A Charming Potion Read Online Free PDF Page B

had.
    “Sleepy time?” His brow cocked up. For a second I
thought his lip was going to follow along with a little hip shaking and a tune
from Elvis, but it didn’t.
    “I think you need to get a few good nights’ sleep
and it will help you with your stress.” I wanted to tell him to trust me, but
most teenagers didn’t trust anyone over twenty. “I’ll be right back.”
    Teenagers! I rolled my eyes and hid behind my little
partition on the counter where my good ol’ cauldron was located.
    I put in a pinch of Aconite , which was
traditionally used when help was immediately needed. I then added a dash of Kali
phos, a biochemical tissue salt well known for its positive benefits on the
nervous system. I finished with a shake of Nat sulph, which helps to support
natural feelings of security and well-being. The swirl of the mixture caused
the cauldron to immediately bubble into a murky, viscous silver substance.
    Hmm. . .I needed something to calm this potion down.
    I ran my fingers along the back wall of natural
ingredients until I felt a spark all over my body.
    Chamomilla , duh! It
was probably the most common ingredient that is used to relax the
nervous system and support healthy, restful sleep patterns, and is particularly
useful for nighttime use.
    Cough, cough. The sweaty,
stinky smell of feet engulfed me. Yes. . .teenagers.
    With the silver taking a turn to a translucent
substance that turned crimson in color, the cauldron shut off letting me know
the potion was completed.
    Carefully, I took the ladle and scooped up a dollop.
With the potion bottle top off, I held the ladle over top the opening and let
the cure drip in. The blue bottle glowed red as the liquid settled in the
bottom.
    “Here it is.” I made my way around the partition,
and Adeline’s box of June’s Gems caught my eye. The opened box.
    “Thanks, what do I owe you?” He dug his hands into
the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a wad of what looked to be
singles.
    “Nothing.” I shooed him away and went straight back
to the box of June’s Gems that were all gone.
    “Oh my!” I picked the box up and tilted it to the
side in case Raven had put some type of disappearing spell in them.
    Ding . The bell over the door caused
me to look up.
    Adeline.
    “Hi, June.” She had a little bit of a giddy up in
her step. “I’m so excited to see what you came up with.”
    “Um. . .hold on a sec.” I disappeared behind the
partition with the empty box and took the phone out of my bag, dialing Raven.
    “Happy Halloween,” Raven chirped through the phone.
    “Listen; there is no time for pleasantries. I have a
problem. Did you put some type of disappearing spell in the June Gem’s? Because
they are gone.” I shut my eyes and prayed a big ole prayer.
    “No. Why?” Apprehension dripped from her voice. “Did
you eat them all?”
    “Okay, don’t judge me. Here is the deal…” I told her
what had happened in a quick abridged version.
    “June, you know you aren’t supposed to mess with
love.” She scolded me like Darla would have. “June!” She gasped.
    “What?” I questioned her. My intuition told me that
it was not a good gasp.
    “When I was talking a walk last night, I saw someone
in A Charming Cure with a flashlight. I stopped and looked in the window. It
was Oscar.” She paused. I could hear her swallow hard. “He came out when he saw
me. He said that he was making sure your shop was locked up because your gate
was open when he walked by.”
    “And?” I asked, because there was something she
wasn’t telling me. I could feel it in my gut.
    “I recall he had chocolate in the corners of his
mouth. I just figured you gave him a June’s Gem or Ding Dong.” The phone went
silent. I mean complete silence.
    “Oh no!” I cried out. I knew it was too good to be
true. I knew Oscar wasn’t in love with me.
    “June, what’s wrong?” Raven frantically asked. “I’m
on my way down there right now.”
    With my back to the counter,