The Potion

The sun caressed her hair and lit her face, creating a glow that emphasized her angelic smile. Her head always tilted to the side when she giggled. She felt the need to enunciate every word she spoke. She always smelled like a mix of Berries, Jasmine, and Neroli, and her skin was smooth, radiant, and vibrant.

Oh God, I loved that woman, and I was obsessed with everything about her.

Being with her made me feel complete. How could she not see how much she meant to me? My heart longed for her; she was the oxygen that my body needed to keep living. It felt natural, and there was nothing in this world that could change my mind about her. My body had fallen ill waiting for her to accept me. Receiving her love, as a return for my efforts, would be the greatest remedy.

I’m just an ordinary accountant, with unimpressive looks; a bit short, with a pale complexion. But I am immensely skilled in the kitchen. That’s partly because I love cooking, and have often helped my mother. My mother always told me that I needed to dress better. “You need to be dapper, son.” This she usually said followed by, “How about wearing a stylish button-down shirt? It would make you look even more handsome. There is so much potential in you, my dear!”

My priorities were different from hers. However, I was beginning to question things. Maybe there was some truth to what my mom said. A possible explanation as to why a beautiful woman could never notice me. There had to be something that could be done about this.

I decided to visit Mr. Thackery. He was a well-respected chemist in our small English town, and the only person who could help me. As I opened the door of his shop, it squeaked, and I was wondering when the joints were oiled. The shop was dimly lit, with an array of bottles of all different colors and sizes stacked neatly on multiple shelves. There was a door leading to a small room, which was slightly ajar, and bright, orange light shone through, reflecting on the shiny bottles in the shop.

“Mr. Thackery!” I called out. A tall, clean-shaven man in a full-length white coat emerged from the room.

“Yes? … O, there you are, Mr. Bradbury! How’s everything? What brings you to my humble shop this morning?” He turned on the lights of the shop, and offered me a chair.

“I have a dilemma, you see. I’m in love with Elizabeth Raye, but she doesn’t feel the same for me, at least right now. Can you give me something to help sway her mind?”

I couldn’t help smiling a bit, as I noticed his chin, which still bore the signs of his childhood injury, when he had fallen off a ladder. The makeup he had applied to hide it was clearly not enough.

Mr. Thackery placed his index finger on the side of his chin, and a frown crossed his face. He strolled around his shop, until he finally found what he was looking for. A small, brown bottle, labeled ‘The Heart of Desires Potion’.

The instructions were to place a few drops in Eli Raye’s (what I called her affectionately) drink daily for a week. There was a rush of anticipation. “Thank you, Mr. Thackery.” He held the door open and left me with those words.

“The desires of the heart are like a chest of buried secrets

Once opened, they can unlock an irresistible passion

Curtail your appetite for expectation

It is like the mist in a hot room

Waiting to evaporate to reveal the underlying you.”

“What did that even mean?” I wondered. But this thought was quickly pushed away and replaced with excitement. Eli Raye and I were meeting later that night at my place for dinner. Getting her favorite red wine would do it. What did he mean when he said just a few drops? Should it be 3, 4, or 5? I held the bottle towards the ceiling and examined it as if waiting for it to respond to my question. Three drops sounded like a good amount to get started.

Lesson learned about asking questions the next time.

Dinner went well. Eli Raye drank her wine while we both sat next to the fireplace sharing childhood stories. There were no noticeable changes that night. I was disappointed, to say the least, but Mr. Thackery had asked me to give this to her for at least seven days. Patience was not my cup of tea. Then it dawned on me that there had to be a way to see Eli Raye every day, without raising too many questions. She wasn’t the one to let anything get past her, and this was another reason why I loved her so much.

It was corny, but the week became 'Eli Raye week'. It was my way of showing appreciation for our friendship, with lunch or dinner organized by me daily. She did not enjoy cooking, and she was a fan of my incredible peach lemonade. That would work just perfectly.

She did think that my plan was corny, however, she agreed. Every day, for the first three days after our last dinner, we ate lunch together at her workplace. I wished we were able to skip straight to the results though.

On day five, while I was enjoying a cup of tea, someone knocked on my door. I opened it and there she was, dressed in a burgundy off-the-shoulder satin dress, with perfectly curled hair and lips adorned with red lipstick. There was something different about her, something about her eyes. For the first time, I saw a longing in them, and there was a fire that had recently been ignited.

