The Crowded Market - Magic & Mushrooms

Reuben always had a methodical approach to his work. It began with thorough research — poring over his collection of books and meticulously saved web pages — before ever gathering the ingredients he needed. Today, he focused solely on the divinatory tea requested by the mysterious woman.

He retrieved his well-worn encyclopedia of magical herbs and began searching for ingredients linked to divination and visionary states. He chose herbs associated with the moon for prophetic dreams, those under Mercury’s influence for enhanced intuition, and herbs connected to the air and water elements to support visions and deeper insights.

After carefully compiling his notes, he created a list of ingredients:

Orris Root - For Divination

Agaric (in small dose) - For Visions

Meadowsweet - For Divination and Peace

Mugwort - For Prophetic Dreams

Crocus - For Visions

Agrimony - For Sleep

An Orange - For Divination (and a touch of flavor)

Reuben headed to his cupboard and rummaged through the shelves, which were packed with jars, bundles of dried herbs, and various ingredients he had collected over time. He managed to find the agrimony, mugwort, crocus, and an orange. However, the key ingredients — orris root, agaric mushrooms, and meadowsweet — were nowhere to be found.
He let out a resigned sigh. There was no avoiding it; he would have to brave the bustling marketplace to gather the remaining ingredients.

Navigating the crowded marketplace felt like wading through a sea of chaos. Reuben pushed his way past a throng of people, the cacophony of voices nearly overwhelming him. He hated crowds, especially when he had a specific mission. Just get through it, he thought, already yearning for the quiet solitude of home.

After what felt like an eternity of searching, Reuben finally stumbled upon a promising stall. An elderly woman sat behind it, surrounded by an array of herbs, spices, and potions of her own making.

“Why hello there, youngster. What can I do for you?” she asked, her voice warm despite her age.

“Hello,” Reuben replied, nodding politely. “Do you happen to have any orris root, agaric mushrooms, or meadowsweet?”

The woman’s wrinkled face brightened with a grin. She rose from her chair and shuffled over to the far end of the stall, searching through her wares. “Here’s the meadowsweet and orris root,” she said, handing him two carefully wrapped bundles. “But I’m afraid I’m out of the mushrooms. They’re a bit rare, you know.”

Reuben gave a polite but slightly disheartened smile. “I’ll take these, thank you. Do you know of anyone who might have the mushrooms?”

The woman paused, tapping a finger to her chin. “Well…there’s a woman down this street, around the corner at the end of the block. She’s got quite the collection, but she’s…let’s say, eccentric.”

Reuben thanked her, paid for the herbs, and followed her directions. As he walked, the crowd thinned, leaving the street feeling almost deserted. At the very end of the block, just as the woman had described, he saw a stall with a figure perched on a soapbox, chanting in an oddly sing-song voice.

“Welcome, welcome, one and all, please stop by my little stall! I have wares, oh yes I do, I have wares just for you!” she sang, her movements a strange dance that matched the rhythm of her words.

Reuben couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath. The elderly woman hadn’t been wrong — this one certainly had a few screws loose. As he approached, the woman hopped off her soapbox and hurried behind her table.

“Hello there! What can I do you for?” she asked with a wide grin.

Reuben smirked, still amused. “I’m looking for some agaric mushrooms. Do you happen to have any?”

“DO I!?” she shouted with a hearty laugh. “DO I HAVE MUSHROOMS!? You bet your ass I do! The rarest of the rare, right here!” She began rummaging through her stall with a frantic energy, tossing aside boxes and containers.

“Uh, well…” Reuben began, but before he could finish, she cut him off.

“Hold on, hold on!” she insisted, her voice full of urgency. She continued digging through a pile of cloth-covered crates, muttering to herself as if trying to coax the mushrooms into revealing themselves. “They have to be here somewhere…”

Reuben watched, increasingly unsure of what to make of this bizarre encounter. When she started throwing rags and boxes in frustration, he began to slowly back away, thinking it best to leave before things escalated further. He took another step back, slipping away quietly.

“WAIT!” she yelled, her voice echoing down the empty street. “I FOUND THEM!”

Reuben stopped in his tracks, letting out a sigh as he turned around. The woman came barreling toward him, holding a small, polished wooden case. When she reached him, she thrust the box into his hands with surprising force.

Opening it cautiously, Reuben saw a few pristine agaric mushrooms, perfectly preserved inside. His initial irritation melted into relief. “Well, I’ll be,” he muttered, finally smiling with genuine gratitude.

“I told you I had it!” she proclaimed triumphantly. “Now listen here — these are magical mushrooms! You’d better take good care of them, you hear me? They’re powerful!” She emphasized her point with a dramatic wave of her hand before turning sharply and marching back to her stall. “AND DON’T FORGET — POWERFUL!” she yelled over her shoulder, her voice fading as she continued muttering to herself.

Reuben’s face twisted into a mixture of confusion and bemusement as he watched her disappear into the distance. What just happened? he wondered, shaking his head. But when he looked down at the elegant wooden case, he couldn’t deny his success. The mushrooms were in his hands, and that was all that mattered.

As he walked away, a sudden realization struck him. He glanced down at the case, then back at the woman’s stall. I didn’t even pay for these, he thought, conflicted. He took a deep breath, debating whether he should go back. After a moment, he shook his head. No, not today. I’ve had enough of this market for one day.

With that, Reuben continued his journey home, eager to finish the special infusion and leave the chaos of the market behind.