Potion of the Hound

by Alicia Scarborough

  A small bell jingles, as a black cat emerges from around the corner.

  “Meowwww.”

  “Shhhh, Raven, you’re going to get me into trouble,” warns Helga in a sharp whisper.

  The cat blinks her green eyes at Helga, sits down, and starts licking her paw and washing behind her ears. The bell jingles with each movement. Helga rolls her eyes, grabs one of the treats from her pocket, and tosses it on the floor. “Here, fuzzball, now shush.”

  Raven purrs as she snacks on the treat.

  Helga hurries to the backroom to grab the bottles of extra-secret special potion from under the shelf behind the towels. She created these especially for tonight’s meeting. When Agnes and Ursa asked about them, Helga lied, claiming they were special energy potions. Helga hates lying to her sisters, but she isn’t allowed to tell them about these special potions. That’s the agreement.

  Helga has butterflies swarming in her belly, for tonight was a very special occasion. Tonight she is to be initiated into the group. With shaky hands she grabs each bottle and carefully places them, one by one, into the bag. She stands up, lifting the bag over her shoulder, but suddenly cringes—the bottles made clinking sounds as they knocked against one another!

  A light upstairs turns on. Helga freezes in her steps, holding her breath. Footsteps sound as they walk around upstairs followed by the soft thud of the toilet lid being lifted and set against the porcelain tank.

  Helga stays frozen until the coast is clear. She only hopes that her pillow-stuffed bed will not be over-examined to expose that she’s absent.

  She hears the whoosh of flushing and then the rush of water from the sink. The footsteps sound once more before the light turns off again for the night.

  Helga exhales with a heavy breath as her heartbeat slows down. She readjusts the bag over her shoulder and lightly approaches the front door. She points her index finger at the small bell above the cafe’s front door and whispers, “Si-len-cias.” Next, when Helga opens the front door, the bell moves but no sound is emitted. Helga grins as she slides outside into the night.

  Upon closing the door, Helga turns to find a rather tall man in dark clothing waiting on her.

  She jumps back, her heart in her throat, and her chest heaving up and down as she tries to catch her breath. “Brimstone! Don’t do that!” she chides.

  He arches an eyebrow with his dark eyes staring back at her, inquiring, “Do what?”

  “Sneak up on me,” she snaps.

  He bows, offering, “My apologies,” and then looks up as gold flashes in his eyes. “I’ve been sent by our Lady to escort you.”

  “I know my way,” Helga remarks.

  “True,” he agrees, holding his hand out to offer it to Helga, “but tonight is a special night.”

  “I know that too,” Helga answers, stomping along the sidewalk in the direction of their usual meeting place.

  He reaches forward pawing at the bag. “Are those more of the potions?”

  Helga gives it to him, saying, “Yes, here. Now quit stalling.” She continues walking, explaining, “I don’t want to be late.”

  Brimstone slithers in front of her, forcing her to stop. “We are not meeting there, young one, not tonight,” he tells her.

  Brimstone continues, “Tonight is special, so we are meeting at one of the Lady’s most private locations. Unless . . . you do not want to go through with it?” A glint sparkles in his eye as a toothy grin begins to spread across his face.

  “No, I’m sure I want to go through with it.” Helga replies balling her fists, “I have to . . . For my sisters anyways.”

  “Are you sure?” he asks cocking his head to one side.

  “Yes, a promise is a promise,” Helga maintains dropping her chin to her chest.

  “Then follow me, please.” Brimstone motions for Helga to follow him in another direction. They move close to the dark alley that gives her chills every time that she nears it.

  She breathes a sigh of relief as they pass the alley, knowing that they won’t have to traverse it tonight to reach the destination for her initiation. Something about that alley gives her the creeps, but she hasn’t yet figured out why.

  Brimstone pauses every now and then searching for something. Finally he turns back to Helga, disclosing, “This is your last chance, Helga—the last chance for you to get out.”

  “Brimstone, you know I can’t—” Helga begins.

  He slices the air in front of her. “Not true,” he hisses.

  Helga scrunches her face up and narrows her eyes, demanding, “What? What’s going on?”

