Bottles Blue
HUMBLE, RUM, & RAGWORT
For Medicinal Salve and Magickal Remedy
Our Word is Our Promise
Our Promise, A Spell
“Come now Ragwort, we might do better than that.”
“You think?”
“I do.”
“Very well then Mr. Humble,” Ragwort nods, turns back to face a sea of upturned faces eager to hear her words, a change of price in the offing, “FOUR COPPERS!” she calls out to a ripple as ruffles crowd, adds, “I CAN DO NO BETTER. Why…” speaks now as an aside to a farmer who stands the footboard of her wagon, “…in Lufton they was paying two silvers, an’ getting goodly deal.”
Farmer nods, eyes wide, “I’ll take two.”
“TWO!” Ragwort shouts, points out the man to the crowd and asks him loud, “You does knows we mightst not be back for up to t’ year?”
“Three then!”
“THREE!” Ragwort laughs, throws arms wide in celebration, crowd murmurs applause. “Three to t’ fine fellow here Mr. Humble,” Ragwort points out farmer and watches Humble push his way ugly through t’ crowd, bulbose nose and bowler hat, glass eye blind despite the thin-rimmed monocle he wears upon it. About his neck, leather straps support the shelved box he carries at his chest; vials of precious liquid in bottles of pink and red, yellows, greens, and blues, each one a different salve, lotion, tonic, and remedy for all manner of strange ailment. “THREE!” Ragwort repeats, shouts loud as Humble reaches farmer, waggles finger and talks again to t’ crowd, “Enough to keep this wise man free o’ wart and pile, whitlow, scab an’ scurvey for t’ best part o’ long year. Good for keeping watery mouth and milk fever away from all animals an’ newborns too!”
“I’LL ‘AVE ONE!” a woman shouts from t’ back.
“ME TOO!” a man echoes eager.
At footboard, Humble exchanges small bottles bue for t’ glint of silver and copper, and Ragwort marks clever then all the new custom; sees waving hands with practiced eye.
“THREE ‘ERE!”
“TWO!”
“I’LL ‘AVE ONE FOR T' MA.”
“AND ME!”
Smiles pretty.
Today will be a good day.
Copywrite: Paul Jameson, August 2021
I do have an almost finished WIP (novel) that includes the travels of a caravan, plague, roses, vampyre, talking animals, t' Otherworld, and fairy napping - perhaps I should revisit it sooner rather than later.
