Mira's Marvels: Bubblegum Bath

"If you say so," I said, though I wasn't entirely convinced.

"You can trust me," she said, tapping the name tag on her coat. "I am a doctor, after all."

"And a magician... and a shopkeeper," I added, after a moment. "And you'd make a damn good therapist, I think."

"Maybe someday, but not today is not that day," Mira replied, with a chuckle. "Still, I'm glad I could help," She waved a hand absentmindedly toward the entrance. "After all, I do my absolute best to make sure everyone who walks through that door leaves satisfied. That's the Mira Meadows guarantee!" She winked and flashed me a smile, but then a moment later, her face grew serious. "We'll get your wife the help she needs, John. I promise you that." Her smile returned after a moment, and I nodded at her - I did feel a bit better, admittedly.

Suddenly, our attention was drawn to the entrance to the back room as Crunch-Wrap emerged through the little cat door and scampered up to us. The little black cat, Crunchy, had a vial of glowing pink liquid in his mouth. Mira bent down and held out her hand for them, and he dropped it gingerly into her waiting palm. She brought the vial up to her eye and studied it intensely for a moment before she looked down at Crunch-Wrap.

"And this is the Bubblegum vial, right?" Crunchy answered with an affirmative little meow. Mira grinned and nodded at him before standing stood up and handing the vial to me. I took it from her, then popped it safely into my pocket before gently patting my pocket in some sort of silly little luck ritual - maybe Mira's superstitious nature was rubbing off on me.

"Thanks again for this," I said, grinning at her. "I really appreciate it."

"You're welcome!" she said, shooting me a confident grin of her own. "I think you'll be very pleased with the results." She gave both of her cats a little pat on the head and a scritch behind the ears, and they purred up a storm in turns as they nuzzled up against her pale hand. "Alright, thanks for the help, you two - you did very well. At this rate, you'll make employee of the month for sure! Keep up the good work!" She snapped her fingers, and a bag of cat treats appeared in the air next to her. A couple of cat treats flew from it and sailed through the air before they hit the ground and skidded across the wooden floor of the shop. The two cats mewed happily and eagerly raced off after them. Mira snapped again and the bag of treats disappeared. She looked over at me and cupped her hand in front of her mouth before murmuring, "You know, I tell them that just for fun. They're always the employees of the month." She put her finger to her lips and shot me a wink as the corners of her mouth perked up into a conspiratorial grin. I smiled back at her - her secret was safe with me. "Alright, well let's get you on your way back home to your wife, then." Mira headed over to the counter, and I followed close behind. She snapped her fingers once more as we approached, and the cash register roared to life as buttons began moving up and down wildly all over the keypad. A few seconds later, it finally beeped as it spit out a long receipt that was split into two copies, which she tore off and handed to me. "Just sign this, if you would, and then you'll be all good to go. I'll walk you out." I took it and saw that it had the bubble bath listed on there for free - it normally would have run me $50, so I was very grateful for the discount. I signed her copy of the receipt and handed it back to her, and she took it from me with another friendly smile. We both headed over to the door, and Mira held the door open for me. "Now, all you need to do is run a hot bath, pour that potion in, and after a nice long soak, your wife's back pain be a distant memory! Make sure you get home safely, now!"

"Thanks, I will." I replied, flashing her a thumbs-up as I walked out of the shop, but Mira's voice made me stop again.

"One more thing: if you need anything else at all, don't hesitate to call," Mira said, as she raised her hand up and mimed a little phone using her thumb and pinky. "We're open 24 hours a day, after all." She grinned as she pointed a thumb over toward the hours of operation sign. I nodded and started to head back out into the night but a few moments later she popped her head out after me one last time and added, "Oh, and don't forget about to tell your friends about the shop!"

"Alright, I won't," I called back at her, admittedly growing a little impatient to get home to Beth. "Thanks again!" I hurried back to the car, feeling like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders as soon as I opened the door and clambered into the seat.

