WEEK 385
Stirring a foul-smelling brew in her cauldron, Elsbeth gazed out the window and wondered if...


...the heat was too high and adjusted the flame. Brad would be here soon and she wanted to make sure that the afternoon tea was just right. He was becoming a little annoying and persnickety in his attitude of late. Today's tea (a rosemary and lilac brew from her Auntie Anna) would be the perfect way to show him just how he was affecting her usually whimsical look at life. One sip of the tea and she would have him totally under her spell. Suddenly Elsbeth heard the bell and ran to the door. She checked her hair and makeup and answered his insistent second knock. Of course, he gave her the once over, which she knew he would, and as they proceeded down the hall a smile came across her face thinking that the tea would certainly lead to a little afternoon delight.

by Lisa Dickerson, Riverdale, NJ

...any of her neighbors realized what she was cooking up.

"Lips of newt and ears of bat, eyes of chicken and tail of cat, things found growing in the soil, brought together in a perfect boil".

Elsbeth kept chanting the "recipe" that her grandmother had taught her years ago.

"When the smell so foul leaves the pot, drink down quickly what you've got".

If any of her neighbors ever paid close enough attention to the young woman who lived alone in the cottage at the end of the lane, they would come to realize that she never seemed to age.

"When all the rest are gone to dust, in this potion put your trust".

As the odor coming from the cauldron started to abate, Elsbeth prepared to drink the mixture as she had done every year for the past one hundred and sixteen years.

"Here's to you, Grandma. Too bad you never came up with a potion for men."

by Stewart Lindsay, Buffalo, NY

...everyone at the party would lose their lunch with just one taste of the mixture. She had been planning this day for three weeks, ever since she was "let go" from her position at Harlem & Trotting.

"They don't have consciences," she whispered to herself while churning the large wooden spoon. "Every one of them laughed at me as I packed and got pushed out on the street. Then they accepted an invitation to my party because there was promised free food. Beasts!"

Elsbeth whacked the spoon hard against the cauldron and brought it up to her mouth. The thin layer of liquid still present was probably too much, but she had to sample the batch. She winced as she licked the potion.

Instantly, her insides felt like mush as her skin turned green and her nose widened to six inches. She smiled at the thought of her guest looking the same and started preparing for the event.

by Donald Stidham, Cleveland, TN

...her concoction would have the desired effect. She started early this morning putting the brew together and now it's fast approaching noon. This is taking much longer than I thought it would, Elsbeth thought, and I'm getting tired of standing over this hot stove and stirring this pot.

Chunks keep rising to the surface so she stirs a little harder to make them settle again.

"Darn those potatoes and carrots," she muttered, "They are always the hardest to get done in a stew. Hope this is done by the time the kids come home from school for lunch."

by Phillip Lynne, Knoxville, TN