Bree

Remember the tale where Isaac Newton’s pet dog Diamond accidentally burnt off his research of twenty years?

Even though it wasn’t verified, I can…NOT understand how he must have felt, could definitely not relate to his calm composure.

Bree drank my Nectar of Immortality and grew another tail. With the other tail, he knocked off the rest of the brew on the floor. Now he is busy chasing both his tails, going round and round in an eternal circle.

It’ll take me another year to brew another cauldron, another two years to check its success…

Moreover, the Head Witch will need to taste it so I can patent the concoction in my name.

I’d have been one of the youngest witches to have created a potion. But now, because of Bree…I sighed.

I’d have to take Bree to the vet.

I took Bree up. She meowed at me, not liking it at all that I interrupted her play.

“Someone stepped on her tail and that is why you brought her to me?” the vet asked, curiously.

“Yes. She has two tails, a congenital anomaly. It bothers her now that she is fully grown,” I said guardedly.

“You want me to remove one of them?”

“Yes,” I said curtly.

“We have to schedule the date of the operation.”

“Surely it can’t be done today?”

“No, not a chance,” the vet said.

“Next Sunday,” the vet said again.

“Next Sunday,” I thought, trying to remember my schedule. “Fine by me.”

“Okay, then, take her with you.”

Bree meowed as I took her.

***

“I’m sorry I am late,” I huffed as I pressed my frock behind me and took a seat opposite to Rodrigo.

“Issues at home?” Rodrigo said, breathing out a smoke ring.

“Issues with my pet,” I said to him, apologetically.

“You know I was very surprised that you wanted to brew a Nectar of Immortality at such a young age,” he said. “Did you succeed?”

I huffed. “No, my pet drank it before I could test it,” I said wryly.

“Witches like you and warlocks like me would love to get a sample of it.”

‘Don’t I know that,’ I thought.

“Did you bring the crimson carrot?”

“Of course. For you, at half the price,” Rodrigo smiled.

I smiled back as he took out the brilliant red carrot and gave it to me.

I crunched a bit of it and muttered something as a little of euphoria hit me.

“It’s top quality. I didn’t know you’d give me a premium sample like this. For me, I mean. You must have high-end customers coming to you all the time.”

“For you, mon Cherie.”

I was going to pay him when he said, “No, not money.” He came closer and said, “A date. A real one. With flowers and music and dinner and a walk home.”

It must be the carrot, I thought, seeing how easily I agreed to this.

***

I was humming Edelweiss from Sound of the Music and curling my hair for the big date.

I wore a yellow flowery dress and used a perfume I had brewed that smelled of chocolate.

Rodrigo arrived exactly at seven o’ clock.

“You look beautiful,” he complimented her.

“You look handsome, yourself,” I smiled.

He cocked his head and said, “So this is where you live?”

“Yes,” I said.

Bree did not like Rodrigo.

She bared her teeth at him and after a while went away, ignoring him and me.

“Be a good cat,” I told her as I took her up and put her inside the house while I locked the door.

The date went by like a dream.

Rodrigo told her of the stories of his childhood before he became a warlock.

He had seven brothers and sisters.

He learnt to search for exemplary items which could be sold at high prices at the black market, where witches and warlocks often visited in secret.

“I was a boy of seven years when I first tried to save my sister from the police for stealing an apple from the market. I got hit a few times, and it was then the apple in my hand crumbled into dust. So did part of the rod that was in the police’s hand. They fled in terror. A warlock who had watched the whole incident adopted me and taught me everything I know. My magic of disintegration works better than that of integration. I suppose it’s the other way round for you?”

“Yes, my original talent is magic of integration…” I said.

“What happened next?” I ask.

“Nothing worthwhile,” Rodrigo said and took a gulp of the beer.

I looked at him and smiled.

I took the jar with beer in it and asked for coffee.

Putting in a pinch of an Age potion and Nectar of Youth I integrated into the brew, I asked him to take a sip of it.

He did.

Both of us waited.

Nothing happened.

“So you are telling the truth about your age,” I said.

Rodrigo laughed.

“Nothing I’ve told you till now about myself is a lie.”

I said, “You are only thirty years old, and already a master ingredient maker?”

“Feels nice to be appreciated,” he said.

They both got up at nine o’ clock and walked toward home.

Rodrigo held my little finger in his, and I felt warm and fuzzy.

Soon as we arrived, I found Bree sitting atop the tree near my balcony.

“Bree!” I shouted.

Bree eyed us, looking reproachfully at me, and looked at Rodrigo with plain hostility.

“Bree!” I shouted again, more decisively.

She meowed derisively.

I glanced at Rodrigo, who didn’t give a care in the world.

“I’m so sorry,” I still said, “please come in.”

I unlocked my home. Rodrigo and I entered.

I hurried toward the tree branch that peeked inside through the window on the first floor.

Ten minutes after trying to get Bree to come down, I noticed that Rodrigo was not with me.

“Rodrigo?” I shouted out.

Bree looked at me intelligently as she climbed back through the window again and led me, purring to me to follow her.

I found Rodrigo in the pantry. He was holding the yellow dandelion powder and Nectar of Love in his hand – two components that took me six months each to make for the Nectar of Immortality.

Bree jumped at him, but he vanished, leaving a bit of the two ingredients, but taking most of it with him.

“Naina!” called someone from outside.

“Yes?” I said, a bit sad.

“Do you need help?” the vet from the last day called out.

She didn’t know his name.

“With what?” she said.

“Your cat has climbed up into the tree.”

“Again?” I thought to myself.

The vet superbly climbed the tree halfway, Bree came down into his arms.

“How’d you do that?” I asked, amazed.

Bree came to my feet and revolved around me once and looked at the vet and meowed, saying, “I like him. You should date Him.”

“Where’s her other tail?” the vet asked.

I noticed it was gone.

Maybe Rodrigo did a good thing to make her lose her precious ingredients. He had disintegrated one of Bree’s tail unknowingly.

Bree seemed to hear my thought.

She shook her head and meowed.

There was a secret she had not told anyone yet.

The Nectar of Love was made from the potential of Rodrigo and her hearts melding together. He wouldn’t be able to do anything with it as a result of that.

But she guessed Bree had discovered that on her own.

She wanted to say, “Your and this vet’s potential is higher. Date him.”

I smiled.

“I will be on my way then,” the vet said, as he petted Bree.

“Your cat is very intelligent,” he said, as he walked along.

“That she is,” I hugged Bree.