I turned on the car's engine, feeling completely energized even after everything that had happened. I looked at the clock on the radio and found that only a couple minutes had passed since I had entered Mira's shop; I know she had mentioned that time worked differently there, but it still came as a bit of a shock - the whole experience there had felt like a bit of a wacky fever dream, to be honest. I must have been in the store at least twenty minutes or so, but... the evidence that that hadn't been the case was sitting right in front of me. I pulled out my phone really quick, just to confirm that I wasn't going crazy. Sure enough, my phone showed that I had received Beth's text only a couple minutes prior. I was relieved to find that I had cell service again, so I shot Beth a quick text telling her that I was on the way home, then headed that way.

Miraculously, I managed to hit all green lights on the way back yet again, and I got back home in record time. Unsurprisingly, I found Beth still sitting on the floor scrolling through her phone when I opened the door. She looked over toward the commotion and smiled as soon as she saw the bag in my hands.

"That was pretty quick!" she said, with a grin. It really wasn't. "Did you find everything, then?"

"Uhhh, well, about that..." I began, unsure of how exactly to explain what had happened. "So, I got the Tylenol, but neither pharmacy had any Epsom salt left." I reached into the bag and held the bottle of pills out to her. She grabbed it and nodded, but I could see the disappointment etched into her features at the bad news. "But I did manage to get something else for you instead that should help." Beth eyed me curiously as I pulled the small vial out of my pocket and held it out to her. Her face scrunched up into a look of confusion as she gingerly took the small vial from me and examined it.

"What... is it, exactly?" she asked, her eyebrows knitted.

"It's bubble bath. It's supposed to help relax your muscles."

"It's... pink," she said, as she gave the bottle a little shake. "John, it's glowing."

"It's... bubble gum scented," I added, with a nervous smile.

"Where, exactly, did you get this...?" she asked, hesitantly.

"I found this little, uh... medicine shop that was still open... over by the pharmacy," I said, and then I remembered the business cards sitting in my pocket. I pulled one of them out and handed it to her. She held the vial in her other hand as she scanned the card.

"Mira's Marvels. Huh," she said, looking back at me. "How much did this... bubble bath... cost, exactly?" She was clearly skeptical.

"She gave it to me for free, actually," I said, encouragingly. "As long as I agreed to help her spread the word about her shop."

"That's... nice of her," she said in a disbelieving tone. "And it's... safe? What's in it?"

"Well, she said it has all-natural ingredients. Soap, herbs, and oils. That sort of thing," I said, with a shrug. I thought it best not to mention the magical element. I didn't want to freak her out, after all. "I mean, it's just bubble bath. It's worth a shot, right? I figure you'll get a nice bath out of it, at the very least." Beth looked down at the vial for a moment, deliberating. "But it might help your back, too! It's supposed to, anyway."

"Well, I do like bubble gum," she finally said, with a little shrug. She handed both the card and the vial back to me, and I took them from her and shoved them back into my pockets again. "I guess I'll try it. Could you grab me a glass of water, please? I want to take a couple of these pills first."

"Oh yeah, sure!" I piped up. I headed over to the kitchen cabinet, then grabbed her a glass and filled it up at the sink. I carefully brought the water over to her as Beth opened the bottle and popped a couple of the pills into her mouth. She took the glass from me and took a swig before gulping them both down. She smiled as she let out a satisfied exhale, then quickly chugged the rest of the water before handing the glass back to me. I took the glass from her, and the corners of my own mouth pulled upward into a grin at the sight of her in such high spirits. "Did you need any help making it to the bathroom?"

"I... think I can manage," Beth said, as heat blazed in her cheeks. "Thanks, though." She tentatively stood up, seemingly stifling a grimace as she did so. The bag of peas fell to the ground, and Beth stumbled a bit as she got onto her feet. Thankfully, the 'ice pack' had actually seemed to help dull the pain a bit - she could stand up, at least. She smiled and took a couple hesitant steps but then immediately tensed up as her face scrunched up into another grimace. I picked up the bag of peas and tucked them under my arm with a shiver, then took Beth's hand and gently squeezed it as she opened her mouth to cry out, but she managed to stop herself from making any noise.

"Here, let me help you." I leaned against her and gently guided her through the apartment, and her cheeks turned crimson as she spoke up again.

"Thanks, John. I'm... sorry." We made a quick stop in the kitchen, and I put the glass on the counter and the peas back in the freezer before we continued to the bathroom.

"You don't need to apologize, Beth; I'm happy to help." Beth nodded after a moment, and a sad smile found its way onto her face.

