Part one can be read here: https://summerstommy.com/2019/12/12/tale-weaver-253-magic-castle-fairy-tale-12-12-the-magic-potion-contest/

The crones in residence at the Pointy Creek Road Castle were not happy. Augustus Flung had arrived home from the magic castle summit all enthusiastic for the competition to make the best magic potion.

His crones were none too happy as it was Christmas and the orders for potions were building faster than they could make them. This year there was a demand for Potions to curb a wayward husband.

The head crone Whatsit complained, as was her want, that every year Augustus came up with some crazy idea she was sure to make their lives all the more complicated. Her assistant Wherefore, on hearing the news from Augustus had immediately gone for the Pointy Book of Potions and had begun with the aid of their apprentice crone, Howso, to scour the ancient text in search of a potion that would make them a winner.

Across town at the Blunt Creek Castle Adolphus Twirt had also met with his crones and announced the competition they were to enter. The crones of the Blunt Creek Castle were not crones in the strictest sense. They were, in fact, three men, Tom, Dick and Harry who believed they had every right if they so desired to be crones if they wanted to be. Adolphus was not one to argue since he had seen firsthand their capabilities when they had changed the innocent John Chalk into the very alluring Adeline Cark. These were not guys to be taken for granted as they had skills, and Adolphus was not one to question it. So he bought them crone uniforms, which the boys adjusted appropriately and went about their business at the Blunt Creek Castle.

Tom, Dick and Harry were seriously committed to the contest. After a quick meeting, it was decided that potion. No 29 would be the one they would perfect and enter in the competition. So they set to work.

At the Pointy Creek Castle, confusion as always seemed to dominate the crone’s place of business. Whatsit said she was too busy to be involved in such a foolhardy business, as everyone knew they were already the best and most productive crones around. She had not long perfected her limp potion designed to curb the wayward ways of wayward husbands, and it was proving very popular among the wives of the community, though why at Christmas was a mystery to her.

Howso being the apprentice suggested to Wherefore they try potion 31, Personality Plus. Wherefore thought that was a great idea and organised Howso to gather the ingredients.

Before long the cauldrons at both castles were bubbling away just the way cauldrons should.

The respective potions curled around the cauldrons, spat once or twice and then after an exhaustive burp settled down into a manageable liquid form.

Both castles went out into their communities and selected a few subjects to test the potions on. Howso brought in her sister, Eh! She was the ideal candidate as she had little to no personality, and she knew it. However, one dose of the potion and Eh became a whole new girl. She could converse on any topic, quote facts and figures and display an incredible worldly knowledge of all subjects.

At the Blunt Creek Castle, the boys set to work on Potion 29, a potion designed to distract people from what you were actually doing. Preliminary testing on Adolphus had been successful, and they now wanted it to have a more universal application. Their test subject was Phil, a cousin, a dim-witted fellow who with a bottle of beer and the promise of an evening with Dark Alice was more than happy to take a spoonful of the potion. It worked a treat, Phil forgot everything, much to Dark Alice’s relief and more importantly the beer he was promised and announced that he was going to plough the south paddock and ready it for his next crop of potatoes.

With the potions perfected the respective Castle owners headed off for the night of competition.

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2019/12/12/tale-weaver-253-magic-castle-fairy-tale-12-12/