Granny Weatherwax smiled. That is, her mouth went up at the corners.
"Hah!" she said. "I've said it before and I'll say it again: you can't learn witchin' from books. Letice Earwig thinks you can become a witch by goin' shoppin'." She gave Tiffany a piercing look, as if she was making up her mind about something. Then she said: "An' I'll wager she don't know how to do this."
She picked up her cup of hot tea, curling her hand around it. Then she reached out with her other hand and Took Tiffany's hand.
"Ready?" said Granny.
"For wha--" Tiffany began, and then she felt her hand get hot. The heat spread up her arm, warming it to the bone.
"Feelin' it?"
"Yes!"
The warmth died away. And Granny Weatherwax, still watching Tiffany's face, turned the teacup upside down.
The tea dropped out in one lump. It was frozen solid.
Tiffany was old enough not to say, "How did you do that?" Granny Weatherwax didn't answer silly questions, or, for that matter, many questions at all.
"You moved the heat," Tiffany said. "You took the heat out of the tea and moved it through you to me, yes?"
"Yes, but it never touched me," said Granny triumphantly. "It's all about balance, do you see? Balance is the trick. Keep the balance and--" She stopped. "You've ridden on a seesaw? One end goes up, one end goes down. But the bit in the middle, right in the middle, that stays where it is. Upness and downness go right through it. Don't matter how high or low the ends go, it keeps the balance." She sniffed. "Magic is mostly movin' stuff around."
"Can I learn that?"
"I daresay. It's not hard, if you get your mind right."
"Can you teach me?"
"I just have. I showed you."
"No, Granny, you just showed me how to do it, not...how to do it!"
"Can't tell you that. I know how I do it. How you do it'll be different. You've just got to get your mind right."
"How do I do that?"
"How should I know? It's your mind," snapped Granny. "Put the kettle on again, will you? My tea's gone cold."
--Terry Pratchett, Wintersmith
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