The Prompt
Create a recipe for a magic potion or elixir using the same format as a cookbook.
You can provide ingredients like fire or the screams of banshees.
Click here for a list of magical elements that may provide some inspiration. T
his could also be a good recipe for a great memory or dream or the perfect evening.
Carey Shannon
Carey Shannon loves to write about humorous connections between items and subjects in life that may appear to be completely unrelated. A feat that is easy for an Elvis super fan and frequent blood donor. She has been a member of the Story A Day community since 2020 and now hopes to provide some inspiration quirkiness to other writers.
Join the discussion: what will you do with today’s prompt OR how did it go? Need support? Post here!
I had so much fun with this prompt! Take one teen in big trouble, add a friend to help her feel better, stir in some crazy conversation, and the next thing you know, you have recipes, real (strange) recipes that could change the course of events.
Within these pages you will find,
powerful potions and tonics, the kind
to make your parents change their minds!”
Jenny intoned. Then we both fell out laughing.
“You think we could actually find all these ingredients?” I looked at the sheets of parchment paper with our “recipes” on them, then at her. “Maybe . . . why not?”
“Well . . .” Jenny said doubtfully.
“Don’t worry! We’re not going to set the kitchen on fire or anything!”
Famous last words.
soooooooo….. what happened!!!
I stuck rather closely to the prompt this time and created a recipe for Night Terrors. Optional ingredients, if used, cause enduring madness. Some of the ingredients are fire ants, grass stickers, and piranha teeth.
Interesting prompt. Today’s recipe was an addition to yesterday’s scene about a long-married couple who are drifting apart. The recipe is a reminder of what brought the two of them together and how they can find happiness again.
I wrote a “Recipe for a Small Town Murder Romance” which happens to be my latest story idea(still in the pre-brainstorming stage).
Ingredients:
1 small-town setting
6 close-knit friends
1 newcomer
A pinch of murder
Kisses(to taste)
Instructions:
1. Start with a small-town setting. Roll it out as wide as you need. Maybe include a bookstore where the friends can all meet.
2. Mix in the friends until you have a good consistency. They could be of any variety. I prefer a mix of non-binary and queer but tastes may differ.
3. Add a newcomer. Blend until they just stand out and you know just who they match best with. Make sure to keep some part of them separate.
4. Toss in just a pinch of murder. Maybe the newcomer did it, maybe they didn’t.
5. Add in some kisses. May be steamed to desired heat level. Blend in with suspicion, conflict, and resolution.
6. Bake for roughly 20 chapters, or until no plot holes remain.
I loved this. It is perfect!
Peaceful Ocean Recipe
1 sunny day – do not overheat
1 ocean – briny water
2 tons – fine white sand
1 coral reef – garbage free
Seashells – various colors and sizes, add to taste
3 starfish or 1 Crown of Thorn – not suggested to use both
1 albatross – if out of season substitute with 6 Franklin gulls
1 anemone, purple or green, with 2 pairs of Clown fish -optional
1 octopus – added for the sweet taste of amusement
-gentle waves, added as needed
-stir gently with ocean breeze until everything is exactly right
-approximate time needed to complete – use own discretion
This is fabulous. Even the ingredients sound peaceful.
I must say that I was writing a story based on a magic potion for the first time. Other than the Three Witch-Sisters in “Macbeth”, my knowledge of witchcraft and magic potions and stuff like that has been quite limited. Even then I wanted to give it a try. Carey’s list of ingredients was a great help to capture my imagination for a start.
I will appreciate any honest feedback on the story – my first time ever, on the magic Philtre.
The Philtre that Backfired :
Sly Somu was in the attic searching frantically for a book that he had heard his father mention a number of times. The book, written by his grandpa, a renowned magician and witchcraft-master, contained nearly 150 recipes for magic portions.
Sly Somu needed it desperately and real quick before Apsara, the lovely Angelic Apsara, the girl he was prepared to give his right arm for, fell to the guiles of Regal Rishav. Once Sly Somu had laid his hand on the book, he could just go straight to the Main Courses for some of those potions, find a suitable philtre, prepare it and invite Angelic Apsara to an evening tea. The rest, would just fall into place, he had heard it told.
He considered himself smarter than most of his teachers or friends would give him credit for.
“In the battle of the Deva (God) and the Devil, didn’t God always win?” He chuckled imagining the disgraced face of his greatest foe on earth. “Apsara, was meant to be mine and no one can snatch her away from me.”
There were heaps of stuff in sixes and sevens in the attic. Sly Somu made his way through the discarded furniture, mattresses, transistors, a black and white TV before getting near the wooden shelf containing ancient files, papers, books and magzines. On the bottom rack, there was an assortment of all kinds of bottles, jars, and even a rusty caldron.
Sly Somu started ramaging through the old papers first. No, the book couldn’t be hidden among the papers. It was a thick book, his father had said. So, he started glancing at the books, most of which were torn though the magazines were in good condition. The book of magic potions was not there! Where was it? He had to find it real quick in order to be able to invite Angelic Apsara during the weekend. The thought of Apsara falling a prey to the mixture, made him smile to himself.
The afternoon was waning when he found the book,”How to make Potions for the Magic Effect”, its moth-eaten pages yellowed by the passage of time beneath the files. Sly Somu rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand before untying the string tied around the files with the book. He had to use the flashlight to get to what he had been looking for as the sun went down and the room got enveloped in darkness.
