Magic had weight that could break a grieving mind, effectively ending any wizard’s career.

Professor Henley drew an incantation in the air. Finger-like tendrils seeped out of the pentagram and lurched into his skull, hungry for memory.

He thought of his wedding. His children being born.

The spell groaned, sated.

Desiree S. Brown is a poet and author from California. She writes when the world sleeps and her toddler’s are pacified. Her recent work, Untroubled, was published in Redrosethorns magazine. Find her on Substack at Desi’s Narrative.