Potion Maddens rough draft

Potion Madness.

“This is unacceptable.” Karen opened her eyes as Fredrick slammed his fist down onto the table. “Someone else is trying to make money off of size altering products. I won’t stand for it.” She stood up straight worried that her boss would turn his rage on her. “I built this empire off of our snappy products. Fredricks Fancy sparkling water that could alter your size. Fredricks Fancy joint relief. We even have a Fredricks Fancy air scent in the work. All of these promise the chance that your size or other things will change if you take our products.”

Maxwell shrugged. “So what if another company is promising those things?”

Fredrick whirled on him. “Because they are saying it isn’t if, they can guarantee such things!” He turned on the television behind him. “This was live from Miliman Park just yesterday.”

“Hello my name is Amy and I am here to promote.. .” She turned away from the camera. “What is it that you are trying to get me to push again?” She turned back as her green eyes stared vacantly into the screen. “Potions R’Us Lemon Lite. Apparently it will help with making your life easier by lightening your load.” As she shrugged her golden curls fell from her shoulders. “So I will try it. I have heard that strange things happen when you have something from this strange store that only appears once a week in random locations around the state. Today we will find out if those rumors are true.”

She took big gulps out of the vial, the excess yellow liquid traveled down Amy’s neck. “Wow that is nice and lemony flavored.” She blinked. “I feel so light.”

“Amy?”

“Berry what are you looking at? Is this drink all over my face or something? Why are you crouching? I said get me in the frame at all times.”

“You are umm. . . umm.”

The camera panned upward as Amy’s body slowly expanded outward and she began to float upward. “Spit it out already.”

Suddenly the camera fell to the ground and all Karen could see was the pavement. It was here that Fredrick stopped the video. “This is just one of many incidents. People have grown in size, shrunk, inflated, and transformed.” He put his hand to his face. “So so many things that I can’t even believe it. This Potions R’Us is a threat to the business I have fought so hard to make.”

Karen tapped her fingers on the side of the wooden table. “What do you want us to do about it.” Her blue eyes went wide. That was supposed to be in my head. Holy crap!”

Fredrick walked around the board table and right up to her. She could see the vein’s popping out of his forehead. “What do I want you to do about it?” He slammed his gloved hand down onto the table and caused Karen’s pale cheeks to turn red. “Since you were so kind to ask I think I shall send you to find this mystery store and buy us some samples. I need to know exactly what is in their products so I can alter ours to beat them.”

“But sir, we don’t know when or where their stores pop up.”

He stood up. “Not my problem.” Fredrick turned around. “Just get the job done by the end of this week or you are fired. You hear me fired.”

“I will get on that.”

He whirled around. “I want you to go now.” He pushed Karen out of the chair. “Move that lazy but of yours. Go, go go.”

She rushed for the door as she pulled up her belt. “Ok I am going.  Sessh.”

“And bring multiple samples.” He slammed the door the moment she stepped out of the room.

Jerk. She ran her hands along her suit. I can’t believe I opened my big mouth like that. What is wrong with me? Now I am stuck looking for some store that doesn’t appear expect once in a blue moon. I am boned.

Karen walked up to the elevator as she put her hands into her pockets. “Well before I do anything else I think I am going to go home.” The elevator door opened before her. “I will start searching tomorrow. For now I just want to go home and try and relax.” She stepped into the elevator. “Find something to take my mind off of possibly being fired.”

She pressed the button for the first floor and tapped her foot as the elevator slowly descended. “I also need to call Terry when I get home. She won’t believe this absurdity.”

The elevator ground to a halt and the golden doors opened. Karen shook her head as she walked out into the lobby of the Fredricks Fancy company lobby. “She thinks that her job being a pilot is so much more exciting than what I do. Well now I have a chance to show her up.” Karen put her hand on her chin as she came to the door. “Hmm. Say I find this Potions R’Us. Maybe I buy some extra potions so I can really show Terry how more interesting my job and life is and get Fredrick off my ass.” Karen smiled. “Sounds perfect.” She pushed the glass door open. “Now to find that store.”

