"That's right, I'm heading out tomorrow!" Seren explained, downing the rest of their birch beer and setting their bottle down. "Gotta start early if I want to make it to Moonlight Valley."

They strode over to the desk behind them and began to gather up more glass bottles. Prim thought for a moment. Moonlight Valley... 

"Isn't that way out west?" she asked. "Like... waaaaaay out west? Like over on the other side of the continent?"

"Mmm-hmm! Over the Caps and down towards the gulf." Seren was now filling and corking bottles.

"Are you visiting someone?" Prim asked, trying to hide her disappointment. She was already growing close to this witch and didn't want them to leave so soon.

Seren corked another bottle before turning to face Prim. "Are you familiar with the Witchual Ritual?"

"Yeah, yeah! I've heard about it but it's, uhh... been, uhh..."

Prim was not familiar with the Witchual Ritual, but she was having trouble admitting so. She had told Seren she was a witch in training and didn't want to come off as a phony. Thankfully, Seren picked up on her uncertainty and explained.

"The Witchual Ritual happens once every thirteen years," they began, "on the thirteenth day of the thirteenth month..."

Prim gasped. "But there is no thirteenth month!!"

Seren patted her on the back. "Anything is possible with enough magic, dear Prim!!"

"Woah..."

"When the Witchual rolls around, witches from all over the world gather in Moonlight Valley." Seren was gesturing extravagantly with their hands now. "Everyone contributes some magic to the Spell Well, creating a pool of magical energy. At the stroke of the witching hour, everyone forms a circle and compels the energy to flow up out of the well and high into the sky, sprinkling a little magic over every corner of the world."

"Wow..." Prim could only imagine the beauty of such an event.

Seren adjusted their hat. "The Witchual ensures that there's a little magic in everything. It makes spellcasting easier. It makes synthesis easier. It makes magical convergence easier. And it might just spark some inspiration in the next generation of witches."

Seren stepped around the cauldron and picked up a large staff. After rubbing one end with their fingertips for a moment, they blew on the tip of the staff. A school of bubbles formed in the air and gently floated over to Prim. She simply stared in wonder as they popped one by one into small bursts of colored sparks. Her eyes were dazzled by an array of gentle colors, drifting and mixing together before her. It was a simple spell, sure, but in that moment, it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

"The Witchual Ritual is taking place this year," Seren explained, "and I would love to be a part of it. Tomorrow I'm heading out for Moonlight Valley."

"But... it's only October... Shouldn't you stick around a little longer?" Prim half-questioned, half-pleaded.

"I like the idea of leaving early," Seren answered, gently swaying on their feet, "Means I can take my time and enjoy the journey."

"I... I'd love to go with you..." Prim muttered, ears drooping down, "...but I don't think my mom would let me."

"Mmm, it sounds like your mom isn't too interested in magic," Seren agreed. "It's a shame, because I think the Witchual would be a wonderful experience for a witch in training. Maybe when the next one rolls around, you and I can take a trip to the Valley?"

Seren smiled hopefully at Prim, but the young rabbit was thoroughly dispirited. "It's late. I should get home."

"Okay," Seren began, stepping back around the cauldron. "Take the rest of the honey cookies with you!"

They handed the cookies to their visitor and held the door open for them. As Primrose shuffled out into the night, ears still down and eyes misty, a cloud of sadness moved over Serendipity's heart. They couldn't help but stoke a little magical wonder in a young witch, but had they overdone it? Maybe the nicer thing would have been to simply walk Prim back home without getting her too involved. If only there was a way to bring Prim along on the journey without upsetting her parents...

~ ~ ~

The following morning was crisp and cool. Serendipity thoroughly enjoyed the sounds of crunching leaves beneath their feet as they walked. After asking around and getting directions from the villagers, Seren learned that a small, bespectacled rabbit lived at the end of the market trail in a cozy little two-story home. After thirty minutes or so of walking along the trail (and occasionally stopping to collect some interesting-looking leaves), Seren arrived at what they assumed to be Prim's house. Taking a deep breath, they dusted off their coat, adjusted their hat, and knocked three times on the front door.

