Oh, toadstools!
Toad sidled away from the counter, toward a pair of ancient men immersed in a furious battle of chess. He watched as one man chewed upon his pipe in furrowed concentration. One hand hovered uncertainly over a knight before shifting to a pawn and then twitching over a castle—
“Liverwort? I don’t want liverwort!”
The man jerked so badly at the cry of indignation that two pawns clattered across the board. He swiveled in his chair and bellowed, “Blast you, Birdie! Can’t you keep quiet!”
But Birdie didn’t hear … or perhaps she was too enraged herself to notice. She sat slumped in her chair, woolen shawl wrapped tight about her boney frame, glaring something fierce. Toad saw, on the table between Birdie and her companion, five stacks of brightly colored cards.
“Oh, they’re playing Bloodroot and Toadstools!” Melena had reappeared by his side. She was staring at the colored cards with great enthusiasm.
“Bloodroot an’ what?” asked Toad.
“You haven’t heard of it? It’s a potion memory game. I used to play it all the time back in the orphanage. What you do is—”
But just then Birdie’s opponent let out a shrill cackle that made everyone in the room flinch.
“But I do, Birdie,” the spotted woman shrieked.
“Oh, toadstools!” Birdie cursed.
Copyright by M.L. LeGette
