Chapter 1: A Change of Fortune

Ben woke up in bed on a Friday morning with nothing on his schedule ... feeling that there was something he was supposed to remember. As a plain guy with little going on in his life -- crappy apartment, lame day-job (which at least gave him Fridays off, bless that), no girlfriend or action to speak of -- it took him a minute to recall what exactly had happened that was at all out of the ordinary.

Then he looked over at the little bracelet of wooden beads on his dresser. Oh, right. His cousin had sent him that; she was traveling through Africa to do volunteer work, and apparently, as the note she’d sent with the bracelet had suggested, she’d gotten this from some kind of genuine shaman. He suspected she was pulling his leg about that -- such japes were typical of his cousin. More than likely, it had come from some overpriced souvenir stand in one of the bigger cities like Nairobi. It had a little inscription on the central wooden piece, a couple of sinuous foreign runes he couldn’t decipher, but apparently, as his cousin had told him, together the symbols meant “Much Love, and Good Fortune.”

Ben hadn’t really intended to wear it, as his cousin had recommended. She’d told him it could be a sort of good luck charm for him. Maybe it would magically bring him all the crazy good luck and exciting romance he’d forever longed for -- or so she’d seemed to suggest. Ben knew that was silly, though -- or, at least, he’d thought so yesterday when he’d gotten it in the mail. But today, looking at it with fresh eyes after waking up feeling this uncharacteristically optimistic...

Why not give it a try? What did he have to lose by slipping it onto his wrist for one day? He wouldn’t know until he tried, would he? And if nothing happened ... then he wouldn’t need to worry about it anymore.

He slipped out of bed, swallowed as if to mentally prepare for something amazing to happen -- and put the lucky bracelet on. Then, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and carrying his laptop in a bag slung over one shoulder, Ben walked out into the streets of the small suburb where he lived alone, heading toward his favorite coffee shop.

It wasn’t hot outside; that was how he recognized something was up when he noticed the bracelet felt warm against his skin. As he wore it, Ben seemed to sense a power working through him. A strange sensation like magic ran up and down his spine with each step. It made him feel excited and alive. That felt weird ... but good. Maybe this little thing was magic after all? Or maybe it was just his imagination. Either way, he felt more positive about things in general, and there was a definite feeling like something good was going to happen. Maybe this would be his best day ever -- who knew?

Ben’s morning walk was uneventful. Nothing got in his way, no one bumped into him, and he arrived at the coffee shop without incident. He stepped inside and saw that, as usual, the shop was busy with customers lining up by the counter or sitting around waiting for their orders to arrive. The barista behind the counter smiled at him -- a cute girl he’d definitely noticed with interest a few times before, but had never had the courage to talk to; not, at least, about anything more than coffee orders.

“Morning!” she greeted him from behind the counter when it was his turn to order. She had straight brown hair, a cute smattering of freckles, and a pair of round glasses. The tag pinned to her blouse displayed her name: Aimee. “The usual, Ben?”

He nodded back politely. Over the past weeks, Aimee had come to recognize him, and she remembered what his typical coffee order was: an iced mocha. Before long, she’d whipped up the beverage and handed it to him. Ben thanked her. Then, as he sat down at a table, he looked back, expecting to see that Aimee had already gone back to work, her interaction with him complete. But Aimee, it turned out, had been looking his way the whole time -- and as she met his eyes, she gave him a smile that seemed almost flirtatious.

Okay, maybe things really were changing for him. Aimee kept on looking his way, which made him blush and look away awkwardly each time he glanced back to meet her eyes. To distract himself, he took out his laptop and began to browse through a few blogs he followed -- but he couldn’t take his mind off those looks the cute barista kept giving him. Was Aimee into him all of a sudden? Well, what else could it mean if she was checking him out like that?

Ben felt himself getting a little excited as time passed. Why this sudden change in Aimee’s attitude? Sure, she’d been friendly and polite before, but never openly flirty -- which had disappointed Ben in the past, in fact, as he’d always found her quite cute. Was there something new and special about him in her eyes all of a sudden? Was it because he was wearing that little bracelet? Or was this all just silly nonsense made up by his overactive imagination?

Ben finished up his coffee in silence while he scrolled down a blog page on his laptop. He was managing to keep his outward emotions down, but all the same, it was hard not to feel like he was right on the cusp of something amazing -- the same way Aladdin must have felt when he’d found that lamp, or Cinderella when her fairy godmother had appeared to her. The air around him felt charged somehow, as if by magic.

He found that he felt more confident than usual. He thought about the inscription on the bracelet, those foreign runes: “Much Love, and Good Fortune.” Putting aside common sense for a moment and focusing just on how powerful he was feeling, he kept those words in mind. Suppose the wooden beads really were magical. Did the inscription mean things would more likely go his way if he wore the bracelet?

An idea came to mind as Aimee offered yet another interested smile. He decided to try his luck with a proposition for a date. Why not give it a shot? He’d never know unless he tried, right? Spurred on by his newfound confidence, Ben walked back over to where she stood behind the counter.

“Hey,” he said to her, smiling a little wider. “Caught you looking.”

She blushed and looked away again, tittering. Ben reached out and touched her hand with his own, not wanting her just to bat her eyes and walk off. He wanted her to stay. No more flirting games, no more indirectness; he was going to cut right to the chase.

A part of him felt like a tactless idiot for grabbing hold of her like that. That was what desperate losers did, wasn’t it -- get handsy with women who’d sooner be on their way, and then get screamed at or worse. But none of that happened. Aimee looked surprised but pleased as Ben pulled her attention back to him. Her fingers laced with his, warm and soft.

“Hey, it’s okay,” he offered. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I just wanted to say ... thank you for making my coffee all these times.”

Aimee smiled at him shyly, holding onto his hand a little tighter. Then she leaned forward slightly. “You’re welcome, Ben,” she said sweetly. “Really, it’s no trouble at all. Besides, it makes me happy that someone likes their iced mocha so much they come in here this often.”

Ben laughed a little. “Well, I have to confess, it’s not just the coffee. I like the girl who makes it, too. In fact, I think that’s the real reason I keep coming back.”

He gave Aimee a long look as her cheeks turned pink again. Then he felt something inside of him -- some surge of magical power or energy. It was hard to explain exactly what he went through as he stood there gazing into her eyes and she looked back at him -- only that he knew he wasn’t imagining things anymore. He saw her blush deepen. He sensed her openness, her mounting hope. He knew what she wanted.

Okay, he thought to himself, tossing out the last of his worry and doubt. Magic powers. Good Fortune. Much Love. Let’s see where this goes.

“Aimee, do you want to go on a date with me?” he asked quietly after a moment.

Her face brightened even more than before, making Ben feel proud and excited. She nodded enthusiastically. “Oh my gosh, yes. I’d love to. I get off work in the afternoon. Would tonight work?”

“Yes, of course!” he said. “We could meet up around ... let’s say, seven o’clock? Then we’ll grab dinner somewhere nearby. Sound good?”