Clarity

“If you ask me,” Liam’s sister announced, “you should pick a practical spell. And nothing dangerous.”

Isabella was pointing her fork directly at him when she said this. There was still a bit of pancake stuck between the tines, and it was dripping with syrup.

“Leave him alone,” Liam’s father said, without bothering to lower the newspaper that covered his face. “It’s his decision. Not yours.”

Liam stared up at the kitchen wallpaper. It was dark blue like the sea on a stormy night. What was he going to do? His fifteenth birthday was only three days away! He needed to make a decision — and soon.

His mother smiled at him encouragingly from the counter, but then she turned on the coffee grinder. GRRRRRRRRZZZZZTTT! The sound made it suddenly impossible to think.

Every nonwizard citizen of Ireland, when they reached fifteen years of age, was allowed to pick a single line to memorize from Grayling’s Book of Common Spells. It was said that one spell was the most that any nonwizard could ever hope to learn. On the morning of his fifteenth birthday, Liam would be driven to the Grand Wizard’s Court. He’d be allowed to glance through the book for no more than five minutes before making his decision. Of course, the problem was that there were thousands of spells to choose from. How was he possibly going to decide?

“KAPLAR FALLOW SQUEAK!” Isabella shouted. Instantly her knife grew arms and legs and began running frantically in circles around the table.

Liam’s mother laughed. It was a sweet laugh that was neither too high nor too low, and was filled with warmth and depth, like a hearty bowl of soup.

A few seconds later, the knife fell to the floor.

“See?” she said. “Useless! A stupid trick!”

Isabella had learned the spell called Animate. That’s why she could make inanimate objects dance or run around if she wanted to. It only lasted a few seconds, and the objects never really came to life. It was more like they were hit by a sudden jolt and couldn’t help but jiggle around a bit. They couldn’t talk or think.

Liam’s friend Ethan had his fifteenth birthday a couple weeks ago. He had chosen the Cheat spell. Once a day, he can whisper the words and any answer on any test or assignment would magically appear on the page in his own handwriting.

“Believe me, Liam,” Ethan had told him, “you do NOT want to pick that spell.”

Everyone at school knew that Ethan had learned to cast Cheat. Now, whenever it came time for a quiz, Mrs. Myrtle would stand behind his desk to make sure he didn’t actually use it. It made Ethan so nervous to have a teacher standing and watching the whole time that he would start coughing for no reason or break out into a sweat.

“Even the ones I should have gotten right,” he insisted, “I get wrong now! I just get so flustered!”

“Yeah,” Liam had said to him, “that’s tough luck.”

Liam’s parents had both made good decisions when it came time to pick their spells. His father had chosen Amor. It wasn’t a permanent love spell; it would only last around twenty seconds. It also didn’t really make anyone fall in love with you. They just found you slightly more attractive and slightly more interesting than they did before. Still, it had been enough. When his father had asked their mother out on a date, she had said yes.

Liam’s mother had learned Snapshot. She could only cast it once a week, but when she did, it would preserve her memories of that moment perfectly. She would always be able to remember it exactly as it was — the sights, the sounds, the colors, and even the feelings she felt at the time.

“I’m saving up Snapshot this week,” she told him as she scuffed up his hair and sat down to drink her coffee, “for your big day.”

“Great,” he said, sliding his last pancake across the plate with his fork. “You can watch me fail.”

“Liam!” his mother scolded.

He stared down at his plate and sighed.

“Whatever choice I make,” he said, “I’m going to regret it.”

For once in her life, his sister defended him.

“You know what?” she said. “He’s probably right.”

When the big day came, Liam put on a black suit. His dad had to show him how to put on his tie. It was dark blue.

The Grand Wizard’s Court was an hour’s drive through the countryside. It was raining, but only a little. The rolling hills glistened with moisture and reflected beams from the sun that fought their way to the ground through a layer of clouds.

