The Apothecary
By: Riku Adler
Tags: Creative Writing, Thriller, Horror Fiction, Fiction, Writing Prompts

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

It was just Nan, Pop and me growing up. My parents, according to Nan, were good people who mixed up with the wrong crowd. Their misfortune happened because they didn’t know any better, said Pop.

I’m an ordinary kid. I go to the local grammar school where the teachers are kind to me, I think because I’m an orphan. The other kids my age bully me all the time because of my eye colors.

I have heterechromia, central to be exact. At the center of my iris, next to my pupil is blue. Then it changes to green as it goes out. Nan says I have the power of universe in me. I just think it’s a lot of rubbish concocted to comfort an out of place orphaned kid.

Pop runs his diner on the 68th street. He called it Della’s Diner, after my mum he said. Nan runs her apothecary at home. This means between the house, the diner and the school, I am meeting a lot of usual and not so usual people.

My narrative changed one day. It was a summer’s day, with the sun scorching my skin. I went back to the house to get my wooden sail boat. My friends and I are planning to race our boats in the fountain by the park.

Nan was busy with her clients as usual. The converted living room was full with patients waiting for her to concoct some herbs to heal their pain, solve their problems, prolong their lives, whatever she does with her products. I crept into the house without her knowing.

I went upstairs, slowly sneaking up to the attic, where Pop keeps all my toys. I wasn’t allowed in the attic. It was the one rule I was not supposed to break. But with Pop in the diner and Nan busy with her work, what can I do? I was meant to just grab my toy and go play anyway.

It was my first time setting foot in the attic. I saw piles and piles of wooden boxes, some with labels, some had none. At the side of the attic, was a window that shows the trees from the yard, with its leaves swaying lazily with the summer breeze.

By the window was an old table, filled with old books on top of other older books. The lone book, opened at the center, were scribbles I couldn’t even understand. The pages were so old and yellowish that I didn’t dare to touch it, in fear of tearing them from the book.

I let my eyes wander to look for a box that might contain my toys. On the other side of the attic were regal looking boxes. I took few steps to get nearer, trying to examine the boxes. The boxes had different designs, some were ornately carved, while others were painted beautifully.

Placing my hand on top of one of the boxes, I felt warmth emanating from the inside. On the top of the box is a small label written in Nan’s elegant handwriting. It says “Della and Her Family”.

“Mum!” I exclaimed. I’ve never seen my mum. Nan and Pop threw away their photos, they say it’s too much to take and it hurts them seeing them.

I grabbed the handle of the box and tried to lift it out to the ground slowly. Despite my efforts, I tripped on my loose shoelace and dropped the box with all of its contents spilling around the wooden attic floor.

Glass spheres containing smoke of different colors — majestic pink, deep blue, royal purple, sunshine yellow, rolled around the attic. Some of the glasses broke, some didn’t.

I heard the footsteps running upstairs, towards me, most likely from Nan’s.

From the glasses that broke, emerged the coloured smokes, forming human images. One formed a woman, who looks just like me, with exactly the same eye colors that I have.

She extended her hand towards me and gave me a smile.

“I’ve been waiting for this day for years, Edward.” She said, with tears in her eyes.

Behind her is a man, with the same eye colors as mine, smiling at me.