Seren heard movement inside for a minute. They were about to knock again when the door opened.

"Hi there, can I help you?" a rabbit asked, eyeing Seren up and down. The homeowner was dressed in a suitcoat and skirt, and sported classy horn-rimmed glasses.

"Good morning," Seren began, tipping their hat, "My name is Serendipity."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Joanne. That's an awfully big hat you've got there, Serendipity."

"Ah yes," Seren replied, clutching the brim with both hands, "this is my favorite hat!"

"Sure." Joanne looked them over again. "You wouldn't happen to be a witch, would you, Serendipity?"

Seren swallowed hard. "It's uh... It's funny you mention that, Joanne. Is-is Primrose home?"

"Primrose? Sorry, I think you've got the wrong house. It's just me and Joanne junior here."

"Ah, yes, sorry. Jo-Joanne junior, was it? Brown hair, big glasses, walks like this?"

Seren hugged themself and shuffled in place.

"That's right!" Joanne replied, nodding. "Do you know her?"

Seren nodded. "I came by to ask..."

They were twiddling their fingers and shuffling their feet in the leaves on the doorstep.

"Would you be interested... in sending your daughter... on a three-month long journey full of witches and magical wonders?"

Joanne's mouth fell open. "Magical wo- absolutely not!!"

"Well!" Seren croaked, taking off their hat, "I, uh! It's... It's a good thing that isn't what I'm here for!" They clutched their hat nervously and bit down on the brim.

"Oh, thank goodness!" Joanne sighed with relief. "You can never be too careful these days. There are so many witches wandering around, just threatening to push your kids off the beaten path. Kids love magic; it sucks them right in. My daughter has already expressed an interest in witchcraft, but this is a proud family lineage and she cannot get distracted."

Seren nodded enthusiastically, still biting their hat.

Joanne continued. "Joanne junior is going to be a certified carrot counter, just like her father, and his father before him, and his father before her father's father."

She looked up and adjusted her glasses. "My husband really is something special. Did you know he once counted an entire shipment of carrots before collapsing from dehydration?"

"Incredible!" Seren replied.

"Absolutely. My daughter needs to start practicing now if she's going to make regionals."

They were both quiet for a moment. A pleasant autumn breeze blew by, tickling Seren's ears and tossing around some leaves.

Joanne finally spoke up. "So, what did you come by to ask me, Serendipity?"

Seren froze for a second. "Right! Um! I was wondering if you would be interested in sending your daughter to..."

They screwed their eyes shut, searching their brain for an answer.

"...Math camp?"

Joanne was quiet for a moment. Seren's heart stopped beating.

"...Wow! Math camp!" Joanne spoke up, clapping her hands together, "That sounds wonderful! Why, if Joanne junior takes an interest in math now, there's no telling how fast her carrot counting will be."

"Sure!" Seren began, putting their hat back on, "We'll be doing fractions, percentages, and all kinds of counting. There's traveling, uh, workshops, and talks with some of the region's greatest mathematicians! It's a three month camp, totally free of charge."

"Oh my goodness, I am so excited," Joanne sang, reaching out and shaking Seren's hand. "Thank you, Serendipity. I'll tell her all about it right now."

"I'm leaving early in the morning," Seren explained, "so if you want in, you'll have to pack her things quickly!"

"Of course! I'll have her things packed up by tonight."

Seren tipped their hat again and left, turning back to wave at Joanne before heading back up the trail.

~ ~ ~

Great.

Primrose was facedown in bed, with her head underneath her pillow. The last time she had come up for air, she had noticed a soft blue light sneaking in through her window, meaning it was almost time for the sun to come up. She hadn't slept all night. She couldn't stop thinking about the Witchual Ritual, and Serendipity's three month journey to be a part of it. All those witches, all that magic... it sounded like a dream. But her mom had refused to hear about it. And worse, she was now being sent to math camp in the morning! Seren would be traveling the continent and performing spells for three months, while Prim would be stuck in a room somewhere with a calculator in one hand and her face in the other. 

