The first story focuses on a married couple, Jonathan and Madeline Cooper. Jonathan is a respected - though obnoxious - newspaper columnist, and Madeline is desperate for a baby, as she and Jonathan have been unable to conceive. The couple visit Merlin's store, where Jonathan berates Merlin and threatens to write a negative article in the newspaper that will cause his readers to avoid the store. Merlin loans Jonathan his spell book as proof that he is actually the legendary wizard. Jonathan takes the book home and begins to toy with several of the spells.