By the time Keenin made it to the library, he was less concerned about the incident and was instead feeling nervous to meet Tess in her home. It had been a few years since he stood at the library’s arched wooden doorway and he found that the place looked smaller then he remembered, a sign of his growing up. 

As a child he had sat on the front steps while his thief friends discussed the next target to steal from or what they would do after leaving the village. The books had interested him too, though he didn’t tell the others. For a while Keenin waited for the library to open early in the morning and would flip through the text to look at pictures of heroes and distant places, but when books began to disappear and some children started to chip away the gold painted wood on the arch Keenin felt ashamed and no longer returned.

It had never occurred to him before, but maybe his small leaving at that time had been what made him so different. Keenin shook away stray thoughts and knocked on the door, only to correct his absurd act, by gripping the metal latch and pushing the door open. The door stopped it’s swing as Tess grabbed hold.

Tess had a stack of books tucked under her arm for shelving and must have come forward at the sound of his knocking. Keenin smiled.

“Sorry,” Keenin said. “I forgot that you could come in uninvited. I brought the medicine.”

He held up his hand with the vials. Tess put the books down on the floor and accepted them.

“Are you alright?” Tess asked.

“Huh, of course,” Keenin said. “You should have seen the way Alaban beat the guy up after you left. His skill makes me jealous. We’re you worried?”

He wanted her to feel better. 

“It’s just… I’ve heard rumors of a war and that guy had a crest. I don’t know what will happen if our village gets involved in another fight. Last time it became only me and my mom. What if it becomes only me or just my mom.”

She gripped tightly to the glass vials.

“I didn’t realize,” Keenin said.

Now that Tess mentioned it Alaban has said the word warmonger, but why would one soldier be all the way out here? 

“But what am I saying,” Tess said. “You made it work by yourself so obviously I can.”

It seemed the rumor about him moving down from the city to be an apprentice had spread.

“Tess, you’re thinking about this wrong. Our village has everything you need. Water, food and shelter, and we live close to the city. Besides, Alaban and I would find a way to support you if you needed help.”

She remained quiet and then looked up.

“I made things so serious,” Tess said. “I’m sorry you should get back to the shop.”

“It’s fine,” Keenin said. “Friends can talk.”

As he said it he thought of Lester. He had not seen his old friend in weeks and was worried that now they might not be friends at all.

“Actually, Keenin if you still have some time?” Tess asked. “My mom wanted to thank you.”

“For what?”

“I think, for putting up with Alaban. She was worried there wouldn’t be another potion maker to take over after him.”

“Oh.”

Was it really alright to see Tess’s mother? What if she was too unwell?

“It will just take a minute. Come on,” Tess said holding out her hand.

She must have recognized his hesitation. Her hand was reassuring so he decided to take it, though as Tess led him up a flight of curving stairs to the upper floor balcony he felt nervous. This was Tess’s mom and she was sick. Keenin felt scared to know what the ill woman would look like. The hollow thud of the steps stopped when they reached the top of the balcony. Tess let go of his hand and pulled open a wooden door.

The room inside was bright, lit by numerous lamps of odd designs. The wood paneling of the walls had been left unstained. A four-poster bed took up most of the space while a dressing table was crunched against the back wall. Under a set of old lavender sheets rested Tess’s mother. Unlike her daughter’s dark brown hair hers was a light chestnut and she watched them through bright green eyes. Tess approached to retrieve a used plate while Keenin stood in the doorway.

“So this is your friend?” the mother said.

Tess looked back at him.

“Why are you standing so far?” Tess scolded.

The woman laughed. 

“Any boy would be nervous Tess. I bet you dragged him up here for me.”

“I…I did not.”

She laughed again, but it turned into a wheezy cough and she covered her mouth.

“I apologize. I have a persistent sickness in my lungs that flares up sometimes. I wouldn’t mind working more, but the doctor told me that keeping rested will cure it faster.”

Tess handed the plate to Keenin who had no choice but to take it, and she went to the window to push it open.

“So will keeping the window open for fresh air,” Tess noted. “You keep closing it.”

“The neighbor’s dog wouldn’t stop barking.”

