Leather Bound Wishes

The Weird Beginning

I walked into the store. Something about the store was calling to me. I was on my way home from work and I was passing this store that I’ve driven by a million times. For some reason, I felt an overwhelming desire to stop and check it out. I looked around and the store had a very chill, but weird vibe. It was quiet and there were a few people scattered throughout. There were books and stones and incense on the walls. They had pendulums in cases and sage bundles on shelves. Candles and dried herbs and statues filling different rooms. I walked around quietly taking it all in. I walked over to the wall of stones. All these different crystals in so many colors. There were cards next to the crystal case that told about the properties of the crystal and ways to use it. In the corner of my eye, I see a little black leather-bound book. The book is sitting on an end table next to a large brown leather chair. It was like someone had been sitting there reading it. There were leather strings wrapped around the book to keep it closed. I looked around to see if someone had left their book but no one was anywhere near the book. The book looked old, almost like a worn bible. I walked over to the table and picked up the book. The pages were tan and looked worn but still in good condition. I opened the book and inside there were lined pages, but not a single word was present in the book. It was empty. I fanned through the pages trying to find the substance. Maybe this was a journal of some sort. Like an antique.

I was studying the book when a lady walked up to me. She was an African- American woman. Her hair was short, natural, and very curly. She smiled brightly. "How are you today?" I looked at her shirt for a nametag and didn't see one. The way she approached me seemed like she worked there or something. " I am feeling well today. Thank you for asking. I'm not sure if you work here, but do you know if this book is for sale? It was just sitting on this table. Nowhere near the shelves with the rest of the books. Also, there is no barcode on the back like the rest. No price either. So I wasn't sure." The lady smiled and giggled a little bit. "My name is Serene. What's your name?" I immediately felt embarrassed. She just seemed like she approached me with authoritative energy. Maybe she doesn't work here. I smiled and reached my hand toward her. " I'm sorry my name is Willa. I don't know why I assumed you worked here." I shrugged. "How are you Serene? Do you come here often? It's my first time." Serene giggled again. She giggled like she was a teenager but this woman was at least in her 40's. Maybe even 50's. You know black women have a way of hiding age. Her skin was smooth. Her neck was slim and seemed to gracefully melt into her shoulders. She looked like she must take care of herself. She was almost glowing. Her arms were slim but you could see that they were toned as if she worked out. She walked around to the other side of the table so that she was across from me. " I am feeling very happy today. Especially now that I have someone as special as you in my shop." I was completely shocked.

I took a step back in surprise. I went from thinking she was an employee to thinking she was just a customer like me looking to connect. It never occurred to me that she was the owner of the store. Why was she calling me special? I couldn't help the smile that was now covering my face. I could feel that all my teeth were showing in my cheesy grin. I could not help but feel happy with this interesting woman calling me special. Serene pointed to the book. "Do you know how many people ask me or anyone else here about this book?" I shrugged. "No one," she said. "That book has been sitting on the table for 3 years. I always come by and show it love. I take care of it, but no one has picked it up and studied it like you just did." I felt shocked. Three years? That's such a long time. It made me think. Why did I pick up the book and study it the way I did? It was random and interesting. I didn't feel like I was doing anything special, but it felt good to hear the way she felt. "So is there something special about the book? Why is it here? Is it on sale?" Serene smiled and nodded. "Yes, the book is very special. I don't know of any other book like it on the planet. No, it's not on sale. It's here so that it can find its match, its owner." I could feel my eyebrows raising. I felt confused. I had so many questions. Serene continued “ Take your book home and write in it. My suggestion is that you only write about things that you want to see in your life.” With that, she took a deep breath and smiled. “What a magical ending to our day!” Serene exclaimed. I looked down at the book in my hands. “What do you mean by a magical ending?” I asked. I waited for a reply but was met with silence. When I looked up Serene was gone. Hmmm, I guess that means I’ve got a new book.

