Spice Water

The night of the biggest mistake of my life, I was trying to make dinner. I had pulled out my cook book as I searched for the recipe for chicken cacciatore. I discovered I was missing two ingredients, so I decided to look to see if there was anything I could substitute.

Unfortunately, when the two missing ingredients are chicken and peppers, it pretty well destroys the chances of making anything with chicken for dinner. Oh, well.

I scrounged up some vegetables and made a soup, instead. It was not as fulfilling, but definitely more doable. In early 1800's America, making soup is much easier anyway.

Later that evening, I put my culinary skills to work by combining some spices I had bought at the market. It was drafty in this old house with the winter setting in. Maybe I could create something to warm myself up, I thought.

I added some water to the spices and some powders I had left over from my Grandma's kitchen. Tentatively, I took a sip. "Mmm... that's not bad." I added another teaspoon of Grandma's powder and stirred it all together. It tasted so delicious, I drank the whole cup!

I realized I better write down the amounts of each item in case I wanted to make it again, because I was sure to forget if I didn't.

An hour later, I got a craving for more spice water. This time, I made a big batch so it would last a long time. It filled at least five pitchers. I almost didn't have enough containers to put it all in.

However, after drinking two more cups, I started to feel sick. I didn't feel like myself. My feet started to feel numb, almost like they weren't there. Then I looked down, and they really weren't there. They were invisible!

The same thing happened to the rest of my body, starting from my ankles, up to my head. By the time it was finished, my body was completely incapable of being seen. Only my clothes were visible. I started to panic. What if this was permanent? What if no one could ever see me again?

"I had better get rid of the evidence," I thought. I could pour it on the ground, but what if some strange plant grew from the water? It might be invisible, and no one would know about it until they ran into it. How would I explain that?

I could pour it into the river...it would just blend into the water. Yes, that's the best idea. While I was still invisible, I went down to the river and poured the pitchers of spice water into the water. It's a good thing my property backs up to the river so I didn't have far to go.

It was probably for the best that no one would ever know about the concoction that turns one invisible. What a disaster that would be if it fell into the wrong hands!

The next morning, I woke up and was happy to see myself in all my totality. The spice water effects had worn off.

Two hours later, I bundled up and walked downtown to see if I had any mail at the Post Office. Mr. Charles, the postmaster, waved to me and said, "Hello! Can I help you?"

I responded, "I'm just here to see if I have any mail."

"I don't rightly think so, but let me take a look." He stepped into the back room, and I made small talk with Mrs. Ashton who was sitting next to the mailboxes.

"I'm so thirsty," Mrs. Ashton remarked. "I stopped in for a cup of water." She took another drink from the cup, and then commented on how she doesn't feel so well.

"Maybe it is because of the cold. You can't take a chance with frostbite," I said.

Mr. Charles comes to the front again. "Nope. No mail for you today."

I thanked him and turned toward the door, just in time to see Mrs. Ashton looking at her hands, or what was left of them. Her fingers had turned invisible.

I decided not to stay to see if the rest of her body disappeared. I acted as though I had seen nothing and left as quickly as possible.

As I briskly walked back to my house, several thoughts went through my mind. No one else has the recipe for spice water. Therefore it is highly unlikely that anyone else was making spice water. The extra that I released into the river last night must have gotten into the town water supply.

I wondered how many other people would be affected by my watery experiment. Would they be able to trace it back to me? What would happen to me if they did? This could cause quite the spectacle.

I tried to nonchalantly sneak up the walkway to my door, but I heard my neighbor call out my name. I looked over in his direction, but I didn't see him anywhere. "Oh, no," I thought. "Spice water."

"You can't see me, can you? I'm invisible!" he shouted. "Woof!" barked his dog. "So is our dog, Trusty! You should see the rest of the family. Oh, wait- you can't. They're invisible, too!"

By this time I had made it to the door and was one foot in the house.

"Don't drink the water!" I heard him yell. I nodded my head in the general path of his voice as I shut the door. So they had figured out the reason for the disappearances.

I decided to lay low at my house until this had all blown over. There was no sense in taking any chances.

The next day, I picked up the newspaper off the front porch. I took it inside to read while I ate my breakfast. The top headline read "Magic Water Turns Townspeople Invisible".

I read the article, and no one knew who was responsible for the invisibility. However, the prime suspect was a traveling magician by the name of Mr. Maguire.

That gave me a new idea. If I could find this Maguire, I could leave the Spice Water recipe at his trailer. If the police found it there, they might believe it was his idea all along. Everything might work out after all!

I bundled myself up and set out into the cold with the recipe paper in my pocket. It only took twenty minutes to find him, blasting away about his "magical powers." He stood in the doorway to his wooden trailer with a lowly horse to pull it out front.

"My friends, I am so glad you have joined me on this cold morning. I am delighted to share with you a magical display of powers that will make your life easier and happier!"

As he drawled on and on, I discreetly looked for a place to deposit the spice water recipe. Every time I thought I had a chance to get rid of it, he would turn back my way and look me in the eyes. The other bystanders began to lose interest and one by one, walked away. Finally, I was the only person left.

Mr. McGuire said to me, "Well, friend, what's that you have in your hand?" Change of plans. I told him it was a special recipe I was thinking about selling. It had magical powers just like what he had been talking about.

"Reeeaaalllyyyy?" he dragged out in an obnoxious voice. "Maybe we can make a trade. What magical thing does your recipe do?"

I moved closer to him and quietly said, "It makes people invisible. What magical power does your thing do?"

McGuire whispered in my ear, "It makes people dead."

McGuire snapped his fingers. With no time to react, I died instantly and my body dissipated into the air. The recipe, however, floated to the ground where McGuire picked it up and placed it in the trailer.

He patted the horse and calmly told him to move on. They walked that day on to the next town.

Moral: It's best to mind your own business. Or you might find someone who is better at your business than you are.