"We shall mesmerise her, my
boy, make her so fixated she will come to you no matter what. To mesmerise, that is the key - do to her
what she has done to you. And thus you
shall tame her."
Schnizzelwort gathered the
ingredients while we were not there as, "it will take days to find them
all." I was to help him make the
potion the following week when myself and John would get (or bring in my case)
the last ingredients ourselves.
In the meantime, Schnizzelwort
assembled together "Roses and lavender to attract her senses," which
"were easy to find although I did need my sense of smell to rediscover the
route, my memory has been deteriorated by inactivity more than I thought. Emma's garden has taken over her house in the
most beautiful way, though." From
near there he also found, “fruits to tempt her to then taste.”
Next he went after the
"alcohol and special grass that will stupefy those senses in one way as
well as help them focus in another, slightly funny, way."
"These were more difficult to
find, young friend, for they had to be forest brand. These were not items I could ask you to bring
along." Thankfully. I wouldn't even know where to start to get
marijuana. "But find them I did -
right in the deepest heart of the forest."
He produced a flagon of strong smelling spirits and some dried out
plants.
"Which leaves only the hair of
a baby mammal to help capture that focused attention," the Helfenschwein
produced a few tufts from behind his back, "and those items that signify
the target herself and whatever you wish to mesmerise her with." He focused on the mouse, "John, you look
like a forest mouse, so you should know where to look for unicorn
hair." He didn't need asking twice
and quickly scampered away.
"I trust you brought a lock of
your own hair, cut at mid afternoon tea, as I asked." I confirmed by producing it. Schnizzelwort then looked at for a moment as
if studying me and trying to work something out for sure, before announcing,
almost darkly, "Yes, I'm sure your blood and piss will do."
A little later John had returned
with three long strands of silver hair and Schnizzelwort began to boil up a
mixture of first the roses, lavender, forest fruits, alcohol, 'magic' leaves
and baby mammal fur, all the while urging the help of various spirits.
Finally we reached the part where
we assigned who the potion was for - adding the unicorn hair - and then - to
signify me, or so I thought - I bled into the pot before adding my hair and
taking a whiz in it.
Two and a half hours later and we
lay in wait. I held a small bowl filled
with the potion and had a bucket of oats ready.
(Schnizzelwort, having spent weeks of talking it all up, had suddenly
become less confident in his magic, and suggested we use some to help lure the
unicorn).
On her arrival, I snuck up behind
the unicorn holding the bowl out, the wind and Schnizzelwort ready with the
oats, behind me, willing me on.
Before I reached the unicorn, the smell of the potion had started to
attract her - the roses and lavender penetrating her nostrils and making her
turn to see from where the smell was emanating.
As she did the fruit fragrances came forth - wild apples and
blackberries, raspberry, strawberry, blackcurrant and pear each in turn drawing
her nearer. Her tongue lolled out as her
mouth dropped into the bowl.
There was no hesitation about it.
Just straight in and lapping it up.
In fact she was so quick that my arms had to quickly strain to avoid a
drop. And soon it was gone. She gagged a little, presumably as she saw
through the initial smell sensations and tasted the less savoury
ingredients.
And then her head stayed down. It
was vital she looked at me within a minute and I was worried she would stall or
do something. “She is just a little
stunned,” a voice whispered in my head, “nudge her up.” I moved the bowl back up to where it had
started and the unicorn’s head followed, continuing after I stopped until she
looked me full in the face. Her eyes
suddenly filed with wonder as if she had never before seen a human and, now
that she had, she was to follow it always.
Quite a difference to my scaring her the first time we met. Rather, she was amazed.
“Now take the oats and lead her from here,” Schnizzelwort said out loud
this time, “and good luck!” I took the
oats, thanked him, and began to walk to the van.
I walked, half backwards, the mesmerised unicorn staring at my eyes the
whole time. So I began to guide her with
them, trying to maintain eye contact, flicking them in the directions we were
to go. I went very slowly and carefully,
checking the way quickly every ten seconds or so. But I soon began to concentrate harder and
harder on the eye contact because every time I broke it she whimpered. Trying harder and harder, and going slower,
feeling with my feet for lumps and divots.
I was so careful, so very careful.
You wouldn’t believe how cautious I was.
And yet the inevitable still occurred.
I tripped on a root that I somehow had missed. The bucket went flying through the air, some
of the contents landing on the unicorn’s face.
An absent minded and automatic flick of the tongue and she was chewing
and as she chewed the fixation faded until I could only watch as she came to
her senses and trotted away.
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