Morning all and welcome to the Fifteen Minute Novel. Here I take the start of a story idea and work on it for fifteen minutes a day. I started with an old writing prompt that interested me, cleaned it up a bit to fit the basic outline of the story I want to write and then set aside fifteen minutes each week day to see it grow. Each morning’s writing starts with the last sentence of the day before. And so now we have the story of Kasca…
Day 127: Even though her errand hadn’t taken long, Kasca saw several men lurking about in the street around her shop.
Even though her errand hadn’t taken long, Kasca saw several men lurking about in the street around her shop. She did not hurry her steps. The sign she posted stated her absence would be longer than it actually had been so she was not putting them out, even though as she moved to the door a few of them huffed their annoyance at having toe wait.
One particular man huffed louder than the others and looked as though he wanted to say something. Kasca took the sign from the window and deliberately looked at him, holding it so that the posted times were clearly visible. He had the grace to flush lightly as he averted his gaze. The looks of irritation vanished from the faces of the others.
Kasca turned the store sign to open and walked back behind the counter. She tucked her notice away and tied her leather work apron over her clothing. She then turned to the waiting customers, a pleasant smile on her lips.
Kasca assisted those who came by and sent them on their way. When the group was gone, she propped open the work room door so that she could see any new customers while working. She had the basic list of remedies needing to be made up completed quickly. When the shop remained empty, she retrieved her notes on the adapted cure she made and decided to start mixing one of the components. The initial phase took focus as the ingredients needed to be measured just right. Once they were measured they could simmer slowly without much input from her.
The shop remained empty as she measured and set the initial potion to simmering. Originally the cure was composed of one brewed potion. Over the past few weeks Kasca realized that if she brewed several different potions, improving the strength of each individually and then slowly bound the separately created potions into one, it would be more effective.
On paper it worked. Theoretically there was no reason it shouldn’t work. This was her first practice run in reality however. Kasca knew that she would be able to tell it’s efficacy once the brewing and combining were complete, but it would still need to be tested on someone actually afflicted. Thus far, she met no such person.
Having set the potion on to simmer, Kasca left it, busying herself with all of the small tasks around the shop that needed to be tended to. As she swept up the debris brought to her floor by customers, Kasca thought about the afflicted. She assumed the disease passed as no one afflicted showed up on her door step. Those who were afflicted might believe there was no help for them and stayed away to either survive or die on their own.
There was ample proof that many did die. Not only was she able to purchase the apothecary shop easily and could find no healers in town, but the second hand shops were full of clothing that clearly had been inherited and was being sold off. The large stock kept the prices low and Kasca had used the low costs to expand her own wardrobe, picking up an item or two when she visited the market place. She now not only had the summer weight garments she had now, but several warmer garments ready for winter use.
She had also been restocking the apartment with all the necessities of daily living that were cleared out of the space when the previous owner passed.