She rushed out into the cool fall air and down the stone steps. “Burr.” Karen shivered. “I should have remember to bring my jacket instead of just this suit to work.” She hugged herself, the hairs sticking up on her pale arms. “Now to get to that parking garage.” She hurried down the block as a cold blast of air hit her in the face. “Brrrr.”

As she came up to the intersection her slacks began to vibrate. “Crap my phone.” Her shaky arm reached down for her phone. “Hello?”

“Karen. Hey how are you?”

“Terry?” She stopped at the street corner and waited for the light. “I was going to call you when I got home.”

“I am on vacation starting this afternoon and I wanted to spend my time with my best friend. What do you say? Some fun time on the town when you get out of work?”

“Ugh I can’t.” She walked across the road. “I have some stuff I have to do for my pain in the ass boss.”

“Oh come on.”

“Look it won’t take that long. And when it’s over we can party.” She came up to the parking garage. “Look I am almost to my car. I will call you later.”

“Ok. But you better. I am not going clubbing without you.”

Karen sighed and hung up. “I wish I could but I am not going to be fired by my obnoxious boss just because I wanted to go and have a fun time with you Terry.” As she stepped towards the parking garage a shining blue and pink light caught her eye. “What in the world?”

Karen turned around to see a strange opening in the wall across the street. Strange glowing lights that seemed to be out of some strange hallucinogenic rainbow danced out of the doorway. “What in the world?” Karen slid her phone back into her pants pocket and walked across the street without even bothering to look for traffic; transfixed by the strange lights. A motorist honked his horn at her but she didn’t care. Soon she was across the street and standing at the window of the strange phenomena.

“Potions R’Us. We are here to serve you your ever need, from stomach relief to stomach tightening.” She blinked. “It can’t be that easy to have found this place.”

A tall and thin lady danced towards her in a green and purple outfit as she hummed. “Welcome to Potions R’Us. Come on in.”

“Oh I umm.”

The lady put her hand on Karen’s back. “I insist. Step inside.” She pushed Karen inside the building. “You just must check out our latest collection of potions and elixirs before they fly off the shelves. And I do mean fly. A few of our merchandise just flew the coop earlier today.”

Karen looked up at the lady as she was ushered into the store. This woman must be thirteen feet tall. And her skin, it is stripped blue and white along her neck. What craziness is this?”

Karen fell to the ground when the giant lady came to a halt. “We are here.” She walked around and pulled Karen up. “So shall I show you around?”

“Umm after my head stops spinning.” She shook her head and looked up at the woman’s name tag just above her bosom. “Sandy I can find my own way around the store.”

“Nonsense.” Sandy hit Karen on the back so hard that Karen almost fell over again. “It will be a pleasure to show you our collection of potions.” She grabbed Karen by the back of her suit and picked her up. “I know you will find something you will just love.”

Karen crossed her arms. “Well I guess I don’t have a choice.”

“Silly of course you do.” Sandy dropped her in front of a glass case of swirling vials. “Feel free to choose what potions you what my dear.”

Karen sighed. “Ok.” She put her hands on the glass and narrowed her eyes. “Hmm. Heart Burn’s Ice Block. The Perfect Nail Solution. Pick Me if you Want a New Higher You.” Karen pushed herself off the glass. “What is with these labels?”

Sandy laughed. “Why they are perfectly descriptive of what our potions do. Why worry about heart burn when our elixir will freeze the problem solid.”

Karen put her hand over her chest. “Interesting.”

“I know right.” Sandy pushed her bangs back. “Now tell me what do you want to help improve your life?”

Karen put her hand to her chin. What would Fredrick want me to bring back. He was going on and on about size changing crap at that meeting. I think that couldn’t hurt to bring back to him.

“Do you have anything that can make me taller?”

“Why sure honey. How tall are we thinking?”

Karen scratched at her short dark hair. “What do you mean?”

Sandy pulled on her arm. “Well here you need to define just how much taller you want.” She lowered herself and whispered. “We had a customer come in a few months ago who forgot to ask. The poor dear out grew her own home. What a shame.”

“Out gre. . . grew her home?” Karen shivered as Sandy pulled her to a stop. “I didn’t know that was even possible.”