The whole situation reminded me of the time she had spent recovering from her fall, and memories of our wedding day threatened to rush back to the surface, but I pushed them away and focused on the feeling of her fingers gently threaded through mine as I pressed onward. Beth let out a sigh before she spoke up again, saying, "I really hope this bubble bath helps."

"Me too," I agreed, with a slight frown. I hated to see her in so much pain. The two of us finally reached the bathroom, and I opened the door and led her in before helping her over to the bathtub. She grimaced as she tried to take off her shirt.

"Could you... help me with this, too, please?" The words crackled with an edge of frustration. Her cheeks were burning, and her gaze was trained on the bathroom's cracked tile flooring.

"Of course, sweetheart," I said, my lips pressed into a small smile as I gingerly pulled off her tank top. I carefully helped her undress the rest of the way, and she shivered as she stood there next to the bathtub, completely naked. Her lips were pressed into a frown, and she let out a long sigh.

"I hate this," she murmured, so softly I almost didn't catch it.

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked, frowning.

"Not being able to do things for myself," she said, as her frown deepened. "It's like I never even got better... like all the progress I've made so far has been... for nothing. It makes me feel so weak... like I'm... made of glass, or something." I was silent for a moment, but then I shook my head at her.

"You are not 'made of glass,' Beth... God, if anything you're made of steel, sweetheart," I said. She finally smiled at that. "You're the strongest woman I've ever met. I mean, you're in better shape than ever. You'll get over this - I'm sure of it."

"Oh, I know I will," she said, confidently, "It's just... frustrating. I can barely stand up at the moment, after all." Her voice was a bit glum. I gave her hand another comforting squeeze with mine.

"Well, then it's a good thing you're about to take a bath, isn't it?" I asked, with a grin. Beth's smile returned after a moment, and she nodded.

I beamed back at her as I turned the hot water on, making sure to turn it to the right temperature; Beth always liked her bath water scalding. I closed the drain and pulled the little vial of pink liquid out of my pocket, then gently pulled the on the cork stopper. It slid out with a low-pitched little plunk, and the pleasing scent of bubble gum immediately drifted toward my nose; it really did smell good. "Holy shit, this smells awesome. Here, smell it." I held the vial out toward Beth, and she leaned in a bit and tentatively sniffed it.

"Oh, hell yes," she purred, punctuating the sentence with a little moan as she nibbled at her bottom lip. My eyes widened as I saw her nipples standing at stiff attention already - it must have been from the cold; it had to be. I mean, yeah, the bubble bath smelled good, but I don't know if it smelled that good. "I can't wait for this." The words came out in a seductive, husky tone as Beth eyed me hungrily and suddenly tilted her head forward and pressed her lips against mine. Just like that we started to make out, but as Beth went to wrap her hands around me, she tensed up again and quickly pulled away with a frustrated scowl. "Ow, ow. Shit! God, I hate this." She let out a huff and absentmindedly traced her fingers along the edge of the bathtub as she grumpily eyed the vial in my hand. "That stuff better work."

"Here's hoping," I said, as I tipped the vial upside down and poured the contents of it into the bathtub. The liquid quickly mixed with the running water and dispersed into a cloud of pink as the sugary sweet smell of bubble gum in the room only intensified. Beth took another big sniff and moaned again, and my cock stirred in my jeans at the sound. I was admittedly still a bit disappointed that our little make-out session had been interrupted. I would have offered to join her in the tub, but it wasn't big enough for the two of us; besides, she deserved a little alone time after the night she'd had. "Um, did you need me to help you get in?" I asked, over the sound of the running water. She shook her head.

"Nope. I'll be okay, I think," she said as she slowly and very carefully clambered over the side of the tub before settling into the gathering pool of steaming pink water. It didn't look like the bubble bath was bubbling up very much, but I figured it might take a bit of time to work. A dreamy smile still managed to find its way to Beth's face, despite the lack of bubbles. "God, this is amazing. I swear, I feel better already. That business card had her number on it, right? I gotta call this lady and thank her personally tomorrow."

