Several years ago, Mari fell sick with what everyone thought was the flu, but it turned out to be something much worse, and it started wreaking havoc on her lungs.

 

By the time doctors were able to identify the issue it was too late to operate, and they said she only had a few months left to live, so when medical science wasn’t able to help her, she sought out a magical solution instead.

 

She managed to get in contact with a witch who lives on the outskirts of the city, and for a shockingly reasonable price was able to get her lungs enchanted in order to keep them going. They don’t work quite as well as they used to, but considering how damaged they were it’s a miracle she’s alive at all.

 

All she needs to do is see the witch every 3 months for a short checkup, to make sure everything is still working as expected, and to recharge the enchantment, so it was surprising when the witch asked her to visit outside of the usual schedule.

 

Visiting the witch via public transport is a long, but peaceful, journey. For some reason the last bus of the trip is always empty, but that just gives Mari a chance to listen to her music without having to worry about anything else. 

 

The bus stops in an area on the outskirts of the city that never really saw much development, where each property covers a much larger area of land than you’d expect from the suburbs, and lucky for Mari the stop is right in front of the house she’s come to visit.

 

It would be more accurate to refer to the witch's house as an older mansion, with multiple stories and more rooms than most people would know what to do with. She walks down the long driveway, lined with tall trees on both sides, a gentle breeze causing her scruffy black hair to sway somewhat, and as usual is greeted at the door by one of the witch’s dolls.

 

She is led to the office on the ground floor, which is where the witch usually sees her clients. Another doll comes in and serves her some tea, and says “Miss will be with you shortly” with a soft voice.

 

It only takes a few moments for the witch to arrive, who happily greets her and sits down in the seat on the opposite side. Mari is a taller than average woman, but even then the witch almost towers over her, and her slender build contrasts heavily with Mari’s larger frame. Mari is still unsure what the point of today’s visit is, and when she asks the witch why she’s here, she gets an answer she wasn’t ready for.

 

“You’re moving!?” Mari yells.

 

“Indeed, I don’t dislike the city but it was never where I planned to live forever, I’ve always wanted to live by the sea so I’ll be moving to a quaint little town up north, about 3 hours from here.”

 

Mari isn’t sure what to say, 3 hours isn’t that much longer than her current trips, but that’s only assuming she had a car of her own, or someone who would be willing to drive her both ways on a regular basis. 

 

All her life, Mari has felt like she’s been fighting against forces outside of her control, scrambling to do whatever she can to just barely stay afloat, so this really isn’t what she wants to be hearing right now.

 

There’s no way she’d be able to keep going to these appointments, and she starts to feel short of breath as various worst case scenarios swirl in her mind.

 

“Now, I’m very aware that it’s critical that your treatment continues without interruption, which is why I’ve brought you here to discuss this before telling any other clients, in order to work out a plan that properly suits you.”

 

Hearing this helps Mari calm down a bit, and her breathing starts to settle. The situation is still under control, so there’s no need to panic just yet. The witch offers her two possible solutions.

 

The first option is for Mari to move out to the small town herself, so that the appointments can continue as normal. The witch would even be willing to let Mari stay with her for free, provided she helps out around the house where she can.

 

The idea of no longer having to worry about rent is extremely tempting, but Mari feels like she’d be leaving too much behind for her to be happy there, and she definitely wouldn’t want to leave Cassandra without any other friends to visit her.

 

The other option is for the Witch to teach Mari how to maintain the enchantment herself. She explains that enchanting an organ from scratch is difficult and extremely risky, but simply maintaining one that already exists isn’t that hard, and shouldn’t take too long to teach.

 

“Wait, so it’s possible for someone like me to learn witchcraft? Just like that?”

 

“Oh yes my dear, it’s a bit tricky but anyone can do it.” The witch answers while waving her hand somewhat dismissively, “It’s a bit like learning to ride a bike, only the bike doesn’t exist until you learn how to ride it properly.”

 

Mari isn’t entirely sure she understands, but if this works then it would be a much more appealing option than moving out, so she agrees to give it a shot.

 

Mari spends the next few months learning how to channel the energy required to fuel her enchantment. She works a full time job, so the training takes place on weekends when the witch doesn’t have any other clients to attend to. Mari uses those off days to visit Cassandra, and tell her about everything that’s happening, although those days become less common as the witch starts telling more clients about the move.

 

Visiting the witch this frequently would be quite difficult for Mari, both due to the length of the trips and the public transport fares, so the witch agrees to house calls instead. Mari forgot to give her the address of her apartment, but she managed to get there regardless.

 

It takes a few weeks for Mari to get the hang of it, but before too long she’s able to start feeling the arcane energies she needs, and from there it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to start channelling them. After two months have passed she’s able to perform the required maintenance on her lungs all by herself, and the witch asks Mari to come to her house, to go over everything before she leaves.

 

When Mari visits the house, she sees the witch’s dolls are carrying boxes out and loading them into the trunk of an old looking car, some of the dolls are climbing in themselves after placing the boxes. She isn’t sure how everything manages to fit in there, but she’s spent enough time around this witch to know better than to question these things.

 

The witch is waiting for her in the foyer, which still has the same furniture as usual, but all the magical items and other possessions have been packed away. She greets the witch, who observes Mari recharge the enchantment one last time.

 

The witch also gives her a large book filled with information about witchcraft, with bookmarks for the specific pages that contain information about the enchantment in case she ever needs to review it, or on the off chance that something goes wrong.

 

“It seems to me that you’re more than capable of taking care of this on your own, but it never hurts to be prepared. If something does happen, the last page has instructions on how to contact me.”

 

“Sure thing, is there anything else I should know before you go?” Mari asks.

 

“Oh yes, there is one thing I should mention. I don’t really have any need for this house anymore, so I’ve decided to give it to you.”

 

The witch hands her the deed to the property, which already has Mari’s full name on it.

 

“Wait, like… this house!? The whole thing!?”

 

“Yes, of course, darling. Your apartment is nice enough, but it’s really quite small, no room for self expression. I thought you’d appreciate a place like this that you can really do something with.”

 

Mari is still unsure about the idea. “I really appreciate the thought, but I’m not even sure what I’d do with a place this big. The stuff in my apartment wouldn’t even be enough to fill this foyer.”

 

“Don’t worry about it dear, this isn’t the sort of place you can fill out in a day, you’ll grow into it. Besides, I’ve already packed everything I need, you’re more than welcome to keep all of the furniture that’s still here.”

 

Mari looks around, she hadn’t realised until now that there were no longer any dolls carrying boxes outside. Had they already finished? But there’s still so much furniture here.

 

The witch had walked over to the front door while Mari was distracted. She’s now halfway through, and leaning back to say goodbye.

 

“Well, with that it’s about time for me to head out, that beach isn’t going to swim in itself. Toodles!” The witch waves goodbye and slips through the door before closing it. Mari calls out and chases after her, as she still has so many questions, but when she opens the door the witch and the car are already gone.

 

She turns around, and looks at the foyer of the house she now owns.

 

“Welp… I guess I need to find out if this place has electricity.”