31 Days of Halloween Tales - Pick Your Potion

Love is strange in a little tale entitled:

Pick Your Potion

"Yes, I have a love potion, maybe you'd like to give it a try?"

Lisa looked at the bright pink liquid inside the tiny glass bottle. It couldn't be more than a sip, what could it hurt?

She wanted Leo to fall in love with her and if this was the only way it could happen then it was worth the hefty price the gypsy was asking.

"I'll take it." She looked at the size of the bottle again and asked, "Is one bottle enough?"

The old gypsy cackled sending shivers through the girl's body. "Yes, girl. One bottle is plenty. Ya only needs a sip."

Lisa paid the gypsy and slipped discretely out of the carnival tent.

****

Lisa pulled the scarf tighter around her head, close enough to hide the fresh bruises on her cheek. She slipped into the carnival tent only to find the same old gypsy waiting for her inside. She couldn't believe he was still alive, if he was old ten years ago, he was positively ancient now.

"I need a potion to make someone fall out of love with me. Do you have something like that?"

The gypsy didn't say anything but quietly pulled a small bottle filled with a dark blue liquid out from under the counter and slid it across to her.

"This will make someone stop loving you if that is what you wish. Would you like to give it a try?"

Lisa didn't even look at the price this time. She didn't care, she simply paid the old man what he asked and slipped back out of the tent hoping no one recognized her.

****

"As to Count, One Malice Murder the Jury finds the Defendant,  "Guilty."

Lisa stopped listening after the verdict on the first Count, that was the one that really matter. They could sentence her to death for that. And they might.

As it turned out it hadn't mattered to the Jury that she wasn't aware that there had been a lethal poison in the tiny bottle that she had given to her husband, Leo.  And by then, the gypsy carnival was long gone. Nor had it mattered that he was known on occasion to beat her as that only seemed to give her motive in the first place.

What everyone heard over and over again, the Jury included, was how much Leo had loved her. He never stopped telling his family and his co-workers how much he loved Lisa.

And he always said that he would love her till the day he died.