Alphas Choice

E I G H T E E N

I walked into the kitchen to find a man half in the stove. No one else was around. Everyone must be taking a break before starting dinner prep. I walked closer to the man and saw he was fixing something inside. I let him do his work, and I placed the dirty dishes into the dishwasher and put the tray away.

The man came out of the oven and noticed me. He was short with red hair and long arms. He bowed to me and smiled before collecting his tools and turning to walk away. He didn't say a word. That was a little odd, I thought, but at least the stove is all set now. I decided to see what Hannah and Myra were up to.

Hi Hannah, are you busy?  I asked, though the link

Hey Grace, I am just out for a walk with Myra. She was showing me the orchards they have. There will be lots of pears and apples in the summer and fall! Some wolves are picking strawberries now that taste amazing!  She linked back excitedly.

Oh perfect, could you see if they can pick some extra for me please, I think I'll make dessert for after supper tonight.

I'll let them know, Grace. Myra and I are on our way back. Are you in the kitchen?

Yes!  I replied happily.

Fresh strawberries will be perfect for strawberry shortcake!

I busied myself around the kitchen, gathering large mixing bowls and the ingredients to make the cake. Once I had everything together, I heard Myra and Hannah come in the door, each holding a flat of strawberries.

"Ouu, they look great!" I said, stealing one off the top and eating it. It was so sweet these will be perfect.

"They are bringing us two more flats in case we need them." Myra said

I nodded happily and explained what I was making. They both offered to help. We each grabbed a bowl, and I let them know how much of each ingredient we needed, and we each made a batch to bake. We poured the batter into large rectangular pans for the oven. Once they were in, I set a timer, and we grabbed some stools to sit around the table while we cut the strawberries.

Hannah and Myra started washing them while I grabbed some bowls and knives, I turned on some music to listen to while we worked. We spent the next 30 minutes laughing and chatting as we cut. We just made it through the second flat when the timer went off, I got up and took them out to cool.

I grabbed three vanilla beans and some sugar. We each scraped the seeds into our bowls and added a few spoonfuls of sugar, then mixed the berries, we were able to find room in the fridge for them.

"Perfect, I'll make some whipped cream closer to supper, and I'll be able to assemble and cut the cake quickly after we eat dinner." I said to them both.

We cleaned up our mess, and Hannah and Myra were heading to the living room to see if anyone wanted to watch a movie before dinner. I said I wanted to talk with Anna a bit that I may join them after. They smiled and left.

I debated if I wanted to start the whipped cream now or later but decided I should do it now so I wasn't in anyone's way for supper prep. I grabbed the cream, sugar, and vanilla and decided to grab some gelatin so when I piped it, it would hold its shape. I'm happy Anna keeps her kitchen so well stocked.

As I was finishing up the second batch, I heard someone come in the kitchen. I turned to see Anna walking over, smiling.

"Well, hello, Grace dear, what are you working on over here?" She glanced into my mixing bowl. "Mmm, whipped cream, are you by chance making something for the pack?" I nodded.

"Myra, Hannah, and I made a shortcake and cut some berries, I'm just going to make another batch of whipped cream, then cut the cakes in half. Then, after dinner, it will only take a few minutes to assemble and cut the cake!" I said excitedly