The party was going well. Mary had to admit she was having fun, and even John was tolerable. The girls had changed into frilly princess gowns, and were seated around a large stump. The girls made a big deal of setting the table, placing a large cloth over the stump. A child's tea set was used to set the places for each of them with care.
"What about the tea, Princess Amy?" said a girl.
"Just a moment, Princess Gwen," said Amy. "I will be back in just a moment."
Amy disappeared into the barn, and the girls amused themselves with talk of their castles and kingdoms. They asked John about the Gryphon kingdom, and Mary was happy to see him play along, creating an elaborate story about an evil wizard threatening their kingdom.
Amy returned with four cups filled with clear liquid. John reached for one, and Amy slapped his hand.
"How rude! This tea is for princesses only. You and Mara have already had enough, " said Amy, as she distributed the cups to her friends.
John rubbed his hand with confusion. Mary was a little confused, too. But then again, who can guess what goes through a little girl's mind?
The girls sipped their cups eagerly, quickly drinking the contents. Amy smiled strangely the whole time. She slurped her cup, then licked it to ensure she had gotten it all.
Very strange, thought Mary.
"Oh, I feel weird, " said Gwen.
"Me, too, " said another girl. Mary thought her name was Violet.
The third girl, Abby, looked practically green.
"Amy, what was in those cups?" asked Mary.
"Oh, nothing, " said Amy coyly.
"Amy, Mara asked you a question. Tell her the truth, or I am going to tell Mom. Do you want to be grounded? " asked John.
"Oh pooh, it was supposed to be a surprise, " said Amy, as she pouted. Amy looked different. Bigger somehow.
"Amy. " said John threateningly.
"Fine, ruin my fun. Just like always, you big meanie. I knew we shouldn't have let you play. It was some of Mara's magic potions. I didn't want you and Mara to have all the fun, so I decided that we should change, too," said Amy.
Mary paled. "Amy, those potions are dangerous, meant only to be used by adults. How much of the vial did you give everyone?"
"All of it, " said Amy happily.
Mary grew even more pale. She had only ever tried a portion of the vials, never a whole one. And even that had begun to affect her mind. And she was an adult. She had no idea how a child would deal with the conflicting feelings and alien thoughts.
"Amy, what vials did you use?" asked Mary as calmly as she could.
Amy paused, deep in thought. "Well ......"