[TFTG] Trouble, Trouble - Boil and Bubble

[TFTG] - The Tales From the Grimoire Writing Contest

Trouble, Trouble - Boil and Bubble

© TZ 2012

Tirayna Schnickle's ghastly visage glowed a sickly yellow as she stirred her cauldron in the full moon light. "One for the headmaster, two for the dame, three for the little boy crying in the lane." she sang as she counted her stirring strokes. "Four rosy posies, Five lazy daisies, Six shrunken nosies all look the same." As she finished her ditty she dug her long-nailed fingers into her deep apron pocket and clutched a handful of newborn priggins. She tossed the screaming priggins into the bubbling goop and continued stirring and resinging her counting ditty.

Meanwhile in Haben-Haven, a cult of black-robed clerics met in a dark cellar under the Church of the Redeemed. The dank room reeked of mildew and garlic-onions. The large cellar was lit by a single blood-red candle placed on the stone floor in the center of the circle of thirteen hand-joined men. "And so it shall be." finished the leader solemnly. The men dropped their hands to their side and gazed upwards. A cat-sized astral eyeball floated into the air, wafted up through the ceiling and out of the Church walls.

The men gathered their black skirts as they ascended the stairs and followed the astral eyeball out of the building, out of the Church grounds, out of the small town of Haben-Haven, to the edge of the Crickbow Woods where the eyeball quickly disappeared into the night. "You know the drill men, heading due West." ordered the leader Gotwort the Magnificant. The men unsheathed hatchets and machetes and vorasciously attacked the woods leaving no vine, shrub or tree in their path unscathed.

Tirayna heard the destructive force coming her way and tossed the final handful of squiggling priggins into the brew. Poof! She was gone, the cauldron appeared empty, the fire was extinguished and the smoke quickly dissipated.

Huffing and puffing, sweating and tired, the cult reached the cauldron. "Curses be to the forces unseen, bring them back and restore the scene." chanted the leader angrily.

The cauldron started bubbling and priggins boiled over the black iron lips of the lidless kettle. Thousands of priggins, both big and small, fat and thin, young and old flew at the coven of men and began biting them through their black robes. Their long, pointy beaks were strong enough to pierce fine leather, and the black robes were a much thinner material. The men hollered and screamed like little girls being chased by wild imaginations. They ran as fast as they could through the Crickbow Woods; but, never made it to the edge. One-by-one, each of them slumped to the ground almost silently and were ravaged by the blood-thirsty priggins until there wasn't a single drop of blood left in any of the men.

Tirayna's spell wore off and she appeared in her small yet comfortable log home behind the Church of the Redeemed. She had a sermon to prepare for the morrow and got straight to her work.

reply to post by Trexter Ziam


Wickedly delicious writing. SnF.

However, I learned the spell as "double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble." Regardless, perhaps we are different schools, perhaps not, but awesome wording nonetheless. Easy reading, convoluted plot, and a nicely open ending. Perfection in a package, delivered in a single post.

Originally posted by Druid42
reply to post by Trexter Ziam

 

Wickedly delicious writing. SnF.

However, I learned the spell as "double, double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble." Regardless, perhaps we are different schools, perhaps not, but awesome wording nonetheless. Easy reading, convoluted plot, and a nicely open ending. Perfection in a package, delivered in a single post.

I always look forward to your comments Druid, thank you!

Yes, the wordplay for the title was intentional and actually has a personal history story behind it (which I won't bore you with). Also, I didn't want to plagiarize MacBeth (Shakespeare or ... whomever they decide wrote Shakespeare's works.) but wanted to use the wordplay.