He carefully leafed through the section about recipes for healing wounds, cuts and bites. While he was going through the pages on Philtre, a loose page came out. Curious, Sly Somu brought it closer under the light having put the book down on the floor. He read it twice before he knew that he had found what he had been searching for since the late afternoon.
At the top of the page was written Philtre for Children above 13 – 16. Then there was a list of the Ingredients required :
Rose petals ( of at least 3 to 5 roses)
Lemon (1)
Finger and toe nails,
Cow’s tongue (1)
Sparrows entrails,
Broken bones,
Toe of a frog (1 or 2)
Magma Cream and
Sugar.
Vinegar (1 teaspoonful)
Very carefully, Sly Somu gave it a second reading before noting down the magic properties along with the numbers or quantities on his mobile. The only thing difficult to obtain might be Numbers 4 and 7 but he was prepared to go to any length to win Angelic Apsara’s love. For that if he had to find the Tiger’s Milk, he was prepared to find it.
Running his eyes down “How to Prepare It at Home?” part next, he learnt that after he had found the things, he had to grind them into a powder.
Once the powder was made, he had to add the Rose Petals dipped in Number 8 to 2 cups of water combined with Numbers 9.
Sly Somu was about to look down at the last part, when he heard his mother calling him from down.
“Be down in a sec, Mom.” He screamed out before carefully folding the page into four and putting it in his jeans picket. Something kept bothering him. What was it? Then he realised that there was a line in very tiny prints at the bottom of the page.
“Forget it. It couldn’t be anything important.” He said to himself as he hurried down the ladder just in time to confront his mother.
“What have you been doing up there in the attic? Didn’t I tell you not to go up there unless you’re asked to?” She said.
“Yes, Mom but I had to look for some wrap papers for a school project and I thought I’d find it there.” He replied, with his hand still in the pocket.
“Now, go wash your hands and get to study. Your Mid-Year Exam is not even a fortnight away, remember?”
Sly Somu nodded his head and headed to the toilet.
The next few days he spent searching for the ingredients. Almost everything was obtained but for the Cow’s Tongue and Broken Bones. As luck would have it, he found both along with the Finger and Toe Nails, powdered and kept in those bottles on the bottom rack of the shelf. They were all levelled…….
(2)
After school on Friday, he was waiting outside the gate, when Sly Somu found Apsara coming out with who else but that jerk, Rishav, holding hands. He hid himself behind an oak tree as they stopped at the turning and Rishv turned to the road on his left.
“Hi, Apsara!”
Apsara nearly jumped out of her skin as she saw Sly Somu picking up his books from the road and putting them back in the bag.
“How did you drop your books?” Apsara asked him quizzically as she bent down to help.
“I must have forgotten to zip it up.” He had thought of everything before hand. “Thanks for the help. That reminds me – Are you free tomorrow?”
“I may be, but why do you wanna know?”
“Nothing as such. I was just wondering if you could come over for a cuppa. Besides, I have something to show you.”
“Ok. I can’t be at yours for long though. We’re going for an outing on Sunday.”
Sly Somu knew who she meant by ‘we’. Not her parents, for sure. Before long you’d be mine, baby, he thought to himself as Apsara bid him good bye. Once you have IT, you’ll be mine for ever.
(3)
On Friday, after his parents went out to the cinema, Somu brought the rusty caldron down, washed it, rinsed it before putting it on the gas oven. The lights went off just then.
“Bad omen! Have I forgotten something?” He shook his head, knowing full well that He had taken the greatest care in making the dram.
He spent the next hour or so stirring the powdery mix in the rose petal water until it turned green. squeezing it before finally adding 2 tablespoons of castor well. The colour of it now changed to orange. He kept stirring it for the next 5 minutes till it became dark cherry colour. Sly Somu turned the knob of the gas and muttered “BOM BHOLE!”
His plan went down to a T. Angelic Apsara looked seductive in her body-hugging black one-piece. Some 10 minutes later, he offered her the Philtre. She, unsuspicious by nature, didn’t even notice that the colour of his drink was lighter.
“The dress suits you. You look fab in it.” He began trying to recollect the 4th step of “How To Make A Girl Fall For You” that he had read before making the potion and inviting her. What was it? ‘Compliment her looks’.
Sitting on the sofa across him, she took a sip of the potion.
“Great. Did you make it yourself?”
What was he supposed to do next? What was the 9th steps of “How To Make A Girl Fall For You”? He called up just in time.
8. Tell Her How Much You Love Her. …
” You know Apsara, I’ve been meaning to tell you this for long… ” But he was cut short by her with : “Let’s not talk about it today, OK? You said you’d something to show me. Didn’t you?”
She could sense her vision blurring and her head drooling just then before lowering her head on the back of the sofa.
Next minute, she seemed asleep.
Sly Somu chuckled to himself. The last step regarding the kissing remained incomplete. He was surprised like hell when there was a knock on the door. Regal Rishav was out there, his finger on the bell still.
“Can I talk to Apsara for a minute? ” He asked from outside.
“Yes, Sweetheart. I’m in here with a terrible headache. Can you help me get back home?” She stood up from the chair shakily with a hand on her forehead.
Rishav put his hand around her back with her head resting on his shoulder and bade Sly Somu a hasty farewell.
God! How come the potion was not effective? Devastated, he took the rumpled page out of his pocket. He had missed out on something important written in tiny letters at the bottom of the page :
Warning : This love potion is not to be prepared in a clean caldron. The impact will be nullified then and may even backfire.
The end
Nice twist at the end.
Thanks for your feedback, Faith.
Stay blessed.