She came up for air again and flipped over on her back. This was going to be the worst three months of her life. Tears started welling up in her eyes for the hundredth time that night. Why couldn't she be a witch? Why did she have to do the same thing her father did? Didn't she get a choice? Wasn't she a person with wishes and goals and dreams? They didn't care at all. They just... they just...

Prim was about to burst into tears again before hearing a soft knock on her window. She opened her eyes for a moment but could barely see through the tears. It was probably some leaves blowing into the window or something, anyway.

*Knock knock knock!*

There it was again. This time she sat up, rubbed her eyes, and slid out of bed. 

"Who the heck is-?" she began, but trailed off when she looked out the window. 

There, in the soft light of early sunrise, was Serendipity, floating outside her window atop a broom. They were smiling and waving at her. She threw open the window, blinking as hard as she could to see if she was dreaming.

"Hello, Primrose...!" Seren whispered, flying a little closer.

"Seren...! What are you doing here??"

"I spoke to your mom! She thinks I'm taking you to math camp!"

"Wha-... but...!"

"Here, I brought you something."

Seren reached into their coat and pulled out a small bag. After fishing around in it for a second, they retrieved a bright orange witch hat.

Prim gasped, freezing in place as Seren gently lowered the hat onto her head.

"This is one of my old ones. There was a time when I thought orange would be my color!"

Seren had originally cut holes in the brim for their cat ears, and Prim's bunny ears fit nicely through them. She turned to look at herself in the mirror by her dresser, and the sight of a proper witch hat on her head was almost too much to handle.

"I figured you'd want to look nice for the Witchual Ritual," Seren explained, admiring their pupil. "Also, a witch needs a hat!"

Wordlessly, Prim slowly turned to face the witch at her window. She could only look Serendipity in the eye for a second or two before bursting into tears. Seren reached out for her and Prim stumbled into their arms, clutching onto their back and sobbing into their shoulder. Seren gently pulled Prim through the window and sat her down on the broom, holding her tightly in the dim blue light.

"Seren..." Prim choked, fighting to fit words in between sobs, "Seren... I'm..."

"Shhhh, shhhhh..." Seren whispered softly, gently guiding her away from their shoulder to look her in the eye.

"Seren, I'm... not a witch..." she expressed, sniffling. "I'm not in training. I've never done magic. I..."

She rubbed at her eyes before continuing. "That witch hat I used to have? I... I made it with some leftover felt I found on the ground. My name isn't even Primrose, I-... I just wanted to have a witchier-sounding name..."

"I think it's a wonderful name," Seren replied softly.

Prim continued. "Joanne is fine, but it's my mom's name. I want my own name. I want... my own life. I want a life that involves more magic and... less carrots."

Seren smiled. "May I ask you a question?"

Prim looked up at the witch before her and nodded. Their eyes were bright and earnest, even in the soft pre-dawn light.

"Primrose... would you like to be my apprentice?"

Prim choked on a sob and brought a hand to her mouth.

"I thought about this a lot, yesterday," Seren continued. "Prim, I don't care if you're not a real witch, or if you've never done magic, or if you made your own hat. I don't care about any of that! If you ask me, anyone who wants to be a witch can be one. And... to tell you the truth, I'm afraid of getting lonely on the trip. More afraid that I thought I would be. I had convinced myself that it would be nice and peaceful to travel by myself, but now I'm not sure I can handle it. I think an apprentice is just what I need to make it to Moonlight Valley."

Seren looked away for a moment. "I know it's sudden, and I'm sorry for springing it on you, but-"

Before they could finish, Prim threw her arms around them and clutched them tightly. She was crying again, but she was smiling, too.

"Serendipity?" Prim asked, muffled by Seren's coat.

"Yes, what is it?"

Prim released the hug and looked them in the eye. "Let's go to Moonlight Valley, teach."

---***---