Witch In Training

 

            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.

Potion Shop

 

            Helga smiled as she leaned over her potion. Mixing up the Sleeping Death always put her in a good mood. The sticky sweet smell of the apples mixed with the cinnamon and nutmeg always made her think of cool fall mornings.

            The spring season had just started, and she’d gotten a surprising amount of requests for the Sleeping Death Potion. Who would have thought that when the Wicked Queen used it on Snow White all those years ago, that it would be so popular today? Nowadays there were women who used the Sleeping Death just to try to get a handsome prince to kiss them.

            Helga nearly laughed out loud. No one had been kissed by a prince, but her potions still flew off the shelves nonetheless.

            The bell above the door tinkled, signaling the arrival of a customer. Straightening up, Helga went over to meet them. Her good mood improved when she saw it was Dana. She came in at least once a week looking for magical cures for all of her problems. “What can I do for you today, Dana?”

            The look on Dana’s face was one of exasperation. After letting out an annoyed huff of air, she said, “I need something to take care of the slugs in my garden.”

            Helga raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Weren’t you having problems with your garden last week?”

            “Well, it was the crickets last week. I used what you gave me, and the crickets have all disappeared, but now I feel like I’m being overrun by slugs.” Dana folded her arms and stared at Helga. “Do you have anything that can help me out?”

            Helga tipped her head back to think. “Yes, I think I’ve got something that will take care of the slugs, but it needs to be sprinkled over your garden under the light of a full moon.”

            Dana’s face brightened. “Perfect! The full moon is tonight! I’ll take some, please.”

            Studying her shelves carefully, Helga found what she needed and brought a bright purple bottle over to the counter. “This should take care of your problem.” She checked the price and wrote it into her big book. “Would you like anything else?”

            Dana eagerly walked up to the counter. “No, thank you.” She paid for her potion and hurriedly left.

            After watching for a few minutes to make sure she wasn’t coming back, Helga let out a hearty laugh. “Yes, that will definitely take care of your slugs, but you’ll be back next week, looking for a way to get rid of your new mice problem.” Still chuckling, she went back to concocting her potion.

            The thing that most people didn’t understand around here was that once you grew dependent on magical cures for everything, you would always need more. It was an addiction that was more powerful than anything else. Helga had definitely made the right choice to set up shop here. There was always work for a witch.

Secret Pet

 

            Joel rose silently from his bed and dressed quickly. The birds were already awake and singing their morning songs even though the sun hadn’t fully risen yet.

            The clock on the dresser said 6:34. Thinking of how hard it had been to get up early during the school year, Joel smiled. If this had been a normal summer’s day, he would still be asleep and wouldn’t stir until at least ten o’clock. But today was different. Unable to stop thinking about what had happened yesterday, he couldn’t wait another second for the day to get started. Tiptoeing downstairs, he slipped on his shoes and was out the door and into the backyard.

            Heart thumping with anticipation, he darted to his hiding place behind the shed. The sight of the makeshift box he had constructed yesterday filled him with relief. It was still here and completely closed. “Hey, I’m back,” he whispered as he gently took the lid off. Peering inside, he was happy to see that his new pet was awake, alert, and waiting for him.

            The fiery golden eyes looked intelligently up at him as he reached inside and brought out the small creature, whose head leaned affectionately into his hand. “I’ve been thinking about you all night. I didn’t tell anyone about you, because who would have believed that I had found a real dragon?”

            The small green dragon cocked its head as though it were listening and could understand what Joel was saying. He settled down on the grass and set the dragon on the ground.

            Feeling like he was talking to a friend, he continued. “Where did you come from anyway? I’m sure dragons don’t just appear in people’s backyards.” He watched as the little dragon stretched out his tiny wings and got comfortable in Joel’s lap.

He thought about the day before when he had come out to mow the lawn. This little guy had been sitting in front of the shed, almost like he was waiting for him. Joel had stopped in his tracks and watched as the small dragon walked toward him and sniffed his shoes. Slowly, not wanting to scare him, he reached down to touch it and was surprised when it hopped right into his outstretched hand. It immediately climbed onto his shoulder and stayed there. He stayed while Joel mowed the lawn, and Joel started to wonder what he was going to do with it.

It was getting late and he enjoyed having the little dragon with him. His parents weren’t pet people, and he wasn’t sure how they would feel about a dragon. So, he had hastily made a small box out of some wood scraps and set the dragon inside, explaining that he would return in the morning.

Looking at the dragon now, he still couldn’t believe it was real. Dragons were only found in fairy tales and old legends, right? The morning grew brighter as he sat with the little green dragon. The creature didn’t seem afraid of Joel at all as he continued to talk to it.

When he heard the sounds of his family stirring inside the house, Joel knew he would have to go back inside soon. Sighing, he picked up the dragon to put him back inside the box. As he did so, he was shocked when the creature spoke. “Well Joel, aren’t you going to give me a name?”

For a moment, all Joel could do was stare. When he found his voice, he said, “You can talk?”

The little head nodded. “Why not? I’m a dragon, aren’t I?” He stared into Joel’s eyes. “Of all the people I’ve ever seen, you are the only one who’s ever been able to see me.”

“No one else can see you?”

“I’ve been around a long time, and no one else has ever noticed me before. I’ve searched around the world for someone who could see magic.”

“Magic?!” Joel couldn’t believe this was happening.

“I’ve been waiting for you to give me a name, but I couldn’t keep quiet any longer. Once you name me, I’ll be able to show you so much more.”

Joel’s disbelief was changing and grew into excitement. A slow smile was spreading across his face. “Okay, I’ll give you a name.” It wasn’t hard to choose and he’d been thinking about it anyway. The dragon’s gleaming green scales made it easier. “How about Jadyn?”

As soon as he said the dragon’s name, the air shimmered around him and Jadyn grew until he was taller than the shed. Joel’s eyes widened as Jadyn shook himself and spread out his now massive wings. “Ah, that’s much better. Thank you, Joel.”

Joel nodded, feeling a little nervous. The dragon that used to fit inside his hand was now too big to go inside his house.

Seemingly unconcerned, Jadyn went on. “You and I are now connected. I will teach you everything, and together, we’ll be able to do great things.”

When Joel went inside later, he tried to act normal, but he couldn’t help looking outside the window every minute to see Jadyn sitting regally on the back lawn. He’d always wanted to do something exciting, and this went beyond his wildest dreams. He couldn’t wait to go back outside and continue the adventure of a lifetime.