Potion of the Hound

by Alicia Scarborough

  When Agnes notices the cat leaping up onto the counter and knocking some of the display items over while trying to get at the mouse, she wonders, “Maybe the potion labels were knocked over by the cat?” Agnes does remember needing to pick up the scattered pile from the floor before she went to make her sandwich.

  Agnes continues to watch the cat chase the mouse. Every once in awhile she looks over at Jay, Ruby, and Ursa, sitting at the table. Ursa still has her feet up on the chair and squeaks when the cat and mouse come close to her.

  Jay is smirking the whole time while he continues to rub between Ruby’s shoulders. Ruby peeks up from her arms to see what’s going on in the shop and then hides her eyes again.

  Agnes takes note that Ruby’s sneezing fits have slowed down and thinks that maybe the potion is wearing off. She knows that some of Helga’s potions have time limits like Toady Day (also known as Toad Flu) potion, which lasts a day or two. Her sister is gifted in the manner of potion making. Agnes believes that Helga has the potential to become a witch of the 1st Order, which is one of the highest levels in the Order of Magic, because of her innate abilities.

  Agnes also recognizes that her little sister carries a chip on her shoulder, especially in regard to the Order. Though Cornelius warned them not to, all three sisters hold some level of blame against the Order for the disappearance of their parents. Once Helga became a teenager, she’s started channeling that blame and hurt into real anger against the Order. It’s been hard for Agnes to provide parent-like guidance to her little sister, whose energy, intelligence, talents, and rebelliousness seem to increase by the day. It’s a lot for a 24 year-old to deal with.

  Looking down at the second brownie, Agnes brings it up to her nose to breathe in the aroma of its delicious triple chocolate chips. She takes her time with this one, for she wants to enjoy each morsel and the moment of relative peace, as she watches the cat chase the mouse.

  The mouse appears to be getting tired, but Raven is slowing down too. They both stop in the middle of the shop’s floor, panting.

  Suddenly, the mouse takes off running for the kitchen. Raven follows in hot pursuit, determined not to lose her prey. Agnes pops the remaining part of the brownie into her mouth, dusts her hands off, and starts walking back to the table.

  Helga pulls her will together, thinks of cleansing thoughts and purity, and then feels the magic gather into her hands. Bee-like stings savage her arm as she holds onto the power. She grits her teeth and speaks the finishing words, “REV-ER-SAR-EH.”

  The potion changes color from amber to a shimmering gold as the power seeps into the essence, activating it.

  She rubs her arm trying to ease the thousand pricks needling it. Helga wonders that if she uses a wand instead of her hands and fingers if it would remove, or at least lessen, the stinging effect from using magic under strict probation.

  A clatter sounds as the broom near the kitchen entrance gets knocked over. Still spooked about the ghost, Helga jumps. She spies the mouse speeding into the kitchen with Raven, the cat, following close behind.

  The mouse runs up a cupboard door onto the counter, rushing through the various beakers set up with liquids and powders for concocting the potions.

  Raven leaps up onto the counter chasing after the mouse and knocking over the various mixes.

  “NO, RAVEN, NO!” Helga cries as beakers, flasks, and vials shatter onto the floor, mixing the ingredients together. She snatches the broom from the floor, swats after the cat and mouse, and ends up knocking more ingredients off of the counter.

  Clouds of smoke begin to billow as the kitchen fogs up with noxious fumes. Helga turns to see what is sizzling on the ground when all of a sudden—BOOM!—an explosion knocks her off her feet. She lands in the puddle of potion ingredients.

  Helga bolts up, trying to shake the potion mess off herself, when she sees the cat run out of the kitchen. She chases after Raven.

  At the same time as the loud crash followed by the earth-moving BOOM, as more items on the counter fall to the floor, the cafe’s front area rattles and shakes; the bell on the cafe’s door jingles, and chairs topple over.

  Jay, Ruby, and Ursa lie under the table while Agnes, with wide eyes, stands her ground and surveys the room.

  The cat zooms out of the shop, exiting through an open window. Agnes looks back towards the kitchen to see Helga burst through the doorway and then scan the room.

  “WHERE IS SHE?” Helga roars.

