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The Perils of Outsourcing

By: Carter Lappin

It’s harder than you might think to train a crow to cast spells. Sure, the language is there—alakazam comes as easy to them as mama does to you. The problem comes when the crows want to know who they’re cursing. Do they deserve it? Haven’t you tried anything else? Their questions give you headaches.

Frankly, you’d just do the spells yourself, if only the other wizards would let you cast anything. You do a few unethical magical experiments and everyone gets upset. Much easier to train animal minions to do the dirty work—if only they’d stop pecking you.

© 2025. Carter Lappin

Carter Lappin (she/her) is a Californian author. You can find her works in publications such as Brigid’s Gate Press, Air and Nothingness Press, and Manawaker Studio. She’s on Twitter/X at @CarterLappin.

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