A man came out from the castle to meet them at their car. He had a long, white beard and wore simple gray robes. He chatted with Liam’s parents about the weather for a while, and he got them both laughing at some joke that Liam didn’t quite hear. He was too busy staring at the old castle ahead of him, as if the stones might tell him which spell he ought to pick from the book.

“Well now,” the old wizard said to him. “Didn’t mean to keep you waiting.” Then he led Liam down the dirt path to the castle.

Liam’s parents had to wait by the car. Those were the rules, and Liam was grateful. He didn’t want his parents there watching him make his choice. If he got nervous or made a bad decision, his mother would have remembered that moment perfectly forever.

“This day isn’t for them,” the wizard said, as if he could read Liam’s thoughts. “It’s for you. Don’t be nervous.”

Don’t be nervous? That was it? That was his whole pep talk? Liam tried to think of something clever and ironic to say in reply, but he was so caught up in the beauty of the castle that he had trouble thinking about anything else. He loved the way the green ivy wrapped itself up and around the faded gray stones.

He was led to a small, dark room. It was lit only by candles. There was a large wooden podium. On it sat a huge hardcover volume. This was Grayling’s Book of Common Spells.

“You have exactly five minutes,” the wizard said. “When you’ve picked your spell, read it out loud. Once you’ve made your choice, it’s final. So choose wisely.”

It was easy for the wizard to say. He probably knew hundreds of spells — some of which were too powerful even to be put into Grayling’s book. He never had to pick “just one.” He could learn as many as he wanted. It didn’t seem fair.

Knowing he did not have much time, Liam quickly flipped through the pages. The book smelled like pine needles and vanilla. The paper was heavy and yellow with age.

Quickly, Liam’s eyes skimmed through line after line. There was a spell, Grow, which would allow him to grow half an inch each time he cast it. Birdcall was a spell to attract birds. They would even land on his head and shoulders for a short time. Liam was reminded by what his sister had said. Pick something practical.

He skipped forward a few pages. There was a spell called Clean. He knew this was a popular one. He could make the dishes do themselves, or send a broom around the house for a minute or two to do the sweeping for him.

He thought how his mother might laugh, seeing the broom dance around the hardwood floor all on its own.

“Just two more minutes,” the wizard said. “If you’re looking for a spell that will turn everything you touch to gold, I’m afraid you won’t find it. These are common spells. Nothing that will make you rich or famous.”

Snapshot caught Liam’s eye. It was a good spell, but what would people say if they knew he had chosen the same spell as his mother? Would they make fun of him?

Finally, he found what he wanted. He continued to frantically flip through the pages just to be sure, but somehow he knew he had made his choice.

“Time’s up!” the Wizard said.

Walking back to the car, Liam actually smiled. He realized that it was the first time he had done so in at least three days. He wasn’t worried about his decision anymore. Maybe there was a spell that would have been even better, but he was happy with his choice.

“You won’t believe it,” he told his parents. “You won’t believe what I picked!”

​​“Wait, wait,” his father said. “Before you say anything... whatever choice you made, your mother and I want you to know we’re proud of you.”

Liam couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“I picked Clarity,” he said.

His parents both shot him a confused look. It wasn’t their fault, he knew, that it wasn’t a very popular spell.

“It helps people,” he said, “to see all the pros and cons of their decisions more clearly. When it’s time for my friends to pick their own spells, I can cast it and help make sure that they make the choice that’s right for them.”

His mother smiled. She scuffed up his hair and said, “Now this is a moment I’m glad I’ll remember.”

On the car ride home, Liam stared out at the rolling green hills through his window. He thought about all the other spells he could have picked. The pages of the book were still turning in his head. He could have learned a spell that would have helped him translate a dog’s bark into human speech, or a spell that would have let him breathe underwater like a fish. No matter what spell he had picked, he realized, there would always be this game of what if? What if he had learned a love spell, like his father? What if he had learned a memory spell, like his mother?

In the end, though, he could only pick one, and the only thing he knew for sure was this: He was happy with his choice.