On a magical misadventure!

Mandrake, or Mandragora officinalis, found growing most abundantly in the Mediterranean region, has been a subject of folklore for ages. The plant is a small herb with ovate leaves arranged as a rosette, and has a thick, upright root, shaped akin to human form, leading to superstitious beliefs.

It contains 80 different “tropane alkaloids” that are ‘hallucinogens’— the reason why the plant was used in magic rituals and witchcraft. These alkaloids make the leaves and root poisonous due their hypnotic and sleep-inducing effect. It was used in ancient medicine in curing rheumatism through external application and as anaesthetic.

Calculated, minute amounts were used internally to treat melancholy, convulsions, and mania. When taken internally in large doses, however, it is said to excite delirium and madness.

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Julian and Luca lay panting on the grass, tired out from playing. It was a lazy summer afternoon, and the boys were spending their vacation at their ancestral home in rural Italy, in a small village close to Florence.

“That was … fun”, said Julian, sitting upright and trying to catch his breath.

“Yes, it was”, Luca agreed whole-heartedly, as usual. “And you won! Shall we race again?”

“Naah…”, said Julian, a bored look on his face. “It was fun once, but it’ll be boring twice. Let’s think of something else to do.”

“Alright”, said Luca. “What would you like to do next?”

While Luca went to a school nearby, Julian, his cousin, went to school in New England. This made Julian something of a celebrity to Luca and the rest of the neighbourhood. Julian, being older to Luca, threw his weight around a bit.

Luca didn’t mind in the least, and hero-worshipped his older cousin, much to Julian’s gratification. Luca was proud that his older cousin thought him good company, and wanted things to stay that way.

“Let’s snoop around the village”, said Julian, getting up. “We might have an adventure!”

“Oh, but this is a very quiet place, nothing ever happens here”, started Luca, but stopped when he saw Julian’s frown. “Yes, I suppose something could still happen”, he added hastily.

“You just take things for granted, Luca, that’s your problem”, said Julian, leading the way out into the street. “You must learn to read between the lines”, he said, as he dramatically traced imaginary lines in the air with his hands.

Luca said nothing. Theirs was a sleepy little village, with innocent, harmless village folk, and he was sure there was nothing to read between the lines like Julian said.

Yet, he didn’t dare contradict him, and followed him around like a shadow as Julian snooped around the baker’s, stalked the village postman, and tailed the grocer’s boy.

While the baker and the postman paid no attention to the boys, the grocer’s boy lost his cool after a while. “What’re you two following me around for?

A man’s got to do his job, and I won’t have you getting on my nerves! Off with you both if you don’t want a good hiding!” he shouted, while Julian and Luca took to their heels.

Once they were at a safe distance, they slowed down again. “These people are no fun at all”, lamented Julian. “I don’t smell an adventure anywhere.”

Luca was just going to ask him if Julian shadowed people around in England when an old lady, bent over with age, dressed all in black, and wearing a matching black hat, shuffled past them. Her face and hands were all wrinkles and folds, and she squinted through her glasses.

“Who’s she?” asked Julian, his interest piqued.

“That’s the old dame Valentina”, said Luca. “She lives all alone in an old cottage at the far end of the village.”

“She’s dressed all in black!” said Julian excitedly. “Let’s follow her!”

“What? Why? She’s just a sweet old lady, and I think she must be the oldest in the village here.

Everyone, even old Grandpa Atticus, says they’ve known her to be staying there from the time they were children”, said Luca.

“Exactly! No one knows how old she is. Oh, Luca, don’t you see?” said Julian, his eyes shining. “She must be a witch!”

But this time, Luca felt Julian had gone a bit far. He couldn’t agree with him at all. But Julian dragged him along as he tailed the old lady, whispering and arguing all the way.

Once or twice, the puzzled lady looked around, but the boys managed to hide just in time. They finally reached the old cottage, and hiding behind a tree, watched Valentina open the door.

A black cat bounded out to meet her. “Hello Kitty”, she crooned, and the cat purred and followed her inside.

“There, a black cat! What does that tell you?” said Julian triumphantly.

“That still doesn’t prove anything”, Luca pointed out. “I’ve seen lots of black cats around here.”

“Alright, a little more snooping and I’ll have proof”, said Julian, and proceeded to crouch down beneath the cottage kitchen window.

They could hear the old lady humming to herself, while she bustled around the kitchen. Julian continued to put forth his arguments to Luca in a low tone.

“For starters, if what you said is right, she must be years and years older than our grandparents. But she seems very healthy and active for her age. How is that possible?” Luca shrugged and rolled his eyes. Julian ignored him.

“Secondly, she was dressed all in black- who ever dresses like that in this hot weather?” asked Julian in exasperation.

“Well, crows are all in black- be it winter or summer”, said Luca.

“Oh, don’t be so dumb, Luca. Those are birds! I’m talking of people”, said Julian, beginning to get annoyed with him.

“And, she has a black cat—” Julian stopped abruptly as a delicious smell wafted out to them. They slowly peeped in through the window, and found two cauldrons boiling away, while the old dame was squinting hard at a book in her hand.
“Smells like vegetable stew”, said Luca, sniffing the air.

“Don’t be an idiot”, said Julian. “That’s a spell book, and she’s making magical potions in the cauldrons.”

“Or, boiling water to cook two little boys and eat them”, said Luca sarcastically. Before Julian could reply, they heard the old lady give an exclamation. “Oh my!

How did I exhaust my reserves of Mandrake’s root? I’ll have to go and get it now”, she muttered to herself, as she shuffled outside slowly.

Julian had a look of terror on his face. “She’s going to uproot a Mandrake plant! But she’ll die! We’ll die too!”

“What are you talking about?” said a bewildered Luca.

“Folklore says that the Mandrake plant is magical and cursed. It is used in witchcraft. But the moment you uproot it from the ground, it will give out a loud shriek that will kill you!

And if this woman can pull it out and not die, why, it proves her dark magical powers. Let’s run away from here”, said a frightened Julian.

Luca, despite growing up in the village, had neither heard such folklore nor believed in superstition. For once, he defied Julian. “I’m not running away”, he said, “I’d like to see what happens.”

Turning a deaf ear to Julian’s pleas, Luca stood rooted to the spot, and watched Valentina as she limped towards a small plant in her garden. A helpless Julian stood by covering his ears, expecting the worst.

Valentina caught the plant by its stalk, and gave it a sharp pull. Both Valentina and Luca jumped when they heard a blood-curdling scream. But it was not the plant that screamed- it was Julian!

“What happened to you, child? Are you hurt?” asked Valentina, limping towards him, concern writ large on her face.
“Why did you scream?” demanded Luca. “You said the plant would scream!”

A sheepish Julian looked around. “We’re still alive”, he stammered, managing a foolish grin. “I guess I was… scared”, he admitted, finally.

“Now what’s all this about?” asked Valentina, puzzled to find two children in her backyard talking of plants and screams and death.

“Julian thought you were brewing a magical potion, because you were going to use Mandrake root”, began Luca, leaving out the “witch” part of it.

“And you thought I was a witch? HA HA HA” laughed Valentina loudly, much to the boys’ surprise.

“It is a potion alright, but not a magical one”, she continued. “There are many stories about Mandrake plants and magic but the truth is that the root of Mandrake is of medicinal use, and has been traditionally used as an anaesthetic or as a cure for certain ailments.

Sometimes I use its juice for my rheumatism. But used in excess, the plant can kill, just like any other medicine- there’s no magic in it.”

The boys heaved a sigh of relief.

“Now, would you boys like to have a bowl of vegetable stew?” asked Valentina, smiling.