“Where are you going?”

“I will be right back,” she said. She entered the house and closed the door behind her. Her mother was still at the pot, but it smelled very different than before.

“Mother,” Marie asked. “What are you making?”

“Soup,” she said. “For our guests.”

Marie went hot. Guests? There was only one person outside.

“Mother, I’m not letting him inside,” Marie said. “I came in here to retrieve something.”

“You’re not going to give him the potion, are you?” her mother said.

It didn’t sound judgmental, but concerned. Marie paused. That was exactly what she wanted to do.

“I think I should,” she said. “But I’m not just going to give it to him. He promised to pay me.”

Lord Ferdinand wasn’t going to come. She already resigned herself to that. But if Thomas was true to his word, then he would provide her with actual food to eat. She had to get rid of the potion anyway, so it was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

“If he has promised,” her mother said, “then he must pay.”

Her father shifted on the bed, and moved the top of his toadstool. “What? Has Prince Fermented come?”

Marie shook her head. “No, and it is Lord Ferdinand. He isn’t coming.”

“Next time you see him, turn him into a fruit, or something delicious,” her father said sternly. “Then take a bite out of him! That’s what I say should be done.”

“Father, you think everyone should be a plant, or a toadstool,” she said, reaching under the stove to grab the blue vial. Her father scoffed at her.

“You watch it, young lady!” he said. “You were born from my spores, and I won’t hesitate to put you back in!”

“Mother, Father’s driving me mad,” she said.

Her mother kept turning the pot. Her grey hair concealed her face. Marie walked over to her, and took a lock of hair out of the way from her vision.

“Marie, do you remember when you were a baby?” her mother said. Her glassy eyes turned to Marie. Her wrinkles looked softer, like she wanted to smile underneath her still face. “About nineteen years ago?”

“What do you mean?” Marie said. “I was just a baby, of course not.”

“I wanted a child so badly to continue my work,” she said. Her voice was warm and soft. “But when I made you from a toadstool, I realized how you were different from human and faerie infants. You loved eating poisonous things, and I had to force you to eat sweet things.”

Marie wrapped her arms around her mother’s shoulders and enveloped her in a hug. The normal rotation of her mother’s hands stopped. Her bony hands struggled to lift up, shaking. Marie moved her hand to meet her mother’s soft saggy skin. The skin was cold, but tender.

“What I’m saying, my child,” her mother said in a shaky tone, “is that I trust your judgment as a potion maker. And who you are just might help you in your time of need.”

Marie gave one last hug to her mother, and looked at the potion in her hands. She had to make the right choice, and be sure of it. She went outside to see Thomas still sitting on the rock. The potion was in her hands and she held it tightly. Marie approached him, and he had his eyes glued on the potion.

“So this is the potion?” he said. “It’s amazing.”

Marie took a deep breath. “I can’t give it to you unless you pay me.”

Thomas paused. He laughed a little. “Of course, of course. How much was it again, a dozen eggs?”

“Two dozen eggs,” she said.

There was a small noise behind him in the forest. She looked over his shoulder, but saw nothing on the ground. She looked up in the trees, and saw a four legged figure sitting on a branch. Thomas pushed Marie back and made a grab for the potion.

Her grip was loosened in her distraction, and he was able to snatch it out of her hands. Marie stepped closer to him.

“Give it back to me!” Marie demanded.

Thomas smiled. His pale face became even paler. His eyes glowed and changed from the earthy brown into an intense, sharp blue. His entire body morphed and a plume of black smoke enveloped him. His former farmer’s clothing was replaced by a regal high waist black petticoat, and thin long legs shaped by a tailored pair of pants. His hair even changed color, from a dark brown into solid black. His cheekbones became more prominent, and his smile longer.

Marie stood aback. “Y-you’re a faerie?”

Thomas’ grin grew wider. “Yes, Lord Ferdinand, in fact,” he said, bowing slightly.

“You came?” she said.

“Of course, my maiden,” he said. “I’ve heard wonderful things about your love potions. They are some of the finest in this village. I should know. I was hit with one not too long ago.”

A white blur raced onto Marie’s property. Anatoly, in her dog form stood beside Lord Ferdinand and walked around him knowingly before transforming into her human form. She twirled around in her white dress, and sighed happily by Lord Ferdinand’s side.

“Much better than those plain peasant clothes,” Anatoly said. She wrapped an arm around Lord Ferdinand’s arm, and tucked her head into his shoulder.

