Tweet
The cleric and part-time apothecary bent down low so he was at eye-level to a small jar resting on a table. He held a vial filled with a slightly beige liquid in his hand that hovered over the jar filled with a liquid that appeared to be water but smelled faintly of a mixture between bitter and sour. With slow and purposeful movements, he carefully tilted the vial so a single small drop of the beige liquid hung to the edge of the glass. He felt a bead of sweat start to drip down his forehead but made no attempt to wipe it away for fear of disrupting the entire process. He tilted the vial just a little further…the drop seemed to wiggle in protest. A little more…and it finally dropped in. He quickly pulled his hand away so as not to spill any more of the liquid into the jar and breathed a sigh of relief, wiping away the thin sheen of sweat that had collected on his forehead. Had he done it? Was he finally successful? He turned to one of several plants that lined his windowsill, a small green seedling of a plant, barely two inches tall. Only one way to find out, he thought with a determined frown on his face. He picked up the jar, gently swirling it around a bit, before making his way past the scattered, overturned books and papers lying on the floor and over to the plant. He pondered over whether he should give it a light or heavy dose, then decided to take it light first and see what the plant’s reaction would be. If it was positive, he’d try a larger dose. An arms length away from the seedling, he held his breath out of hopeful optimism and poured a trickle of the liquid onto the soil of the plant. He watched the dirt eagerly drink it up and he immediately grabbed a leather-bound notebook and writing utensil from the floor, ready to write down any and all changes that would appear in the plant. The single tiny leaf on the plant seemed to vibrate, though that might’ve just been his eyes playing tricks on him. He knelt closer to the windowsill, furrowing his eyebrows and pursing his lips.
Suddenly the seedling began to shoot up at an unnatural pace, causing him to shout and stumble backwards, which in turn caused him to trip over his chair and fall onto his back on the hard wooden floor. The chair landed with a hard clatter right next to him. He groaned and shifted to a sitting position, rubbing the side of his back where a book on the floor had pressed into his rib. He’d have to remember to keep this place more organized, lest he fall and break his neck. He hefted himself up to his feet and shuffled back over to the windowsill, telling himself not to be disappointed if the experiment had failed. Closer inspection revealed that the plant had grown to a height of…he rubbed his chin and bent closer…approximately four…and a half inches. Before wilting and turning a dull, dead grey. Well, he cheerfully thought to himself, at least this time he’d managed to make it grow another inch more than last time. And…what was this? His eyebrows furrowed again as his eyes caught sight of something he hadn’t noticed before. He turned the pot of plant around so he could get a better look and confirmed the new emergence of a small bud, the encasing green leaves covering the faint color of yellow within. He grinned and immediately started scrawling down several notes in his notebook.
A sharp knock at his closed door followed by a concerned voice asking if everything was okay did nothing to falter his moment of reverie. He opened the door and without so much as a hello to the startled person standing outside of his room, yanked him inside and ushered him over to the plant. He didn’t waste time on words, merely pointed at the plant and smiled triumphantly. The smaller, younger looking man who he had pulled in stared at the plant for a moment before slowly turning his attention back to the visibly excited person.
“Yes, Vai. A dead plant.” His companion chuckled and shook his head, picking up the pot and handing it over to the other man’s grudging hands.
“Not just a dead plant, Louis my friend!” he proclaimed, giving him a jovial slap on the back. “The dead plant that’s brought me a step closer to the ultimate potion!” The younger counterpart looked up at his senior with doubt.
“You mean you’ve finally figured it out?”
“Not quite, not quite,” Vai said admittedly, though his smile never faltered. “But I feel that the answer is within my grasp. Look, Louis! Look at the bud on the plant!” He pointed to the small round bulb on the stem of the plant. “See how it yet quivers and longs to stretch in the warmth of the sun!” Louis looked.
“I think that part is dead too,” he concluded. Vai grumbled and took the pot away from his friend.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, placing the plant back on the sill. “It just needs something more to blossom. And once it does, that will be the key.”
“I see.” The other man seemed to be deeply contemplating his words. “So hey, you gonna catch the breakfast served here or not? Kitchen’s about to close, you know, and the inn has a strict policy on not serving late-comers.” Maybe not. Vai gave an exaggerated sigh and good-naturedly gave his friend a nudge on the shoulder.
“Always thinking with your stomach instead of the possibilities to come,” he said, already moving to fill a satchel he’d snatched up from his bed with some empty bottles.
“I’ll take that as a no. Be seeing you later, then? Looks like you’re getting ready to head out into the forest again.”
“Correct. And,” he paused for a moment so he could heft the satchel onto his shoulder. “I believe I know just what I need to make this happen.”
Suddenly the seedling began to shoot up at an unnatural pace, causing him to shout and stumble backwards, which in turn caused him to trip over his chair and fall onto his back on the hard wooden floor. The chair landed with a hard clatter right next to him. He groaned and shifted to a sitting position, rubbing the side of his back where a book on the floor had pressed into his rib. He’d have to remember to keep this place more organized, lest he fall and break his neck. He hefted himself up to his feet and shuffled back over to the windowsill, telling himself not to be disappointed if the experiment had failed. Closer inspection revealed that the plant had grown to a height of…he rubbed his chin and bent closer…approximately four…and a half inches. Before wilting and turning a dull, dead grey. Well, he cheerfully thought to himself, at least this time he’d managed to make it grow another inch more than last time. And…what was this? His eyebrows furrowed again as his eyes caught sight of something he hadn’t noticed before. He turned the pot of plant around so he could get a better look and confirmed the new emergence of a small bud, the encasing green leaves covering the faint color of yellow within. He grinned and immediately started scrawling down several notes in his notebook.
A sharp knock at his closed door followed by a concerned voice asking if everything was okay did nothing to falter his moment of reverie. He opened the door and without so much as a hello to the startled person standing outside of his room, yanked him inside and ushered him over to the plant. He didn’t waste time on words, merely pointed at the plant and smiled triumphantly. The smaller, younger looking man who he had pulled in stared at the plant for a moment before slowly turning his attention back to the visibly excited person.
“Yes, Vai. A dead plant.” His companion chuckled and shook his head, picking up the pot and handing it over to the other man’s grudging hands.
“Not just a dead plant, Louis my friend!” he proclaimed, giving him a jovial slap on the back. “The dead plant that’s brought me a step closer to the ultimate potion!” The younger counterpart looked up at his senior with doubt.
“You mean you’ve finally figured it out?”
“Not quite, not quite,” Vai said admittedly, though his smile never faltered. “But I feel that the answer is within my grasp. Look, Louis! Look at the bud on the plant!” He pointed to the small round bulb on the stem of the plant. “See how it yet quivers and longs to stretch in the warmth of the sun!” Louis looked.
“I think that part is dead too,” he concluded. Vai grumbled and took the pot away from his friend.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said, placing the plant back on the sill. “It just needs something more to blossom. And once it does, that will be the key.”
“I see.” The other man seemed to be deeply contemplating his words. “So hey, you gonna catch the breakfast served here or not? Kitchen’s about to close, you know, and the inn has a strict policy on not serving late-comers.” Maybe not. Vai gave an exaggerated sigh and good-naturedly gave his friend a nudge on the shoulder.
“Always thinking with your stomach instead of the possibilities to come,” he said, already moving to fill a satchel he’d snatched up from his bed with some empty bottles.
“I’ll take that as a no. Be seeing you later, then? Looks like you’re getting ready to head out into the forest again.”
“Correct. And,” he paused for a moment so he could heft the satchel onto his shoulder. “I believe I know just what I need to make this happen.”