clothing with hoods and something to obscure their faces. Jamal wore a blonde wig that stuck out of the back of his mask to throw off physical descriptions if anyone saw them.
Lit by a full moon, they parked almost two miles away. They walked through the wilderness to the back of the property, crossing some streets along the way. They traversed the dark house without flashlights. The sheet-covered furniture gave it a spooky atmosphere as they ascended to the attic. Once there, the mirror was easy to find. The size of a torso, it was covered in padded sheets. Between them it was easy to get downstairs. They stuck to the shadows on their way out and walked casually back into the wilderness.
By the time they reached their car, they were exhausted. With the mirror in the trunk, they didn’t want to risk stopping and returned directly to Jamal’s house. They took the mirror inside and examined it for the first time in the light. It had a stunningly ornate metal frame and a beautiful, perfect reflection. On the back, there was an inscription.
“Magic mirror on the wall, show your magic to one and all,” Jamal read. The mirror rippled like water and then appeared a large ogre with a hairnet wearing a cooking apron over a tunic. They were startled, but the ogre smiled and opened his arms.
“New humans? Welcome to Mirazoni’s! I’m Mirazoni. I’m here to satisfy your culinary wishes. You want a sandwich? I got you. You want perfectly cooked wagyu beef? I can do that. You want fried hydra? It’s my specialty. How can I help you, gentlemen?”
“Hold on,” Juan said. “I thought magic mirrors have the secrets of the universe and stuff. What’s this?”
“Yeah, not that I’m not hungry, but what’s going on?” Jamal gestured at the mirror. The ogre was visibly disappointed by their response.
“See, magic mirrors are powered by your satisfaction with what you get from it. When the other people got bored with their cosmic answers guy, the mirror couldn’t hold him anymore, so I moved in! They were happy with my cooking for a while, but then they got bored and put me away. It’d be nice to be appreciated again or I’ll disappear too. If you’d like to try my cooking, I’d be happy to provide.”
“I’m going to lose my house,” Juan said flatly, looking at Jamal with dead eyes and shaking his head.
“I’m sorry, man. Don’t lose hope yet. I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry. We got the mirror, we may as well try the food.” Jamal was almost as convincing as Juan’s grumbling stomach, so they sat with their cook to eat.
The ogre reached outside the mirror’s view and brought back paper plates with their orders. They were blown away, especially by the hydra, a delectable meat they had never tried. It’s said that the rich have access to rare magical meats, but they never believed they would ever get to try some. They sampled dishes for hours, sharing drinks with their cook.
“Where does the food come from? You just grab it.”
“Time isn’t really a thing here, so you’re seeing things out of order. You’ll never really see me cook.” The ogre finished his beer then returned the glass.
As they ate, Juan and Jamal explained their situation to Mirazoni, who was empathetic to their plight. The trio laid out a simple plan to open a restaurant. Juan sold his house and Jamal contributed all his savings. Mirazoni shared his recipes and prepared hydra meat for them each day. They had lines out the door within days and opened another location within a year.
A year and a half later, Juan bought a new house and Jamal became a homeowner for the first time. They found the perfect houses so they could live next door to each other. With a gate installed in the backyard, they could pass between properties so everyone could hang out with Mirazoni whenever they wanted.
Thank you for continuing to share these.