"Exactly what I said, dearie. Magic. Witchcraft. Perhaps it's a weak, feeble and neglected thing where you come from? In my world it's strong, hearty and enables me to do things like spin straw into gold, or wool.. either one works really."

He wondered idly if dropping mention of turning straw into gold might ring some bells for the man, then again, it's entirely possible he's never read any fairy tales, or perhaps he'd never read Rumpelstiltskin. Well, he'd think about how to explain magic more thoroughly if that last hint failed to clear the matter up.