A Kind of Magic

by Ryan the Rebel

The doorbell rang as Natalie Zelazny finished the formula. She had made many enemies with The Council, as they feared any Witch who studied works that were considered forbidden. And it was always Witches they feared, never warlocks. She could not find a satisfying answer for why this was the case. All the stories of Witches who would study the oldest and most powerful kinds of magic simply stopped at the individuals in question never being heard from again.

All this was a load of chauvinistic bullshit as far as Natalie was concerned. A myth made to make sure Witches were put in their place, and now they were here to stop her.

Natalie expected them to come at her sooner after she stole the Tome of Eternity from the archives, and found what she was looking for. From a mixture of obscure chemicals, and what was supposed to be the blood of a fallen Old God came a yellowish blue globule no bigger than gumball. She plucked the globule up and engulfed it in her fist as she exited her room.

As Natalie marched towards the front door she wondered who the Council sent for her. As her grasped doorknob, she expected an army to be waiting for her or at least a high ranking Warlock. She opened the door to find someone she recognized. He didn't have any real connection to the Council, and he wasn't even a magic user.

“Oh, Dave,” Natalie exclaimed.

“Hi, Natty,” said David Nagata.

David felt a little funny looking at how Natalie was dressed compared to himself. David was wearing khakis and a brown pocket tee. His buxom blonde girlfriend on the other hand was clad in a black dress that showed off her cleavage. What threw him off a bit however was her somewhat disheveled demeanor.

“Are we still going out today?”

“Yes,” she said.

“Alright, so what's the plan? It's not going to be the Brimstone Club is it?”

“No,” Natalie replied.

“Good,” said David, “I don't want to offend you, but your friends weren’t exactly the most welcoming of people.”

“No one on the Council is my friend.”

That put David at ease. When first realized he was dating an honest to God witch, he was intimidated, but kind of excited. Magic was real and Natalie was master at it. Their first date was in Seoul, and they got just by walking through a door in her basement. The second date did not go so well. On paper a club run by Witches and Warlocks sounded awesome. In practice in turned out a lot of magic users were overly hierarchical, abusive, and looked down an any one of their kind who dated someone like him.

“Ok, point being you have a plan for tonight, right?” David asked.

Natalie produced the globule from her hand.

“Yes,” she said with smile, “But first how 'bout I put a little show for you all?”

She place the ball in her mouth and swallowed it seductively, and closed the front door behind herself.

“Stand back,” Natalie ordered.

“How far?” David asked wryly a he , “We're in the middle of Old City, and there's only so much sidewalk before I end up in the street.”

“I don't know, I never done this bef-”

Natalie stopped abruptly, and look of shock crossed her face.

“It's starting,” she whispered and smile crossed her face.

Before David could respond, he noticed that there was something else off about Natalie. She suddenly seemed taller. At first he though he was imagining things until she steeped forward and realized she was a good two feet taller than him and still growing. David backed away in shock.

“You won't believe how this feels” Natalie proclaimed proudly as her growth accelerated. Within three seconds she past fifteen feet, and three seconds after that she passed thirty feet. She was reveling in every moment of the process, taking the time to posse provocatively in front of David.

“Oh I can imagine,” her diminutive boyfriend answered nervously, “And it's scaring me.”

Natalie laughed as she grew past fifty feet. It was loud and echoed throughout Old City, causing the ground to vibrate beneath David's feet. It was not malicious laugh however. It was the kind of laugh she'd give whenever David would pull a goofy face, or a joke in any given Judd Apatow movie.

“Don't be,” she said with a playful smile.

Natalie's growth slowed to crawl until it finally stopped with she giving out an intense sigh of satisfaction. She now stood at 90 ft. Her black dress had grown with her, but it had become slightly tighter and showed of the curves of her body. She looked down at her awestruck boyfriend.

“What do you think?” Natalie asked with a chuckle.

David slowly stepped towards Natalie.

“This is a bit much to take in,” he said nervously, “But for what it's worth you look amazing.”

“I better look amazing,” she replied with sly pride, “I spent a long time on this little project of mine.”

“But this is still a date right?”

“Oh, yes,” she replied, “It's still a date, but it's also something so much more.”

And with that she reached down to grab David. He recoiled from the suddenness of the gesture.

“I know you're scared,” she said, “but like I said before, don't be. I'm still me.”

