Getting back home takes a little longer than I initially expected, as the sun sets and darkness descends. Probably because I'm not really familiar with the area yet. I'll probably need to take more walks like this one to change that. I don't mind the idea though. Getting to see more of the neighborhood and what lies beyond it doesn't sound too bad.

Right now I'm busy though. I need to take care of the mushrooms I found before they go bad. Which in turn means that I might be able to see about brewing some more potent healing potions some time tomorrow.

My feline house guest is gone by the time I take the sign with the hastily scribbled notice of absence back inside. She cleaned out the bowl of sour cream as well once more. I wash it and put it away for the night before getting started on the work I have to do.

I might have underestimated the amount of work and especially the kind of work I have to do though. It all starts with the fact that I have to remove the big cauldron from the fireplace. The big cauldron that is still mostly filled with water. I quietly curse myself as I realize my folly.

With a groan I start to empty the big cauldron one bucket at a time. I use its contents to water the plants in the overgrown garden and the flowers growing on grandma's grave. It takes a while but finally I'm able to lift the heavy cauldron out of the fireplace.

Once that is done I build and light a fire inside it, which in turn means that I'm carrying firewood once again. A little more than in the last few days as well as I need plenty of hot coals for what I'm planning to do. By the time I'm done and the fire is burning I'm all sweaty.

I have no time to rest though. I just wipe my brow and get a cutting board. The mushrooms themselves are next. I wash them to remove any dirt that might remain. Then I cut them into thin slices. The real busy work is only about to begin though.

Sewing is not one of my strengths. Agnieszka is making my new clothes for a reason after all. I still have to do some needlework though. I have to put all those thin mushroom slices on a piece of string to be exact.

This of course is nothing like actual sewing, but it still demands all of my attention. On one hand I don't want to prick my fingers with the needle. On the other hand I have to make sure that the slices are evenly spaced out so they will dry properly.

By the time I'm done with that the fire has burned down far enough as well. I grab the piece of sturdy string with the mushroom slices dangling off of it and hang it in the fireplace above the glowing embers. There are several hooks spaced all around the fireplace at various heights for exactly this purpose. I still have to get a little creative to make sure the mushrooms will dry evenly.

Now I have to wait. This will take a while. There simply is no way around it. I'm tempted to just drop on my bed, but I manage to resist the urge. I'm all sweaty after all. After working at the fireplace, with the heat the emitted both by the fresh coals and the stones themselves, even more so than before. The bed sheets already need washing after this mornings little incident with Sour Cream, but that doesn't mean that I should mess them up even more.

I could, in theory, head up to the bathhouse, but I don't feel like making that trip in the dead of night. Instead I just get a bucket of fresh water from the creek and wipe away the sweat with a wet rag. This will have to do for now. Especially as I suspect that I might get sweaty again before long. I'm not entirely done after all.

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There is one more important step to processing the mushrooms and although I might be able to to take a quick nap before I get to it, I still need to make preparations.

Instead of lying down I decide to sit on the bench in the backyard for a little bit. I'm a little worried about the rodents, which seem to be quite active now at night. I'm worried right until the black cat I met first out here pounces, swiftly ending the life of one of the pests.

I didn't even realize that the cat is around until it struck. Now it looks at me briefly, moon and starlight reflecting in its eyes, before it slinks off with its prize.

Only moments later something brushes against my legs and I almost jump. My heart might have missed a beat as well. Then I realize that it is Sour Cream who now takes up position on old the chopping block, her attention fully focused on the thicket of the overgrown herb garden. It seems the cats have come to some kind of agreement.

I simply keep watching her for a little while without disturbing her. I have no clue if she will have any luck so soon after the other cat killed one of the rodents, they are bound to be more careful, at least for a while, now after all, but I certainly wish her the best of luck.

Then I shift my attention to take in the night sky. I like watching the stars. I always have. If my parents hadn't sent me to the academy to learn alchemy I might have become a priestess instead. Well, they still calm me down whenever my mind is restless. Following their trek across the night sky has that kind of effect on me.

Before I can actually doze off, and probably catch a cold, I get back up and stretch quietly, still trying hard not to disturb the feline predator during her hunt. This time around I close the door as I get back inside. The window remains open though, should Sour Cream desire to come in for her daily nap some time later.

Now it is time for those last preparations. First I get mortar and pestle so I can grind the dried mushrooms into a fine powder. The last things I get are two bowls, one slightly larger than the other. The resulting mushroom powder will, eventually, go in the larger one while the smaller one will serve as a lid of sorts.

Finding everything I need with only the light of the last glowing embers in the fireplace and more importantly a single lantern takes a while. This is especially true as I'm still not completely familiar with the workshop, small as it may be. Getting that sense of familiarity simply takes a while. Brewing more potions and other alchemical products should help though.

Once everything is set up I check on the mushrooms. They seem just about ready. It is a good thing that I sliced them thinly. Otherwise drying them could take much longer. I check a few more just to be sure but the result is the same. They are just about ready.

The close proximity to the mushrooms has another, unintended effect though. The smell gets my stomach rumbling. These aren't really for eating, but they smell delicious anyway. I groan and mumble to myself.

“Maybe I can find some that are actually edible another day. I could make myself a mushroom soup. Or I could fry them with some meat and vegetables.”

Especially the latter sounds incredible tempting. Never mind that you have to be really careful when gathering mushrooms for eating. I really don't want to poison myself by accident after all and even those mushrooms not outright poisonous are often not exactly fit for eating even if I can use them as alchemical ingredients.

“Tomorrow. Or maybe the day after. Or I could just wait for the inn to serve some.”

I keep mumbling like that while I lift the string with the dried mushrooms from the fireplace.

I slip the first few thin slices off the string and into the mortar. It is the time of truth. If they aren't properly dried to the core this will quickly become a disgusting mess. After tying a cloth over nose and mouth I grab the pestle and get going.

I needn't have worried though. The mushroom pieces easily break as I apply force via the pestle and the resulting mass is bone dry. Very good! I keep grinding until the mortars content is a uniform, fine powder which I then empty into the waiting bowl.

Every movement is slow and deliberate, so I won't kick up a cloud of dust. The stuff can be pretty nasty if you get it into mouth or nose. Getting it into your eyes is worse. I really can do without an incident like that.

I look at the small pile of dried mushroom powder. Then I shift my gaze to all the pieces still waiting to be ground up, before finally focusing on the mortar again. This will take a while.