The Potion of Power
What is it about old time apothecary shops that give us the creeps? Or maybe it is any old dusty shop selling questionable potions and herbs, what images come to your mind?
This is a question posed by Indies Unlimited this week in their flash fiction challenge. One picture, a short prompt, and 250 words, what might you come up with?
If you are new here, read the story then head over to Indies Unlimited and give it a vote. If you are well versed in how this works, you already know what to do. Allons-y! (Lookie there, I know some French)
The Potion of Power
He wondered if it could be true. Could some potion be the answer to all his problems? Could he capture Vanessa’s heart? Were fame and fortune within his grasp?
He forked over the wad of cash. The old woman jutted a crooked finger at him and uttered an admonition…
Photo by K.S. Brooks
“Potions and trickery lead to ruin.” Her finger shook, more with age than with scorn. “The potion will enhance you. It won’t make you something you are not.”
Was that a curse, he wondered. Jake didn’t care really, if the potion performed as promised, he would win. That was all that mattered.
He swallowed the small bottle’s contents when she turned her back on him. She set it on the counter in front of him. It must have been meant for him.
“Just a drop, maybe two, that should be more than enough to make it all happen for you,” she said. She rummaged through the shelves behind the counter. “Now if only I could find this second bottle.” With a loud A-ha, she turned back to the counter but Jake had already gone.
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Pain wracked his body. Poison, the old witch lied. What else could it be? His arms twisted and convulsed over the past two hours. The pain had started within minutes of leaving the potion shop.
The skin tore, ripped wide along his forearms. Bones shattered and cracked, along his arms as black bone encased his hands. His ears too, burning pain grew out as he felt them stretch.
Jake rushed to the bathroom, sick with the pain. As he chocked and gagged he felt a strange pull at his face. He saw it in the mirror, his face gone. At least the one he knew. In it’s place he saw a donkey.
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Remember to get your vote in over at Indies Unlimited.
And on another note, if you are curious about stories like this, you should check out the book Flash in the Pan. It is filled with 53 stories, based on the flash fiction prompts from Indies Unlimited.
