Hey guys! I’m the host for today’s challenge, so.. welcome! Today’s challenge is to rewrite a favorite scene from any book you love, whether that be a contemporary, a fantasy, a sci-fi, a self-help book, whatever you want!

Here’s what you’re going to do:

-Pick a favorite scene from any book you love, it can be short, long, whatever.
-Choose part of the scene (or the entire thing) that you’re going to rewrite to include something related to MAGIC in it.
-This kind of magic can be magic like in Harry Potter, or elemental magic like Avatar: The Last Airbender, or even surreal magic like The Night Circus.
-For instance, if you love “A Night of Cake & Puppets” by Laini Taylor much like I do, you know that there’s a kind of magic that happens that’s very lovely. I want you to take it a bit further and change up the magic. Does something catch fire? Does the magic intensify? Does it fizzle out and not work? Does one character accidentally send the other flying away from them when they wanted that person closer?
-it’s up to you to decide how magic can play a part in this scene.
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I know this is challenging, but that’s kind of the point of a challenge, isn’t it? If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask, and remember: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A WHIZ AT WRITING TO DO THIS. I want this to be a fun and creative challenge. I can’t wait to see what you all come up with!

Alright? So here’s my own version of this challenge! I’m choosing A Night of Cake and Puppets by Laini Taylor. The scene is where Mik is playing the violin and everyone is entranced by it. Zuzana is watching him over a wall and their eyes meet. I’m going to incorporate magic into this scene, so here we go (scene is between the two horizontal lines):

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Violin. The sweet sound of the strings being played with a bow drifts to my ears, pulling me in the direction of a small square. People are gathered around, watching as Mik plays the violin with such ease, such tenderness that no one can pull their eyes away.

At least, that’s what I see from where I’m standing because I can’t really see over the crowd, what with being so short and all.

I ask a couple to help lift me up toward the wall so I can see him over it, but they don’t hear me. They’re mesmerized by him, by the music. I frown. I want to see him, too!

I look over toward the wall and see a couple of trash barrels against the stone surface. With a grin I run over to the barrels and lift myself up, ignoring the smell permeating from the cans as best as I can. It’s just high enough that I can finally see over the wall.

I freeze. My eyes go wide as I stare at Mik playing the violin.

Golden notes are swirling in the air around him.

They reflect in every eye that is watching, they dance and twirl and spin to the sound of the song being played. It’s not exactly a sad song, but it seems more melancholic, one that pulls at your own heartstrings and makes you feel things you didn’t want to feel in that moment.

Mik’s own eyes are closed as he plays the notes, listening only to the sounds that he plays; he sways slightly to the sound.

I can’t look away.

The notes dancing around him are mesmerizing and beautiful. I want to hold them, want to see how warm they feel against my chilled skin. I want to be able to dance to those notes, to twirl with their endless spinning, to be able to feel the passion that he’s pouring into those notes.

One brave soul takes steps toward those notes to touch them.

It’s a young woman, older than me, but still young. She’s reaching out slowly, one hand clutched to her chest while the other reaches out to the swirling golden notes around Mik. He pauses in his stance, but keeps playing, and looks at her. She pauses and stares back at him as one of the golden notes touches her hand, resting in her palm. I can hear the soft gasps and moans around the square of the people who are watching her.

Jealous of her.

Mik smiles softly, keeping eye contact with the woman long enough to watch as the golden music note turns to golden dust in her hand. She looks away just as he does and looks down at her hand. The golden dust sticks to her and she stares at it, in awe of how lovely it is.

And slowly, it climbs up her arm. She doesn’t look afraid, though, only mesmerized by it. She doesn’t scream, doesn’t do anything. Then her whole body is covered and she looks like an ethereal being. She closes her eyes and sighs, before she dances to the music. She’s beautiful and lithe, her now golden covered skin glowing in the lights from the houses and lamps around the square.

Others begin to wander closer, and when the golden notes floating around Mik touch them, they become covered, too, and begin to dance.

It’s a beautiful sight.

A puppeteer playing his puppets’ strings.

That’s when Mik opens his eyes and he looks at me. Our eyes meet. And the most beautifully soft smile I have ever seen breaks out onto his face.

And I, too, am pulled in like a puppet on strings.

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Okay guys, there you have it! My scene with a little bit of incorporated magic! I hope you enjoyed it, but please tell me what you think in the comments!

How’s your readathon going? Mine is… uh. Yeah, haha.

Have a great rest of the readathon and please link me to your posts so I can read the scenes you rewrite! I’ll be picking winners and announcing them February 1st on the Biannual Bibliothon instagram page, so please stay tuned for that!