  Ursa and crew continue to huddle under the table while Agnes blinks a few times, trying to regain her composure. Finally, she asks, “Who?”

  Helga stamps the floor with her foot, barking, “Dag nabbit! WHERE IS THE FRIGGIN’ CAT?”

  The crew under the table snicker.

  Helga whirls around and marches over to where they hide, demanding, “WHAT’S SO FUNNY?”

  Ruby stays silent except for a few yips that escape her lips. Jay does his best to hold back the laughter, but Ursa, poor Ursa, she busts out laughing, which in turn causes everyone else to start laughing.

  Helga’s skin turns several shades darker as she looks down at the floor. She clenches her hands into fists. For the count of ten she stays that way. When she looks up, everyone stops laughing. The glare that she gives the room turns it several degrees colder.

  In an icy calm voice Helga asks, “I will ask one more time . . . What’s so dang funny?”

  Agnes clears her throat, trying her best to not giggle, and answers Helga, “You’re green.”

  In a calm voice Helga replies, “I know.” The tone becoming more rough and shaken as she fights to keep her temper under control, continuing, “That is why I want to know where the dang cat went.”

  “She ran out the window,” Ursa answers.

  With fire in her eyes Helga glares at Ursa and finally manages to respond, “Oh.”

  Everyone in the room dares not speak or make a move.

  Jay decides to be brave and ask Helga a question, “Did you make the cure for Ruby?”

  She growls, “I just finished with Mr. Jenkins’s potions, had to improvise because some of the ingredients were gone.” Helga holds up a vial with golden liquid in it and then puts it away in her pocket. She continues, “And I was in the process of making the cure for Ruby when the dang cat came in and knocked things over.”

  Jay presses, “So, did you finish making it?”

  She snaps back, “No, I did not finish making Ruby’s cure.” Throwing a look over at Ursa, she explains, “I ran out of ingredients, for SOMEONE used up all the vixen fur.”

  Ursa argues, “Hey, I figured that Mabel needed the extra boost in her love potion. How was I supposed to know that you’d need that last bit of vixen fur?”

  Helga pokes Ursa in the chest, saying, “You’re supposed to TELL me when we run out of ingredients! Never mind using up the last bit.”

  Ursa swats Helga’s hand out of the way and pushes back, “HA! Like you ever TELL US when YOU use the last of an ingredient!”

  Helga grabs ahold of Ursa’s fingers and starts to twist them backwards, noting, “I’m the one who BUYS the ingredients, you little brat.”

  “Let go!” Ursa whines, struggling to break free of Helga’s violent grip.

  “No.” Helga squeezes Ursa’s fingers. Ursa whimpers and cringes as Helga holds fast to her fingers.

  Slap.

  Ursa’s free hand hangs in the air after slapping Helga across the face with it. Helga lets go of Ursa’s fingers to reach up and feel her stinging cheek.

  Agnes switches her gaze between the two with her mouth open.

  Ursa’s phone starts to beep. She picks it up off of the table and takes a look. She looks back towards her sisters to announce, “Guys, we have like thirty minutes to get this place ready for the health inspector.”

  They look around the room. From the recent explosion everything is a mess.

  Agnes grabs her mouth, muttering, “Oh my stars! The kitchen!” She runs to the back to inspect the kitchen.


  Helga shouts, “Well, don’t just stand there—everyone grab a broom or whatever and get going!”

  Ruby, Jay, and Ursa jump up and begin cleaning. Ruby picks things up off the floor as Jay goes around sweeping. Ursa with a duster, spray bottle, and rag goes around and dusts things. Helga straightens the tables as she continues to look out the windows for the health inspector.

  Pots, pans, and various dish sounds come from the kitchen as Agnes is heard moving things around. Ursa moves over by Ruby and starts to dust, causing Ruby to have a sneezing fit. Her form jumps between fox and human with a human-fox mix every half stifled sneeze.

  Jay hurries over to her and pushes Ursa out of the way. He tries to keep Ruby still to help her stop sneezing when Helga grumbles, “Oh no.”

  Ursa pauses her dusting to look up. Her heart drops when she sees Higgins making his way back to the shop. She glances over at Helga with a worried look.

