The Potion Brewer, Agatha!

It wasn’t a long walk away from Sapple’s resting spot until Willow made it to the village.

Around her were small buildings made of hay, grass, and oak wood. Each and every building was unique to every other, all surveying different purposes and being occupied by different people. While it wasn’t the biggest village, it was still busy as people walked to and from building to building across the dirt roads.

Willow took a long and deep breath, taking in smells that felt nostalgic to her. Watching the village folk walk and greet each other gave Willow a sense of happiness she unique to this place, a place she would soon leave for at least a long time.

“Potions! Get your potions here!” Said a woman down the road. Her distinctly raspy voice made it clear who she was, and Willow immediately bolted to her.

She passed several passersby, all of which recognized Willow and said hi to her. She didn’t have the will to say goodbye to them all, or else she’d probably be in the village all day and night.

“Potions Here! Get your totally not dubious potions he—” Said the woman before laying eyes on Willow.

“How’s it going Green Thumb?” The potion seller asked with a bright smile on her face.

“I’m doing great… H-How about you Agatha? How’s business going?” Willow replied. She didn’t have the heart to tell her just yet.

“Ehhh, could be better, but hey, there’s always tomorrow, huh?” Agatha remarked.

Agatha’s potion selling stand was crude to say the least. It was made up of loose twigs and old decaying hay left behind in a horse stable. On the sign it read “Agatha’s Spectacular Selection of Non-dubious Potions!” written in sticks glued together by sap. Compared to the buildings around the stand, it was truly something alright. Appearances aside, her stand was actually quite useful to Willow and her mother, as she would always have whatever strange and unorthodox potions she’d need to make crafts or medicine with.

“Hey! Wanna try this new one I fou— I mean, made?!” Agatha exclaims.

“Ahhh, sure, why not!” Willow replied. Usually she wouldn’t even dare try an Agatha potion, but since this was the last day she’ll ever see her again, why not spin the wheel and see what happens?

“Great!” Agatha said, diving beneath her stand to grab a vial of pink liquid. She held it up for Willow to see, and on first glance she could already feel a bit of regret sinking in.

“It’s called, Agaporta! It allows you to teleport to anywhere you can think of after drinking it! It’s a one time use though, so be careful!” Agatha said.

“That sounds, actually quite useful! How much?” Willow replied, reaching into her bag to grab some gold.

“Oh no! It’s on the house for you Green Thumb! Besides, I can’t have you drink all of it, I still need to make a recreahable recipe,” Agatha admitted.

“Alright…” Willow said, grabbing the vial. The pink potion was bubbling inside the vial as if it was boiling, but the glass itself felt cool to the touch. Willow was familiar with strange potions, especially from Agatha’s shop, but this one felt unnatural.

Willow popped the cork open, and immediately gagged when she smelt the potion. It was similar to the combination of burnt rubber and days old feces. Whatever this stuff was, it wasn’t fresh.

“Go on!” Agatha said, egging Willow on with a bright smile and two thumbs up!

Willow held her nose shut and closed her eyes before downing a portion of the strange potion. As it hit her tongue and went down her esophagus, she tasted what she could only describe as oddly sweet with a bit of a kick to it. It wasn’t the most pleasant thing she’s ever tasted, but it was far better than she was expecting.

After chugging half of the vial, she put the cork back on and imagined a spot for her to teleport. Out of all of the spots she could think of, the only place she could see herself going was backwards, back at the edge of the village next to Sapple.

Before she knew it, she felt a flash of heat enveloping her body deep within her core! A blinding white flash covered her vision for a split second!

Suddenly, she was back at the edge of the village, with Sapple right next to her! The potion worked exactly like how Agatha said! Willow was overtaken by joy, not for herself but for joy as one of her potions finally worked as advertised.

She looked around, seeing the same forest as before and the village in the near distance. Her gaze then immediately turned towards Sapple, who looked shocked to see Willow again.

“Oh, You’re back already… but, looking quite… different from last we met…” Sapple said, his barked colored eyes looking Willow up and down.