I've been reincarnated into another world as a witch

Chapter 4: The first day of work

My first day at the apothecary had been interesting, to say the least. Our first customer of the day was a young girl with bright auburn hair and a cluster of freckles on her face. She was the girl who was working at 'Mr BuClantiana's House of fashion', the shop girl who had helped me get on the new clothes. She came in to collect Mr Bu's daily mix of herbal teas that were said to help one's hair growth. Apparently, he was the Apothecary's best and only buyer of the teas. Poor Mr Bu.

Elsbeth walked me through all the ingredients for the hair grow herbal tea. It was all plants names that I had never heard of before, but nevertheless, I took copious notes on everything that she was saying.

After a while, the shop girl left and curtseyed to us both. Elsbeth also explained to me that social class and rank was a huge deal in this society. It just went for granted that the higher up you were on the social ranks, the more respect you deserved. Even you were an eighty-year-old grandma, if a ten your old child was a lord and you were just an ordinary citizen, you would have to bow to the child.

Since the red-headed shopgirl was a low-level shop employee, while Elsbeth was a shop owner, the girl had to curtsey to Elsbeth.

For men, the system was the same, except that men bowed. Even small divinations between the shop owners and the shop workers were distinguished in society in this way.

It was all a bit strange to me.

The mornings were quite a slow time for the shop since most people were working. But when afternoon hit you had to be ready. The just suddenly all came bustling in, they were asking for cough relieving potions, and potions that cooled down their fevers, and they wanted potion for sore legs. It was a lot to try and deal with all of them. But it was kind of fun, it reminded me of the waitressing job I had a few years ago.

It wasn't until just an hour before the shop was about to close when suddenly a woman busted into the shop screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Elsbeth help me please, it's my little boy he's going to die!" Elsbeth and I both ran to her, she was sobbing uncontrollably and could only just get the words out, "My son, please help him. He fell out of the Oaken tree onto an axe. He's bleeding so badly, he's going to die if you don't help me, please! Please!"

She grabbed hold of Elsbeth's arms and was pulling her out the door with her. I followed behind the suit and grabbed Elsbeth's emergency kit that she kept by the door in case of situations like these. We all ran together to the Main Street of the town, where a crowd was gathered. They have all huddled around the boy who was lying on the floor. As we got closer to him, my gut lurched at the sight of it. Someone had removed the axe from the boy's side, what was there now was a huge gaping gash that was still oozing blood. the flesh around the cut was an angry red colour, and the boy was crying out in pain.

A man was holding the little boy down, trying to stop him from flailing about too much. I presumed the man was his father, by the look of terror on his face. I thought that maybe it was an emotion only a parent could feel towards their loved one.

As we approached I heard people whisper, "thank goodness, Elsbeth is here"
"Will she be able to save the boy?"
"Goodness me I don't think so. Look at that cut."
"Poor child, to die at such a young age..."

The crowd made way for us so that we could get to the boy. When we reached the centre of the circle, Elsbeth and I got down on our knees next to the little boy.

Immediately I began to unpack the bandages, and the spirits and the crushed herbs for Elsbeth to use on him.

The cut on his boy was just by his hip bone, it started at his waist and spanned until his thigh. It was a grotesque cut. Lucian's hadn't been this bad.