The Fairy Godmother of the Auto Shop
Marcos was one month away from closing the shop.
And this time, he wasn't exaggerating.
The bills were stacked across his desk, the rent was overdue, and the phone had practically stopped ringing. Even the old calendar hanging on the wall seemed to judge him every time he walked past it.
That afternoon, Marcos was alone in the garage, scrubbing grease off a wrench that was probably older than he was.
“That's it...” he muttered, staring at the ceiling. “One more week and I'm selling hot dogs for a living.”
Then he noticed a strange smell.
First came the familiar scent of burnt oil.
Then something completely different.
Lavender.
Marcos wrinkled his nose.
“Lavender?”
A small cloud of pink smoke began pouring out of the old V8 engine sitting disassembled on his workbench.
“Oh, no...”
Poof!
A tiny woman wearing a sparkling blue dress, safety boots, and protective goggles appeared in the middle of the smoke.
She was floating.
And she was holding a wand that looked suspiciously like a miniature tire iron.
“Good afternoon, my boy!”
Marcos stared at her for several seconds.
“...Did I hit my head?”
“No.”
“Am I dreaming?”
“Also no.”
“Then why is there a fairy floating over my engine?”
The tiny creature crossed her arms.
“Because I'm the Fairy Godmother of the Auto Shop.”
Marcos blinked.
“That exists?”
“Of course. We even have a union, dental plans, and everything.”
She landed on the engine and looked around the rundown garage.
“Well... you really do need help.”
“If you can pay my bills, I'll take it.”
“I don't work with money.”
“Of course you don't.”
“I work with creative solutions.”
The fairy raised her wand.
“You want to turn this business around, my boy?”
“More than anything.”
“Then I'll give you exactly what attracts the modern customer.”
She pointed the wand at him.
“Visual appeal.”
“Wait. What?”
The wand struck the hood of an old Volkswagen Beetle.
FLASH!
A burst of pink light filled the garage.
Marcos screamed.
When he finally managed to open his eyes, the garage was strangely quiet.
He looked at his hands.
Smaller.
Delicate.
Then his arms.
Then the rest of his body.
“...No.”
He ran toward the cracked mirror behind the counter.
A young woman with long, wavy hair was staring back at him.
She had large eyes, delicate features, and the sort of appearance that looked like it belonged on a vintage garage poster.
Marcos grabbed his face.
The woman in the mirror did exactly the same.
“NO!”
The fairy giggled.
“Done!”
“DONE?!”
“You asked for customers.”
“I asked for customers! I didn't ask to become a woman!”
“Technically, you didn't specify.”
Marcos opened his mouth to argue.
Then stopped.
He looked at himself in the mirror again.
“Why is my hair so beautiful?”
“Magic.”
“And why am I wearing this?”
“Marketing.”
“And why does my voice sound like this?!”
“Side effect.”
The fairy clapped her hands.
“Good luck!”
“Wait! How do I undo this?!”
The little fairy was already disappearing into another cloud of pink smoke.
“Midnight!”
Marcos' eyes widened.
“Midnight?!”
“Oh, and one last thing!”
“What?!”
The fairy smiled.
“Permanent exclusivity contract.”
Poof!
She vanished.
Marcos stood there alone.
“...I should have asked for money.”
The next morning, there was a line outside the shop.
Marcos—or rather, the new version of Marcos—stood by the window staring at it in disbelief.
“This can't be happening.”
It was.
And it happened again the next day.
And the day after that.
Within two weeks, the garage was completely packed.
There was just one small problem.
Nobody seemed to be talking about the quality of the service.
“You're the new mechanic?”
“Yes.”
“Wow.”
“Do you need something done to your car?”
“Actually... my engine is making a strange noise.”
“Great. Open the hood.”
The customer did.
Marcos grabbed a wrench.
“Let's see...”
“You really know about cars?”
She stopped.
Slowly looked at him.
“Yesterday, I rebuilt a carburetor with a spoon and a piece of wire.”
“Impressive.”
“I know.”
And she went back to work.
The garage had completely changed.
The old heavy mechanic's jumpsuit had been modified into something much lighter and more practical. Her long hair was usually tied back with a colorful scarf, and the former owner of the shop now had to work while dozens of customers tried to strike up conversations.
The most annoying part was that he was still an excellent mechanic.
Maybe even better than before.
The only difference was that now he had an audience.
Whenever she crouched down to check a suspension, someone whistled.
Whenever she opened the hood of a pickup truck, someone took a picture.
Whenever she wiped her hands after an oil change, there was always some customer ready with a clever comment.
Marcos hated admitting it.
But the fairy's plan had worked.
The shop was making more money than ever.
The bills were paid.
And there was a line that stretched around the block.
One evening, Marcos stood by the window watching the crowd outside.
“I did it,” he murmured.
Then he noticed something.
His reflection in the glass showed a young mechanic with dark hair, a colorful headscarf, and a makeshift uniform.
Marcos was silent for a few seconds.
“I did it.”
She smiled.
Then looked down at her feet.
She was wearing work boots.
“At least the fairy had the common sense to give me decent shoes.”
At that exact moment, a customer walked in.
“Miss! My truck is making a weird noise!”
Marcos grabbed a wrench.
“Again?”
“It sounds like a clack-clack-clack.”
“That's the suspension.”
“Can you fix it?”
She adjusted the scarf in her hair.
“Buddy, I can rebuild an engine while arguing over parts prices with a supplier.”
The customer smiled.
“Wow.”
Marcos pointed the wrench at him.
“And don't even think about asking for a discount.”
He raised both hands.
“Wasn't even thinking about it!”
Marcos walked toward the truck.
Then stopped.
She looked up toward the ceiling.
“Fairy Godmother...”
A little pink cloud appeared near the roof.
“Yes?”
“I want to renegotiate the contract.”
The fairy appeared, smiling.
“Of course!”
Marcos took a deep breath.
“I want my old life back.”
The fairy tilted her head.
“Are you sure?”
Marcos looked around the packed garage.
At the bills that were finally paid.
At the phone that wouldn't stop ringing.
And then at the huge new sign hanging above the entrance:
MARISA'S AUTO SHOP — BEST TUNE-UP IN TOWN!
He stood there silently for a few seconds.
“...How much to renew it?”
The fairy burst out laughing.
And Marcos realized, far too late, that maybe he was starting to enjoy his new life.
There was only one thing he still couldn't quite get used to.
Every time someone asked:
“Are you the owner of the shop?”
He had to take a deep breath before answering.
“...I am.”
And, for some reason, saying it was getting easier and easier.
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