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In Troalkind, potions rarely work exactly as intended.
Sometimes they do much, much more.
This week, I’m sharing the chaotic tale of Meladonis, a very serious troll who reluctantly trusted a healer named Kookie, and the unforgettable results.
You'll also find this week’s coloring page (and coloring pack for paid subscribers) inspired by today's story to spark your imagination.
Grab your favorite pencil color, a cup of something mischievous, and let's step into the wild together.
The Potion That Saw Too Much
The map trembled in Meladonis's gnarled blue fingers as he held it inches from his face, the ancient parchment crackling with each frustrated adjustment. Sweat beaded on his wrinkled forehead, catching in the deep lines etched by centuries of dance and storytelling.
"Blasted tiny letters," he muttered, the musical lilt of his voice now strained with irritation. "When did they start making these marks so impossibly small?"
The forest around him buzzed with late afternoon activity—birds calling, insects humming, the sweet scent of sap mingling with earthy moss. But Meladonis registered none of it, too focused on the blurry mess of paths before him.
A twig snapped behind him, followed by the distinctive jingling of glass vials.
"Elder Meladonis!" chirped a voice that somehow managed to sound like wind chimes in a hurricane. "What a magnificent coincidence to find you here, squinting like a mole in sunlight!"
He didn't need perfect vision to recognize Kookie. The young healer's wild orange hair practically glowed against the forest backdrop, her medicinal satchel clinking with each bouncing step.
"I am merely studying the topographical details," Meladonis replied with as much dignity as he could muster while holding a map practically against his nose. "The ancient forest paths require careful—"
"Your eyes need help," Kookie interrupted, rummaging through her bag. Glass clinked against metal as bottles jostled. The pungent smell of herbs, minerals, and something vaguely reminiscent of burnt sugar wafted toward him. "And I've just completed my newest vision enhancement elixir this morning! The timing is positively prophetic!"
Her thin fingers emerged clutching a bottle of vibrant blue liquid that swirled and bubbled of its own accord. Even without perfect vision, Meladonis could see tiny sparks dancing across its surface.
"Absolutely not," he said firmly, backing away. The moss beneath his feet squished softly. "Your last 'helpful' potion turned Rune's hair into singing tentacles for a week."
"A simple calibration error," Kookie waved dismissively, her bracelets jangling like tiny bells. "Besides, Rune loved it! Won the talent show, didn't he? But this—" she thrust the potion forward, its blue contents sloshing dangerously close to the rim, "—this is perfected! Just one tiny sip and you'll see better than a hawk during a solar eclipse!"
The scent hit him first—blueberries and ozone, with undertones of something metallic. The potion bubbled enthusiastically, as if excited about its purpose.
Meladonis's wide-set eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Kookie, I've lived four times your lifetime. I know better than to—"
"Do you though?" she asked, tilting her head. Her expression shifted to something more calculating, her bright eyes gleaming with challenge. "Because right now you're holding that map upside down."
Meladonis flipped the map hastily, feeling heat rise to the tips of his pointed ears. The forest trail that had made no sense suddenly aligned with the stand of ancient oaks to his left.
"The Council meeting is in two hours," Kookie reminded him, her voice uncharacteristically gentle. "And you're leading the ceremonial dance, aren't you? The one that requires precise footwork through those tiny candles?"
The mere thought of stumbling through the sacred flames before the entire village made his stomach clench. His shoulders slumped, defeat tasting bitter on his tongue.
"One sip," he growled, accepting the potion. The glass was warm against his fingers, almost vibrating with barely contained energy. "If this turns me purple, I'm sending you to the northern ice fields as our diplomatic representative."
Kookie beamed, bouncing on her toes. "You won't regret it! Well, probably not. Well, not for long, anyway."
With a deep breath that filled his lungs with the potion's electric scent, Meladonis tipped the bottle to his lips. The liquid tasted of lightning and night-blooming flowers, fizzing across his tongue and warming his throat as it went down.
For several heartbeats, nothing happened except for an odd tingling sensation crawling across his scalp, like dozens of tiny insects dancing.
"Is it supposed to—" he began.