  Helga rolls her sleeves up, turns around to Jay, and motions for him to get up and move, urging, “HURRY! He can’t see her—not right now! Go hide her! HURRY” Helga motions for Jay and Ruby to scuttle back towards the kitchen.

  Jay stops for a moment to ask, “Why do we need to hide?”

  Helga grumbles some more but admits to Jay, “It’s an official. I can’t let him see Ruby right now. It’ll get us ALL into hot water.”

  Jay glowers at Helga, commenting, “But if it’s an official, then he can cure Ruby.”

  “No, he can’t. Trust me on this,” Helga winces and then adds, “Please?”

  Ruby sneezes once more and turns into a fox. Jay stoops down and picks her up. Helga starts to push them towards the kitchen again, advising, “You both can go hide in the pantry or the cupboard.”

  Jay stops once more to say, “Wait wait wait wait—the pantry that’s haunted?”

  “Yeah, sure,” Helga rolls her eyes and answers quickly, “if you want to believe that.”

  Agnes shouts from the kitchen, “You know it IS haunted, Helga! Don’t lie to them!”

  “Pantries don’t get haunted! Houses do!” Helga yells back.

  Agnes shows up at the doorway to help Jay who is now holding Ruby into the pantry in the kitchen.

  Jay throws Helga a look, warning, “You better be right that the pantry isn’t haunted. I hate spooks.”

  He goes with Agnes back into the kitchen.

  With perfect timing a rapping is heard on the door. Higgins waves at Ursa and Helga, pointing down at the door indicating for them to let him into the shop.

  When Ursa lets him in, the bell above the door chimes. Higgins tips his hat at Ursa and then casts his gaze towards Helga.

  “Afternoon,” he says, “I believe I have unfinished business with you.”

  Helga gulps loudly.

  8

  Health Inspection

  Higgins hands Ursa his hat and then waddles over to one of the tables. He seats himself and then wiggles his index finger making the chair opposite him slide out. A toad appears.

  He gestures towards the chair as he looks at Helga, stating, “Sit down, please.”

  Helga starts sweating but continues over to the table and sits. Her hands start to become slick with sweat as she opens and closes them to ward off her anxiety. She rubs them on her apron to dry them off and looks up at Higgins. He’s staring her down, watching every movement. Ursa tiptoes into the kitchen.

  “I think I’ll have a spot of tea,” Higgins says.

  He wiggles his fingers as his bushy mustache sashays back and forth to invoke the magic that moves the teapot under the hot water tap and pulls out two bags of tea from the drawer near the coffee pots. A few more toads poof into existence.

  Two cups and saucers spin out of the cupboards and float over towards the table, landing gently on it in front of Helga and Higgins. The bags of tea drop themselves into the teapot and begin to steep as the teapot glides lazily over to the table. Before landing, the teapot lifts itself up and pours tea into each cup. More toads appear and start to leap around the shop.

  Higgins twitches his mustache, commenting, “Hmm, this will not do.” Glancing up at Helga, he asks, “Do you want sugar with your tea? Perhaps some biscuits?”

  “Errr,” is all that Helga manages to respond.

  “Come, come,” Higgins prods and then claps his hands together.

  Upon the fourth clap the cookie tin tumbles its way over to them with the sugar bowl trailing closely behind. More toads show up. Higgins snatches the bowl out of the air, sets it down, and then grabs the tin to fish out a few cookies. Afterwards, he shoos the tin away while spooning a few scoops of sugar into his tea. After stirring it, he dips a cookie into it, then takes a bite of the shortbread, and chews on it for a while.

  Mesmerized Helga watches Higgins enjoy his cookie. A scant amount of crumbs cling to his whiskers as he dabs a napkin to dry and wipe his mouth.

  “It’s rude to stare, Ms. Helga,” Higgins points out.

  Shaking her head, Helga becomes aware of her surroundings again.

  “Now, down to business,” states Higgins, “Do you have anything to confess, Ms. Helga?”

  He watches her carefully for he knows that she was the one who was responsible for his Toad Flu. He is quite sure that she is behind the disappearance too and is the one who is making the potions.

  Helga narrows her eyes, frowns, and murmurs, “No.”

