How to Aid and Keep Thy Friends Forever is a dangerous spellbook which Hilda discovers in a hidden room of the Library in "Chapter 8: The Tide Mice".
Appearance[]
Its Old English title and the dust that comes out when Hilda opens the book indicates that it is very old, and it has not been used for some time.
Kaisa advises Hilda that the books in the hidden room are not for circulation, only reference (i.e., Hilda can look at them, but they can't be checked out or removed from the room). Realizing that How to Aid and Keep Thy Friends Forever has a spell she wants to use, however, Hilda disregards this advice and makes a photocopy of the page with the instructions to create Tide Mice.
The author(s) of this book has an unusual, nonlinear writing style which makes abundant use of footnotes (and footnotes within footnotes), which leads to Hilda accidentally overlooking the negative consequences of the spell.
This book also appears in Hilda Creatures in Wood Man's shop, where it is called simply Spell Book, and its description reads: "A book of enchantments from the secret section of the Library. Read the small print."
Contents[]
- How To Banish A Boil
- How To Wilt A Wart
- How To Ensure A Friend's Success In A Chosen Endeavor
Excerpts[]
- [Foreword]You can solve a host of vexing problems for your friends with these spells and charms.
- [Under "How To Ensure A Friend's Success In A Chosen Endeavor"] This enchantment is easily performed by the inexperienced novice. It requires naught but an enchanted tide mouse. Step one: acquire enough of your friend's hair to fashion a small net. Step two: procure an item belonging to your friend that represents the undertaking in question. Make sure it is sized to fit into the aforementioned net of hair. Step three: go to a tide pool. Place the hair with the item at the edge. Chant these words out loud with vigor: Huxar fi constuffia / Huxar hasla hagot schluvina.
- [Footnote under "Friend's Success" Spell] Side effects include: blanked-out eyes, occasional growling, or a fine mist rising from the enchantee's scalp -- typical signs that the soul is preparing to be forfeited to the enchanter for all eternity. [...] If the enchanted mouse is returned by the end of the 30 days, the enchantment is broken. Please be advised that the official disenchantment requires certain actions on the part of all involved.
- [Asterisk of the Footnote of the "Friend's Success" Spell] Step one: the witch must first perform this chant out loud with vigor, but it only works if you do it at moonrise. Once the disenchantment has begun, it must be completed within an hour in order to take effect. [...] Rot cavoya nin feultay.
- [Of the Enchantee(s)] Say this chant twice: Lo fesi jalvali.
- [Footnote of the Asterisk of the Footnote of the "Friend's Success" Spell] Do not forget to feed the disenchanted tide mouse a small morsel of bread at the end, or it will never leave you in peace.
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