Magi the Great seated himself at his usual table at his regular hang-out spot.   "Well hello there Magi, how are you?" asked Jawn to his good friend.  "I am good Jawn, let me have a tall glass of the Wizzard Blizzard today, I could use the extra jolt. 

"One Wizzard Blizzard coming up!"  Jawn went to work whipping up the concoction.  As he stirred it up, he swirled his hand over it saying his magic phrase, "a bolt, a jolt, as the Wizzard turns...a churn, a turn, a Blizzard on the rise."

The glass began bubbling from enchantment, and frothing to the brim charged with jolts of energy.  Jawn called over the counter to his daughter who worked for him part-time, " Dakota, deliver this order over to Magi at table #2 please."

"Sure, thing!  Oh, and I've got the front swept and mopped already.  The windows and the bathrooms too, anything else before I go?"

Jawn replied, "Run to the back in dry stock and bring up a case of napkins, and then you are free to go sweety."

"Sounds good to me.  Hello Magi, are you going to come see Reese and I perform in the high school play in two weeks?  It's the last high school play we will perform in before we graduate." said Dakota.

Mage answers, "I sure am!   You and my son are, are both in it, you bet I'll be there.  Mage took a big chug from his glass, "Reese is at the shop measuring and preparing the new ingredients now, it will be ready about the middle of next week.  I am calling it the Witches Totty."

"Sounds interesting.  Oh, and Reese is supposed to be over at our house for dinner and homework if that is ok with you Magi.  "That's fine by me, you two are nearly inseparable anyways."   Dakota waved farewell to Magi and made her way to retrieve the napkins. 

Jawn sat down at the table with Magi and asked, "So, has your son shown any signs of any magical tendencies lately?"

"No, nothing yet.  He is doing a great job being my assistant in the beverage and potion making business though.   Reese has got everything set up for me now.  How about Dakota?  Has she had any magical breakthroughs?"

"Negative, maybe the magic skipped their generation, it's very possible.  But at any rate, those drinks are going to really be hit and new twist at the celebration coming up at The Hang Out Spot here. My wife is really going to jazz this place up for our one-year mark from when we opened up the doors, it's going to be great!"

Magi finished his Wizzard Blizzard and got up from the table.  "Time for me to head back Jawn."  Jawn cleared the table and waved as Magi went out the door.

Dakota went to the middle shelf on the left to retrieve the napkins when a strange magical encounter took place.  A small wooden chest came literally floating out of nowhere and landed on the shelf close by.  She should tell her dad about this magical box appearing, but she wanted to keep it a secret from her parents for the moment.

Dakota places the ancient wood chest inside a small empty box and exits out to the back entrance to the parking area where her pink Volkswagen is parked.  She made sure the back door to her dad's shop was propped open so she could get back in. 

She opened the passenger side door and put the box in the seat.  She shut the door and hurriedly ran back in through the back entrance.  Dakota then grabbed the case of napkins and took them up front and placed them behind the counter on the lower shelf.

"Dad this is your last case of napkins, don't forget to order some more."

"Okay sweety, I will l be sure to put it on my list.  Your mom is down the street at your Aunt Majesstik's meta-physical mystic shop if you want to drop in there to say hi."

"I got to get going to the house. Reese is supposed to meet me there in about an hour.  I got our favorite pufferoni pizza, our perfect "brain food" for homework and studying, thanks though I'll catch up with our ladies pow-wow session soon.  Lots of love!"  and she headed back to her car.

She couldn't wait to show Reese and open the mysterious magic chest with him.  Dakota took her smart phone out of the back pocket of her skinny jeans and sent Reese a text message.

"See you when you get here, you are not going to want to miss this for the world!  Oh, and don't forget the Genie Fizz pop that I love...xoxoxo.... Dakota."

Dakota was upstairs in her bedroom when she heard Reese ring the doorbell.  She ran downstairs grabbed his hand in hers and rushed him up the stairs.

"So, this must be something pretty amazing to get you so excited, I didn't even get a chance to put the Genie Fizz pop in the kitchen. " He sat down the pop on the desk next to the homework textbooks and sat down in the chair.

"Just wait until you see this!"  Dakota went to the closet and took out the surprise.  

Reese being a "comedian" said, "Oh my goodness folks, here's what you've all been waiting for!  The amazing brown paper box.  It's so Incredible!"

Dakota, said back in fun dramatically, "Oh please don't make my eyes roll Reese.  It's the box inside the other box that is so amazing, are you ready for the reveal."

"Yes darling, the suspense is killing me, now open the case before I can't take it anymore!"  Reese feigned back with his arms reaching up over his head and slid down like he was going to slide of the chair, like he was faint and weak.

"Very cute act Resse but save it for drama practice tomorrow.  Here, hold this while I move this homework out of the way."  Dakota placed the box in Reese's lap and cleared the desk.  

She then opened the box in Reese's lap and placed the very old wooden one on the desktop.

