Lost In Underland

7: Amber's Quest Begins

Amber again reached for the cabinet, squatted down, and peered inside, seeking Isis's missing bowl but it wasn't there. She closed the cabinet, straightened up, and began chewing her finger nervously as she heard Isis's voice from the dining again, a voice that she was growing to dread.

"Amber" Isis called.

Amber hastened to the stove and turned it off before answering with a dry cracking voice, a result of the fear that had gripped her.

"Coming madam." She forced her voice to sound brighter and repeated. "Coming madam."

She couldn't help but continue to chew her finger and she looked around again, nervous as she remembered a scene that had taken place right there in the kitchen some time ago when she had first started to work in Isis's house. She and Isis were in the kitchen and Isis was showing her the lost ornate-looking bowl which then was sitting on the counter.

"This is my favorite bowl." She said. "It's from the king from when he had eyes for me. He pretended to be poor to woo me and I didn't like that so l let him go. I regret my decision but I use this bowl to remember the good times. When I demand it, you must always serve me with this, do you understand?"

"Yes madam."

"If you ever forget, you'll be in trouble."

"I won't."

"Good for you."

With that, Isis had left the kitchen while Amber had glanced at the bowl, seeing it differently because it was important to Isis who had just warned her to be conscious of that fact. Unfortunately, though, Amber thought, jerking her mind back to the present, the bowl was now more or less, missing. And she still had no idea where it was.

Amber was petrified but she still had to serve food and so she put the sieve in the basin and with the help of a kitchen towel, took the pot off the stove, before pouring its tender contents into the sieve which allowed the excess water to collect in the basin. Seconds later at the dining table, Isis and Rhea looked up at Amber as she approached, a tray in her hand bearing two flat plates of potatoes with vegetable toppings.

"Finally." They chorused with a sigh of relief as Amber reached the table atop where she placed the tray.

Isis and Rhea instantaneously reached for a plate each and placed it before themselves. Then they both frowned at the food, their colorfully adorned heads, jerking up critically at Amber.

"Tell me Amber, has eating with our hands become the norm?" Rhea asked and Amber realized with dismay that she had forgotten to serve them with utensils.

"I wonder," Isis commented.

"I'm so sorry, please hold on," Amber said, hating how she seemed to be apologizing a lot. As she hurried back to the kitchen, she desperately hoped the situations that triggered the apologies would thenceforth disappear for eternity.

Back at the dining table, Rhea looked at her mother with a wondering expression on her face.

"Why is she so dull?" she asked and Isis threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Wish I knew darling, wish I knew."

In the kitchen, Amber took a couple of forks hanging from a spoon stand and exited the kitchen, going through a corridor and into an open door that revealed the dining room where Isis and Rhea were impatiently waiting for her. As she approached, she couldn't help but think that she could probably drown in their glares if their glares were seas.

"Hurry up young lady," Isis said and Rhea threw her hands up in annoyance.

Amber reached the table in a few strides, handing out a fork to each of them which they unceremoniously snatched off her hands and Rhea was the first to start digging in.