When
Maybelle woke up that morning, the first thing she did was savor the silence.
It was the only peace she would get at home all day. Taking in a deep breath,
she relished the fresh air coming in through the open window, completely free
of steam and smoke.
A minute
later, she heard her sister, Arielle, stir in her bed on the other side of the
room. A muffled, “Good morning,” sounded from the pile of blankets.
Sighing,
Maybelle reluctantly returned the greeting. “Good morning.”
As the
sisters got ready for the day, Maybelle was once again astounded at the level
of noise her sister made in everything she did. Dresser drawers slammed while
Arielle stomped around, trying to get herself ready. Dressing as fast as she
could, Maybelle escaped downstairs.
Breakfast was
a noisy affair as Arielle informed them all of her plans for the day. Maybelle
barely suppressed a groan when she heard that Arielle was going to be
practicing her potion making again. She had really hoped that she could have a
break from the oppressive smoke and fumes.
She couldn’t
wait until she was old enough to start her own magical education. She was sure
that she would be able to do things so much quieter and cleaner than her
sister. For now, she was more of an assistant who was sent to fetch potion
ingredients and to help in whatever else her parents or Arielle needed.
When she
was sent to gather potion ingredients later that morning, Maybelle took as long
as she could. She knew she would be able to get most of the ingredients at the
local apothecary, so she walked slowly along the path and enjoyed the stillness
of the forest. The potion that her sister was supposed to make today was a
sleeping draught. While not technically in training yet, Maybelle knew a lot
from having to help her sister, and this potion was supposed to be fairly easy.
The one ingredient that she wouldn’t find at the apothecary was fox fur.
Luckily, she knew the location of a den that was close by.
When she
finally returned home, it was nearing lunchtime. “What took you so long?” Her
mother looked at her reproachfully. “Arielle’s been ready for a while. She
needs the fox fur right away.”
Steeling
herself, Maybelle headed to the room that served as a laboratory. Just as she
feared, steam was pouring out of the room into the hall, as well as the smell
of rotten eggs. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, she handed the ingredients over
to Arielle, who was standing focused over her cauldron. Without taking her eyes
from the potion, Arielle said, “Finally. Just leave the stuff on the table.”
“Is it
supposed to smell like that?” Maybelle’s eyes were watering now and she let out
a little cough.
“I’m not
sure, but I think I can fix it.” Searching through the bag that Maybelle had
brought her, she pulled out some dried lavender. “This should do the trick.”
She threw it haphazardly into her cauldron.
Maybelle’s
eyes widened. “Are you sure that’s going to work?”
For the
first time, Arielle focused a scathing gaze on Maybelle. “Of course. I’m the
one practicing magic, remember?”
Rolling her
eyes, Maybelle retreated outside to the cooler, clearer air. She knew that
while lavender did make potions more aromatic, too much of it could also have
adverse results. The potion could easily boil over and become useless, or even…
An
explosion sounded from inside the house, and Maybelle closed her eyes in
frustration. Arielle had definitely used too much lavender, and now the
laboratory was surely covered with the half-made sleeping draught. She sighed as
she waited for her mother to call for her help cleaning up. She knew that the
rest of the day would be spent scrubbing walls free of the vile-smelling
potion. She wondered if she should just sleep outside tonight. It might be
cold, but at least she wouldn’t have to sleep with the smell of rotten eggs in
her nose.
“Maybelle,
we’re going to need your help in here!” Her mother’s voice seemed to float over
from far away. With a groan, Maybelle headed toward the house and mentally
prepared herself to scrub the slimy, smelly potion for the next few hours. She
couldn’t wait until it was her turn to start her magical training. Then she
could show her sister how to properly make a potion.
