A Snicker of Magic

Everyone prepares for Oliver’s story. Felicity reminds Jonah that she needs to tell him something, but they’ll talk later. 

Oliver tells the story of Midnight Gulch before the magic disappeared. Every family had their own kind of magic. Some magic was flashier, while other magic was subtle. He tells of the Terrys, who conjured rain; the Smiths, who baked secrets into pies; and the Hancocks, Charlie Sue’s ancestors, who could turn invisible. Finally, he gets to the Thistles. The women of the Thistle family were said to be very powerful. Isabella Thistle “was no more of a witch than any other woman in the Gulch” (188), but she had a magnetism about her. Many women were jealous of Isabella, and the Weatherly boys loved her. There were rumors she’d put a spell on the Weatherly brothers to fall for her. Jonah asks if Oliver believes she did. Oliver replies that some women just have the right charisma and humor. She may have been magic, but they truly loved her, and she loved them too.

Felicity asks how it’s possible that Isabella loved them both. Oliver explains how Isabella originally dated Stone, but after they broke up, Berry pursued her. Stone became jealous, and the brothers grew to resent each other. They were never jealous of each other’s fame, as some stories claim, but of their respective relationships with Isabella. Isabella ended up rejecting both brothers. She wanted no part of their jealousy. Eventually, they decided to duel and recruited Isabella to create the loser’s curse. Isabella was so angry at them that she agreed. Oliver describes the Thistle magic as sad and strange. Because both brothers believed in the curse, it worked.

Rosie asks if Oliver can be more specific about the Thistles’ magic. Oliver says the Thistles could collect shadows, store them, and release them. Rosie speculates that they also collected memories. Oliver says that Isabella certainly took something from the Weatherly brothers, but no one knows what. Some speculate it’s money, but Oliver believes it was something less tangible. He completes his story by saying it doesn’t matter what she took because what’s done is done. The people of the salon agree that the magic is gone from Midnight Gulch. Felicity disagrees but keeps quiet.

The topic shifts to the Gallery. Everyone agrees that it should be repainted, but they aren’t sure who could take on the job. Felicity chimes in to suggest Mama. Jonah and Ponder Waller agree that Mama has the talent. Felicity hopes Mama agrees because it would keep them in town until she finishes.

That night, Felicity wonders about the curse. She speculates that maybe the Brothers Threadbare figured out how to break it, and that was why they searched for each other until the very end.

Felicity goes to Oliver Weatherly’s mansion the next morning. It’s raining, and Felicity is panicked because she woke up with Oliver Weatherly’s dove tattoo on her wrist. She could not wash it off. Charlie Sue lets Felicity in and dries her off. Oliver greets her. Felicity shows Oliver the dove on her wrist. Oliver says it comes and goes as it pleases, and it isn’t necessarily a tattoo. He explains that the dove first showed up on the day Stone Weatherly visited in his balloon. He says “hope came down” for him (197), and now it was coming for Felicity. The bird usually lives on Oliver’s arm, but it sometimes goes to other people who need it. Felicity is excited to learn that the bird is “a snicker of magic” (197). Felicity admits that she needs hope for the Duel. Oliver suspected the bird would go to Felicity once he learned of the Duel. Felicity feels the bird will help her with the Duel, and her heart beats yes at this thought.

Felicity goes to Jonah’s house to show him the bird. Jonah already knows that the bird can move between people, and he’s happy to see it on Felicity. Toast, who tutors Jonah in math, sits at Jonah’s kitchen table. Toast tells Felicity that his talent for the Duel is making grilled cheese with a clothes iron. He wants to be a chef one day. Toast excuses himself to use the restroom. Jonah tells Felicity how Toast is shy and scared to use his voice too.

Jonah asks if Felicity is still competing in the Duel. He’s worried she’ll back out now that she knows she’s related to the Weatherly brothers and carries their curse. Jonah tells her it’s OK to back out, but he’s sure something good will happen if she competes. Felicity says she’s still doing the Duel, but she also wants Jonah to help her figure out Isabella Thistle’s riddle and break the curse. Jonah says the curse doesn’t matter, but Felicity insists. Felicity gives Jonah a copy of the words in the curse. Felicity hasn’t written any poems yet, but she plans to meet up with Florentine for help.

Toast returns and asks if he can play Jonah’s piano. When Toast starts playing, Felicity is surprised at how talented he is. As Toast plays, the storm outside stops. Toast collects his things and says goodbye to Felicity and Jonah. Once he’s gone, Jonah tells Felicity about Toast’s family, the Terrys, who used to be able to control the weather, specifically Toast’s grandmother, Maude, who could sing up storms when the crops needed watering.

Felicity asks Jonah about his dad. Jonah tells Felicity about a jar his dad made filled with paper. Each slip of paper has an activity on it that they’ll do together once his dad returns. There’s one slip for every day that Jonah’s dad would be deployed. Jonah has removed one slip a day, and there aren’t many left now. He looks forward to seeing his dad again soon. Jonah regrets not giving his dad something like that to keep with him. Felicity says his dad is kept company by the memories they share. Jonah admits that Beedle work helps him not think about his dad’s deployment.

That night, at Cleo’s apartment, the family dances while Boone plays banjo. Felicity feels good about everything until she sees brochures for Seattle sticking out of Mama’s bag. She looks at the dove tattoo and reminds herself to have hope, but then she gets an idea.

