"Just a Couple of Girls" by Harry Wilson Watrous

In The Book of Spells, Theresa Billings finds a  spell that promises to animate a painting.  It’s said that, when cast correctly, the spell can bring a painting to life within its frame. Would the spell allow you to step into the scene within the painting? Better yet, would the people and things in the painting be able to step out of it? If we were going to try this spell, we’d start with a peaceful oil painting like Harry Wilson Watrous’ “Just a Couple of Girls.”  It makes us think of Catherine White and Eliza Williams starting The Billings Literary society. Strangely enough, Watrous is said to have painted this scene in the year 1915 . . . the same year that the Billings Girls discovered The Book of Spells.

Steps to cast the spell:

Step 1: Concentrate on the painting you’d like to animate.

Step 2: Quietly repeat the following phrase to yourself: “Images, immobile and trapped; move with life and breathe at last.”

Step 3: For best results, clasp hands with a practiced witch and recite the chant together.

If you could cast a spell to animate a painting, which painting would you choose?