A 10 Days With My Devil Christmas

Fruitcakes! Oh My!

"Thank you! I appreciate the gift." I shouted out to the neighbors from across the yard. I held two gift wrapped brick-like cakes and walked toward the front door of the demon house. "Ugh.." I sighed heavily as I opened the door and went to set the fruitcake down on the kitchen table. "I've gotten these every year since I have arrived to the demon house and they always taste so bad. Someone has to tell them to please, for the love of all that is good, stop making these."

"Stop making what?"

"Ah!" I jumped and looked up to where the voice was coming from. "M-Meguru, please don't do that.."

? He tilted his head confused. Apparently he had no idea he just me jump a few feet in the air.

"Showing up suddenly without warning, Meguru. You gave me a heart attack."

"A heart attack!?"

"Oh! Metaphorically speaking." I smiled to show him that I was alright.

"Oh..good." He smiled back. Meguru's eyes moved downward to the wrapped fruitcake on the table. "What's this?" He took one from the table and inspected it.

"It's just fruitcake. Our neighbors gave it to us as a gift......"

"What's with that look? Do you not like their cake?"

"Well..." I averted my eyes. "Honestly....yeah..." I lowered my head. I felt bad.

I heard Meguru giggle. "Haha. Come on, it can't be that bad." He unwrapped the cake and studied it. "Is it supposed to look like that?"

"No...it really isn't..."

"It looks like a hard, expired loaf of bread with different colored fruit in it.."

"Fruitcake normally looks.....better....Uh, anyways, try it! Maybe you'd like it?"

Meguru took a bite out of the fruitcake. His eyes widened and he looked like he was about to vomit.

"M-Meguru!?" Shocked, I rushed to his side, but he stopped me by putting up his hand.

He shook his head as if telling me he's alright and ran into the kitchen. I couldn't help but laugh at his exaggerated reaction. A few moments later, he came back with a glass of water. He took big gulps of it. "Hehe." I accidentally let slip out a giggle.

"Ugh.." He swallowed another gulp of water. "W-Why are you laughing??" He shot a playful glare at me, while he went to stand beside me, in front of the fruitcake. "Okay, you're right, it is bad."

"Told ya"

"Hm...I wanna try something.."

"And what is that?" I glanced at him curiously.

"I want to make a fruitcake myself. I've never made one before, but I think I should give it a shot to replace the one I just had. Now that I think about it, I think I've heard humans on TV talking about fruitcakes before. According to them, these cakes are hard to make and not very many can achieve making them taste good."

"Yep. It can be a Christmas delicacy or worse than getting coal from Santa."

"I'll make sure it is the best fruitcake you have ever had. That will be my goal. To make the best fruitcake in the world!"

"With your cooking skills, I am sure that you can do it."

We smiled at each other and immediately got started. I helped Meguru by looking up recipes, shopping for the ingredients with him and setting everything up. 

Now all that's left is to actually start baking. This is my cue to leave. 

"Where are you going?" Meguru was busy mixing ingredients when he sensed me leaving the kitchen.