Once everyone has gone to bed, Felicity opens a window. She hesitates, trying to remind herself that she has plenty of hope without the tattoo. Then she writes “Love you” and “That’s all” and “That’s everything” underneath the bird (214). She asks the bird to deliver the message to Jonah’s father. The bird takes off out the window with the words Felicity wrote. Felicity is scared without her symbol of hope, but she feels she did the right thing.

Felicity and Mama visit Florentine at the Gallery. Florentine looks over Felicity’s poems while Mama scopes out the wall, figuring out how she’ll paint it. Felicity expects Florentine to say her poems are terrible, but Florentine compliments Felicity’s words. Florentine has heard about Felicity getting Oliver’s dove and remarks that it will help Felicity in the Duel. Felicity doesn’t reveal that the dove is gone.

Mama stares at the wall, wondering how she’ll approach it. Mama feels stuck because she cannot muster her creativity. Felicity encourages Mama to start in the middle of the wall, just like she would any other painting project. She recalls the beautiful images Mama used to capture. With Mama struggling, Felicity tells Florentine about her memories of Mama painting.

Felicity talks about the first thing the family painted together, rocks from a river. She recalls how Mama painted roses on paper plates and hung them all over Felicity’s room. Felicity says Mama painted a map on the roof of their van. They called it the Kingdom of Spiderberg, and they’d tell stories about the happenings in the kingdom. Mama would add to the map as the stories were told. One night, Felicity wanted to paint stars on the map, but Mama took them outside to watch the real stars.

Mama begins rolling paint onto the Gallery wall. Florentine tells Felicity that she just spoke beautifully about Mama. Felicity says her words are different when she talks about her loved ones. The wind-chime sound travels down toward them. Florentine clutches her bag, and Felicity grasps the locket around her neck. Mama continues to paint. Felicity wants to tell Mama that their new beginning can be right here in Midnight Gulch. Felicity believes more confidently that breaking the curse will set Mama free.

After a few hours, Felicity crosses the street to get a look at Mama’s progress from afar. She almost sits on a bench, but Florentine stops her and tells her not to sit on Abigail Honeycutt. This was her bench, and Felicity must ask permission. When Felicity asks for details, Florentine tells her to ask Oliver for the story.

As Felicity and Mama walk home, Mama thanks Felicity for the kind words. Mama asks about Jonah, wondering if Felicity has a crush on him. Boone joins them and plays the banjo while they walk. Felicity says that Jonah makes her feel inflated, not crushed. Mama tells Felicity she doesn’t have to do the Duel to impress Jonah, but Felicity insists she wants to do it. Boone mentions the curse, and Mama realizes they must have talked about it. She insists Felicity isn’t cursed. Felicity decides she’s going to do the Duel regardless. 

Jonah, Felicity, Boone, and Big Bruce sit in the back of a Dr. Zook’s Ice Cream truck, driven by Oliver Weatherly. Boone helps hold a piano in place while they drive. Big Bruce knows about the Beedle work and helps sometimes. Boone has been invited to help with this specific quest. They are delivering the piano to Toast’s house. Last year, Toast saved up money for his own piano, but then his father lost his job. Toast gave his savings to his family to help.

While they drive, Jonah snacks on ice cream and reads newspapers from different areas, searching for people to help. Oliver asks Felicity if something is wrong because she’s been quiet. Felicity asks about Abigail Honeycutt. Oliver says Abigail was invisible. She isn’t alive anymore, but she turned invisible long before she passed. Abigail spent many days on the bench and eventually turned invisible. No one knows when she died.

Abigail was married to Lionel Honeycutt, who was very wealthy. They had a son named Burl. When Burl was born, they established Dr. Zook’s Ice Cream Company, which was bought by Oliver and Eldee Mae long after the Honeycutts passed. The Honeycutts created many jobs in Midnight Gulch with their ice cream business. Abigail was related to the Smiths, so she could also create magic with the food she made. She made Blackberry Sunrise as a gift to Burl.

They arrive at Toast’s home. No one is there. While Boone and Big Bruce unload the piano, Oliver continues his story. Burl Honeycutt eventually grew up. His parents wanted him to take over the ice cream factory, but he wanted to act instead. Burl and Lionel had many fights. Eventually, Burl got on a bus out of town and never came back. Abigail waited on that bench at the bus stop every day for his return. When she finally realized he wasn’t coming back, the memories were too painful for her. She took her memories and brewed them into a pot of tea, and then she poured that tea into the river. Boone and Big Bruce return to the truck, and Oliver drives again while finishing his story.

Abigail Honeycutt eventually started to fade. At first, her skin grew pale, and her hair grew lighter, but then she became black-and-white. After that, she turned transparent. Lionel gave her a red umbrella to carry so people could see her. She went completely invisible, and one day, the wind blew the red umbrella out of her grip and swept it into the air. No one saw Abigail again.

Back at Oliver’s mansion, before Felicity and Jonah depart, they discuss Isabella’s curse. Jonah seems nervous and finally confesses to Felicity that even without the Duel, he would have found a reason to talk to her. He thinks she’s great, and he feels guilty for pressuring her to do the Duel. Felicity says that she’s thankful for Jonah’s friendship and his help. She’s still certain her family will be leaving town soon, however. Jonah assures her that the Duel will work out and gives her a pint of Blackberry Sunrise. He has another know-how feeling about Felicity and believes Blackberry Sunrise will help her in the Duel. Felicity doesn’t want to take the ice cream, but she trusts Jonah. On the pint, she sees words from the curse, Sweet Amends.