Pop-pop-pop-pop!
The sensation exploded into sharp pinpricks across his head. Something warm and wet trickled down his temples. His vision blurred, then suddenly clarified, then... multiplied.
"By the ancient roots," Meladonis gasped, his voice strangled. The forest appeared in fractured perspectives—above, behind, sideways—each view crystal clear but utterly disorienting.
Kookie's face split into a grin wide enough to show every one of her pointed teeth. "It worked!" she squealed, clapping her hands with a sound like dry leaves rustling. "Now you have more eyes to see with! Isn't it wonderful?"
The world spun in nauseating fragments as Meladonis raised trembling hands to his head. His fingers met dozens of fleshy stalks, each topped with a blinking, bewildered eye. They felt warm and disturbingly alive, pulsing gently against his palms.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" he roared, his voice echoing through the trees and sending birds scattering into the sky with alarmed cries.
Kookie, utterly unbothered by his fury, simply tossed him a small silver mirror from her bag. "Don't get your leafy garments in a twist," she said, rolling her eyes. "It wears off... probably in a few days. Maybe a week. It's hard to be precise with organic transformations."
The mirror revealed the full horror—his once dignified head now resembled a writhing garden of eyestalks, each blinking independently, some looking directly at him, others scanning the forest, one particularly rebellious one seemingly fixated on a nearby butterfly.
"This," he growled, voice dropping to a dangerous rumble that made the ground beneath them vibrate slightly, "is NOT what I meant by better vision."
The smell of his own fear and sweat mingled with the lingering ozone scent of the potion. His pulse pounded in his ears—and disturbingly, he could feel it in each of the eyestalks too.
Kookie, completely immune to the waves of rage radiating from the elder troll, perched on a nearby rock. Her expression was that of an artist admiring a particularly avant-garde creation.
"Don't be so narrow-minded—which, ironically, you physically cannot be anymore!" She giggled at her own joke. "Think of the possibilities! You can spot berries from a mile away! Check if your dance students are practicing behind your back! Detect ambushes from all directions! Watch three sunsets at once!"
"The Council meeting is in two hours," Meladonis hissed through clenched teeth. The eyestalks bobbed with his agitation, creating a disturbing visual ripple effect that made his stomach lurch. "How am I supposed to lead the sacred Dance of Renewal looking like a deranged sea anemone?"
Kookie's expression brightened. "I have just the thing!" She dove back into her seemingly bottomless bag, the scent of various herbs and chemicals wafting out. "A hat! A very large, very concealing hat!"
Meladonis stared at his multiple reflections in the mirror, each eye glaring back at him in different degrees of outrage. Yet as the initial shock faded, he began to notice something extraordinary. He could see... everything. The squirrel hiding behind the tree to his left. The hawk circling high above. The intricate pattern of lichen on the stones behind him.
"I can see in all directions at once," he whispered, wonder momentarily overtaking anger.
"Exactly!" Kookie exclaimed, triumphantly producing an enormous hat festooned with leaves and flowers. "And just think how this will improve your dancing! No more collisions with other dancers you didn't see coming!"
As she plopped the ridiculous hat onto his head, carefully threading the eyestalks through holes hastily cut in the crown, Meladonis felt a peculiar sensation that took him a moment to identify.
It was laughter—starting deep in his belly and rising up his throat in helpless waves. The absurdity of the situation finally hit him, and the sound of his deep, rumbling chuckle caused Kookie to freeze in surprise before joining in with her high-pitched giggle.
"The next few days," he said, adjusting the enormous hat as his many eyes blinked in tandem, "are going to be very interesting."
The light shifted through the forest canopy, casting dappled shadows across his now decidedly unique visage. A warm breeze carried the scent of coming rain and distant flowering meadows, tickling the eyestalks and making them swivel in curious response.
"You know," Kookie said, stepping back to admire her handiwork with hands on her hips, "I think this might be my most successful failure yet."
Meladonis simply shook his head, the movement creating a wave-like ripple through his eyestalks, and carefully folded his map. The dance would go on—though perhaps with a few unexpected new moves.
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Bonus Mini-Story: The Orb That Swallowed the Light
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