Apothecary

“Eels again? You’re not sticking that beastie on my bum, are you?” cried the miner.

“This is no eel Angus. This beastie is a northern horned serpent, and they are very hard to come by,” replied Edweena.

The Apothecarist terrified everyone who walked through her doors. Whether it was Sicilian cave spiders or Bohemian lizard frogs, the woman had a cure. Her remedies always involved some beast.

“Why can’t you mix me up a tonic and send me on my way like every other healer?” moaned Angus.

“It’s simple, I get results, and they don’t,” said Edweena.

“Aye, I can’t argue with that lass,” replied the miner.

Over the last forty years, since the woman appeared, no one has ever died of a poisonous bite. No one has succumbed to a mysterious fever or other ailments.

“Let’s get on with it. I’ll need to finish at least three pints before dinner to recover my pride after this gets out,” said Angus.

“Fear not, you’ll be fit as a fiddle and that boil will bother you no more,” said the woman.

The serpent had worked its magic. The healer placed a mustard seed plaster on the wound. Then, she sent Angus on his way.

“I do love it when they leave with a grimace on their face. It shows they appreciate my hard work,” said Edweena as she readied the stickel back larva.

“Now, about that cup of tea before Mrs. Cumin arrives with her infected hair follicle. The larvie should do a nice job eating away the gangrenous flesh,” the Apothecarist said.

For Edweena, her beasties were not only tools of the trade but her friends as well.

“Here you go, my sweets,” said Edweena as she fed the Mobius beetles a live mouse. “Nothing is too good for you,” she remarked with a smile.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/folksburywoods/

Folksburywoods Story Blog: https://folksburywoods.com/