  “I know how you can get out of this, all of this,” he whispers, leaning in close.

  “How?”

  “If you agree, then I can help you.”

  Helga backs up, holding her hands up in front. “Oh, I know where this goes . . . I’m not agreeing to anything without hearing the full details first.”

  “Helga, I know you have the power to overthrow our Lady,” Brimstone states, looking around cautiously.

  “Why would I want to do that?” Helga demands, baring her teeth.

  “I never believed your parents when they said that you were very powerful . . .” He rubs the back of his neck.

  “Wait, you knew my parents?” asks Helga with eyes suddenly brightening.

  Brimstone glares at Helga and then reveals, “Yes, before they betrayed us all. Before they abandoned you and your sisters.”

  “Huh?” Helga crinkles her nose. “I don’t get it. You talk of my parents betraying all of us when you, yourself, are talking of treason against our Lady.”

  Brimstone turns his back and stares up at the dark night sky. His breath is visible due to the cold crisp air.

  Helga waits for him to respond. She truly cannot understand why he is talking about betraying their Lady. She’s even more confused when he talks of her parents and their betrayal. It’s not a story she’s heard before.

  Memories of her parents are hazy. She remembers their broken promise from the night that she last saw them. How their parents never did meet them at the new house but their uncle, who she never knew before, showed up.

  Uncle Cornelius took them under his wing. They lived in his cramped apartment in the city for a while until he too disappeared a year later. Uncle Cornelius, soon before he disappeared, became frantic and told them that if anything should happen to him, then they needed to go to the Order of Magic right away for help. They tried but the Order of Magic didn’t help them. Instead, it turned them away.

  Luckily, Agnes was old enough to take over custody of Helga and Ursa; otherwise they both would have ended up in the system, separated from one another. Agnes took over a run-down cafe with the money that Cornelius left for them, so that she, Ursa, and Helga would have a place to stay.

  But the cafe was struggling. To Helga, it seemed to be failing. So, Helga decided to take matters into her own hands. She couldn’t let the mean social services lady from the Order of Magic take her away from her sisters.

  Helga remembers that day . . .

  Her sisters were out running errands when a woman in drab grey garb entered the shop. She had a noticeably dour face. Helga looked up from her books, a welcomed excuse to delay a home-school assignment, to watch the woman. Maybe she was a potential customer?

  The woman in grey took a few steps onto the recently mopped floor. She struggled to not slip on the still wet floors as she continued her journey towards Helga. Her face scrunched up when she almost fell, and Helga snickered at her.

  A familiar tingle sounded as their cat Raven stretched and sprawled in her spot close to the window. She was the reason why they did not have any vermin in their shop. Freshly baked wares were on display letting their aroma fill the air with a newly brewed pot of coffee. Even though the shop offered fresh food and beverage it was vacant, due to the hard competition of other well-known coffee shops. This woman was the only customer in this shop.

  The woman continued searching for something until
her eyes settled on Helga. Her face smoothed out when she asked Helga, “Child, where are you sisters?”

  “They’re out. Can I help you?” Helga replied.

  “Do they leave you alone to tend the store often?” The woman asked.

  “Yeah because I’m old enough. I’m 10.” Helga crossed her arms and leaned back.

  The woman stepped closer reaching forward with her hand. “Why aren’t you in school?”

  Helga rolled her eyes and snorted. “Duh, I’m homeschooled. Isn’t that obvious?” She spreads her hands over the opened books on the counter.

  “Harrumph,” The woman grumbled scrawling something on a pad of paper. She got closer to Helga to inform her, “Child, I’m with welfare services. You’ll need to come with me.”

  Helga backed away and with eyes widening, declared, “No.”

  At the sound of the shop’s bell tinkling, the woman in grey garb turned around to announce to the intruding customer, “Ma’am, you will need to leave. This establishment is closed.”

  The person who entered was a lady in white. She had dark ruby almost black lips that turned up in a grin at the welfare woman’s words.

  “Did you not hear me?” the woman in grey snapped. “You will need to leave, now.”