“Keenin,” Tess said turning to him. “Tell this mom of mine that fresh air is worth a bit of noise.”

“But uh… I think both of you are right,” Keenin said. 

“What?” Tess accused, but her mother smiled.

“Thanks for putting up with my daughter,” the woman said. “She worries a lot.”

“Mom,” Tess argued.

“And Keenin, come borrow books anytime you want.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that. I should get back now,” Keenin said.

He wondered if she would let him borrow a book if he was still an unkempt thief. Tess led his way back down the stairs.

“I’m sorry for making you visit my mom. She kept asking about you,” Tess said walking down the steps.

“It’s alright. I know what it’s like to worry about your family,” he said awkwardly, following down the stairs. 

“Then what’s your family like?”

Tess reached the front door and turned to face him to wait for an answer.

“My…family,” his words trailed off as she stood waiting. 

To her it was a normal question and she didn’t realize the problem, but what was he to say. He had grown up with thieves. Yet, even so, he wanted to be proud. 

“In my family,” Keenin said. “I have a lot of amazing siblings. I’m going to prove that I can be just as successful and I want to be there to look out for them. So I should really get back.” 

Tess was looked at him with silent admiration.

“Tess,” he prompted. 

“Ah, right,” she said, snapping free of her trance.

Tess opened the door for him to pass through. “Good luck with everything.”

Feeling that enough was said, Keenin stepped out and Tess shut the library door behind him. He sighed with relief. Talking to girls was difficult. 

Having been delayed, Keenin was prepared for Alaban to scold him when he got back to the stall, but Alaban was not there. Instead, a note telling him to go back to the house had been left on the table. 

Back at the house, Keenin pushed the door open to find Alaban trying to boil a small pot over the fire in the hearth. It smelled like porridge and the spoon in his other hand seemed to enforce this.

“Are you cooking dinner?” Keenin asked in confusion.

He had leaned that despite being a potion mixer, the old guy didn’t cook and was more than happy to take payment in the form of meals.

“No,” Alaban said. “I was thinking about the threat we received today. I wanted to be prepared.”

Keenin looked at the two jars sitting on the kitchen table and picked up the yellow one.

“But this is lemon powder. You said it’s flavoring.”

“And today,” Alaban said turning with the pot full of boiling liquid. “It’s plant food for the screaming moss bacteria. Can I have that lemon powder?”

Keenin decided not to ask about the screaming moss and approached to hand over an opened jar of lemon power. Alaban proceeded to dump a third of the jar into the liquid concoction in the pot. It definitely looked like porridge and now smelled faintly of lemon. 

“I thought you said not to worry about that stranger,” Keenin said.

Alaban handed back the lemon jar. 

“I might have said that, but I still like to be careful. When the liquid cools we can put in the screaming moss from that other jar. Then you get to make a horrid mess pouring it in front of the door.”

As Alaban stirred his mixture, Keenin picked up the jar of black powder that must have been screaming moss.

“How exactly does this make an alarm?”

Alaban placed the pot on a flat stone resting on the table and took the jar of lemon back to the shelf. 

“Like I said it's bacteria. The moss is full of invisible creatures that make a screeching noise when stepped on.”

He shuffled around the jars to make room and bring better order to the overcrowded shelf.

“That’s creepy.”

“Travelers thought so too. Especially since the moss is slimy and grows in swampy areas.”

“How much do I put in?” Keenin asked.

“A spoonful,” Alaban mentioned.

Keenin eyed the dirty spoon now resting beside the pot. He picked it up and rubbed it clean against his pant leg while Alaban was still intently trying to organize his collection. Keenin held a hand over the pot to feel the temperature.

“So how cool should this be? And does it screech right away?”

Alaban turned around.

“And that,” he said pointing to the spoon in Keenin’s hand. “Is why you are not mixing potions alone.”

“But you said one spoonful.”

Alaban sighed to himself. He moved to the table to pick up the pot and proceeded to the front entrance where he poured the contents onto the rough wooden boards. 

“Now it’s one spoonful.”

“Oh,” Keenin said.

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Author here

Those graceful cooking tactics are just like mine. Who needs to read the recipe? I mean what recipe?