The Shrinking Potion (Chapter 1)

Chapter 1

A few days earlier......

The two young womens' problem had begun only a few days earlier. Maeve had been cleaning an old wooden shelf in her house when she had discovered an old and extremely dusty dark-blue bottle. When she'd looked at it, she could see a dark, almost black-coloured liquid inside it. It had taken her some major effort to try and prise the top of the bottle but she had nontheless managed it.
(I wonder if Katherine could help me with this?!)
She met her friend and partner, Katherine, in the local pub later that day.  
Maeve took Katherine into a extremely quiet backroom of the pub away from the main pub and resturant area.
"What's that you've got there, Maeve?" Katherine asked somewhat curiously as she sat down.
"Not too sure, Kathy." Maeve replied. "I found it earlier on today when I was cleaning out the old wooden shelf."
Katherine took the bottle.
"Well, it doesn't look like any magic formula I've ever seen before." she remarked rather casually."
"Wait and second, how do you know that it's a magical formula?" Maeve couldn't help but ask.
"Because I just happen to know for an absolute fact that that old house is said to be haunted by the spirits who used to live there." replied Katherine. "It's said that there is meant to be an evil curse on that house and anyone who just happens to live there!"
"But WE both live there and nothing has ever happened to either of us!" Maeve exclaimed.
"That's becuase I've been using my magical powers to keep us safe." Katherine told her.
"I know. Thats why I was kind of hoping that you'd know what it was." Maeve sighed rather heavily.
There was a pause for a few moments.
Maeve then looked at Katherine in a somewhat curious way.
"Do you think that you could create a super-strength formula with that liquid?"
Katherine thought about this for a moment. She then picked up the bottle.
"Do you know something Maeve.....I think I just might be able to do something with this." she replied.
"Great! When can you have it done?"
"Hmmm. It's going to take a while for me to figure out what exactly this is so just try to be patient won't you?"
Maeve nodded eagerly.
"Of course. We don't want to make any extremely bad mistakes with this now do we?"
Katherine looked  at Maeve extremely seriously.
"No.....We don't!" she said quite firmly. "The consequences could be extremely disastrous!"
"Well then...let's get to it!" Maeve exclaimed finishing off her coffee.
"I've got some other work to do at home. I'll see you later."
Katherine nodded.
As she watched Maeve leave, Katherine couldn't help but think "Maeve doesn't realise just how dangerous this misuse of magic could potentially be! I've got to make sure that we get this absolutely right or otherwise we're both in serious trouble!"
Katherine couldn't possibly have known that this mysterious bottle of unknown liquid would land both of them in the most embarrassing and awkward siutation either of them could ever have imagined.
After she finished her coffee, she left the pub to return to her job as a receptionist in the local public library.