  The lady in white’s purple alluring eyes glimmered as she snapped her fingers. Where the woman in grey once stood now was a small bug on the floor. White stilettos promptly stomped on the bug, smashing it into goo.

  Helga, still shocked, moved back until her back was up against the wall. The lady in white looked at her with a warm smile, saying, “Do not fear me, child.”

  “Who . . . who are you?” Helga stammered.

  The lady in white turned and behind her a man in dark clothing abruptly appeared—this was Brimstone, but Helga didn’t yet know him. He stepped forward, bowed, and announced, “Allow me to introduce my lady, Lady Ava of the TRUE society.”

  Lady Ava turned back to Helga grinning a pearly white smile. Helga was speechless. Who was this lady? She must be someone special for her to have someone introduce her to strangers. Helga watched Lady Ava wander about the shop looking at the various wares. Brimstone stayed put, keeping an eye on Helga while his lady investigated the place. Lady Ava came to a stop and then nodded back at Brimstone. He locked the door and shut the blinds.

  Approaching Helga, Lady Ava carefully took Helga’s hand in hers and then declared, “I am told, child, that your potions are very, very powerful.”

  Helga gulped, “Really?”

  “Yes. I was wondering if you could help me.” Her eyes searched Helga’s.

  “How?”

  “I am in need of some potions for some very bad people.”

  “Bad people?” Helga repeated as if a question. Helga then leaned forward curious to hear what the lady had to say about the bad people.

  “Yes, the same ones that sent that mean lady to take you away from your sisters.”

  Helga frowned, saying, “Oh. My uncle told me that they really aren’t bad people. It’s just the Order. They think they’re being helpful—even though they aren’t.”

  “Where is your uncle now, child?”

  “Gone.” Helga sniffed and stared down at the ground to hide her tears.

  Lady Ava lifted Helga’s chin with her finger, promising, “Child, do not cry. For I am here now. I won’t abandon you.”

  With tears in her eyes, Helga mumbled, “That’s what they all say, before they leave.”

  “Tsk, tsk, child,” Lady Ava clucked her tongue. “One as young as you should not be so glum.”

  Helga jerked her chin away, saying nothing.

  “Tell you what,” Lady Ava offered, “if you make these potions for me, for free, then I can make sure all of my friends buy things from you, so you and your sisters won’t lose your cafe and home.”

  Helga gasped, “Really?”

  “Yes, really,” Lady Ava answered. She snapped her fingers at Brimstone then who appeared by her side with a rolled-up parchment. She walked over to the counter and unraveled it. Helga approached the counter and peered down at the long paper rolled out.

  She was trying to read it when Lady Ava interrupted her, “Darling, do not worry. It merely says that I promise to make my friends purchase goods from your shop in exchange for your potion services.”

  Helga bit her lips and glanced up at Lady Ava and then Brimstone. He stared down at the parchment, his mouth in a firm line, not moving a muscle.

  “All I need you to do is sign here, deary,” explained Lady Ava pointing to the blank line at the bottom of the paper.

  “That’s a lot of words to say that your friends will buy things from our shop. Maybe I should read it over,” remarked Helga, wringing her hands together.

  Brimstone’s mouth quirked up at the end as he gave a slight nod towards Helga.

  Lady Ava interrupted, “Don’t you trust me? I promise that by signing this you and your sisters will no longer have to worry. That you will always have endless customers, and you won’t have to worry about money ever again.”

  Helga eyed the lady in white. She seemed honest. She did save her from the mean lady that almost took her away from her sisters.

  “Okay,” Helga agreed, reaching for a pen.

  Lady Ava snapped her finger. At that, a sharp blade appeared between her fingers. “No my dear, this will require your life essence to sign it,” she explained.

  Helga grimaced crinkling her nose. “My life essence?”

  Snatching Helga’s hand Lady Ava pricked the end of one of Helga’s fingers. “Ouch!” Helga pulled her hand away sucking her finger.

  “Sign here,” Lady Ava urged, pointing to the blank line again.