"Yeah, it's on there," I said, with a chuckle. "I'm glad you're feeling a bit better already. For now, just sit back, relax, and let that stuff do its thing. I'll leave you to it, Beth... I love you." I was a little hurt that she didn't respond in kind; she simply nodded and bit her lip again as she let out another little moan. The water level continued to rise around her, and I watched as her hand tentatively drifted down toward her thighs; it took every ounce of willpower in me to not strip down right there and jump in that tub with her, lack of legroom be damned. My heart was heavy, and my dick was limp as I carefully set the empty vial in the trash can and trudged out of the bathroom. I shot Beth one last longing glance before I shut the door behind me, leaving her to enjoy her alone time.

I laid down on the couch and pulled out my phone, absentmindedly scrolling through social media for a bit, all the while trying my best to ignore the increasingly spirited moans that were emanating from the bathroom. I could even hear them over the sound of the damn water running. I laid down and tried to ignore Beth's excited elicitations with a sigh. I wish I could have been in there with her, but at least she was having a good time. Soon enough, the events of the night started to catch up to me as my eyes started to grow heavy, and I drifted off to sleep.

"JOHN!" I woke with a start, jarred from my catnap by the sound of Beth's panicked yell, and took me a moment to remember what was going on. "John?! Come here!" She yelled for me again, and it took me a moment to remember that she had been taking a bath. I bolted up from the couch and rushed over to the bathroom door before throwing it open. My heart was hammering in my chest, but it ended up skipping a beat as I took in the sight that was waiting for me in the tub.

Beth's breathing was ragged as she sat in the pink water, staring at her hands with a look of abject horror on her face. My eyes widened as I realized that it wasn't just the water that was pink - her hands were, too. And her face. Even her hair had brightened somehow, changing to the same bubble gum-colored shade as the pool of water she was sitting in. There still weren't any bubbles in the water at all; clearly, it hadn't been a very good bubble bath.

"What is this?" she asked, frantically as she looked up at me. Her face was a maelstrom of emotion; she somehow managed to look panicked, perplexed, and pissed off all at once. "John what's going on? What's happening to me?!"

"I-I don't know! I don't know," I sputtered, trying to quiet my racing pulse. Beth was panicking, and rightfully so; I had to do my best to stay calm and figure out whatever the hell was going on. "Maybe it's just, like, dye, or something, from the bubble bath. Do you... feel okay?"

"What do you think? Just... look at me!" Beth exclaimed as she stood up, causing a splash of pink-tinged water to slosh out of the tub and drip onto the tile. I gasped when I saw that even her pubic hair had been dyed pink. "I'm fucking pink, John! So no, I do not feel okay right now! I feel very much not okay!"

"Alright, alright. Just... try to calm down. Your back seems to be better, at least. Right?" Her eyes widened, and she tentatively reached her left hand down to her back.

"Erm, yeah," she grumbled, as she ran the other through her pink locks. "I... guess it is."

"Well, that's good, at least, right?" Beth hesitantly nodded, after a moment, but she was still frowning. "Look, I'll... call the shop and ask about it. I'm sure it's just the dye, Beth." Beth was silent for a second before she nodded again, a bit more confidently. I flashed her the most reassuring smile I could muster in an effort to try and comfort her. I really hoped it was just the dye. I stepped out of the bathroom and moved back to the couch, fishing the shop's business card out of my back pocket before sitting down. I pulled out my phone and frowned as I frantically dialed the number and put the call through. Mira did say the store was open 24 hours, but she could still be asleep; I prayed that wouldn't be the case. I really didn't want to have to wait until morning to figure out what was going on. I grimaced as the long, droning rings seemed to carry on endlessly, and I grew more and more anxious with each new ring. I breathed a sigh of relief when Mira finally picked up.

"H-hello," she said, admittedly sounding like she had just woken up. "You've reached. Mira's Marvels." She yawned loudly into the receiver. "Oops. S-sorry. What can I do for you?"

"Hi, Mira. It's John. I'm, er, sorry to wake you, but I have a bit of a problem," I said. "Something went wrong with that bubble bath you gave me."

"No, you're fine; I was just taking a little snooze," she said. "I needed to get up to feed Crunch-Wrap, anyway, but you mentioned a problem with the bubble bath? What's going on?"

"Um, was there some kind of dye or something in it? Because my wife is... well, she's... pink, now."