By Ginger Strivelli
Arabella gathered the ingredients that she would need to make a chocolate cake. She carefully measured out the flour and the sugar without incident, but when she opened the can of cocoa an odd puff of smoke rose from the can.
Arabella held the can up to peer inside. She shook her head to clear the bats from the belfry and returned to the task at hand. She added the other ingredients and began to stir the thick mixture. She forced the spoon around and around the overflowing bowl.
"I wish I had an electric mixer," Arabella said to herself.
Just then her old wooden spoon became a hand mixer. She held it up and studied it closely, before she had a chance to question her sanity, a spell of smoke distracted her. She opened the oven door but found nothing burning in there as she had forgotten to preheat the oven. She shut the door asnd turned the knob to 350 degrees.
Arabella sniffed the air...she smelled only chocolate now. Shaking her head yet again, she flipped the switch of the mixer and finished mixing the cake batter. Filling two pans she then put them into the oven, cleaned up her mess, made the icing and finally sat down to read the paper while awaiting her cake's baking.
"Oh, I wish, I had thought to add that bag of chocolate chips to the batter," she told her old black cat as it jumped into her lap.
The cat nearly got stepped on as Arabella jumped up to see if the cake was burning, when she smelled the smoke. It wasn't burning but it was ready to come out of the oven. She placed it on the countertop to cool, finished reading the paper, iced the cake, and cut herself a slice. Just after taking her first bite, she leaped from her seat to the trash can. Sure enough, the empty chocolate chip bag lay atop the broken egg shells. "Did I forget mixing them in?" she mused outloud.
Arabella turned around to see the cat licking the icing off her slice of cake. "Oh you dreadful cat....I wish you had better manners!" Arabella exclaimed angrily.
"Oh pardon me!" the cat started as he stood up on his hind legs. "I'll just tidy up this mess, Mistress, then i will serve you another piece of your terribly delicious chocolate cake."
"What!?" Arabella Shrieked, looking around to find the cause of the reoccuring smoke.
"Here you go, Mistress, a new slice of cake for you and one for myself, that is if you don't mind my joining you," the bewitched cat said.
"I must be mad! I wish the police would just come and take me to a nice quiet institution, before I start seeing dragons and trolls!" Arabella said, hiding her face in her hands.
"Oh, dear me, you mustn't upset yourself so. Here, let me get you an aspirin."
Of course, the police never came, since Arabella had used up her three wishes and the Chocolate Genie had gone away, but she did live out the rest of her bewildered days with a very polite cat.
back to Musings' Main menu
