A Secret Long Lost
Wallwalker
wall_fanatic@hotmail.com

The sorcerer laughed in pure satisfaction as he beheld his prize - the Philosopher’s Stone, keeper of all the knowledge of this creation and beyond. He’d suffered much pain and humiliation to create it, and now all of his hard work was made worthwhile.

Now he swore that he would wait no longer. If the Stone could not uncover long-lost knowledge for him that very night, he would reduce it to dust!

He struggled with it for hours - it fought him, of course, as it had during every step of its creation. It did not wish to divulge its secrets and did everything it could to distract him with things that he cared nothing about. But in the end the threat of its own destruction won it over, and it flashed with forgotten secrets, which flickered so quickly over the dark alchemist’s mind that he could not grasp it at once.

Fighting against the Stone was exhausting, and for a long time he lay there in a daze. But soon enough he recovered, and realized with giddy exultation that he’d done it.. he could force the stone to do his bidding! All the knowledge once thought lost forever was now at his beck and call!

He stood up in a rush, trying to remember exactly what it was that the Stone had told him. A formula, it seemed... it depended on the accurate combination of ingredients. Yes, he could see it now... one had to combine a puree of tubers, and condensed milk... and nutmeg...?

Bitter disappointment washed over him as he realized that what he’d just learned wasn’t some powerful ancient alchemical formula.

It was a long-lost recipe for sweet-potato pie.

Next time, he decided with a quiet groan, he’d have to be more specific...