"What did you buy?" Phoebe Halliwell asked, nose wrinkling in unmistakable disgust at the stench that seemed to be following her second-oldest sister, Piper, whose arms were loaded with groceries.
Piper angrily held up her new shoe. "Dog feces."
Prue frowned. "We weren't out of that."
"Correction," Paige snapped, clearly as annoyed as Piper. "We definitely did not need that."
"I stepped in it again." Piper growled. Her new shoes were a shiny beauty that had cost a fortune. "That man has turned our front walk into a puppy mine field."
Phoebe paled. "I cannot believe that guy still lets his dog do his business right in front of our house."
"Yeah, well, we've left notes." Prue said.
Piper rolled her eyes. "And gotten nowhere."
"Pretending to be blind, I see." Paige smiled thoughtfully. "How about giving him a taste of his own medicine? I know no better cure than that for curing blindness."
"Well said, sister." Phoebe slapped her younger sister on the back. "Next time we catch him in the act, let's all give me a piece of our minds."
It was then the barking of a dog reached their ears.
Piper blinked. "That couldn't be."
Paige simply snarled. Phoebe rubbed her hands in gleeful delight. "Oh, I hope it is."
The four sisters made their way to the window. What they saw did not disappoint them.
Piper stared disbelievingly. "That's them. That's the guy and his dog. I can't believe it."
Prue's eyes widened. "That is so rude. He's just going to walk away."
"Then don't let him." Phoebe folded her arms, a haughty, self-righteous look on her face. "Use witchcraft. Well, if you can't teach the dog new tricks, how about the owner? Just think the money we'd save on carpet-cleaning alone."
"Phoebe, we can't use our magic just to teach him or anybody else a lesson." Prue said, recalling the cardinal rule that all witches – no matter how powerful or skilful they were – were bound to obey.
"She's right, Phoebe." Paige sighed, as vivid memories of unpleasant incidents that stemmed from the four of them breaking the irritating but strict rules flashed before her. "Maybe we should tell Andy."
Phoebe stared at them, incredulous. "And tell him what? That some dog has taken a particular liking to our house, so much so that it leaves unforgettable souvenirs every time it passes by, and its master does nothing about it because he's a blind fool? Please. He'll probably laugh until his ribs crack. It's too trivial a matter to alert the police anyway."
"But…" Piper tried to protest, but failed.
"Besides," Phoebe continued. "It's for the Greater Good, right? I mean, I mean, that's our job, right? Think of it as community service. We'd be doing our whole block a favour. Come on."
As quietly as possible, the window was opened.
"Okay, Piper." Phoebe whispered.
"I hope he's not out of my range." Piper waved her hands. The man and his dog became as still as statues.
Phoebe smiled a sugary smile. "Prue…"
With a snap of her fingers, the oldest Halliwell sister telekinetically sent the smelly, utterly disgusting substance on the man's shoe. She could not help but grin. Revenge really was sweeter than she had imagined it to be.
"Nice shot."
"Don't forget me." Paige said, thickly through a mouthful of banana. "Banana peel!"
The banana peel in her hand vanished in a swirl of little orbs of rich red-velvet lights, and materialized right under the man's shoe. Trying her best not to laugh at what was going to happen next; Piper waved her hands again.
With a nasty whoosh and bam, the man fell on the floor, landing painfully on his buttock. Dark satisfaction washed over each and every one of the sisters.
Phoebe sighed, content. "An eye for an eye…a shoe for a shoe…" That will teach him to mess with the Halliwell sisters.
As if on cue, the man, still groaning with pain, turned…and stared directly at the four sisters by their window.
Alarmed, the sisters drew the curtains close.
"Did he see us?" Prue asked, almost breathless.
"So what if he did?" Phoebe asked. "What's he going to do? Cry witch?" The mere idea of it was laughable. "Well, we've done our good deed for the day. I think I deserve fifteen minutes of channel surfing."
Piper smiled, her bad mood over her ruined shoe vanishing without a trace. "Who wants coffee?"
Prue rubbed her hands. "I'll grind."
"Count me in." Paige could never resist the temptation of coffee.
As her sisters made their way to the kitchen, Phoebe fell on the couch, a sense of satisfactory achievement spreading throughout her entire being like a virus that had been starved for a thousand years. She turned on the television, only to be greeted with a news report about a baseball player named Cal Greene. Great, she mused, just what we need – another champion wannabe. Why is it that so much attention to these stupid creatures that could do nothing else but kick a ball? Suddenly, the channel changed by itself, and what Phoebe saw horrified her. The screams that echoed throughout the manor were simply ear-piercing and the pure embodiment of fear.
"Phoebe, are you okay?" Prue fussed over her younger sister.
"Take a deep breath, honey, it's all right." Piper said softly.
It was then that Paige recognized that look on her sister's face. "A premonition?"
Phoebe nodded quietly. Her eyes were wild with dread, and her face was as white as a sheet. "I saw my future. I was being persecuted…burned alive."