Potions and Puzzles

by Agnes Lester Brown

  “Yes, Mayor?”

  “If that’s Lori Whitewood, send her in!”

  When Lori entered, Mayor Riley was sitting behind his massive oak writing desk, a newspaper spread open in front of him. As Lori walked up to the desk, he put down his pen and extended his hand across the desk.

  “Ah, Lori, so good to see you!” he said, smiling. “Please, have a seat.”

  Lori cast the mayor a quick glance while sitting down. He was wearing his customary Mickey Mouse tie and crisp pinstripe suit. In fact, Lori had never seen the mayor without his Mickey Mouse and wondered whether he ever removed it from around his neck.

  As she sat down, Lori noticed the newspaper was opened to the crossword page, and that the crossword puzzle on it was already halfway completed in the blue ink of the mayor’s official fountain pen. Mayor Riley saw her looking at what he had clearly been doing before she came in and hastily closed the newspaper and put it away.

  “So, young lady, what brings you here today?” Lori knew Mayor Riley had had a soft spot for the Whitewood family ever since Granny Fae had supported him when he was elected many years ago. She knew she’d get a sympathetic ear. The mayor was the quintessential local politician, smooth and fond of the limelight, but honest and good-hearted.

  “Have you been to Emerald Forest lately? It’s in a terrible state.” She made her case clearly and succinctly—the forest deserved some attention, and soon, to prevent it from total dereliction.

  She took out her cell phone, opened up the photos she had taken of the forest, and handed it to the mayor.

  “This is what it looks like now,” Lori said, believing pictures spoke louder than words.

  Mayor Riley flipped through the photos, occasionally frowning with concern. He handed the phone back to Lori as he listened patiently to her continue to complain about the state of the bridge and the forest. When she’d finished, Lori sat back, satisfied that she’d made her case well enough.

  Much to Lori’s chagrin, the mayor shook his head and shrugged. “As much as I hear what you’re saying, there’s simply no money in the budget at the moment for doing renovations over at Emerald Forest. We’ve had to pay out substantial amounts for fixing the roads after last month’s floods, and that took up a huge slice of the public money pie.” He shook his head again. “We simply can’t afford it at the moment.”

  “But this is the most important place Fennelmoore’s residents go to relax and enjoy the outdoors,” Lori protested. “They have their picnics there, and the young ones hike and ride their bikes on the footpaths.” She didn’t say anything about what the condition of the forest was doing to its population of faeries and dwarves. That would without doubt freak the mayor out. Instead she looked at him with pleading eyes. “Can’t you please help, for the sake of everyone living here?”

  Mayor Riley wasn’t budging. “Sorry, Lori. It’s simply not possible right now,” he said, shaking his head one more. “Maybe next year.”

  Lori was normally not one to back down in an argument, but she didn’t have any more ammunition to counter the mayor. She arose slowly and mumbled a farewell.

  As she turned the doorknob, an idea struck her, and she turned back to Mayor Riley. It was a long shot, but was all she could think of in the moment.

  “You’re a crossword fan, aren’t you, Mayor?” Lori said, looking at the newspaper.

  Mayor Riley fingered the newspaper and gave an embarrassed laugh. “Oh, that. It’s just a hobby. I love crosswords, yes. In fact, I consider myself a bit of an expert. But of course, I don’t allow it to interfere with official matters here.” He shifted the newspaper to a corner of his otherwise empty desk.

  “Oh, I’ll be sure to mention to Kermit that the mayor of Fennelmoore loves crossword puzzles next time I see him,” Lori said as she watched for the mayor’s reaction. “He’ll be so impressed.”

  Mayor Riley suddenly sat upright. “You know Kermit? The Kermit?”

  Lori sat down again and nodded, smiling. “We go back a long time, me and Kermit. In fact, we were talking the other day about the tournament, you know.”

  Mayor Riley’s mouth hung open. “The World Champion Crossword Tournament? What did he say?”

  Lori was nonchalant. “Oh, this and that, you know. Kermit was saying he was searching for the next venue to host the tournament.”

