The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern

by Lynda Cohen Loigman

To ignorant men, every gifted woman is a witch.”

“Words can do anything,” she said. “A kind word can fix a person’s spirit. A cruel one can break a person’s heart. Wicked words have caused wars, and honest words have made peace. Why shouldn’t they be able to heal?”

Was this what it felt like to be with someone who truly knew you? Who knew both the best and bleakest parts of your past? Was this what it meant to have someone support you, to have a companion who pushed you to be better and braver than you ever thought you could be?