By Summer Saxton
Winnie Harris had no desire to walk on the wild side until the day she fell in love with a jewel thief who came like a whirlwind into her quiet life. Now the scoundrel has disappeared and it looks like only a strong dose of red magic will keep her from paying for his crimes.
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Winnie turned to a dragon statue on a pedestal. It was iridescent peridot green. The details of the snout, wings, teeth, and especially the thousands of tiny scales made her gasp. The eyes looked real. It even had lashes. The creature was extraordinarily beautiful but its expression was vicious.
She bounced her fingers across a line of hand-blown bottles with hand-written labels. The bottles and jars were of different heights and shapes and looked like they had come straight from a sixteenth century apothecary shop. Some had corks; some were sealed with black wax and string.
The aroma that arose from them stung Winnie’s eyes and made her nose run. It reminded her of the old cabinet where her mother stored her spices. Whyte Lely, Martyr’s Blood, Mandragora, Succorie, Red Poppy, Sow bristle, Monke Fingers, the labels read. She picked the last up and peered through the murky glass at what looked like dried red peppers. Smiling, she wondered if the name meant they had come from monkeys or friars. More than likely, a back yard garden.
Above the apothecary shelf rows of fluid-filled jewel-toned bottles lined up in a dazzling display. Above them, neat foil bags with colored curled ribbons sat in perfect array.
A glass cabinet to her left held glass objects de art. Hand-blown globes with fantasy scenes within them hung from black, gold and silver hooks. And then there were the pewter miniatures and the stained glass medallions on curved black iron stands. Intricate iron Gothic candlesticks held candles that were pieces of art in themselves.
So much, she thought. There is so much to take in. She was infused with a sense of urgency to see and touch everything. The colored bottles began to waver and dance in front of her. Sparkling lights flickered in her peripheral vision. A buzzing began in her ears.
She closed her eyes and breathed deep. The air was infused with exotic scents she couldn’t identify, yet knew they’d played integral parts in her life. Her fingertips went numb. Tears formed behind her lids. She crossed her arms over her chest to try to hold in a fusion of effervescent emotions that had goose bumps rising.
She belonged here.
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