I'll Call Them Serendipity

20260104

Written for Luna Asli Kolcu’s “Myths of Winter - Week 5” event.

“Ooh, what’s that one?” Janice peered over her sister’s shoulder at the resolutions scattered across the long table.
“Learn a language.” Beth turned the bright, colourful disc over in her hands. Her lips pursed.
“Ehh? Don’t you remember how much you hated taking ‘learn an instrument’? You said you never wanted to see sheet music ever again!”
“Of course I remember! That’s why I didn’t want to come back here.” Beth set the resolution down and sighed. “I just…”
“I really think that sort of resolution you ought to try without a geas involved.” Janice hooked an arm through Beth’s and dragged her further down the market.
Tsk. Of course with them getting here late - not because of Janice, mind you! - all the good trades had been snapped up. What remained were amorphous, oversized, or otherwise ill-advised resolutions.
Janice was glad she’d managed to spot “try 52 new recipes”. It nestled in her basket, a round speckled brown lump which smelt of a spice with no name, a smell that tickled your nose and filled you with ambition. Hopefully it’d remain a joy the whole year.
Whereas poor hapless Beth still had the sprawling, beige weight of “take better care of myself” dangling off her arm. Well, there were far worse resolutions to be magically locked into. But there had to be better somewhere here! Besides, it felt somehow wrong to walk out bearing the resolution you’d arrived with.
Janice scrutinised the lines of tables. Her gaze flicking over the various resolutions with practised appraisal.
A sharp-edged hourglass of “lose ten kilos” - definitely not! Likewise best not to let Beth anywhere near the patchwork booklet of “move to another country”. What was that little green car? “Learn to drive.” That wouldn’t be too bad… but it wasn’t like Beth could afford a vehicle… Hmm.
There wasn’t much time left; the big clock on the far wall would strike midnight any minute, and the geasa would be set.
“Oh!”
Janice’s head snapped around to peer at the resolution Beth had stooped to inspect. A fuzzy grey blob abandoned amongst papery piles of educational resolutions.
“Adopt a pet.”
That… didn’t seem too bad. Though the thought of someone as feckless as Beth being responsible for another life was a tad anxiety-inducing. She really ought to pick something related to self-improvement.
But, as Janice opened her mouth to kindly advise this, the clock struck, and all the resolutions vanished - the ones being held whisking into the person holding them, leaving a tingling determination.
Tsk. That was that, then. She consoled herself with the fact that Beth could always give the pet back up. The geas ought to be satisfied with the initial adoption, shouldn’t it?
Janice bustled them both out, weaving through the departing crowd with Beth in tow, and set about ordering a taxi. “App says eight minutes.”
No response.
When Janice looked around Beth was nowhere to be seen. What, had she gone to the loo? Could have said…
“Janny! Come look at this!”
An uneasy weight settled into Janice’s stomach as she hurried towards her sister’s voice. Into an alley. Oh dear. Surely the geas wouldn’t mean that-
Beth was kneeling in the frosty muck, her hand outstretched towards a pile of soggy cardboard boxes. Making kissing noises.
“Sis, I don’t think-”
“I heard it crying!”
“Well… our taxi will be here soon, so let me call the local animal rescue and tell them.”
“Hm. Alright…” Beth sat back on her heels, and Janice sighed with relief and started searching for a number.
Then a soft chirr made them both look up.
Please be a cat, please be a cat…
For a moment Janice thought it was, and just happened to be one of those hairless breeds. But then it slunk a little closer, into the dim shaft of light from the street, and she could make out its hide was a dull grey-green.
“Oh shit I think that’s an imp.”
The imp stared up at them. Its long ears quivering anxiously.
“Definitely a job for professionals. Sis, you might want to stay back so it doesn’t get fright- ah.”
Janice grimaced as the imp crept close to press against Beth’s leg. Visibly shivering. Of course Beth responded by wrapping it in her coat. She’d probably have done that without a magical resolution.
“Aww, poor thing! Don’t worry, we’ll get you checked up.”
“Right!” Janice turned back to her phone and redoubled her search. Hopefully that meant Beth’s heart wasn’t set quite yet…
“Hey, Janny?”
“Mhm?”
Beth grinned down at the imp, which was now curled up on her lap. “Pretty sure this is the fastest I’ve ever ticked off a New Year’s Resolution. Even counting the ‘sneak some bubbly’ one when I was nine.”
Well. Never mind that, then. Janice released her belated sigh and simply said “Yeah, I think so too.”

Prompt was “On the last day of the year, a market appears where you can trade resolutions. Swap your ‘exercise more’ for someone’s ‘learn an instrument.’ Exchange ‘be more patient’ for ‘take more risks.’ The trades are binding. The magic ensures you’ll follow through—on whatever you’re holding when the market closes.”