Toil and Trouble

A small town is disrupted by the arrival of an inexperienced young witch as she embarks on a rite of passage to discover herself.

Toil and Trouble is a comedy about a young witch named Esper who has just moved into the local haunted house. The story takes place in modern day suburbia in a world where witch covens are a known but rare part of life. Similar to the practice of Rumspringa, where youth are sent into the world to acquire experience and knowledge beyond their norm, young witches are encouraged to go out and experience the world around them as a rite of passage into early adulthood. Esper goes about carelessly enjoying this new-found freedom in the small town of Enigma where she befriends Olive, a quiet bookworm who is trying to go through life unnoticed.

Esper enrolls in middle school with Olive to fully immerse herself in the culture. Esper’s powers spark some interest but in a time of high budget movies and special effects her magic seems mildly entertaining at best. Esper rushes fearlessly through life with the destructive energy of a new puppy, while Olive tries to fade into the background. The two bond and grow together as Esper drags poor Olive along through her various escapades while Olive tries to reign Esper in from causing complete destruction throughout the town.