“Anatoly!” Marie said. “Get out of here! I don’t need you interfering with my client.”

“Your client?” Anatoly laughed, shrill and high. “My Lord Ferdinand, is she in love with you?”

Marie shook her head hotly. Her face burned in embarrassment, and she turned to see Lord Ferdinand giving a small chuckle.

“I’m very sorry, my dear,” he said to Marie. He examined the potion in his hand. “But I am taken with this lovely creature. You wore me out, unfortunately. I didn’t think I would be able to keep up with being a farmer.” He touched Anatoly’s neck, where the pearl ribbon rested.

“It doesn’t suit you at all,” Anatoly whined. “Though I do like the idea of her having love. What say you, dear?”

Marie couldn’t take this.

“Anatoly!” Marie shouted.

Anatoly coolly turned her head to her direction.

“What is it now, Marie?” she said.

“Did you use my potion to take my client from me?” Marie said. “That is horrifyingly irresponsible!”

Anatoly’s eyes widened and she buried her face into Lord Ferdinand’s shoulder. He gave her a small pat on the head, and she feigned a cry.

“Is it so wrong to want to be pampered, Marie?” she cried. “To be spoiled every once in a while? I saw him coming your way at the beginning of the month and I just couldn’t help myself.”

“Don’t be so hard on her, Marie,” Lord Ferdinand said. “The potion eventually wore off, and I still loved her. There isn’t anything wrong with that.”

“You two are made for one another,” Marie said, turning. “You both successfully wasted my time.”

“Is that anyway to talk to a lord?” Anatoly said.

She sounded so uncharacteristically serious that Marie couldn’t help but turn her head. Anatoly had a smile on her face but her eyes were cold. Lord Ferdinand had an equally terrifying look in his eyes when he turned back to Marie. There was something deadly and blissful about his eyes.

“No it isn’t,” he said. “She should be in love, like us.”

“With you,” Anatoly said to Ferdinand. He didn’t pause, he just nodded. “Just think. She’ll love you so much we’ll get free potions for the rest of our lives. Won’t it be wonderful?”

Marie twisted around to run back into the house, to call her mother, but Anatoly grabbed her. She thrashed around, grabbing hold of Anatoly’s white hair, which caused her to yelp in pain. Lord Ferdinand walked over and held Marie’s mouth open while he poured the potion into her mouth. They released her, and she collapsed onto the ground. She coughed and tried to vomit up the potion, but it wasn’t any use.

A hot wave rushed over her. She grabbed her throat desperately, and looked down so she wouldn’t have to look at Lord Ferdinand. Her throat felt hot, her legs were shaking. Her heart pounded harder than she’d ever experienced. Anatoly forced Marie’s eyes open with her long fingers, and she saw the face of Lord Ferdinand.

But she felt nothing. Even with all of those sensations. The heartbeat, the weak legs, the hotness in her cheeks, she felt nothing for the faerie that stood in front of her. It was like the root of the feelings were there, but they failed to connect properly. She looked at him in the eyes.

“I’m not in love with you,” she said. “Now where is my pay?”

Anatoly released her. Lord Ferdinand stood shocked, and looked at the vial.

“But it should have worked,” he muttered. “This is one of the most potent love potions I have ever come across. The last one practically sent me to heaven.”

Anatoly grabbed Marie by the shoulders and shook her.

“What kind of potion maker are you anyway? Your lousy concoction didn’t even work!” she yelled.

Lord Ferdinand attempted to calm her, but she tossed his hand away.

“I guess I’m just immune to most of the ingredients,” Marie said. She realized what her mother had tried to tell her. She was immune to her own potion ingredients.

“Well?”

“Where is my pay?” Marie said. “Since you have what you desired and used my materials, I demand compensation by the rules of my guild.”

“He will not pay!” Anatoly said, placing her hands on her hips. “You delivered a faulty product!”

Marie thought for a moment. She looked over at Lord Ferdinand. He looked as love-struck as ever at Anatoly, who was losing her mind in a fit of characteristic rage. Her love potions certainly didn’t last that long. No one’s did. Marie had to consider that he must be a fool after all, and would fall for anything Anatoly would.

“Alright,” Marie said. “If you insult my work as a potion maker, I will make another one for you.”

Anatoly stopped, and immediately regained her composure.

“This is a trick, isn’t it?” Anatoly said.

