Potions and Curses

-3-

CH. 3: Dark and Light

I climb the dusty stairs and make a beeline for Aunt Agitha's room. I stop at her door and shove it gently, producing a soft creaking sound. The strong scent of mint and basil wafts into my nose coupled with Aunt's own unique smell. It was just a month ago when she passed so her scent is still lingering.

If I remember correctly, she shared this room with my ma. I don't remember her of course -- what she looks like, what she was as a person -- but there are times when I sneak to this room and look for my ma's clothes just to sniff them. By some miracle, her scent remained throughout the years. Not as strong as Aunt Agitha's but it's still there, comforting me like a warm blanket.

The room is filled with various clutter, from weird and big things such as a canine of a crocodile to mundane and small things such as beads and feathers. Aunt Agitha was never fond of cleaning. She said grandmama didn't mind being surrounded by such chaos so naturally the habit was passed down to me. I also don't mind the accumulation of dust and cobwebs in the house. The chest where my ma's things are located is at the far right end corner of the room. I dive into the task of removing piles of potion books on top of it, coughing as particles of dust puff into the air, protesting the sudden invasion. The chest has no lock so I can open it freely. My ma's black velvety cloak was discarded messily on top of her other things. I reach for it, my hand brushing its soft texture. Smiling to myself, I take the cloak and let the lid of the chest close by gravity. Its loud thud is like music to my ears, kind of like the sound when you bring down a knife to a chopping board when you try to cut meat into pieces.

The cloak fits me perfectly, providing added warmth to the freezing weather. It's not yet snowing but the chill is already creeping into my bones. With a contented sigh, I trudge down the stairs and say my goodbyes to Leonardo and the spiders. One tarantula crawls near the door.

"Where are you going, Drew?" Vivi asks. Or is it Gigi? I can't really tell because the five tarantulas squatting in my house all look almost the same, particularly Vivi and Gigi. They are like twins and I can't really tell them apart.

"To take a peek at the Prince," I answer.

"What's a Prince?" Another tarantula asks. Is it Gigi this time? "What do you need a Prince for? Is it tasty? Are you going to eat it?"

"No. I'm not. Just gonna see what's wrong with him." I shrug. "Why my potion doesn't work."

"Okay, Drew."

"Bye bye, Drew."

With that conversation concluded, I swing my faulty door open for the second time this day and make my way to the Dark Forest.

I take the only route out, which is the Skeleton Road. It ends when the pine trees appear, looming ominously as if they know dark secrets hidden for centuries. I stop walking to glance back at the road I've taken, my hut no longer visible. This is my first time leaving without anyone with me. Disgusting doubt creeps into my mind like invisible shackles. Can I really do this? But if I don't, how can I take over the world?

My heart tunes into an abnormal rhythm and for a second there I thought I would go into cardiac arrest. I snatch my eyes away from the Skeletal Road and train them to the path I'm supposed to take to reach Yakor, the capital of Kavornos. Adjusting my hood over my head, I exhaled a breath through my mouth, creating a thin layer of smoke. The mist covers the forest floor and my sandalled feet. The narrow road ahead seems to be laughing at me and taunting me to proceed.