July/August 2000

The following drafts were written by Mary and Gloria Navarro, 10-year-old twin sisters in the after-school journalism program in Normal Heights, CA. After interviewing the manager of a magic shop, they wrote a first draft and submitted it to their class for critique. Once the girls had received feedback from their classmates, they drafted new questions to clear up confusing points and returned to the magic shop with a teaching assistant for a second interview. "The hard thing was to get [the magic shop manager] to sometimes confess some things," said Mary, "and sometimes he talks too much and we were like, 'wait, wait, could you repeat that?'"

Mary says she was nervous at first about what her classmates would say, but that they had many positive comments and she learned a lot through the process. She also says she would prepare better questions for future interviews, keeping in mind that readers often need more information than writers may think and that quotations have to be exact. (She learned, for instance, that a person would not normally refer to himself as "he.")

Version One:

We went to interview the manager of the magic shop, John Lee. We asked him why he liked to work here. He said, "He doesn't know, but he just loves it." What item do you sell the most? we asked. Love potions, because it is almost Valentine's Day. This was John's dream to work in a magic shop. He has a favorite customer named Phoenix, who would like to work in the store. He told us spells work because you want them to. He wants to work at the store because it is fun and it is the best place to work at. We asked has a ghost ever visited him? He said, "Yes, it was my grandmother when I was eight. My grandmother told me that she was going to die soon. I got in trouble with my dad for saying that. Then, in the middle of the night they got a call that my grandmother had really died."

I asked has anyone cast a spell on you? He said yes, when he was younger but not anymore, because he is a witch. All types of people come to the store, including witches. Mostly people buy candles at the store. John is a good witch. When witches send something bad out it comes back to them times three. John introduces people to magic to make them interested in the subject and come there more often. You should not take a picture of a spell book because it will cause you bad luck. If you do not know what you are doing with magic, bad things will happen, like when playing with a Ouija board.

Version Two:

We interviewed John Lee, the manager of Mama Roots-Traditional and Urban Magic, a magic store located at 3512 Adams Avenue. We asked him why he liked to work in there and he said he "just loves it," it was his dream to work in a magic shop. Mr. Lee started reading Tarot cards and Wiccan literature when he was a kid. Mr. Lee was a preschool and elementary school teacher before he began managing Mama Roots and practicing magic. His favorite customer is a girl named Phoenix who would like to work at the store.

Mr. Lee says that magic is neither good nor bad. According to Mr. Lee, the rule of Wicca is that you must "do what you will as long as it harms no one." He told us spells work because you want them to. During Valentine's Day, the most popular spell is a love spell. When we were taking pictures for this article, Mr. Lee said we shouldn't take a picture of a spell book or it would cause bad luck.

Mr. Lee says that his favorite definition of magic comes from the book, Granny's Luck, written by Kris Kissner of Del Mar. Kissner writes: "Magic is opening your heart to imagine something for someone other than yourself. Magic is a manifestation of love. Magic is a result of selfless caring. Magic can be as simple as a friendly hello or as complex as raising a child. Magic can be wishful thinking. You can make anything magical. Prayer is magic."

Mr. Lee says that a spell can backfire if the person casting the spell is not acting out of love. He says that Wiccans believe in the laws of Karma-that what you do comes back to you. When witches send out something bad it comes back to them times three. He also said that if you don't know what you are doing with magic bad things will happen. We asked Mr. Lee if he had ever been visited by a ghost. He said yes, it was his grandmother when he was eight. She came to him as a ghost just after she died. He told his dad and his dad got mad. But the next day they got a phone call informing them that she had really died.

We asked him if anyone had ever cast a spell on him. He said yes, but it happened when he was younger. Now he is a witch and it doesn't happen anymore. Mr. Lee is a good witch.

Mr. Lee believes there is an increase in interest in the metaphysical, which is why shows like The Others, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Angel are on television right now. He also said that the movies Practical Magic and Craft were sort of good examples of magic, although a little bit off in some ways.

All types of people come into the store, including witches. Mama Roots is owned by a high-priestess named 1-Star. She sells books, candles, incense, Tarot cards, spells, woods, oils, crystals, pictures, and other things. Mostly people buy candles at the store. Mr. Lee introduces people to magic to make them interested in the subject and come there more often.