[ EU ] ( Dresden Files ) The Cubs hire chicago 's only professional wizard to break the curse of the Billy Goat .

They thought I was slightly unbalanced, but they were desperate enough to try *anything*. So I packed up my wand and blasting rod ( hey, the last time I was there I nearly got mordite shoved down my throat. I ai n't taking chances. ) and headed down to the Friendly Confines. 
 
 I'd done a little digging on The Curse years ago, back before the Red Court war. Near as I could tell, someone with a pretty good talent had gotten freaking ticked off when he could n't bring his pet into the game. A few minutes and one spell later, the greatest hard-luck story in American sports had begun. 
 
 I'd been hired by some guy named Ernie. Short guy, with the faintest trace of black in his now gray hair. He claimed to have been born the day after the Cubbies lost their last World Series game, back in'45, and he looked it. `` I do n't care if they never win the pennant in my lifetime,'' he'd said. `` I just want them to have a fighting chance.'' I told him I'd see what I could do, and here I was. 
 
 I got out my gear, not that I'd need much, and headed out to the pitcher's mound. As the symbolic center of the park, it was the perfect place for a ritual. A fire, a few words, and there'd be hope on the North Side of Chicago come October. 
 
 A couple of minutes later, I had a small teepee of twigs built. *'' Flicum Bicus. `` * With the tiniest bit of will, a flame had ignited. As I was about to continue, a voice said, `` I would not do that, were I thou.'' 
 
 I whipped around. I *knew* that voice, though I had only met its owner once before. Sure enough, there stood Eldest Gruff, wearing an old-school St. Louis Cardinals jersey. `` Well, this explains quite a bit.''
