They were dancing in a pot on top of the ancient three burner stove which inhabited the other side of the kitchen. Caddlin picked a roasting fork up off the counter, set down the spoon, and stabbed a few of the merry chunks. They split, but just barely.
"A few more minutes on those as well," she thought, then ran her eyes over her small workspace, looking for another way to employ herself. Then jumped as an eggplant shaped timer went off next to the spoon.
She promptly gave the device a good whack with the fork. It let out a few more weak dings then grew silent. Caddlin massaged the tips of her ears. She would not be using that thing again, then looked apprehensively at the door of the oven. Its contents needed to come out now or it would burn. She took a deep breath, armed herself with two colorful hot pads, and opened the door. Instantly the air was filled with the scent of stuffed goose. Moving as fast as she was able,
she grabbed the poultry pan out of the oven and transferred it to the counter, then scrambled frantically through one of the cupboards above her head, eyes watering from the smell. She finally found her object and slammed the lid of the pan over the steaming bird.
All but choking, She ran around the room throwing all the windows wide open, then out the back door into the garden. Hopefully the kitchen would air out a bit while she got her last ingredient. Caddlin rummaged through the ankle deep dead leaves and weeds until she managed to locate a cabbage. She pulled the glossy green vegetable up by the roots, then peeled away it’s muddied outer leaves, glancing at the condition of her house as she worked.
The ancient building was very crooked and one corner was slouching so badly that the roof nearly touched the ground. Here and there bits of wood, ranging from broom handles to ten foot beams, were propped against the walls for support. All in all, it looked like a strong wind would do it in. The only thing that even suggested that the house was inhabited was the bit of smoke leaking from the crooked chimney. She smiled at her handy work. The place looked very foreboding indeed.
She scooped cabbage into her arms and walked happily back to the door.
The ancient building was very crooked and one corner was slouching so badly that the roof nearly touched the ground. Here and there bits of wood, ranging from broom handles to ten foot beams, were propped against the walls for support. All in all, it looked like a strong wind would do it in. The only thing that even suggested that the house was inhabited was the bit of smoke leaking from the crooked chimney. She smiled at her handy work. The place looked very foreboding indeed.
She scooped cabbage into her arms and walked happily back to the door.
Caddlin sniffed the air cautiously before reentering the Kitchen, but only the faintest trace of the meat’s odor remained. The cabbage was plunked into the cauldron followed by a sprinkling of salt and pepper. She looked at the clock, subtracting two hours, then adding sixteen minutes, her guest should be here very soon, then quickly drained the potatoes and dumped them into a serving bowl. She took one more glance around the kitchen for good measure, then made for the set of spindly stairs leading to her room.
The room was shockingly homey given the outside of the building, except everything was still crooked. She snagged a brush off of her dresser and ran its sparse bristles over her enormous bat-like ears and wings, smoothing the brunet fur before turning her attention to her straight black hair. She always thought it looked a bit plain. Caddlin observed it carefully in the cracked dresser mirror, turning her head from side to side trying to decide what to do about it. She settled on a ponytail and set to it quickly. Once her appearance was to her liking she scrabbled back to the kitchen. The room was filled with the sweet smell of cabbage by now. She began setting her slightly warped table for two, placing the goose and potatoes, still covered, in the center before returning to the soup. A good amount of it was scooped into a serving bowl and the cabbage was fished out of the cauldron and placing gently in the center of the dish with the leaves turned out for effect. Caddlin ran her eyes over her preparations one last time before nodding in a satisfied way and walking into the entry to wait for her guest.
She didn't have to wait long. Before too very long there was a timid knocking at the door. She opened it to reveal a young man with sandy fur shifting back and forth nervously on the mat. He held his long bushy tail in his hands and his pointed ears were slightly laid back.
"H-hello, sorry I'm late," he said looking down.
"It's alright," replied Caddlin, trying to sound reassuring. "If you had been on time, the food wouldn't have been ready."
"H-hello, sorry I'm late," he said looking down.
"It's alright," replied Caddlin, trying to sound reassuring. "If you had been on time, the food wouldn't have been ready."
She stepped back, holding the door open for her guest. He timidly stepped inside and almost immediately began sniffing the air.
"You made meat?" he asked looking very surprised.
"I thought you would like that. It's my way of saying welcome to the neighborhood," said Caddlin with a smile.
He smiled back thankfully, revealing his prominently pointed canines. Caddlin led her guest to the kitchen and they both took their seats. As dinner progressed, he began to feel more comfortable. It was wonderful to have someone to talk to. The crooked house was brighter than it had been in a long time."You made meat?" he asked looking very surprised.
"I thought you would like that. It's my way of saying welcome to the neighborhood," said Caddlin with a smile.
This little story was written for a competition a long time ago. I was pretty happy with it at the time, but the more I read it now, the more I think there's something wrong with it. That's just how it goes with old writing, though, at least in my experience. But I still love the idea. It was made to be a stand alone piece, but I would love to work with it more sometime; maybe turn it into a short novel.
If anybody has any thoughts or critique, I would love to hear it.
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