When I think of the word "magic", images of Disneyland characters, good fairies, and genie bottles first spring to mind. But here in Morocco, magic usually does not have such a positive connotation. It is connected to trouble and troublemakers.
The other day I was told of a woman who had a dream. In that dream, a mysterious form appeared and told her she was not keeping her house as clean as she used to and she was told in no uncertain terms to get busy. So, the next day she began a full-on house cleaning. While dealing with the sofa cushions, she found something disconcerting. Something that made the dream prophetic; for there, hidden in the recesses of the wool, was a crumpled piece of paper with writing on it.
Magic!
The writing was indecipherable but a name could be made out at the bottom of the writing. The name of a family member.
I imagined all the hubbub that followed the discovery. Much discussion about who left the magic and how that magic had been manifesting must have taken place. And I am certain that, in the end, appropriate measures were taken to break the spell.
For my own well-being, I was told what to do should I ever find evidence of magic in my house. You can do one of three things (or maybe you can do all three ... I didn't think to ask). You can prick holes in whatever was left behind. Alternatively, you can urinate on the paper -- or you can sprinkle it with salt.
Personally, I am leaning towards the hole pricking. I imagine there would be something satisfying about jabbing it over and over again.
1 comment:
jabbing holes reminds me of when I was at school and someone (a teacher?) told me I should poke a hole in egg shells (eg when breaking eggs for cooking) to stop witches using them as boats to drown sailors. I did so for years and even convinced my mum to go along with it. Sometimes even in Europe we are not that far from magic, or at least myth....
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