The Magic Mushroom

Griselda stood in the middle of her tiny kitchen looking around desperately trying to find anything she could whip up for her very special dinner guests. You see, The Society of Kitchen Witches were sending a representative over to see if she was a good candidate for the society.

" Oh, whatever should I do". She exclaimed exasperated with the lack of ingredients in her pantry. There were yellow dandelion leaves, past their freshness date. Purple beets so shriveled up they looked like prunes and something in the corner she couldn't identify.

Suddenly, like a whirlwind let loose, Margie flew into her kitchen looking so disheveled, you would think she was in a wrestling match with a goblin.

Griselda forgot about her own worries seeing her friend so frazzled and asked" What's wrong Margie. Are you ok?"

Margie sighed and looked as she was about to burst into tears.

" My garden has been overruned by magic mushrooms! I don't know what to do with all of them."

Divine timing, thought Griselda. It never ceased to amaze her how the universe always seems to provide her with exactly what she needed, when she needed it.

" I have blue Oyster mushrooms that make people happy, green Turkey Tails that help calm a queasy stomach, red Maitake ones that calm an angry person down, yellow Shiitak mushrooms that help people sing beautiful melodies and orange Lions Mane that give people courage."

Griselda felt the excitement rush out of her like air from a deflating balloon. Just then her her friend noticed the distress in her friends eye.

"What's wrong Grissy?." That was the nickname only Margie was allowed to call her oldest and dearest friend. " You look like you lost your favorite grimore".

" Oh Margie! Griselda let out with a sigh. " The Society of Green Witches is sending a representative over today for dinner. I haven't a thing in my pantry."

Margie's eyes lit up and she started jumping up and down with glee. She grabbed Griselda by the hand and pulled her out the door. Startled by her friend's sudden eagerness Griselda asked " Where are we going in such a rush?"

" Just follow me!" Margie called out behind her.

So the two friends bolted out the door and toward Margie's house. They sped across the tiny wooden bridge that separated the two properties. Flew through the the field of Shasta daises, past Matilda the cow and Gary the old billy goat and into Margie's front yard.

Griselda was always so amazed by the beautiful gardens that her friend created. This front courtyard was filled with so many colors and fragrances it took your breath away. Their were lillies as yellow as a canary, roses of crimson, dark purple lilacs and golden rod so bright it glowed bright like the sun.

"Come on! " her friend shook her out of her stupor and Griselda continued around to the backyard where more wonderful gardens stood. The herb garden was full of green and chocolate mint, Holy Sage, Basil, Chamomile, and many more. It smelled like the lovely apothecary in town where her friend would supply old man Butler with his ware.

A little further down back of where she stood, some giant dark green tomato plants stood like centuries gaurding a castle, they were overloaded with sweet-looking cherry red fruit the size of softballs. Long enormous vines trailed across the ground, donning colossal fan like leaves and crisp green cucumber, there were rows and rows of sugar and butter corn so tall they looked like they could reach the sky, berry bushes of all shapes and kinds. Griselda was once again mesmerized into a stupor and had to shake her head to come back to reality.

She caught up with Margie who, was well across the backyard now and into a nook of land that was shaded by giant willow trees. When she managed to reach her friend. They pulled the willow leaves back like a curtain that held the entrance to a secret room. Once again the sight took Griselda by surprise. There were mushrooms everywhere. Hundreds of pods of varying colors were grouped forming a rainbow on the earth. Yellows of all shades, hues of reds,purples, orange and blue. They had completely overtaken this section of land and left no room to fit a single seed pod or sapling. " Now, do you see what I mean." Her friend said.

" I do!" Griselda replied in a shocked tone. " Lets solve one problem at a time. What was it that you were so excited to show me?"

In a blink of an eye her friend changed gears and again pulled Griselda by the hand to the very edge of the field of fungi. In a very dark niche sat a gorgeous pink colored Cordycep Mushroom pod. It was breathtakingly beautiful. " What magic does this one hold?" she asked hopefully.

" This very rare and special mushroom let's a kitchen witch create a full five course meal in her cauldron. " she said proudly.

Griselda's problem was solved. " You are a life saver!" She exclaimed as she hugged her dear friend.

That evening Griselda dropped the pink mushrooms into her cauldron and chanted the magic words her friend gave her to execute the enchantment.

" Pink mushrooms galore, I do adore. Make me a meal fit for a king and don't you scrimp on one little thing."

The cauldron shook and steam rose from it as it whirred and stirred. Then as it settled slowly there in its place stood a banquet table full of glorious seductive food. Meats of goat and boar, fruits and nuts, cakes and tarts and bubbly pink champagne.

There was a knock on the door. " Just in time". She mumbled to herself.

That evening everything went so wonderfully well that The Society of Green Witches not only inducted her into the group, but also, made her the official green witch for the town. Griselda was overjoyed and woke up the next morning eager to tell Margie the good news. She also wanted to let her know that she had the solution to her problem as well. She dressed quickly and headed out the door toward her friends little cottage across the bridge.

She knocked lightly on the door and no one answered. So she remembered that Margie always woke up early to tend her gardens, so made her way around back. There she found her friend amongst the tomatoes and corn. She walked to her and relayed the good news and also told her that she would gladly take all her magic mushrooms for her kitchen to help all the townsfolk. Margie was so happy that she hugged her friend tightly and they stood there hand in hand for a long while just enjoying each other's company.