Christmas Cookie Queen

I live in a quiet town, and I have lived here all my life. I pride myself in making the best cookies around. Aside from the normal holiday cheer that fallows me this time of year I get a cretin glee out of entering and I have you know winning the Christmas Cookie Queen competition. I try to be a humble person but I must admit there is never really any one who can come close to my beautiful, scrumptious and aromatic cookies I cook up this time of year.

 

I live in a small pink house on Nightshade Lane. It is a very cute and quiet neighborhood.

In the spring the cherry blossoms lining the streets bloom and resemble pink snow. In the summer every picket fence is garnished with a rainbow of beautiful roses. In the fall the harvest decorations make you feel like you are witness to the first thanksgiving. Ahh but in the winter my favorite time of year with my favorite holiday every branch, bush, eave, and overhang twinkle with the lights of Christmas.

 

I am getting ready to seal the deal on opening my own cookie shop after I have this last contest under my belt. It will be a perfect end to a perfect year. Candy’s Cookie Creations opens on new years eve should everything go according to plan. The plaques of my accomplishments will line the walls and every trophy will have its place on a shelf over the kitchen window. A glass case will contain my crowns and scepters from my most prized of events the Christmas Cookie Queen competition. The only other thing I will serve other then cookies is tea. With pink walls, lacey table cloths, large windows, and cushy chairs my patrons will be able to sit and munch on my glorious creations of art and food while they sip their tea and read a good book.

 

I was going to take a box of my twelve days of cookies over to my friends at the local book store, but as I began to great them with my cheery hello I was stopped by the oh’s and ah’s coming from the front counter. What should I see but a woman I did not know standing with her arms crossed in a Christmas sweater and Santa socks bearing an approving grin as my friends Cooed their approval to her about how great everything was. I was stretching trying to see what was so great that this stranger had swept in with that would cause such praise. To my horror it was cookies! TThey were the most beautifully cut, and decorated cookies I have ever laid eyes on. The fragrance filled the air with the most comforting Christmas smell I had ever experienced. At this point I was introduced to Alice new neighbor and owner of Wonderland Cookie Company.

 

I tied to play it cool as I made the comment that I had never heard of her business. Her reply was simply that she had just opened it ….. Here….. In MY town. I felt my breath catch as my beat friend Sally suggested she enter the Christmas Cookie Queen competition we were going to have at our winter festival. I felt betrayed but at the same time gathered my composure and agreed with her. As she was getting ready to leave she handed me a box of her cookies with a smile and told me to have a nice day.

 

I dropped off my cookies in a rush and made my way back home. As I entered I could barely hold myself together as I fumbled through my drawers frantically searching for scissors to cut the silky red and green ribbon hiding her cookies from me. Finally I succeeded at opening the box and gasped at the sight of her perfect cookies. I took one delicately in my hand and looked over every inch. The box seemed to mock me as I read the words Hand Made. I looked at the edges and there was not a sign of a pinch in the dough from where they would have been pressed with a cookie cutter. The decorative icing was so intricate with detail. On one of her cookies was an entire winter scene in which you could make out the detail of every little snow flake she had placed in the sky. My jaw dropped as I began to realize that she was so much better then me and now she was not only my competition in the contest but in business also.

 

My obsession with her work grew and grew as every day after my normal routine I would sit with my magnifying glass and look for a flaw just one little flaw but alas there was none to be found. I had come to the conclusion in my mind that I had to see her kitchen observer her work area and tools. I would make nice with this new enemy of mine in hopes she would welcome me into her inner sanctum. Later that evening I called on her with some tea and cookies just after her last customer had vanished in the vail of snow. As I entered her store the silver bells above the door rang out announcing my presents there. She was counting the money in her drawer and did not look up when I entered. She greeted me in a cheerful voice, “Sorry we are closed for the evening.” I told her that was okay because I was there to see her and not to purchase cookies.

 

She looked up from what she was doing gave me a glistening grin and invited me to have a set. I showed her the tea and cookies I had brought with me. I tried to be humble and say they were not as good as hers, but I felt like the twitching in my eye my give away the truth. She sat and we chit chatted about what we new best. Our conversation came to a pause and I felt this would be a good time to ask if I could see what I came for. To my surprise she became very defensive sprang to her feet, and started making her way to the kitchen door like she was guarding it from me. I pleaded with her as I drew closer and closer to the door she stood solidly before. When I was about a foot away she charged me and we began to roll around the floor of her dignified establishment as Christmas carols played softly in the background. I broke free of her grasp and burst through the door of her kitchen.

 

To my shock and surprise there was a machine clanking and puffing steam as the cookies were pressed, sent into the oven , cooled, and painted with that glorious detail I had obsessed over. She dashed in and started pawing at me trying desperately to pull my away from the machine that had captured my wide eyed gaze. I would not let her pull me away I turned and looked at her as she started circling me like a lioness on the hunt. She was not backing down even after I started questioning her about everything. She seemed to be trying to hide something else on her desk. I pushed her away as hard as I could and uncovered her sin resting on the flour covered desk. It was a recipe book that belonged to Samoan of Samoans Sweet Symphony. She had been found murdered in her ransacked cookie shop the next state over about two years ago.

 

As this realization struck me I was retrieved from my daze by the most horrid screeching and crunching sound coming from behind me. As I turned my eye’s fixed first on the pool of blood on the floor. Then my gaze met Alice’s body limp on the cutter belt being pummeled by her very own cookie cutters designed to be razor sharp so as to not leave a pinch in the dough. I could have gone to help her but I just stood and watched as her body disappeared into the oven and the smell of burning flesh started to replace the fragrant Christmas cheer that had filled the room minuets before.

 

As I stood posing for pictures with my new Christmas Cookie Queen Crown and scepter I did not think about what had happened on that night. The sheriff came over and congratulated me on my win. In making conversation about the holidays he brought up the strange way Alice up and left town and her business without a goodbye or a reason why. I just grinned and said,” People just do strange things this time of year.” The only remnants that remain are a few blood drop stains on the cover of Samoan’s recipe book. No one will see or even suspect and why would they? It could never be the sweet Christmas Cookie Queen!

 

Reviews

[Nova]

Wow, this was impressive. Writers like you inspire me to try harder. The best story I could think up was about a rabbit.
I really liked this. The way you describe everything especially the cookies makes the reader think that there is a plate of the cookies right next to them.

[Thanh]

it a funny story.

[Kasey Klein]

Hello Paula.

This is certainly a fun tale.

I love the way you use words. My favorite is this:
"Aside from the normal holiday cheer that fallows me this time of year"

That's exactly what holiday cheer does to me.