She smiled at me before coming in. She gestured for me to sit next to her and placed her hands in mine, drawing tiny circles around my palm that sent shivers down my spine. My room was dimly lit, and I could see the shadow of her face while she came close to mine. The smell of Jasmine and Berries once again filled the air around me. This was what I’ve always wanted to feel from her – but why was there a bit of fear?

“Is everything ok?” I asked.

She rubbed her warm fingertips along my cool lips, and this sent shockwaves through me. It was a pleasant surprise. We stared at each other with a burning desire and then she said,

“I don’t know why it took so long for this to happen. I know now that you are the one for me.”

While she spoke, I laid there like a puppet, waiting to be used by her in any way she pleased. As we gazed into each other’s eyes, she pulled me in aggressively, and nibbled my bottom lip. Her tongue, which had hints of peach lemonade, explored my mouth. She sucked the air out of me, and all my senses just surrendered to her majesty. Once released from her grip, there were only a few seconds to breathe before she went in again. I had become her slave. My heart was beating through my chest. Unexplainable feelings and sensations were reaching secret vaults within my body. I became a flower that finally blossomed. She motioned me to the room. She wanted to lead and there was no hesitation on my part.

“I just want you to know…” I began.

But she hushed me up again, and this time, there were no more interruptions.

I just laid there like a vessel waiting to be filled, unloaded, and used by her. My dreams finally came true.

“Oh Mr. Thackery,” I thought, “I owe this all to you.”

She wrapped her legs around my waist and kissed my neck delicately. It was at this point that our souls intertwined, as that tickle continued to go down my spine. We both yearned for each other. No reason to wait any longer.

Eli Raye didn’t resist this time as she laid on the bed. The candlelight reflections on the wall created the perfect ambiance. I slid my hands under her blouse and explored her curves, specifically her waist until they met her thighs. Her laced panties were slowly inched away while my fingers glided between them. All there was left to do was for me to remove my layer of clothing that stood between us. I pulled her up against me, and our eyes remained fixed on each other. She groaned and placed her hands delicately around my shoulders. There was a heat moving through both of us, which left our minds racing through our first moment of passion.

My eyelids flew open the next morning, needing to confirm that it was real, and not a dream. Thankfully, it wasn’t. There was my love, looking as beautiful as ever, sleeping so peacefully next to me. A smile crossed my face. This defined what it meant to be happy. I stared at her while she slept, and gently stroked her long black hair. “This must be some potion,” I thought, because what happened last night was truly unexpected. Not a complaint, but the response of a happy customer. Life with Eli Raye was going to be amazing.

Then she opened those big blue eyes and said, “Good morning!” with a smile. She came closer to me, and I placed my arms around her, inhaling the ambrosial scent of her hair. She said that she was happy, and that she ‘LOVED’ me. My jaw dropped when I heard the word love. I can’t believe that she finally said it! The potion was nothing short of a miracle.

We had breakfast together, and soon she took my leave. But watching her leave was difficult. I wanted to spend the entire day with her, but we both had work. We would see each other again in a few hours.

I finished my drops on the seventh day. The word “WOW” best summed up my experience. Every moment spent with her felt like a dream, thanks to Mr. Thackery.

But as time went on, something changed. It wasn’t Eli Raye, but me. She was still beautiful and a perfect human being. I, on the other hand, was no longer longing to be with her daily, and was not feeling happy. The last 6 months were amazing, so this was disconcerting. How could my feelings change so suddenly? I decided to pay another visit to Mr. Thackery.

“I don’t understand what’s happening," I said to Mr. Thackery. "Everything was so perfect initially; but for some reason, my love for her is slowly being replaced with irritation, and at times, boredom. Is that a side effect of the potion you gave me?”

“Didn’t I tell you to be careful about the desires of the heart? It is not something to play with.”

“So, what can I do now? There is no leaving her. Maybe it just needs more time. She’s giving me everything that I desire. I need to love and want her again.”

Mr. Thackery looked around his shop, and this time, he picked up a bottle labeled ‘Potent Sealer’.

“What does that even do?”

“It’s going to help bring your love back again. You use it on yourself, a few drops once a day for a week. It should be enough.”

I needed to feel the same way for her now, just like she felt for me. My body craved for it, and not having it had changed me.

“I’ve one more thing to ask you. How many drops do you mean by a few drops?”

“3 to 4 drops would suffice.”

“Ok. Thank you, Mr. Thackery.”

Mr. Thackery stood at the window of his shop, and watched me walk away. He whispered “Au revoir,” because he knew that I would be back again. He was experimenting, and had given me a cleanser that would wipe out all my emotions even further. He knew that I would ultimately hate her, and probably kill her.