  Mayor Riley’s eyes grew wide and his moon-shaped face turned a shade of red. “Lori, you don’t think… you think he’d consider having it here in Fennelmoore? You may not know it, but we have a very active crosswording community here…”

  Lori gave a noncommittal shrug. “Well, I could ask and hear what he says. I mean, Fennelmoore is such a pretty town, I’m sure he would bring it here.” She raised an eyebrow. “Of course, we’d have to fix up the forest first. No way do we want out-of-town visitors to see its present state of neglect.”

  “No, no, of course not,” Mayor Riley interrupted her and held up his hands. “We’ll need to shine! I’ll get Emerald Forest fixed up right away.” He called out in the direction of the door. “Meredith! Get George from the town maintenance division on the line and tell him to go fix up the forest path right away and put up a new bridge. Tell him to talk to Lori. She’ll show him what needs to be done.” He returned his attention to Lori and rubbed his palms together. “So when can you talk to Kermit?”

  Lori held her pose. “I’ll have a word with him and get back to you. In the meantime, I’ll get in touch with George and make sure he does a good job out at the forest.” She rose and held out her hand, smiling pleasantly. “Have a wonderful day, Mayor.”

  Lori raced past Meredith, out the door and down the stairs. She couldn’t believe her little ruse had worked out so well. She almost ran over Nick as he was walking up the stairs.

  “Hi, Lori! Fancy seeing you here. I was just on my way to see the mayor and fill him in on the details of the tournament. I’m sure he’s going to be delighted.”

  Lori tugged on Nick’s arm. “No, no, that’s not necessary, Nick. I’ve already told him, and he’s over the moon. Anyway, he’s very busy at the moment, and there’s no way you’ll get past Meredith. You know, she protects the mayor with her life. No use going there right now.”

  Relieved, Nick turned and followed Lori out the door. “I guess that saves me having to spend time upstairs, then. What was the mayor’s reaction? Is he happy about the tournament coming to town?”

  “Oh, he’s delighted,” Lori said. “Did you know he’s a crossword fan as well?”

  “Wow, I’m so happy to hear that!” Nick beamed. “Have you given any more thought about helping with the tournament?”

  Lori bobbed her head. “Yes, we have. I spoke to Hazel and the others, and we’d be delighted to assist, Nick. We’d love to help and make sure it’s a huge success.” As long as it gets the forest cleaned up, Lori wanted to add.

  “That’s fantastic!” Nick said, holding up his hand for a high five. “Now, Kermit’s arriving tomorrow to look at the progress on the presidential suite, and I’d love for you to meet him. Can you come around to the inn next Tuesday? We can start talking about the arrangements then.”

  “I’m looking forward to meeting this legendary gentleman,” Lori said. “I’ll be there, for sure.”

  She’d walked halfway to the shop when Lori stopped and sat down on a sidewalk bench and dialed the mayor’s office on her cell phone. Meredith picked up right away and told her the mayor wasn’t in.

  “Please leave a message for him,” Lori asked while looking into the distance where Emerald Forest lay beyond the foothills outside of town. “Tell him Kermit said yes, and that the tournament will take place here in Fennelmoore.” She hung up and continued on, passing the manicured gardens that lined Saffron Lane. Now all that was left was for the family to help Nick organize a zany, colorful crossword competition. That should be a piece of cake, and Emerald Forest would be saved from dereliction.

  Chapter Four

  After dinner, Lori showed everyo
ne around the table the photos she’d taken of the bad state Emerald Forest was in. Raucous laughter and high fives followed when she told them about the deal she’d struck with the mayor. He’d ensure the forest path got cleaned and the bridge across the Driftwood River fixed, in exchange for her supposedly ensuring the tournament was held in Fennelmoore. Hazel poured everyone a tall glass of her special homemade anise champagne, and everyone toasted Lori for her chutzpah. The Whitewood were all fond of Emerald Forest and its magical inhabitants. If they had to endure the whims of a handful of crossworders for a few days, that would be a small price to restore it.

  “I know it’s a huge undertaking, running a competition of this importance and magnitude, but for experts like us it’ll be a piece of cake,” Rosie said. She was already busy drawing up social media pages for the tournament on her laptop, which seemed to always be at the ready. “Do you have any photos of the competitors that I can use on the web page?”

