A young man , nervous and hesitant , pushed the door open and found himself in a spacious room . An old man sat in the rocking chair , reading a thick book of parchment which seemed a classic like Homer ' s Odyssey . Without raising his head , the old man motioned with his finger for the young man to sit down on the chair beside him . The old man said , " Mr . Austen , pleased to make your acquaintance ." I ' m wondering whether you are dealing in , er , a certain mixture that has extraordinary effects , " the young man inquired . " My dear sir , in actuality , everything I sell here is more than ordinary , though my stock in trade is quite moderate . " " But do you . . . " the young man was somewhat anxious . " Here is a liquid as colorless as water , imperceptible in coffee , tea , wine or any other drinks , " the old man interrupted him . " But it is labeled as an almighty cleaner ; it could clean everything , ranging from a glove to life . I believe lives occasionally need cleaning . "" That ' s not what I need , I ' m afraid , " said the young man . " It doesn' t matter . Still I ' d like to let you know its price . For one tiny spoonful , which is , of course , sufficient , I charge no less than six thousand dollars . Not a penny less . " The young man was filled with apprehension . But the old man continued , " However , it might be impractical or even cruel to charge so much for a love potion . Young people love a love potion , but more often than not , they , I mean those who need a love potion , are not wealthy enough to afford it if it is priced so high . So it is priced incredibly low . At this point , a smile lit up the young man ' s face . " The love potion has - " " It has extraordinary effects , the old man said , as if he could read the young man ' s mind . " The effects are permanent and the girl who drinks the love potion will see you as her sole interest in life . The young man left the house , loaded up with happiness . He was too green to know that he and young people like him were most likely to make the old man rich with their own money , for he might visit the old man repeatedly to buy expensive mixtures with extraordinary effects in the future .