#FiveSentenceFiction is a flash-fiction event hosted by Lillie McFerrin.  She provides a prompt and participants post five-sentence stories—inspired by the prompt in some way—on their blogs.  This week’s prompt is “potions.”

With a grunt the old wise woman reached up and snapped off a piece of the dried rosela plant hanging above her head, the final ingredient for the last potion she and her grandson apprentice would mix together.

He had learned all he needed to know from her, and now he must learn the most important lesson of all if he was to be the leader of their tribe.

“Tonight, she will be mine,” he said, eyes shining.

She forced a smile, wishing it could be different, wishing he weren’t so prone to attachments, wishing the young woman didn’t have to die.

But he had to learn detachment.