30MIN
Angela snuffled as she buried her blotchy nose beneath her scarf. Her eyes, barely peering over the hem of the fabric, could still shoot daggers over at her parents that seemed to split directly into their chests. Her mother skittishly rolled up the window, a muffled farewell emitting from the car as it clunked off into the distance. Perhaps they were cheering already.
Angela stomped up the stairs to her grandmother's bungalow, backpack dragging behind her.
"Hi, sweetie!" was the first thing Angela heard before she had even processed anything. A cluster of scarves muffled her reply as her grandmother squeezed the blood out of her face, smothering her granddaughter with sloppy kisses. Angela's heart sank in dread. Out of all places where she could be sick, she had to be here.
Her grandmother ushered her in, toddling behind her as she rushed to collect board games. Angela loosened the scarf, exhaustion already seeping into her eyes,
"Don't worry grandma, mum and dad sent me here because I was sick so I'm a bit tired to play board games today." She called out. An immediate pang of guilt racked her frail body, however she would have much rather rested for the day instead of play Scrabble with her ancient grandma.
"Oh." The reply faintly reverberated off the kitchen walls. "That's alright, I'll make you some tea." Not long after this remark reached Angela's ears had the kettle already began rattling on the counter. She opened her mouth to dismiss the offer, dread swelling up in her throat as she thought of her grandmother's cooking, but she swallowed the caustic remark to avoid more trouble.
"Done!" her grandmother chirped as she waddled in, mittens enveloping a steaming mug. Angela took a deep inhale. The sharp pang of the lemon scent tickled her olfactory senses. She swore that the spiraling steam glittered in the dim lighting. Tugging down the scarf slightly, she feigned a sip and hummed in fake satisfaction. Her grandmother's expectant eyes pierced into her. Angela realised she wouldn't be leaving until she drank the whole mug.
The hot liquid quickly spilled down her throat, as she gulped frantically.Angela internally swore that if she made the faintest movement, the tea in her stomach would audibly slosh around. Once her grandmother eyed the empty mug she took it. However, Angela failed to notice the twinkle in her eye as she beamed at her.
Mere moments after, it felt as if her spirit was already being lifted out of her body. The sensation of a blocked nose already dissapated, even her mood ascending considerably. What was in that tea? Even her headache had disappeared-now the scarf that swathed her seemed to stuffy. It was as if she had been cured on the spot.
"Grandma, thank you for the tea! What was even in it?" Angela said, croaky throat nonexistent.
Her grandmother appeared right behind her, an unfamiliar look on her face.
"Follow me," she breathed through a gap in her scarves. "But Angela dear, you must never tell anyone about any of this."
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