Words for Wednesday - The Long Saturday 7

This meme was started by Delores a long time ago.  Troubles led her to bow out, but the meme was too much fun to let go, and now Words for Wednesday is provided by a number of people and has become a movable feast with Elephant's Child as our coordinator.

  Essentially the aim of this meme is to encourage us to write.  Each week we are given some prompts. These prompts can be words, phrases, music or images.
  What we do with those prompts is up to us: a short story, prose, a song, a poem, or treating them with ignore ...
  We can use some or all of the prompts, and mixing and matching is encouraged.

  Some of us put our creation in comments on the post, and others post on their own blog. This fun meme includes cheering on the other participants.

  And the more the merrier goes here as well, so if you are posting on your own blog then please tell us in the comments, so that all other participants, can come along and applaud.

Messymimi, who is supplying the prompts for the Wednesdays of November has given us:

tap
dump
basic
push
favor
lesson
     and/or the following phrases:
a day late and a dollar short
my cup of tea
a home bird

She furthermore says: "These prompts are suggestions to get you started, feel free to use some, all, or none, it's the creativity that counts."

As is my wont, I continue the story of Susan and her fellow magicians, and use the words in the order they were given - only I did not use a day late and a dollar short or my cup of tea

Helge sat down. He looked around, and all the others looked back at him. Estrid said: "I have scrubbed the small cauldron, it's clean as clean can be. Any more things that needs a scrubbing now I am at it?"
"Yes, actually," My said. "Elanor and I found that this recipe calls for some other rarely used utensils. Elanor could you show Estrid where they are hidden, while I bring Anna and Helge up to date with what we discovered. And if you could have those four nuisances help you find the ingredients, we'll be ready to brew the potion in next to no time."
"Will do," Elanor said, "Come on, Estrid, Let's leave the brainy ones to their thinking, and let's do the hauling around."

As they crossed the yard, they could see that they were not the only ones hauling and moving things around.
An obstacle course for broom racing was taking shape in the meadows, and chairs, benches and tables were placed for spectators and judges to sit on.

They returned, laden with old utensils and bottles, bags and bundles of strange ingredients for the potion. As they returned, My and Helge barely looked at them. My just pointed at the counter and Helge nodded appreciatively at Estrid, who began scrubbing the grimy utensils.
Soon after Anna returned with her hands full of herbs, leaves and flowers. "I do admire what Susan and Knud had done here," she said, "this garden is as well stocked as you could only wish."
"And so are the store rooms," Elanor said. " I think we found everything."

A bit later My and Helge aroused from their murmurings and put them all to work:
"Elanor, can you measure half a litre of plain water from the tap?" My asked, and Elanor took the measuring jar and filled it with plain water.
"This potion calls for tap water," Helge said, "as far as I remember this is very unusual."
"It is," My agreed. "This one is one of only two or three recipes to do this."

Estrid suggested that she, and Nora and Markus went to get the brooms. "it will be quicker than carrying the finished potion to the brooms, and by the way I think some of them are still in the big crate they came in. "We'll come too," Andres said. Looking at those two brewing, is not fun, and I know where the crowbar is!"
"Invaluable knowledge, I agree," My said "Off you go. Helge, Elanor and I can handle this."

Helge and My gave Anna and Elanor short, but clear instruction, they cut, counted and dumped strange ingredients into the spotlessly clean smallest cauldron. Then Helge carefully picked up the equally spotless wooden spoon made from ancient oakwood, and scrubbed by Estrid; he stirred thoroughly and vigorously while My said some basic incantations. And suddenly the potion changed colour to a bright, almost golden yellow. "This is it!" My exclaimed, while Helge just smiled. Anna and Elanor looked into the pot and Elanor said: "It smells adventurous."
That's a good description," My said nodding, and Helge smiled a tentative smile, which made his face much nicer.
The four kids and Estrid arrived pushing a parcel cage overflowing with brooms.
"Oh, this smells good," Andres said. "I feel like doing something big!"
 
"Now," My said. "Now it's time to get those brooms anointed and awoken. But first, Estrid please do me a favour and open the window before we begin flying as well. We have learned a lesson here. Don't brew flying potions with the doors closed."
 Estrid opened the windows wide, and My and Helge handed out paint brushes and showed how to anoint the brooms. Quickly they found the easiest way of doing it, Helgi and Nora, the two oldest and tallest took the brooms from the cage, Anna stood with a broom in each hand while Andres and Markus painted the potion on them and My and Helge spoke yet another incantation over each broom. Finally Estrid and Elanor carried the brooms to the other door. Soon Elanor whispered a hasty message to Estrid, and left to return with Martine and Fiona.
They made happy noises upon seeing the brooms and soon had them all up and flying. It was a sight to see, the brooms followed Martine on her broom, and Fiona walking ahead down to the meadows like so many ducklings in a row.
"Oh, I feel sad for Monica and Olav. Those two home birds!" My said. "They would have loved seeing this."