High in the mountains stood a beautiful wooden cottage. You could hardly see it because it was hidden behind the biggest trees. Grandma Rosalie lived there. But she often had a company. Her granddaughter, Mary, came to visit her almost all the time. She loved holidays at her grandmother’s, so she was there more often than at home. It’s safe to say she lived there. Mary was a cute little girl with curly hair. She was brave and curious and wanted to know everything and try everything. Every day at her grandmother Rosalie’s she had an adventure.
In the middle of the wooden cottage where they lived, there was a huge kitchen. Grandma Rosalie was the best cook. She invented new recipes and used all the spices and herbs she could find in the forest. Mary always watched her grandmother and helped her cut and mix and season everything. She wanted to be like her.
One day while they were sitting in a rocking chair reading recipes together, someone knocked loudly on their cottage. Mary jumped out of her chair and ran to open the door. A squirrel stood outside the door, waving its paws, jumping up and urgently chirping something. Mary didn’t understand what the squirrel wanted. But Grandma Rosalie knew exactly what to do. “Quickly run down to the cellar. There is a box on the shelf on the top right. In the box there is a jar that says ‘Do not open’. Get it as quickly as you can. We mustn’t waste time.” Mary did not wait and quickly obeyed her grandmother. Meanwhile, she started a fire and put water in the pot to boil. She slowly added the herbs. Then she took a mysterious bottle and slowly dripped seven drops of it into the boiling water. At that moment, pink steam was evaporating from the pot. The strong sweet scent spread throughout the room. Mary wondered and still didn’t understand anything, Grandma Rosalie focused on making sure everything was cooked well, and the squirrel hopped impatiently around the pot. Finally, Grandma poured the brewed potion into the bottle. She gave it to the squirrel and said, “Tell him to drink it immediately and not eat anything after that. You’ll see that he will feel better.” The squirrel took the bottle and ran as fast as her paws could carry her. Mary looked curiously at her grandmother, waiting for her to explain what had just happened. Grandma Rosalie explained that the squirrel’s husband is sick. Sometimes he gets so sick that he can even die. The only thing that can help him is an elixir that only Rosalie knows. She invented it from herbs and medicinal plants she found in the woods. “So you’re a magical grandmother?” Mary asked. Grandma smiled, stroked her granddaughter’s hair and said, “No, Mary, I am not. I just know how to use what nature and the forest give me and make something useful out of it. And I’ll be glad to help someone with it.” Mary hugged her grandmother. “You’ll always be a magical grandmother to me anyway, and the best grandmother. I’m glad to have you. And I’ll try to learn everything from you.”
Grandma Rosalie wasn’t magical and neither was Mary. But they both knew there was a magical bond between them that would never go away.
