Little Red

Cookies and Books

Clari sat in the kitchen on a little wooden stool she once had sat on for time out many years ago. She was much too old for such things, at nineteen years, Clari never got in trouble.

She was charged with watching the oven so the cookies didn't burn. They did not have a timer in their little cottage in the woods, or any sort of technology for that matter. Even though technology was extremely advanced in 4205, her mother was dead-set against using it. Clari didn't mind at all actually, she rather enjoyed reading the thousands of books lying around or neatly tucked away on a shelf. Reading was all she really did, besides taking a blank book and taking long walks in the forest to take notes and draw the plants and animals as she came across them.

But she had never heard any rumors about wolves in their area, she had read stories about them but they had been hunted to extinction years ago.

She never had cause to worry about getting hurt by an animal, the bears and other predators lived further up the mountain and never came down because of hunters about. Their pelts and meat was worth more than any precious metals that could be found in the family mine which was abounding in was once called "Rare Earths". Now of little to no value.

Clari glanced into the oven, her mouth watering as she beheld the golden sugar cookies. "Mother, they are ready!" she called, getting out oven mitts and pulling the shimmering sheet out of the flaming brick hole in the wall. She dashed to the stone counter with her bare feet and slammed the tray down, with a loud rattle as she waved her burning hands in the air. "Ooh hot hot hot" she whispered, letting the gloves fly off and smack against the wall with a dull thud.

Her mother entered the room, gracefully taking Clari's wrists and holding onto them to stop the movement so she could look. "You used the thin oven mitts again didn't you?" she asked tiredly, reaching into her apron pocket and coming up with a small brown bottle, she unscrewed the lid and tipped the bottle upside down, allowing drops to fall onto Clari's burned hands. The smell of lavender and peppermint filled the air and they both sighed, rubbing the oil onto the red mess.

"You really must stop burning yourself Clari. Pay attention." Her mother said, referring to Clari's numerous past accidents. "I can't help that my mind is elsewhere." Clari replied, glancing at the steaming tray of cookies on the counter. "Why are we making cookies?" she asked, pulling away from her mother and holding her hands out to avoid touching anything with her hands.

"Your grandmother is not well, and I thought it would be nice of us to bring her some cookies." Her mother said sagely, using a spatula to lift the cookies from the tray to a cooling rack.

"Grammy is sick? Why didn't you tell me before?!" Clari squeaked, feeling something heavy in her stomach. Her grandmother was very old and never got sick, it must be something serious. A billion fears flooded her mind, bringing with it terrible images of her grandmother shrinking till she was merely skin and bones. For her age, she had a very active imagination. (As you can see)

"It is just a cough. She will be on her feet soon enough." Her mother said, prodding the quickly cooling cookies experimentally before picking one up. She broke it and sneakily gave herself the bigger part, giving Clari the smaller piece.

Clari took the piece and ate it anyways, smiling back at her mom, relived. "I make some pretty good cookies huh mum?" Clari boasted, her mouth full of cookie, some crumbs tumbling out as she spoke.

"What? I made these, com'ere you little mouse!" Her mother teased, smacking Clari lightly on the butt. Clari danced away, giggling. Bare feet skipping over the smooth stone gaily, she and her mother had been alone in the house for years. Her father had died from an electrical power surge in the mine, and her brother moved to the city to help support the family. Later that night, after dinner her mother suggested that Clari take the cookies to her grandmother. Since her mother could not stand the cold.

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