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The Keys to Witchcraft: A Post-Mystic South Misadventure

The Keys to Witchcraft: A Post-Mystic South Misadventure

Last updated on: August 1, 2024 at 10:16 pm by Thumper Forge

The Keys to Witchcraft: A Post-Mystic South Misadventure 2024-08-01T22:16:56+06:00 Thumper Forge

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“Oh, yes, Shep. They look like coincidence. There’s always a rational explanation if you want it.” –Gillian Holroyd

This is what witchcraft looks like to me.

I didn’t have to be at the airport until noon, so I spent Monday morning bumming around the lobby of the Mystic South host hotel. I was just about to dive into my newly-acquired, autographed copy of All Them Witches: Folktales & Rhymes, when I randomly glanced up and spotted Tempest and Nathan loading their van in the front drive.

Grateful for the chance to say goodbye, I ran outside to greet them. And they were glad to see me too, although they were also a little stressed out, because Nathan had lost his keys.

The last place he remembered having them was in the parking garage the night before. But the hotel and the attached conference center are labyrinthine spaces, and over the course of the weekend, Nathan had traversed most of the square footage. The keys could have quite literally been anywhere.

It wasn’t really a crisis — Tempest had car keys and house keys, so they weren’t stranded or anything. But Nathan’s key fob was limited-edition merch from one of his favorite bands, and he was saddened by the prospect of never seeing it again.

It’s after midnight. Do you know where your keys are? (Image courtesy of Speedy McVroom via Pixabay.)

“Maybe you can divine the location of the keys,” Tempest joked. And under different circumstances, I would’ve pulled out my lithomancy stuff and thrown down (so to speak). But there is a time and a place for sortilege, and that time is usually not when potential querents are exhausted from working a conference and rationing out their last shreds of patience for the 16-hour road trip ahead of them.

So instead, I was like, “Hey, we’re witches. I’m confident the keys will make it back to you one way or another.” They were like, “Fair point,” gave me hugs, then jumped in their van and drove off towards Rhode Island.

And an hour later, I had the keys.

Not long after they departed, someone found a wad of keys in one of the hospitality suites. Realizing that they might be Nathan’s, they called him to report the discovery, then handed off the keys to a security guard, who ferried them to the front desk.

While that was going on, Tempest called me to confirm that I was still at the hotel, and Nathan called the front desk to let them know to be on the lookout for me. I retrieved the keys, sent a picture to Tempest to make sure they were the right set, thanked the hotel staff profusely on behalf of everyone involved, victoriously summoned a Lyft, and caught my flight with time to spare.

At face value, it was nothing but a string of happy accidents: I happened to run into Tempest and Nathan; the person who found the keys happened to know that Nathan had lost his; that person happened to have Nathan’s number; Tempest happened to have mine; I happened to have not yet left for the airport. Good fortune, apparently, all around.

But it’s in those synchronicities — those intersections of good luck and bridled coincidence — where witchcraft lives and thrives. And it makes me very happy whenever I get to live there as well.

*Like what you’ve read? You ca**n buy me a coffee about it. (CashApp and Venmo are always options as well.)*

Oh, more discord, you say? But of course! Follow Thumper Forge on Amazon, Bluesky, *Etsy, Facebook**,* *Instagram**, Threads, and* *TikTok**.*

The exit is right through the gift shop.

Travel and Religion

Religious Events

Divination

Witchcraft

Laura Tempest Zakroff

Mystic South

Nathaniel Johnstone

Speedy McVroom

About Thumper

Thumper (Horkos) Marjorie Splitfoot Forge is a Gardnerian High Priest, an initiate of the Minoan Brotherhood, an Episkopos of the Dorothy Clutterbuck Memorial Cabal of Laverna Discordia, a recovering alcoholic, and a notary public from Houston, TX. His first book, VIRGO WITCH, co-authored with Ivo Dominguez, Jr., is currently available at open-minded bookstores everywhere. You can read more about the author here.

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The Keys to Witchcraft: A Post-Mystic South Misadventure

Like what you’ve read? You ca**n buy me a coffee about it. (CashApp and Venmo are always options as well.)

Oh, more discord, you say? But of course! Follow Thumper Forge on Amazon, Bluesky, Etsy, Facebook**, Instagram**, Threads, and TikTok**.

The exit is right through the gift shop.

Like a sheep led to slaughter, silent before shearers, this servant was pierced for our transgressions. What chapter foretells this suffering?

*Like what you’ve read? You ca**n buy me a coffee about it. (CashApp and Venmo are always options as well.)*

Oh, more discord, you say? But of course! Follow Thumper Forge on Amazon, Bluesky, *Etsy, Facebook**,* *Instagram**, Threads, and* *TikTok**.*