David took one more look her massive hand, and evaded himself into the palm. Natalie's figured closed around him firmly.

“Too tight?” she asked.

“No,” David replied, “It's fine.”

Natalie lifted David off his feet and brought him up her face. It was surreal seeing his girlfriend's smiling face engulf his field of vision.

“So, what now?” he asked.

“I say we take a stroll,” Natalie answered, before placing David on her right shoulder. She then turned her gaze towards Center City, where the Brimstone Club lay waiting.

Natalie strutted down the street like a runway model. She was always proud of her body, and loved to show off her curves whenever possible. At the same time she choose her steps deliberately to minimize any potential damage. Nonetheless she did attract attention. When groups of friends, and loved ones who made their weekly treks to the Sports Bars of Philadelphia caught sight of Giant Woman in a black gown crossed their view there was change in their plans. By the time she had reached broad street, a line of three dozen people was following her.

“We seem to making a bit of stir,” a concerned David announced.

“Good,” said Natalie.

She turned to face her little entourage before her, and sure enough a number of them had their cellphones out, snapping pictures and recording video of her.

“I hope your getting my good side,” she announced to them.

The crowd jolted at the volume of her voice. She responded with chuckle and said, “Don't sweat it little ones. Keep following, and I'll show you all something really special.”

Natalie turned back towards he destination and continued walking while still being mindful of her steps.

“Little ones?” David asked.

“What's wrong with that?” a bemused Natalie asked.

"You seem to having a little too much fun being big?"

"You don't even know the half it, and the best part is we still haven't gotten to the main event.”

As she reached the cluster of bars on 15th street, her followers began to grow in numbers. People pouring out of the bars, many with drinks in hand to take in the sight. Police were dispatched to her presence, and News Helicopters began to swarm around her.

"Now for the main event," Natalie whispered to herself as she sighted the Brimstone Club at the corner of 15th and Chancellor street.

She took David off her shoulder and placed him on top of the parking garage next to the club. Natalie then turned her attention back to what had become an endless source grief for her. All the snobs, and gatekeepers had turned a club she once loved into an exclusionary cesspool. She could think of no better way to take her frustration than to smash it to pieces.

But that was when she was first concocting her plan. Now she found herself unable to follow through. Her new size had given her public attention no Magic User has had in centuries, but it also gave a peculiar sort of perspective. The medieval facade of the Brimstone Club, which was already pretty silly looking, looked positively pathetic from a 90 foot vintage point. She could see the club's patrons looking at her aghast from the windows, and to her surprise that took the fun out of idea of destroying it wholesale.

She turned to the crowd that had grown from a small entourage into a sea of people.

“I guess you're all wondering who I am,” she announce to them, “Well, I'm just a Witch who wants to have fun.”

The crowd talked among themselves as they processed this revelation.

“Yes, I am Witch. How else do explain this magnificent specimen that stands before you?”

There was a burst of laughter from crowd as well as few whoops from some of the more drunken members. That was when a light-bulb went off above Natalie’s head.

“And I bet your wondering where we have we been all this time? Where have all the Witches and Wizards have been all this time? Well, that right there is your answers,” she pointed to the Brimstone Club, “That is were we are. The beer is great, and membership is completely free.”

As much as Natalie had grown to loath the club's elitism, she did love the homegrown beer and her endorsement was absolutely sincerer. What she said about the membership was a lie truly worthy of her stature, and Natalie tried not to laugh as a hoard of Philadelphia's drunkest piled into the Brimstone Club, and cause much grief to its members.

David on the other hand felt no need such restraint. His laughter managed to be heard by Natalie over the sound of the crowd.

“I see I'm not the only one who's pleased with this,” she said looking down at David.

“Honey, I am so tempted to go down there and start a 'Big Dick Mick” chant.”

“Do that, and I will end you little man,” Natalie replied as she scooped up David and held him in the palm of her hand.

“Speaking ending things,” said David, “Where we really smash the Club in?”

Natalie's face got sheepish.

“If I said yes, what would you say to that?”

“I would say 'thank you for being honest, and that I'm glad you didn't do it, because you're better than that'.”

Natalie smiled warmly, and puckered her lips.

“Is this what I think it is?” David asked.

“Yup,” Natalie replied.

David smiled, leaned forward, and prepared for a one of a kind kiss.