Ab Ovo — The Alchemist’s Apprentice

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“Listen to the bowls, hear them sing.”

The master alchemist pulled his apprentice closer to the bowl bubbling before them. The windows of the shop were open and the streets of Prague were quiet below. Inside, the light of the heavenly bodies reflected off the yellow gurgling goop inside the bowls placed in a row atop the workbench. The alchemist’s apprentice, Artezo, peered into one of the bowls and listened to the gurgle of the substance.

“The thickness… hear the bubbles popping? The viscosity is much too thick!” the master alchemist, Castor, said with a shout. The master pulled his apprentice by the arm to the next bubbling bowl. 

“Listen, listen,” the grey-beareded master whispered.

Artezo put his ear by the bowl of yellow gurgling goop.

“What do you hear?” the master asked.

“Popping, but a bit quieter,” Artezo replied.

“Ah. Yes. But listen… the pops – they are quieter, but the duration – pop, pop, pop – is quicker than the last.”

P-op. P-op. P-op.

Artezo had been Castor’s apprentice for over two decades. During that time, his master had risen from a practicing physician to physician of the Royal Court. On nights when the moon and stars aligned, Artezo and Castor frequently returned to Castor’s old shop and dove into the practice of alchemy. Restorative medicines, insightful teachings, and joyful creations were all part of the process, but so were explosions, caustic liquids, and poisonous vapors.

“Come, come,” the master pulled Artezo again. They moved to the open window. The master pointed up at the moonless sky overhead. “The solutions we are making are not just the work of Earth, but of Heaven.”

Amidst the stars, Artezo saw the yellow glow of Venus nearing the orange shine of Jupiter.

“We mix together these ingredients, but allow processes inside and outside the bowls to work through the solutions. Sometimes, these processes work using forces much greater than ourselves, making the results unpredictable. Sometimes, it takes little effort to control the outcome of a process and we are left with exactly what we desire…”

As Jupter and Venus overlapped, the master rose. He took a step towards the workbench and collapsed. Artezo bolted to his master’s side, checked his pulse, and felt nothing. He jumped up to fetch a coroner, a guard – anybody. But as he passed by the workbench a glint caught his eye. Artezo came to the bowl and looked within – the solution had transformed into a solid lump of gold.