Secretly a Magical Girl

Today I saw him alchemize a toad out of chocolate

It croaked. It looked at me.

And then Amaury smiled and stuck a spoon in it, the soul leaving the glassy eyes immediately.

I wanted to scream.

I hug my husband. There’s not a thing of chocolate at our small apartment. I can’t even bear the smell anymore. We eat some pasta and talk about the climate. The war. The economy. All of those feel less stressful than lifelike cocoa artifacts.

I have a nightmare. My husband, sitting on the couch, looking at the wall. Glassy eyed. A spoon is stuck in his head. Amaury is just standing there. Smiling. He always smiles.

I wake up in cold sweat. I turn the shower on, getting ready for a new day at the shop. Back at work we prepare to make another viral video. It’s some kind of a writhing pulsating mass. Amaury chuckles as he beats it with a spoon. Then he takes a bite. Offers all of us one. It’s delicious. It’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten. Tears streak down my cheeks. Tears as sweet as honey. He calls it a masterpiece. Thousands go mad as it’s posted online.

I come home. We watch news in silence. I come to the bathroom and I look at myself in the mirror. I do not know anymore if the reflection is me or another beautiful creation. I wash my face and the water runs down brown.

This night I reach my limit. I silently creep to the kitchen. I take a spoon out of the cupboard.