  “Not yet, but I’ll get some from Nick tomorrow morning when I meet with him,” Lori said. “He’s going to introduce me to Kermit, who’ll be in town for a few days.”

  Out of the blue, Jasmine shouted something incomprehensible while gesturing wildly into the air, and the dining room went dark. Everyone groaned. “Another failed spell attempt from Jasmine,” Lori lamented. “What was supposed to happen, Jasmine? Or did you really intend to knock out the lights?”

  “Don’t be so hard on the child,” Granny Fae said as she lit a candle and placed it in the center of the table. “She’s still learning, but one day she’ll be a first-class witch.”

  “Sorry about that,” Jasmine apologized. She held up the spell book she was studying. “It says here, ‘Say GLOOTAL CAMBO FINICUM while writing it in the air, and the person in question will go blind for five minutes.’” She clicked her tongue. “Looks like I’ll have to work on my pronunciation. Or my spelling, or both.”

  “I’m off to bed before I get struck blind,” Hazel said, getting up. She gave Lori a kiss on her forehead. “Thanks, my dearest niece. You always manage to pull something out of your hat when something needs saving, don’t you? Sleep well.”

  The following Thursday, Lori closed the Wholesome early and went to the Misty Hills Inn to meet Nick, as they’d arranged. The inn looked sharp, with a new coat of paint and a refurbished nameboard. Inside she was greeted by a host of new touches Nick had started adding to the inn’s interior in preparation for the tournament. Thick, plush carpets had been laid on the floor, stylish new lamp fittings had replaced the old out-of-fashion ones, and the inn’s receptionist, Lindy, was perfectly groomed and looked as neat as a pin in her brand-new uniform. She broke into a welcoming smile when she saw Lori and pointed over to where Nick was already seated at a table in the lounge. Lori checked herself in the mirror. Dressed casually in sneakers and jeans, with her auburn hair pulled back in a ponytail, she looked a little underdressed compared to Lindy. She might have to invest in a few outfits before the tournament commenced.

  Aa she entered the lounge, Lori recognized Kermit sitting next to Nick. She was sure he was wearing makeup because he looked way too young for his age. No one looked that perfect when they were already in their fifties. Or maybe he’d had cosmetic surgery. How vain, was Lori’s first reaction as she studied the crossword mogul. But then again, he was in show business, where it was common practice and essential for success. And what else was the tournament but show business? Kermit faced swarms of television cameras, reporters, and important people all the time. Maybe he wasn’t vain, just well prepared. It still made her feel unsettled, knowing that she was entering a world completely foreign to her.

  Nick stood up to introduce Kermit to her when she arrived at the table. Kermit remained seated, looking Lori up and down as he extended a limp right hand. And just as she thought, the hand was speckled with old age spots and covered with wrinkled skin that was totally incongruous with the youthful face and the scalp of carefully coiffured, bottle-blond hair that rested on top of Kermit Greenstone’s narrow shoulders.

  “Hi, sweetie,” Kermit said, hardly looking up as she shook his hand. Feeling totally out of her comfort zone, Lori took a seat opposite Kermit. She felt his leer as she ordered coffee.

  “My good friend Nick tell me you’re the perfect person to make sure the tournament runs smoothly,” Kermit said, downing the last of his cocktail just as Nick ordered him another. He was clearly used to being in control and waited on hand and foot.

  “Yes, absolutely.” Lori nodded and sat forward on her chair. “We’ve been involved in a few very successful events here in Fennelmoore, so we have the perfect skills and experience to—”

  “Sweetie, none of them were nearly as spectacular as the World Champion Crossword Tournament, I’m sure,” Kermit interrupted her as he took his second cocktail off the waiter’s tray without acknowledging him. “The tournament is like no other in the world. It’s a dog-eat-dog event. Tough, no holds barred. I’ve seen more pretty girls like you break down in tears during the tournament than I’ve eaten steaks in my lifetime.” He gestured at Lori with the hand holding his cocktail.

  Lori looked at Kermit, taken aback. Was Kermit testing her in some perverse way?

  “Don’t worry, Kermit,” Nick said smoothly in an effort to shield Lori from Kermit’s acidic retort. “Lori will have all bases covered. She knows her stuff, and I can vouch for that. Rest assured, the Fennelmoore tournament will be fantastic. She has a magic touch for making events memorable.”

