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.