MAGICAL DISASTERS

LOVE POTION

"Abuela, what the hell do you have in this bag? It wasn't doing all this shit when I carried it," I yelled. The worn leather briefcase rattled and jumped as I stepped towards it. My abuelita appeared before me with a glare. She turned to the bag, waved her arms over it, and it disappeared.

I sighed and shook my head as I walked away. I took off my coat, snow boots, and scarf, placing them inside the closet. There was an antique metal cane inside that I had never seen before. I wondered who it belonged to, but decided it was best not to ask.

Walking towards the stairs, I noticed a cauldron out in the study. That's odd, I thought. She doesn't usually have it out before sunset.

Salina emerged from the shadows like a ghost in the night. "Shouldn't you be studying?" she asked. I rolled my eyes, taking the hint.

Upstairs in the guest room, I dropped onto the bed in an attempt to relax. The tension in the air made it nearly impossible. For a maid, Salina was rather curt today. Maybe that's what happens when old people are alone for too long, I thought. I put on my headphones, deciding that sleep would come easier with meditation.

I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of howling winds. The room was freezing, but the windows were closed. Something felt wrong. I grabbed a sweater and walked downstairs to turn up the heat. At the foot of the steps, I froze.

A soft glow came from Abuelita's study. She was never up this late. She's too old to even make it past her novellas. I held my breath, tiptoeing towards the light. Every bone in my body screamed that I should leave.

My grandmother opened the frayed brown briefcase. She removed a scorpion and a giant spider, placing the spider in a wooden box. She took the scorpion, cut off its tail, and threw its body in the cauldron. It bubbled and emitted a dark violet smoke. She placed the tail in a black mortar and began to grind it with her pestle. She grabbed some cinnamon powder, bay leaves, and flower petals, throwing them into the mortar. I was amazed.

My abuela had rarely revealed her gifts to us. For many years I would ask her to teach my siblings and me how to put potions and spells together, but she refused. She never told us why. Her only response was that she didn't know how to teach what she knew, but we figured that was bullshit. Now, I was beginning to fear the reason was darker. Something was shady about the energy of the room, though I couldn't place my finger on it.

I slowly backed away, feeling the urge to run.

"Look who I found," Salina said, placing a hand on my shoulder. What the fuck was she doing up at this hour?

"I suppose it's too late to send you back now," Abuela responded, her eyes still glued to the cauldron.

"What's that supposed to mean? Are you finally teaching me?" I asked.

"No, mi niñita. This type of magic cannot be taught. It is acquired through years of experience and sacrifice." She removed the spider from the wooden box and dropped it into the cauldron. More fumes danced to the ceiling. The air reeked of sulfur and gas. Her cauldron's liquid turned forest green, bubbling, and churning with no spoon. My jaw dropped in awe.

Then I saw what was wrong. An old bearded man sat in the corner of the room, quiet as a mouse. He looked about 70, but his spine stood erect, his body stiffer than a mountain. My eyes darted back and forth between the man and the cauldron. My stomach unsettled and I desperately wanted to escape.

My mind had a million questions but I wasn't sure if I wanted the answers.

For years, I viewed my abuelita as a gentle woman. She spoke softly and mostly kept to herself. My strongest memories were us cooking pasteles and empanadas in her kitchen. The aroma always soothed me, along with her calming instructions.

Abuela was the best chef in town. People would line up at her food truck for hours just to get a taste of her carne guisada and platanos con salami. She even gave some of the kids extra salami when they were on their best behavior. Her life seemed peaceful.

Tonight, she looked like a madwoman. Her left eyelid twitched, her lips pursed together tightly, and her voice was hoarse.

"Abuelita, what is this potion for?"

"You ask too many questions, niñita. You'll see exactly what you need to see, and then you'll forget."

"Forget?" I squeaked, "Why would I forget?" I wrung my hands together, imagining the worst.

There was a long silence between us as she uttered her incantations. The smoke stopped emitting from the cauldron and the fluid turned into a pale, creamy blue. It looked so familiar to me, but I couldn't figure out why.

Abuela placed some of the solution into a small vial. She stood up and walked over to the mahogany skinned man in the corner of the room. His body was still frozen, but his eyes said everything. She tipped his head back and opened his mouth. Slowly, she poured the contents of the vial into his jaws and clamped it shut. He gulped almost automatically.

Within seconds, his body softened and his brown eyes glazed with a faint smile. His voice was sweet, but it didn't feel right. "Mi amor, es un placer estar contigo otra vez. I missed you." My abuelita smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"Shall I take him back to the attic?" Salina asked. "Will he still need his cane?"

"No, el se queda con migo. This potion is stronger than the last. I made sure of that."

My heart raced with dread. Last time? How long had she been doing this? I struggled to catch my breath. I closed my eyes and tried my best to focus on slowing down my breathing. When I opened them, my grandmother stood before me with a somber look in her eyes. She held a vial with a blueish purple glow.

"This, my sweet, is for you," she said.

"W-w-what's that for?"

"Sleep. You'll feel much better." Her eerie face made her smile seem out of place. Her copper skin was taught, the bags under her eyes were grayer, and her lip twitched ever so slightly.

"I'm g-good, Abuelita. I don't need help with sleep. I-I'll be fine. Thank you." The panic in my voice was undeniable. I needed to get out of there.

"We can do this the easy way, or we can do this your way. You choose," Salina said.

I sat in silence, unsure of how to respond. Within moments, my body began to stiffen, as though I had no control. My abuela leaned in closer and opened my mouth. I tried my hardest to clamp my mouth close but it was useless. When my body swallowed, I felt a cloud come over my awareness.

It felt like I was floating.

The room began to fade.

And everything turned black.