  Kermit looked Lori’s slight figure up and down. “She might be too lightweight for the business. No offense and no pun intended, sweetie.”

  The next moment, Lori was standing next to Kermit with her face an inch away from his. “Don’t you ‘sweetie’ me, mister!” she hissed. “My name’s Lori Whitewood, and nothing else! And don’t for a moment confuse me with any bimbo you may have met before. If you think you’ve come to some sleepy small town where you can throw insults around, well, you’re wrong! You’ll respect me or… or…” Lori ran out of words. At moments like these, she wished she could shout, “Careful! I’m a witch and I can turn you into a frog at the drop of a hat!” But she caught her breath and held back, retreating two steps with her hands in her sides.

  Kermit cocked his head and smiled, intrigued by Lori’s outburst.

  “My word, at least we have some spunk here. That’s a good start. You’re going to need it to deal with my zany contestants, believe me.” He looked at his watch. “Nick, old pal, mind if we put the drinks on the tab? Why don’t you go show me how my brand-new presidential suite is coming along?” He came closer to Lori until his face was an inch from hers. She stood her ground, appalled by the offensive smell of alcohol on his breath as he spoke.

  “All right, Lori, you’ve got the job. Show me what you’ve got. You won’t let me down now, will you?” He emphasized her name as he spoke it. “I have a lot resting on this tournament. I’ll be depending on you.” His voice sounded ominous as he spoke. He winked at her. “We’ll see each other at the tournament, then.” With that, Kermit and Nick left the lounge.

  Still in a huff and feeling shaken, Lori marched to the front door of the inn as Lindy looked wide-eyed at her. “Can you believe that?” Lori sputtered. “Heaven knows how we’re going to work with that man and his posse of know-it-alls if that’s how he operates!”

  A steady stream of clients at the Wholesome helped Lori cool off during the rest of the day. By the time she arrived home at the Whitewood Manor late that afternoon, she’d regained most of her old, cheerful self. She walked down the garden path to the house, breathing in the fragrances and running her fingers through the rosemary hedge growing alongside the path. At the foot of the steps leading to the house’s broad, cool veranda, she saw Granny Fae, fast asleep in her rocking chair with Trixi on her lap. Tiptoeing, she quietly sat down on the swing bench next to her granny. She loved relaxing here to watch the last rays of the sun light up the treetops. Inside the house, she could he
ar Aunt Hazel singing in the kitchen and the twins laughing in one of the bedrooms upstairs.

  She thought back on the day, and her mind paused at the showdown with Kermit that morning. Her jaw tightened involuntarily. Kermit clearly had strong doubts about her being capable of making the tournament a success, even though he’d only just met her. But she was determined to prove him wrong. After all, she had a good enough reason to do so.

  “What was that?” Fae said as she woke with a start and Trixi jumped off her lap. “Did I doze off?”

  Lori smiled kindly at her granny’s flustered expression. “You’re just in time for dinner, Gran. Let’s go inside and join the others.” She helped Fae to her feet as Trixi led the way into to the house.

  Chapter Five

  Two weeks later, Lori called Nick and scheduled a meeting to give him a progress report. She’d been working hard, spending late nights drawing up spreadsheets, outlining logistics and working with the rest of the family to make sure all arrangements are in place when the tournament officials and contestants arrive. Nick suggested the two of them met at The Brew, a coffee shop across the street from the Misty Hills Inn. She was more than happy with that. Although she loved the herbal teas she served in the Wholesome, she also enjoyed the atmosphere and first-class coffee The Brew offered.

  She arrived early at The Brew with a bulging briefcase. She took out Rosie’s laptop, set it up on the table and turned it on. After she clicked a few buttons, the elaborate registration system Rosie had designed lit up the screen. She was well prepared and ready to make a suitable impression on Nick. She wanted to make sure he conveyed his satisfaction to Kermit. Perhaps then Kermit would be a little less snide when next they met.

  She looked at the clock on the wall behind where the barista was at work preparing coffees. At that moment, Nick appeared in the doorway. He looked around and walked over when he spotted Lori.