Tornado in Cake Land

Tornado in Cake Land

Written by Scarlett, Lydia, Ella, and Miss Jeanne

“Ahhh!” the gingerbread man shrieked and ran for his life.

Tornado raced after him, then leapt into the air and flapped his wings. “I’ll get you! Nothing is faster than a winged cat.” Tornado swooped down as the delicious-looking cookie tried to flee out the door. In one quick bite, the gingerbread man lost his head.

“Delicious.” Tornado swallowed the yummy treat, swirled his long tongue around his mouth, and then bit into the decorated tummy of the now-lifeless cookie.

“Get out of my bakery!” Nicole, the baker, yelled and raced toward Tornado, wielding a broom.

Tornado bolted out the door. He paused when he reached the street, looked back at Nicole, and smirked. He flew away with the legs of the gingerbread man dangling from his mouth.

Nicole shook the broom in the air. “Never come back here again, you silly cat!” She sighed and shut the door.

Her assistant, Elizabeth, came to her side. “Maybe we shouldn’t have enchanted the cookies and all our other treats. We might have thought that bringing them to life would help keep the cats from wanting to eat them, but we should have known that cats like to chase their meals.”

“You’re right.” Nicole crossed to one of the bakery tables, pulled out a chair, and sat. She slumped in the chair. “I didn’t think it through properly. Now, only the cats want to eat what we bake. People won’t eat talking food—they think it’s cruel.”

“I admit,” Elizabeth said, “I’ve stopped eating our baked goods. I’ve been naming them instead.”

Nicole frowned and shook her head. “I’ll remove the spell, but that won’t solve our problem with the cats. Somehow, they always manage to get inside the bakery.”

“Tornado is the worst, but he’s kind of sweet—in a strange cat-like way.”

“Sweet? He taunts us.”

Elizabeth sat down across from Nicole. “I think he’s just hungry. Well, that and he’s trying to impress the kitty queen. You know, Ella, the catacorn?”

“I suppose that’s why he flew off without eating the gingerbread man’s legs. I suppose they’re for her.”

Elizabeth leaned across the table. “Have you ever seen her?”

“The catacorn? Yes. Once. She’s lovely.”

“And rare. There are only a handful of catacorns in the realm. They’re rarer than unicorns.” Elizabeth thrummed her fingers on the top of the table. “Maybe we need to make a compromise with the cats. I’ve seen mice skittering about. Why don’t we see if Tornado would be willing to catch mice instead of cookies, and we can pay him for his service in treats?”

Nicole sat up tall. “That sounds like a wonderful plan. But will he catch mice? What if he doesn’t like to do that sort of thing? Some of the mice I’ve seen are huge.”

“It can’t hurt to ask him.”

The two bakers smiled at each other.

“All right.” Nicole stood from her chair. “Let’s get back to baking. I’ll remove the enchantment, and we’ll stock up on baked goods. By tomorrow, we’ll have plenty to offer Tornado and Queen Ella.”

***

Tornado proudly stood in front of Queen Ella—the most amazing cat he’d ever encountered in all his nine lives. He stared at the multi-colored horn that swirled into a point at the top of her head. It mesmerized him.

“Did you like the gingerbread legs?” he asked her.

“They tasted purrrrfect,” she replied. “Will you bring me more tomorrow?”

“Of course, My Queen. Whatever you desire.”

She had yet to choose a mate, and Tornado hoped to be selected.

The queen stared right at him. “Perhaps cake tomorrow? A sweet chocolate cake with white icing?”

“If they have it, I will catch it for you.” Tornado grinned at the queen and bowed.

“Purrrrfect.” She licked her mouth and curled into a ball. “Now, it is time for my nap. Leave me.”

“Yes, My Queen.” Tornado flew away to his corner of the cat house and decided to take a nap as well. He needed to store up energy for his trip back to the bakery.

***

Nicole paced.

She and Elizabeth decided to leave the front door of the bakery wide open in hopes that Tornado would swoop in and be willing to talk.

Nicole had removed the enchantment that brought their baked goods to life, and all of their pastries, cookies, and cakes lined the shelves inside the display cases. Surely, Tornado would wonder why the treats weren’t running freely about.

Several hours passed, and finally, quick as a whip, Tornado flew inside the bakery.

“I need chocolate cake with white icing!” he hollered as he veered over the tops of Nicole and Elizabeth’s heads. He swooped toward the display case. “Why aren’t your baked goods moving?”

He stopped directly in front of the row of cakes. “Run! I want to chase you!” he screamed at the desserts.

Now unenchanted, they didn’t move, nor did they utter a sound.

Tornado whipped around and faced Nicole. “Is this a trick?” His head bobbed from side to side. “Where’s your broom? Why aren’t you chasing me out the door?”

Nicole slowly approached him. “We want a compromise. The baked goods are no longer enchanted, so you can’t pursue them. However, we’ve had an increasing number of mice come into the bakery. Big mice. If you catch them for us and remove them from the bakery, we’ll reward you with any baked goods you like. Will you do that?”

Tornado shuddered. “Mice? Ugh. I hate mice. They taste nasty.”

Elizabeth eased closer to him. “Well…you don’t have to eat them. Just get them out of the bakery. Hold them in your claws and fly off with them far away. Or take them to the ogre that lives under the bridge. He likes mice.” She cast a quirky grin.

Tornado tapped a paw to his chin in deep thought. “Very well. I’ll rid you of your mice, but how do I know you’ll keep your promise and give me treats? I have a queen to impress, and she wants chocolate cake with white icing.”

Nicole bent down to his level. “I promise to give you whatever you want to eat. I’m tired of chasing you, Tornado, and I think it would be better if we help each other. Agreed?” She held out a hand.

Tornado eyed her closely, then slowly placed his paw atop her hand. “Agreed.”

From the corner of his eye, he spotted a mouse inching toward the display case. “Time to fly!” He leapt into the air, flapped his wings, and pounced on the mouse.

The mouse shrieked as Tornado grabbed hold of it with his sharp claws.

That night, an ogre had several mice for dinner, the queen catacorn ate chocolate cake with white icing, and Tornado moved one step closer to being the prince of the realm.

Nicole and Elizabeth baked more than ever before, and now that their treats no longer talked, people returned to the bakery and happily bought whatever the bakers made.

They all lived happily ever after…