"I seriously feel like you're Pru, I'm Piper, and you're Phoebe." Gab commented, looking from Leslie to Apollo. "We're the Charmed ones, now." He let out a quiet laugh.
Apollo rolled his eyes and Leslie just ignored him while she studied the black hardbound book once more and nodded to herself, a sign that she was ready to cast a spell. They were seated comfortably like Buddhas on the black timber floor. They were inside a big circle with a five-pointed-star, or a so-called pentacle that Leslie had prepared. White chalk was used to draw the circle with a star; it had small white candles inside its five triangles. Leslie lit them with a lighter.
"Where'd you get that? Do you smoke?" Gab said, looking disgusted.
"No. Of course, not." Leslie responded with confidence.
Apollo seemed annoyed. "Bro, will you please start getting serious? We're doing this for Betha. It won't work if you keep on blabbering."
"I'm not blabbering. It was a serious question," said Gab.
Leslie, who was in between Apollo and Gab closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes again and turned to Gab. "He's right. This won't work if we're not focused. We're in a consecrated space, so we could perform the ritual effectively. This circle around us is to protect us from bad spirits and energies, allowing us to fully concentrate on what we want to achieve. Please don't be that bad energy, Gab." She explained in a serious tone.
Gab felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry. Let's do this now. I'll fully cooperate."
"Now, we have to make sure everything is done perfectly. We can't just simply sit like Buddhas. You must follow my Dhyana Mudra sitting position to symbolize wisdom. Look at how my hands are rested on my lap." She explained. Apollo and Gab listened attentively and followed her instructions. "The back of my right hand is leaning on the palm of my left hand like this. This is so we could get the complete focus that we need to make the spell work. Once our eyes are closed, we should all clear our minds and only think of what we want Apollo to turn into. All you have to do is stay quiet and listen to what I'm going to say. First, I will invoke the divine spirits, then I will chant the magic spell. We all have to focus our energy on our desire and visualize Apollo turning into the best breed of dog suited to find Betha. Are we clear? Can we start this now or do you have questions?"
"We're good." Gab answered while Apollo simply nodded.
"Make sure to maintain this sitting position until the end. Let's close our eyes now and start." They obediently did as they were told.
~We call upon all deities to shine thy divine nature upon us.
That we shall be granted supreme power to cast a righteous spell.
We call upon all deities to shine thy divine nature upon us.
That we shall be granted supreme power to cast a righteous spell.
We call upon all deities to shine thy divine nature upon us.
That we shall be granted supreme power to cast a righteous spell.~
Leslie's powerful voice invoked immortal beings that started to materialize above them in a form of white clouds. The three strongly felt the divine presence, but kept their eyes closed and focused on their goal. Whistling sounds resonated and Leslie chanted the spell that she had memorized from the book that laid in front of her. "We humbly acknowledge your presence and guidance." She paused, inhaled and exhaled.
~We call on the highest power to bless the spell that I am about to deliver.
Please shine your power upon us.
We call on the highest power to bless the spell that I am about to deliver.
Please shine your power upon us.
We call on the highest power to bless the spell that I am about to deliver.
Please shine your power upon us.~
The five white candles glowed, and their wicks were ablaze with green flames. Leslie paused, inhaled, exhaled, then opened her eyes to place Apollo's bandana at the center of the pentacle. She continued to recite:
~Deities from the North, from the South, from the East, from the West,
In our quest to follow the banshee's scent,
Transform thy human flesh;
Grant him the greatest sense
To smell the banshee's blood and flesh,
To smell the air the banshee breathes,
Transform thy human flesh.
Bestow upon him paws and claws,
Bestow upon him fur,
Bestow upon him the gift of smell to track the banshee's scent.~
Leslie recited the spell thrice and once done; she opened her eyes. "We're done. You can open your eyes."
Gab opened his eyes, only to see Apollo who was nothing like the dog they desired him to be; he was still the same. He sighed. "It didn't work."
Apollo looked at both of them with a sad face.
"Look at your hands," said Leslie.
Apollo did as he was told and was surprised to see his hands transforming. Gab looked astounded to see him change right before his eyes. "Holy shit. It's really happening!"
Leslie smiled triumphantly as Apollo completed his transformation in the form of a dachshund. "Well? Shall we start with our special mission before Christmas?"
They petted Apollo. Leslie put the bandana in a loose knot around his neck. Gab was giggling to himself. "He's so cute. He's never been this cute. Out of all the awesome police dogs I've seen, you turned him into a wiener dog." He laughed.
"He was transformed into what's suited for his mission. A dachshund has excellent sense of smell. Don't underestimate him. And don't call him a wiener dog, he's a hero today." Leslie responded with enthusiasm.
Apollo felt strange, like he wasn't himself. And he wasn't. He was a dachshund. He could've been a German shepherd, a bloodhound, or a rottweiler, but he turned into a short-legged hunter from Germany. Although there was a teeny-weeny bit of disappointment in him, he was grateful to transform into Betha's hero. And it was time to save his banshee.
"Remember to make sure you find Betha before 12 midnight. It's seven sharp right now. We won't go with you because we won't be able to keep up and we have limited time. This is very critical for you, Apollo. I know you can understand me behind your identity as a dachshund, so I am saying this again. If you won't be able to find Betha before midnight, you're going to stay a dog forever. And we don't want that to happen. So, hurry now and go. We'll wait for you here." Leslie explained as she stroke his head.
Apollo's short legs started running up the stairs though he struggled climbing, so Gab gave him a hand. Once he reached the living room, Leslie opened the door for him, and he galloped out of the house. "I'm coming, Betha." He thought and gave out an excited smile.
A man with muscular built in sporty outfit was jogging under the evening moonlight when he saw a smiling dachshund went pass him. His eyes followed the cute little wiener dog with a confused look on his face. "I swear I've never seen a dog smile like that."