“Why anything is possible here at Potions R’Us.” She turned around, bent down and looked Karen in the eyes. “Now how big do you want to get?”

“Umm.” Karen closed her eyes. I don’t know what to say. This is too weird. Who sells stuff that turns you into some giant that that? “I wasn’t expecting to buy potions that make me grow ten, twenty, thirty and even fifty feet tall. Maybe I will even buy a few that make me grow a few hundred feet tall while I am at it.”

“Perfect.”

Karen blinked. Oh no. I said what I was thinking again. I need to learn to stop doing that. She shook her head and looked back up at Sandy. “How much will those elixirs be?”

“Meet me by the cash register.” Sandy pointed to a glowing blue and pink desk at the far end of the store. “I need to find those potions for you in the back. Some of the larger size changing elixirs are not kept in the main store area.” She smiled and twirled around. “Be back in a flash.”

Karen sighed. “Right.” She turned her head. “I might as well check out what else they have. In case I find myself back here.” She shrugged. “Who knows, there might be something here that I actually want.”

She wandered the store and pursued all the strange and wonderful vials which lined the walls and glass stands. “Wow this place has such a wide array of things. Elixirs to help you sleep. Elixirs to make your boss sleep so you can get a day off from work. Even an elixir so you can go without sleep for an entire month and not have any issues from it?” She let out a small laugh. “This place is insane.”

Karen turned around and hit her knee on a table and caused a potion to wobble. She reached out and grabbed before the bottle fell onto the ground. “Phew.” She looked at the label. “Instant treeification. For those who want to experience the joys of the plant world.” She carefully set the bottle down. “Ok this place is really insane.” She hugged herself and made a bee line for the cash register.

Once there Karen slumped down against the glowing glass and put her head in her lap. “I can’t wait to be out of here. I am worried I might knock over something that might make me the size of a mouse or make it so I can’t hear for a month.” She blinked. “Wait that might actually be a blessing so I don’t have to hear Fredrick complain so much at work.”

“Karen honey I am back with your potions.” She stood up and turned to face Sandy who was putting the vails into a black and white stripped bag. “So for nine growing potions that will be thirty dollars.”

“Really? I thought this would be more expensive.”

Sandy laughed. “Our size changing elixirs are not that expensive. Now if you wanted to get into some more enhancement. . .”

Karen reached for her purse. “Ok.” She pulled out thirty dollars. “Here.” I don’t want to here where that was going.

Sandy took the money. “Thank you.” She handed Karen the bag. “Have a nice day. Hope you enjoy your many new sizes.”

“Thank you.” Karen turned around. Now let me out of here. She rushed out of the door with her goods and did not look back. She rushed across the street and into the parking garage. Only when she saw her car did she come to a stop. Karen took in deep breaths as she tried to calm herself. “I just want to go home and relax.”

Her whole body shook as her phone rang. “Ugh.” She set the bag down on top of her car as she reached into her pocket. “Hello?”

“Karen, it is Terry again. I want to ask if you would be ok if Ronald would come along with us tonight.”

“Terry I have something to drop off at the office first. It is very important.”

“I am just a few minutes from there. I can come down and meet you there.”

“Terry I. . .”

“Don’t worry I will be there in just a few minutes. You do your thing and we can party.” She hung up.

Karen sighed. “I love her but sometimes I feel like I can’t get a word in edgewise with her.” She shook her head. “I was going home but I think delvering these elixers and securing my job would be better.” She looked inside the bag. “Besides I don’t want a bunch of potions that could radicily make me change in size in an instant just sit around in my house.” Karen grabbed the bag and walked back towards the Fredricks Fancy building.

A few miuntes later she stepped back into her workplace. She walked up to the recpiniests desk and said, “Hello. I would like you to tell Fredrick it’s Karen and I already have the Potions R’Us items he requested.”

The young man looked at her like she was nuts. “Miss this is a place of business.”

“Yes I work here.” She showed him her id card out of her pocket. “Now can you help me?”

“I guess.” He picked up the phone. “This is highly unsual.”

“Trust me you don’t know the half of it.”