Marie said nothing and turned her back to her. She grabbed some wild flowers that grew on the side of the house. A staple of love potions in some regions for their unpredictable properties, but not the kind she used for hers. Anatoly was colorblind, so she didn’t know the difference. But it was enough to convince Lord Ferdinand. Marie went to close the door behind her, and the couple followed her into the house.

She normally didn’t invite people inside the house for obvious reasons. Her mother never moved and her father was toadstool. It just wasn’t ordinary. Anatoly’s ear shattering screech was one of them. Marie covered her ears for a minute until Anatoly cowered behind a petrified Lord Ferdinand. They both looked at Marie’s mother, who stood in the middle of the room over the pot.

“Dinner’s almost done,” her mother said.

Anatoly slowly came out from behind Lord Ferdinand while Marie pretended to assemble another potion. In reality, it would take hours to make a love potion, but this was a special case. What she needed wouldn’t take much time to complete. She gathered some old cowslips she kept in storage and ground them up. In a quick motion, she took out a carving knife and went to the bed where her father resided. Some of her siblings, the little mushrooms, stayed quiet. They didn’t like strangers.

“Should I speak?” he whispered. “Scare the souls out of them?”

“They’re so ugly,” one of the braver mushrooms, her brother, said quietly. “They’re faeries aren’t they? Let them eat me, it’ll be hilarious.”

“Shush!” Marie said to her brother. “And no, Father. I need a piece of you.” “Good, good,” he said. “So you’re finally taking Papa’s advice.”

Marie lifted her index finger to shush him, and he remained quiet. She carved out a piece of his toadstool, and ground it up with the cowslips. She placed it in a vial. It glowed red.

She held it out to Anatoly and Lord Ferdinand. The two were eased out of their horror for a moment, but Lord Ferdinand was the first to comment.

“It’s red,” he said. “The love potion was blue.”

“Really?” Anatoly said, cocking her head.

“This is stronger,” Marie said. She poured out a portion of the vial and the thick dust poured into her hands. “See?”

Anatoly and Lord Ferdinand leaned close.

Marie took in a deep breath and blew the red dust into both of their faces. In a matter of seconds, their angry confusion was negated by their slowly shrinking forms. And within a minute, their small piercing screams were rendered into whispers. Where their figures stood, two mushrooms remained on the ground.

Marie picked up the larger mushroom, Anatoly. She was pure white, and her forced whispered words were more like screams no matter how low they were.

“I’ll make you sorry for this, Marie!” Anatoly said. Her form wriggled slightly.

Marie picked up the smaller, browner mushroom off the floor. His whisper was soft and pleading.

“Please,” he said. “I never meant any harm. Please spare us. I beg of you.”

Marie turned to her mother.

“Dear, cut me a few vegetables,” her mother said. “The soup needs more flavor. Cut me up some mushrooms, sweetie.”

Both the mushrooms screamed. Marie held them in her hands and went to the bed. She took her carving knife and picked up Anatoly first.

“Marie!” Anatoly screamed. “You’re a murderer! A devil!”

Marie placed the edge of the knife on the head of the white mushroom. She sliced a thin strip off.

“Ow! Cut it out!” Anatoly said. “Let’s make a deal, ok? No more tricks or anything.”

“I’m listening,” Marie said.

“Release us and I won’t have him throw you in prison,” Anatoly bargained.

Marie placed the edge of the knife on the next layer of the top of the mushroom.

“Fine, if you insist! I promise to make him pay you. We’ll commission you and give you business throughout the year! ”

“Upfront payment,” Marie said.

Anatoly didn’t pause this time. “Yes!” she said. “Just undo this curse.”

“No tricks?” Marie said.

“My dear, I am a mushroom,” Anatoly said. “I have been outmatched and out-tricked. You have my word.”

Marie laid down the knife, and went outside to get the necessary supplies to get them back to their idiotic selves.

***

Lord Ferdinand was surprisingly overjoyed to know that he had gained business with Marie. She was certain he would be angry after the experience, but she supposed that faeries admired that level of trickery. Anatoly, as always, was furious with her and tried to scratch her up as soon as she was normal again, but Marie made sure that the threat of mushroom-hood was enough to quell her rage.

Marie walked down the path in the forest late in the day alone to town. The forest was quiet, and the soft rustling of trees brought in the smell of the feast. Above her, Anatoly, still wearing that stupid pearl ribbon around her neck watched her every move. Yes, Marie had earned every coin that Lord Ferdinand dropped into hand. She held a few gold coins, enough for the month, and the next month and the next. Tonight, she was going to eat to her fill.