It was in Normandy that my relationship with magic started to become very intense. At that time, country people often chose to see healers, bonesetters and hypnotists over doctors, vets or the pharmacist who perhaps lived in another village. They were recommended by word of mouth, and one person would tell the next how a neighbour’s bad back had been cured, or a mare’s sprained leg healed. All types of country magic were very common and frequently practised: the evil eye, sorcery, negative vibrations, but also the prayers that cured and the ones that made for a good harvest...