  Higgins faces her and prompts again, “Ms. Helga, are you sure?”

  “Absolutely,” Helga states with a bit more volume.

  He leans back in the chair, making it creak from his weight, while resting his hands on his enormous belly. He watches the toads hop around the floor and then peers back at Helga, questioning, “Nothing? Nothing at all?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about . . .” Helga replies.

  Toying with his mustache, Higgins muses, “Hmm, I must of caught the toad flu somewhere else.” He grins, leaning in towards Helga to remind her, “You know, they say it is contagious.”

  Helga, already green, turns a pale shade of green but bites her tongue. She does not want to fess up to giving him a potion that makes it seem like you caught the toad flu.

  Higgins picks up another cookie, dips it into his tea, and takes a bite. He chews slowly, watching Helga fidget in her chair.

  Not able to handle the tension, Helga snaps, “Why are you here? You’ve already given your ruling! Hasn’t the Order of Magic harassed me enough today? I KNOW that I’m under probation—”

  Higgins, waving a finger in the air, inquires, “AH! But did you not use magic recently?”

  She narrows her eyes at him, retorting, “How would you know if I used magic recently? Didn’t you strip me of my powers?”

  Shaking his head, he replies, “No, you know I did not bind you. And, I have my ways of knowing when people break their probation.”

  “I did not use any magic,” Helga informs him, rubbing her fingers in an attempt at easing the numbing sensation. “So why are you here?”

  The chair creaks some more as Higgins leans farther back and scoots his feet out in front of him. He overlaps his right foot on top of his left before lazily turning his head to Helga.

  He starts to tick numbers off on his left hand as he notes, “One, I left my papers here. Two, I know you did work magic.” He glances at her rubbing her sore fingers and then bares his teeth in a wicked grin to state, “And three, I know you are the one who gave me toad flu.”

  The sound of metal clinking together brings Helga’s attention to Higgins’s right hand. On his finger hang metal cuffs. “By my count, Ms. Helga, that’s more than one offense you’ve committed today. You’re coming with me down to the station.”

  Helga jumps up, asserting, “To heck I AM!” She shoves the table against Higgins and scrambles for the kitchen.

  “It’s no use, Helga,” Higgins warns and then wiggles his fingers freezing Helga in mid-step. “You can’t run from me.”

  He slowly gets up from the table an
d starts walking to her. “I would have forgiven you for the magic use or even the stealing of my papers, but I can’t overlook the fact that you tried to poison me.”

  As Higgins closes the distance between them, he unlatches the first cuff—when Agnes bursts out of the kitchen, yelling, “No! Don’t do it!”

  Higgins does a double take. “I beg your pardon!”

  He misses Helga’s wrist with the handcuffs.

  “Helga did not do it!” Agnes waves her arms in a cross-like fashion in the air above her head.

  “Come now, she’s the guilty one. Let her pay her duties,” Higgins urges.

  “No, Helga did not give you toad flu . . .” Agnes blushes shuffling her feet and then admits, “I did.”

  Higgins sputters, “What? . . . You?”

  “This cannot be . . .” Higgins thinks as he steps back. “I could have sworn it was Helga.”

  “Yes, I got the potion mixed up with the creamer . . . completely my fault. I’m sorry,” Agnes explains.

  He releases Helga from the freeze spell. Falling face first onto the floor only to meet the new toads that appear out of nowhere, she shouts, “Eeyuck!” Sticking her tongue out in disgust, Helga laments, “Toad guts.”

  Agnes pleads with Higgins, “Sir, you have to leave.”

  “Why?”

  “We have a health inspector coming and—” she remarks, gesturing at the toads hopping about the cafe.

  Higgins purses his lips. “Oh. I see what you mean.”

  “Please, sir,” Agnes begs.

  “No,” Higgins replies, “not until you cure me of the toad flu.”

  Helga insists, “Why don’t you cure yourself? You have the ability to do it. My sisters and I don’t have time! Now leave!”

  “No,” Higgins squints his eyes and presses his lips together. He waddles back over to the table and sits down. Once settled he continues, “I will leave when you have cured me. I’m giving you a chance, Ms. Helga.”