One to Save, and One to Keep

Saratoga and Moliugas made good time traveling back to the witch’s home village. The slow speed of the broom might not have been as efficient as they hoped, but it kept them at a steady pace and prevented fatigue. Best of all was that they moved as the crow flies.

They made it back to the village later in the day and landed just outside the edge so they wouldn't draw attention. Seeing as it was Halloween, children were marching up and down the village's roads in silly costumes depicting the images of countless myths and stories. Saratoga and Moliugas didn’t stand out in the slightest.

Just to be sure, Saratoga took Moliugas up in her arms as if he was some sort of stuffed bear and raced toward the local pharmacy, which also happened to be where Saratoga lived.

“Your village is quite cozy,” commented Moliugas. “These wooden cabins and lovely streets are so clean and well made. I wouldn’t mind vacationing here.”

“Don’t make it a trend,” she ordered, not wanting the village to be flooded with snobby aristocrat tourists.

Once inside the pharmacy, she passed by the front desk and ran upstairs where the living space was. A few rooms were up there, one of them being Saratoga’s to work and sleep, while the other was her mothers.

Beyond the door laid the sickly woman who had been the reason for this journey. Her skin was raw, thinning and pale, and her body was flesh and bone. Had she not kept a faint breath, anyone would have thought this was a corpse left to wither away.

On the dresser next to the bed was a painting. Not very excellent in quality compared to the grand looking works of art in the royal palace, but pleasing enough in colour and detail. While Saratoga prepared to save her mother, Moliugas inspected the picture.

A plump and healthy looking lady held a small bundle in hand. Behind her was a strong looking man with long hair and a rather well off looking white jacket.

“Is this your family?” he asked.

“Yes. My father is a traveling merchant, so I don't see him very often. I doubt he even knows mother is sick.”

Saratoga finally popped the cork off the elixir and carefully poured it into her mothers mouth until the whole rainbow liquid had been consumed. Like Moliugas had worried when it didn’t react right away, she worried that the elixir wouldn’t be enough. But Moliugas reassured her that it took time to take effect. His reassurance extended her patience.

A flutter filled her mothers eyes until finally they weakly opened.

“Saa…” her mother could hardly speak before passing out again.

It was then that Saratoga knew the elixir had worked, as her mother was unresponsive this whole time. She sat at her bedside and took a moment to breathe in relief.

“We did it,” she said.

“She'll need nursing, you know,” Moliugas said.

Saratoga was prepared to do whatever it took to aid in her mother's recovery, which meant her journey wasn't quite finished yet.

***

The sun was setting on the day of Halloween, but that hardly meant the fun was over. Children became even more exuberant while running around in the dark, guided by spooky themed lamps that had been decoratively placed around the village.

They’d knock on every door, uttering the magic phrase “trick-or-treat” in order to gain access to unlimited sweets. Even the pharmacy was no exception along their hunt for sugar. Saratoga had gotten quite busy watching over her mother and answering the door at the same time. Thanks to Moliugas, the work was cut in half.

But one child in a pumpkin themed outfit was strange, because he didn't intend to take, but instead gave her a small bag of candy.

When she went to inspect it, something oddly shaped was inside… A squishy teardrop.

“What…?” she uttered, turning back to the boy, but he was gone. “This is…”

Moliugas was watching from the other side of the room, but had no clue as to why she was acting so stunned.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “What did that boy give you?”

The young witch knew why fate had presented her this item, and it was for the sake of her little rind prince… But faced with the choice of helping him now and losing all the benefits of having a rind in her private lab seemed to sway her mildly the other way. If she were to change him back right now, he’d simply return to his previous life as a prince. She'd likely never see him again.

She knew it was proper to return him to his previous form as a human, but that could wait just a little while longer, at least until she could find a reason to keep him in her life. After all, she was rather poor at sparking flames.

“It was nothing,” she smiled. “Let’s get back to work.”