The Willa Butterfly

Later on, at home, I sat with the book in my hands. I had been thinking since I left the store about what to write. I was stressing myself out trying to decide what I wanted. Maybe I should be thinking about what to write down for my mom. She was the one that needed a magic book. I opened the book and decided to draw. No pressure came from drawing. It was more coloring than drawing. I liked to draw butterflies because they are simple and easy. I don’t need a whole lot of skill to make my drawing look like a butterfly. I drew the wings and the body and then the antennae. I drew two sides of a W into the wings with the body of the butterfly connecting the letter. Around that was an array of different shades of purple. I had fun drawing and coloring. I closed up the book and laid down feeling very satisfied with my first entry into this mysterious book. At least every time I open the book going forward this beautiful butterfly would greet me. The Willa Butterfly. I liked that.

The next morning I got up as usual. Getting clear on what I want from my life was still a burning question in my brain. It was a welcome break from the constant worrying about my mom. I put the question on the back burner and decided just to focus on work for the time being. I walked into the hospital and put the book and my mom, and my life out of my mind. When lunchtime came around I went to my favorite spot outside on the steps to eat. I love being able to come outside and hear the birds, feel the sun on my face, and the wind at my back. I looked around at the tree branches swaying back and forth and I felt very grateful to be in that space at that moment and then a butterfly fluttered down. It was such a beautiful butterfly so many different shades of purple coated its wings. There were speckles of black forming a line towards the center. The butterfly came and landed right in front of me. I was shocked because I rarely experience a butterfly coming so close to me. Something about the butterfly almost felt familiar. My goodness! The realization sent a feeling of ecstasy through my body. This is my butterfly!!! The Willa Butterfly. It was the same thing that I had drawn the night before but real!!

Oh my. How was this even possible? Whoa, was this because of the book? Even the W I drew into the wings for Willa was there. The butterfly seemed to know that I made it. It flew around me almost like it was showing off. What the Hell!!! I thought to myself, I wish it would land again so that I could take a picture. It was like the butterfly read my mind because almost immediately it landed in front of me again and spread its wings. I took a picture and hopped up with the remnants of my lunch. I only had thirty minutes and who knew how long I’d been staring at the butterfly. I told the butterfly thank you. It almost seemed wrong to leave it. I whispered I hope to see you again soon and ran back inside to work. Would everything I wrote in the book come true so quickly? Would everything I wrote come true? I immediately went to my locker and pulled out the book. Inside I wrote $20,000.

A New Chapter

I decided to go to the park. It was my day off and it felt amazing outside. Also, my mind couldn’t stop wondering where the $20,000 would come from and if the book would bring it just because I wrote it down. My mother called while I roamed down one of the park trails. “Good morning Willa! I have great news. I spoke to the doctor this morning and he believes that my tumor will respond favorably to the new treatment program. I don’t know how we’ll pay for it yet, but the Lord will provide! I’m going to the bank this afternoon to see about a loan.” I considered whether or not I should tell my mom about the book. If the book worked then my mom’s treatment would be paid in full. I had been trying to manifest this money ever since we heard about the program. I decided not to say anything. “That’s great mom! I’m sure the money will show up. Like you said the Lord will provide.” My mom let out a hearty laugh. She knew that I wasn’t a big fan of religion at this point in my life, but she appreciated my supportive words. “Hey mom, I’m on a trail and my signal isn’t great. I’ll call you when I get back to the car.” “Alright, Sweetheart.” My mom replied.

After a long walk, I slowly made my way back to the car. Suddenly this child appeared behind me. I jumped out of my skin. Where did he come from? “Is your name Willa? Willa Everleen?” His voice was so soft and innocent. I looked around for who he was with. He looked 8! “Yes, that’s my name,” I responded in confusion. He handed me an envelope and skipped off laughing. Still feeling very confused I open up the envelope. Inside was $20,000 cash! I ran to my car, drove to a secluded spot, and counted the money. This changed everything. I called my mom with tears in my eyes. “Mom! We have the money for the program. Mom, I’m serious I have it in my hands right now. You are going to get better! I promise you mom everything is going to be different from here on out.” We cried tears of joy together. If only I’d known at that moment how much our lives would change maybe I would have taken that mystical book and burned it. This was just the beginning. What an adventure we were in for.