The exercise:
Your Four Line Friday Prose prompt this week is: herbal remedies.
Have a great weekend :)
Mine:
Joey eyed the greenish-yellow liquid doubtfully as it was placed on the table before him. He brought the concoction to his nose for a tentative sniff and recoiled as though struck, convulsing and retching in his chair.
"Drink up, dearie," his Aunt Gretchen urged, rubbing her hands together in a rather sinister fashion. "I promise it will clear your acne right up!"
I strongly encourage both prequelage and sequelage of your bit, 'Loo! I nearly insist upon it!
ReplyDelete- - - - -
I struggle to swallow against the sandpaper in my throat as I heat the water in the microwave. I wince against the pain, but my eyes drift towards the sunny yellow packet sitting on the kitchen table; relief will come, it promises.
After the eternity it takes to get the water sufficiently hot, and the other eternity to infuse the tea, I pour the green-tinged tea into my favorite diner-esque teacup, and take a deep, grateful sip.
Ah, yerba mate, I think wistfully, te amo tanto...
- - - - -
It's strong, but mate (to clarify right now, it's pronounced "chair-bah MAH-teh") is probably my most favorite tea. That, and it's caffinated, so it's particularly good in the morning. I recommend Guyakí's mint mate (spelling not guarenteed).
Aw zark, it's not in 4-line-prose fashion, but I'm prequeling yours myself:
ReplyDeleteAs much as he dreaded going to his aunt's, Joey was slightly glad the place was so dark. At least, it had been in his memory, he hadn't been dragged there in a few years.
The darker it was the better, she wouldn't see that there was something to "improve" with him. He didn't know his aunt too well, but he'd heard stories. Apparently she had a nasty habit of finding imperfections that she "knew just the thing" to "cure" it. This would be all well and good, if they didn't have the tendancy to somehow go horridly awry.
Summoning what little courage he could muster, Joey knocked timidly on the magenta door. No answer. He gave the knob a try; to his shock it wasn't locked. He poked his nose inside. No sign of anyone.
So far so good... he thought.
"Joey!" a saccarine voice called from the shadows, uncomfortably streatching the second syllable.
He cringed. I spoke too soon... "Hi Aunt Gretchen," he mumbled, trying to keep his face down and in shadow.
"Oh, now don't be staring at the carpet," she cooed, "it's not polite."
"No, really, I'm good," he tried to protest, but he felt a hand gently tilt his head up. Aunt Gretchen clicked her tongue with such a syrupy sympathy Joey had to withold a shudder.
"Now, as it happens, I've just the thing for this," she said, leading him further into the house and into the kitchen. Joey gulped. He'd hoped to hear any words but those words. Note to self, don't get your hopes up too high anytime in the near future, he thought apprehensively.
"Just sit yourself at the table," she told him, bustling around the kitchen, "This'll take no time at all."
"Take your time," Joey murmured, already dreading the next few minutes more than anything else in his short life.
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ReplyDeleteRight, sorry about missing yesterday but I'm more or less caught up now -- captions have been supplied!
ReplyDeleteHmm, that's quite an acne cure Gretchen has there, there's just a hint of George's Marvellous Medicine there, which is impressive in just four lines!
@g2 - your yerba mate sounds intriguing, I may have to look it up. And great little prequel too!
Herbal Remedies
"Vince, what the cock is this?" I said, pointing at the pile of steaming dandelion stalks in front of me.
"It's 'erbal, mate, it'll clear that cough right up. My aunt Gretchen used to swear at it all the time."
"I don't effing blame her, Vince!"
"Just get it down you before it cools down and starts moving again."
g2 - haha, excellent prequelage!
ReplyDeleteAnd I liked your first one too, it really captured the moment. :)
Greg - all is forgiven, even your writing five lines on four line day :P
The 'My aunt Gretchen used to swear at it all the time' line made me laugh :)