None of the family could react in time, James was heavy and slow only reacting to raise his hands and shield himself, Laura wasn't even looking at the woman, but towards James as she pleaded they leave. John was ignoring the conversation still listening to his headphones, and Cindy was still half asleep. Of all the things they worried about encountering in a creepy old house, from rotten banisters to giant spiders to killer clowns, an ugly but inviting woman throwing spells wasn't one of them.
The spell hit and exploded, Cindy screamed as the green blast exploded in front of them, but the terror immediately fell away as the green exploded into a vibrant mosaic of colors and twinkling lights. Any fears the family had immediately fell away, as did any thoughts of their own, goals, or associated plans.
The woman hobbled over with a mischievous grin, "Slack jawed and silent, just how I like my guests." Going one by one through the family, "Give me your name and help me with chores tomorrow, entertain me, and I'll let you stay the night." She held out her hand expectantly and snatched it back... "Full legal names only." and extended her hand cautiously. One by one the family responded with their names unaware of the deal they truly struck to stay the night.
The woman let out a delighted cackle and tapped her staff to the floor once per guest. She then took the group upstairs and presented each with a prepared room with fresh linens as though they had been expected. As each guest took a room she examined them making no effort to hide her growing disappointment.
The family awoke at 7am sharp and went downstairs to find themselves presented with a delicious looking meal. every time any of them opened their mouths to speak the thought of what they wanted to say left them. The woman offered, "Eat up, you'll need your strength to help with the chores." an excited smile spilling over. "It's been so long since I've gotten any help!"
The woman scooped oatmeal from a pot and added it to a serving dish finishing the meal she prepared. "Oh, I nearly forgot. I noticed last night... You all seem to have widely varying skills and capabilities... you all will share that amongst each other won't you? I'd hate for all the chores to fall on just one or two of you." She gave a caring glance.
The heavy fog that suppressed the family's mental state seemed to lift slightly, each person understanding the intended end result differently. John (37) heard that he should guide others with his handyman knowledge, being a homeowner himself. Laura (34) heard the woman backhandedly say the kids will only be a burden and its her job to ensure they help where possible but at least stay out of the way. John (9) understood he needed to look after his sister so his parents can focus on the work without worrying about her getting into anything. Cindy (6) heard that she could help too and we all get to participate as a family.
Each acknowledged their agreement to their understanding of the request, all of them however, were completely wrong regarding what it meant for them. The woman kindly smiled, "Oh good, that will make everything easier on everyone!" She tapped her staff to the ground twice. and the family stared at her... "You can always count on families to work together to get through challenges. Well eat up!"
What the family didn't realize was their sharing of skills and capabilities was literal, physical, and mental. John passed the eggs to James and they both became 200 lb 23 year old men as James' strength was exchanged with John's flexibility and youth. John suddenly knew about leaky faucets and how to paint a wall as James lost the knowledge but knew how to navigate social media and relearned about the Krebs cycle. Likewise each family member had their own exchanges with each other family member and by the end of the meal everyone was 21.5 and had some level of various adult level knowledges and experience. Weight was distributed according to height, meaning John and James outpaced Cindy and Laura, but now they could all perform at least averagely on general tasks
"Ah, marvelous! It appears you're all ready to get started. Someone should begin by cleaning the kitchen, then we have...", James having taken the normalcy of kitchen chores from John, who acquired it from Laura jumped on the task unaware, like everyone else, that anything was out of place.