  Helga approached the parchment, still sucking on her bleeding finger, carefully staring down at the blank line. She hesitated for a moment, for something was screaming at the back of her mind not to do it. Then she thought of her sisters, the lady in grey, wondering, “How many more will be sent our way to separate us without Lady Ava’s protection? What about the shop? If Lady Ava is telling the truth, then we will no longer have to worry about money.”

  She pulled her finger out of her mouth and wiped it on her shirt. She looked up at Lady Ava and then back down at the paper. She placed her finger on the blank line. The blood oozed onto the parchment as Lady Ava snatched the paper away, saying, “That will do, dear.”

  “But I didn’t sign my name,” Helga whined.

  Lady Ava rolled the parchment up and handed it off to Brimstone. “I only needed your life essence, dear. One drop does it.”

  Helga swallowed, asking, “Okay, but is that it?”

  Brimstone and Lady Ava walked towards the door. “For now, dear. I will stop by later to tell you what I want for potions.”

  Lady Ava paused to slightly turn her head in Helga’s direction. “Oh—and one more thing, deary. Do not tell your sisters. This is our little secret.” She winked while placing an index finger against her lips.

  Turning towards the door, she waved her hand in the air, and she and Brimstone vanished.

  “Ta-ta for now,” echoed after them. A silvery laughter followed, hanging in the air of the empty shop.

  Helga shuddered, rubbing her shoulders, and then returned to her homework.

  Brimstone nudges Helga, awakening her from her memories. “Hey, are you okay?”

  Helga blinks for a moment remembering where she is and rubs her shoulders. She forgot her coat, and the cold air is nipping at her skin.

  “Not getting cold feet are you?”

  “No,” Helga huffs.

  “We’re almost there. Are you sure that you want to go through with this?”

  “Of course.” She rolls her eyes, adding, “I’m not going to be like my parents and betray Lady Ava. Not after all that she has done for me and my sisters.”

  Brimstone stops, looks around the area, and listens. He says in a hushed tone, “She’s close. Remember, if you do change your mind, then tap your foot twice when yo
u are up on the stage.”

  Helga purses her lips. “Answer me this, Brimstone: why do you want to betray our Lady?”

  He furrows his brow staring back at Helga. Gold flashes in his eyes. “I thought the answer would be obvious to you . . . to be free.”

  A shadow passes above them, making Brimstone flinch. He brings his finger up to his lips telling Helga to not say a word. The light taps of stilettos echo on the brick walls of the alley they bypassed as their Lady approaches. Dressed in white trimmed with fur she approaches with a dazzling white smile. She opens her arms wide when she reaches Helga, saying, “My darling, Helga.”

  Helga hugs her Lady back. Lady Ava leans back looking Helga up and down. Helga chose to wear a simple black shirt with black sweat shorts. Lady Ava did say to wear simple things tonight for her initiation.

  Lady Ava turns to Brimstone to say, “My faithful servant, you have done wonderfully. You may leave now and join the others.”

  Brimstone bows low and disappears into the shadows. Lady Ava offers her arm to Helga. “It is a big night for you, my dear.”

  “Yes.” Helga’s teeth chatter wishing that she had grabbed her sweatpants instead of the shorts. The night air got colder upon their Lady’s arrival. She feels Lady Ava’s arm wrap around her as they walk down the cobblestone path of the street. Helga leans in for the extra warmth offered by Lady Ava’s coat. Coming near the end of the street Lady Ava rummages through her inner coat pocket searching for something.

  She finds it and steps in front of Helga. “Helga, my child, I will need to put this on your head. For secrecy, of course.”

  The item in her hand was a burlap sack, brown with somewhat tight weaving, not too big but just large enough to fit over Helga’s head. Lady Ava slips it over Helga’s head making her world go dark. The only thing that she can see are the tiny fibers of the sack and the light coming through the miniscule holes. It does offer some warmth.

  She feels Lady Ava’s slender hands pick up her own pudgy fingers. She tries to pull her hand away, but Lady Ava clasps more tightly around Helga’s hands. She blushes with embarrassment because her nails are an absolute mess. Lady Ava says nothing of her dreadful nails or simple appearance, but instead leads Helga around a bend and into something dark.