Vlimia carefully added the ten drops of Murtlap Essence. She remembered one time when her brother had cut himself when he was chopping vegetables, and her mother got him Murtlap Essence. Her brother said it soothed the pain. She thought of this incident while she stirred counter-clockwise, and stopped herself when she reached eight stirs. Vlim then took the two sprigs of parsley, and crumpled them over the cauldron. Not so close that she could feel the heat from her potion, but not so far that she would have runaway flakes. Once all the dry, green flakes had fallen, Vlimia looked at the bits of parsley that had wedged themselves in the crevaces of her hands. Oh well, she could wash her hands after this lesson.