12 Days Blog Hop: Spirit

It's day TEN of Stacy Bennett-Hoyt's (AKA @rowanwolf66) festively fabulous 12 Days of Christmas blog hop.

12 Days, 12 Stories, each 200-300 words.  The contest theme is gifts and each day has a prompt.  Today's is:

SPIRIT

The vial was green, its contents opalescent.  Sotero the Solemn lifted it to the moonlight jubilation slashing a smile on his long face.  At long last he had discovered the secret his alchemist grandfather had failed to find.  He had unlocked the key to eternal life.

Sotero’s Superb Spirit Sucking Service would make him his fortune.  Forever.

Centuries stretched out ahead of him, saturated with power and wealth - and knowledge.  All that time, all those discoveries.  The sweet taste of knowledge slid potent as mead on his tongue.

Reverently, he placed the trapped spirit on his bookshelf and went downstairs for supper.  Genius had a way of making a man hungry.  He might be immortal, but he still had to eat.

***

Agnes liked her job.  It was interesting poking around a warlock’s lair, dusting his magical artefacts and polishing his cauldron.  He worked hard and she admired that in a magic worker.  Too many lazy buggers around, peddling quack potions.

Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the vial before it was too late. The stone flags smashed it in an instant releasing a greenish vapour that coiled around her sweet as sin.

A voice whispered, unseen hands stroking across her skin, settling like a silken cloak.  She tried not to breathe, failed.  Sinking to her knees, she fainted.

***

Ten minutes later, Sotero stumbled over her body.  “Agnes?” he said.  Her eyes snapped open and he noticed her skin was smoother, her hair lighter.  “Agnes?” The woman repeated, her voice curiously low. “I’m Phil. And you’re the guy who stole my soul.”

Genius not withstanding, it seemed the process needed a little work.  Thank goodness for experimental models.  He would hire a new cleaner in the morning.

Image by Masha Falcov on Etsy