The Alchemist's Diary

Inside the apothecary the alchemical ingredients boil. A man picks up a book from the shelf, his greying hair shows his age. Not one of the several books where the secrets of nature are recorded, but an old, worn journal. He lays it open on the counter. This is the diary of John Hartwell. An alchemist, as his parents before him. His story, his life and the events within the apothecary. Shall we start?