Reese replied excitedly, "Whoa that is pretty neat, what did you find inside the chest is what I want to know?"

"Well, I haven't gotten that far yet, I was waiting to share this special moment with you.  All that I can tell you so far, is that I was in the back of The Hang Out Place getting some napkins.  It just appeared floating towards me twinkling with magic when it landed on the shelf beside me.  Noone else knows about this by me and you.  You do the honors Reese, try and open it!"

Reese made a drum roll beating on the desktop and then said, "Okay, now let's see what we've got here."  He touched and lifted the very old intricate lock on the latch of the wooden chest.  "Hmmm.  There is no keyhole on this lock."

"It didn't come with a key either.  This has got to be an enchanted lock. Do you have any enchanting ideas on how to unlock it?"  

Reese and Dakota inspected the chest and the box more closely.

"Look at these super cool hand carved designs," said Reese and he began to trace a large star pattern centered at the center of the lid.  As he continued to follow the path of the swirls which led to a smaller star, the box began to twinkle with magic stars all around it.  "Wow, I can feel the magic in my hand and running all up and down my arm, it's like leading my hand the rest of the way through the carven path!"

"Don't stop Reese keep going!"  Dakota put both of her hands out towards the twinkling box.  That is when the magic energy drew her in as well.  Her hands were drawn to the large center star on the top of the chest as well, but her hands were being guided in the opposite direction.

They continued in this way magically weaving their way.  Both Dakota's and Reese's arms were doing this beautiful, charmed dance but never crossing the others path.  The moment their hands would collide the designs curved the other way.  

The enchanted dance traveled the full course of lines and stars, and then they both found themselves on both sides of the lock.  It had a heart engraved on the lock with wings fanning out on each side of the heart with a line down the middle.  

The moment that Dakota and Reese's hands enclosed around the lock the metal started to turn orange and then a deep red.  The emblazoned lock was now glowing enchanted magical fire with full force, the metal was very warm and flashed firry hot.

"Ouch!" They both said simultaneously as the locked snapped open and they pulled their sizzling smoking hands quickly away.

"We unlocked it, but what was the burning hand thing all about? Dakota replied and asked.

Reese unclenched his singed hand and looked and excitedly said in response, "Whoa I've been branded, look at this.  You might want look at your hand too, we have been marked by the magic of this chest.  Sure enough, they both had an image of a heart with a star in the center with a planet ring around the star. 

Dakota opened the lid and came upon the first layer of contents in the chest.  It was a layer of very old parchment scrolls.  She very carefully unrolls the ancient scroll, its edges frayed and worn with intricate symbols and a detailed recipe for mixing precise portions.  Below that, was a fully intact spell to be recited.  Dakota then reads aloud the beginning title...

                                                              HOW TO BORN A DRAGON!!!

"Okay Reese, you are a pro at mixing things at your dad's drink and potion shop, so let's begin.  As I read out the steps you can mix the portions in the stone bowl like it says to do next, exactly, are you ready Reese?"

"I'm listening," he says back as he lifts the delicate rolled scrolls gently on the desktop to the side and places the stone bowl in front of him.  

1.  "One drop of dragon's blood, a single crimson drop must be placed in the bowl."

2.   " A single feather of a phoenix, the feather will glow as it touches the mixture."

3.   "A pinch of unicorn powder, the fine shimmering pinch of dust shall be added."

4.   "Half of a mandrake root finely chopped, will be dropped in next."

5.   "One moonstone crushed; the powder will sparkle as it blends."

6.  "Three drops of elixir of life, each drop shall cause the mixture to slightly bubble."

7.  "one vial of essence of fire, the liquid will sizzle as it meets the ingredients."

8.  "Two scales of a basilisk, as the scales dissolve it shall add a deep iridescent hue."

Dakota was so intent on conveying the instructions properly, she was not aware of Reese's actions.  In the excitement of the task at hand, Reese doubled each ingredient. The mixture in the bowl begins to glow and pulse with increasing energy.

The ancient runes rearrange themselves forming new patterns that hint at the expectancy of two dragons instead of one.  Reese watches in awe as the mixture reacts and each ingredient swirls together to form a mesmerizing vortex of color and light.

As Dakota begins to chant her voice is resonating with power and ancient magic...

"By the blood of dragons...pure and old...with feathers of a phoenix...bright and bold...unicorns' horns...and mandrake's root...moonstone's glow...and fire pursuit...elixir of life...six drops to blend...essence of fire...from volcano's end...basilisk scales...two to complete...awaken now the dragon's heartbeat...from the age of Draconis...lost in time...rise Konara and Rake...in this rhyme...by ancient magic...I call thee forth...from slumber deep...rise up and hatch...two dragons...to this new earth be born...so mote it be."

Suddenly, the bowl cracks open.  From the light, not one, but two baby dragons emerge, their scales shimmering magnificently from the ingredients used.