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heard about her from one of her Wicca Circle friends.
    "She makes charms and works spells," Julie said. "Supposedly, she's super good at it. She's some kind of psychic witch or something."
    Now I believe in psychics and witches about as much as I believe in Santa Claus, so I really didn't want to visit this "herbal supply shoppe." But it was such a novelty to see Julie desperate over a guy that I drove us to this woman's establishment in a nearby town.
    The shop wasn't quite as odd as I'd been expecting. It was a small health foods store, decorated for the holidays with pine wreaths and other greenery alight with tiny green and blue lights strung around the display cases. There were no sleighs or elves, but I did see a picture of a winter stag hanging over the counter in the back. The Horned God? Maybe, although it wasn't super obvious. One case was full of flowers, including red winter roses that gave off a strong yet delicate scent.
    The narrow aisles of the store were filled with shelves of staples like stone ground grains, cereals, nuts, beans and organic veggies. One corner was devoted to herbal tinctures and pills, aromatherapy vials and homeopathic remedies. But it was to the rear of the shop that Julie led me.
    There was a plain wooden counter back there and behind it was a skinny woman who looked about forty. She had long, straight silver hair and dark eyes with lots of eye shadow. Although she was dressed like a college student in a t-shirt and jeans, she managed to look exotic. Maybe even sinister. Her long nails were painted black and her lipstick was the same color, making her look as if her mouth was coated with dried blood. She had a sharp nose and a small silver hoop through her septum. Nothing I hadn't seen before around campus, but there was something creepy about her all the same.
    "Hi," Julie said. "Are you D'arcania?"
    D'arcania? I almost spit.
    "That's me. How can I help you?"
    "There's this guy," Julie began.
    "There usually is," D'arcania cut in. "Charm or curse? Love or revenge?"
    "Love." Julie glanced at me. "My friend might want revenge, though."
    "I do not," I said, although there was a tiny part of me that perked up at the thought of revenge. "And I'll tell you right now that I don't believe in charms, curses, or whatever."
    D'arcania rolled her eyes as if she'd heard that a million times before. "So you both want love. Potions or charms?'
    "Do the potions have a strong taste?" Julie asked. I had an image of her pouring a dark, thick, evil-smelling liquid into Professor Jeff's holiday punch.
    "Strong enough that you'd want to disguise it. Tequila usually works. Vodka not so much."
    "What kind of charms do you have? And how do they work? This is for a Christm—er, Solstice party. But we don't want to charm everybody, just the two men."
    "Can you get these guys alone at this party?"
    "I hope so," Julie said fervently.
    "I've got some enchanted mistletoe. Just came in this morning. Put it up in some dark corner and lure the guys under it, one at a time, of course, and you should see some powerful results."
    Enchanted mistletoe. Jeez. "Why enchanted mistletoe?" I asked, just to be obnoxious. "Any kind of mistletoe ought to work for stealing a kiss at Christmas."
    "I want more than just a kiss," said Julie.
    "Trust me, this stuff will ensure you get a lot more than a kiss. I'll get it. It's in the back." She vanished behind a dark blue curtain embroidered with a wolf howling at the moon. While we waited, Julie and I caught each other's eye. I couldn't help smiling. She was bouncing again, thrilled at the thought of enchanting her beloved professor.
    D'arcania reappeared holding a small packet that she laid on the counter before us. It was a bushy sprig of mistletoe, mostly olive-colored leaves with a few shiny white berries. There was a red string binding the stems with a small square card hanging off it. It looked like ordinary mistletoe to me. "You'll get more than you bargain for with this," she