What did Pearl do This Time?

Note: This is my story for the Forum contest. A big thank you to Terra for holding it and good luck to everyone participating.

Prologue:

Pearl looked through her refrigerator and pulled out mayonnaise. She put a large glop on the top of the cake and began to spread it around. Once it was somewhat covered, as in, there were very few unfrosted spots, she added a few mustard roses. Not quite satisfied with her work, she mixed up a little cinnamon sugar with some garlic powder and sprinkled the mixture on the cake more than generously. Now she knew what she would do tomorrow.

Part one: The plan.

The next day, I visited the Hazelnuts' home, because that was where things happened. Savannah loved company and her house was always open for a meeting place. Well, almost always.

Sarah and Susie were there. We went up to the playroom to play, but, there was a mess. Luke and several other babies were cooking, and not doing it right.

I was the first to speak. "Why are you cooking like this?" I asked.

"Pearl Babblebrook taught us how to cook right, at nursery today." Faith replied. "I can cook!"

"Oh no!" we said together.

Grace began to stir whatever was in the bowl. Flour flew everywhere.

All that afternoon, we tried to think of a way to help the babies learn to cook well, and, perhaps, even cook more healthy dishes. (The babies usually cooked sugar loaded messes, but they tried to make them taste good.) But no idea came to us until the next day, when we took a walk to a pond. Shannon Snow-Warren was there, and she heard us talking about the babies' cooking. So she told us her story of learning to cook well.

"You know that Crystal Babblebrook and I have always been good friends? We even still wear the same dress, at least some of the time. Anyway, Crystal was raised on Pearl's food and she didn't really like it. So from a young age she cooked the food herself. At first her food was not good but she kept trying and now she is the best cook in Sylvania. Also remember that all of the babies want to cook, they just need to figure it out."

"But any ideas for the plan?"

"Oh, that's easy," Shannon replied. "Just give them a new ingredient to cook with: chili powder. If you want some Pearl gave me a large jar of it, and, well, I don't cook spicy dishes."

"You're beginning to sound like Buster Slydale!"

"Really!"

I would actually not like to elaborate on what happened as I took the chili powder home. I was walking by myself when Packbat attacked. I threw the chili powder at him and came home safe. But when I came home the babies had their paws on chili powder and were making Packbat bombs. I was rather discouraged.

"You couldn't have done anything better." Sarah said.

"We'll find another way to teach them." Susie added.

"Thank you." I replied. I really meant it , but I was still very sad.

"We could make a rule that they have to eat what they make." Susie was thinking hard.

"It might take the mayor to enforce that." Sarah sadly answered.

I brightened a little. "You gave me an idea."

Part two: The Winner of the Contest

The next day, Jason Cuddle's father dropped by the nursery.

"Do any of you like cooking?" he asked.

A unanimous "Yes!!!"

"Well, I have good news for you. All of Sylvania is invited to a cooking competition. For this competition, we will judge by how well you cooked the food, not by the complexity of the recipe. We will also be keeping an eye on how healthy the recipes are. That doesn't mean you can't make desserts, but they must be more than heaps of sugar."

"And what is the prize?" Luke Hazelnut asked. He realized what Arthur was doing, at least to an extent.

"The winner will get a ride in the Skyride Adventure, followed by ice cream at Sandra Sandy's store, not to mention their picture in the paper."

At eleven the next day, the contest was in full swing. The judges, Harlan Hopscotch, Crystal Babblebrook, and a few others, were eating bites of the food and making notes on it. Most of the contestants were playing in the hill behind main street. After about an hour of judging, Arthur called us back. It took a while to get all the critters accounted for, but then Arthur announced the judges decision. "We have fifteen winners," he announced. That was fairly like him, to make it seem like there was only one winner when there were fifteen.

"Before I announce the winners, you all should know that you did really well. Congratulations to all the delicious and healthful entries. Now for the winners. We had five classes and three age groups. First, for the babies group, in the savory class, we have a somewhat unexpected winner: Faith Silk!"

I saw Susie near the end of the competition. "They learned to cook," she said. "That was a good idea.

"Thank you" I responded. "But what happened with Faith? She was so surprised to win the competition."

So Susie began...

"Her story is not unlike Crystal's story. It begins when Arthur dropped by the nursery. Faith did not think that she could win the competition but she really wanted to, not because she wanted the prize, but because she wanted to prove to herself that she could cook. She was the most determined of the babies.

Very early the next morning, she asked me how you cooked; how you cooked well.

"Just follow the recipe!" I replied.

"Anything else?"

"Maybe don't do a dessert, do something savory."

Faith carefully made a two pizzas, and, with her mother's help, baked them.She then took it up to the twins, Cleo and Kenny.

"How is it?" she asked them after they tried it.

"Detestible!" said Cleo.

"Yes. That." added Kenny.

Forgetting both pizzas along with a few other things, Faith started to cry. Cleo and Kenny left the room.

"But how..." I began.

"You'll see." Susie replied.

"You don't know what I was going to say."

We both giggled. Then Susie said, "Fair point," and continued:

The rest of us were enjoying ourselves outside when Cleo and Kenny, dragging a pizza behind them, came out.

"Try. Good." Kenny said.

"This is the best pizza I ever tasted!" Holly said.

I was proud of Faith. "She could easily win the cooking competition. All she needed to do was believe in herself."

We all went inside to see Faith. But she was already off to the cooking competition with the rest of the babies.

"She forgot her pizza!" we all exclaimed.

"We'll take it for her," Mother said.

And so, in a few minutes we were off.

I was the first to meet up with Faith.

"Why is my pizza here?" she asked. "The twins said it was detestable."

"The twins have been known to mix up their words." I answered. She went over to where the twins were. "Are you sure you didn't mean delectable?"

"Meant that. So good." Kenny said.

"Yes." Cleo agreed.

The list of everyone in second and third place was now coming. I was surprised to hear "breakfast category, third place, Leyla Mango..."

"What did you make?" asked Susie.

"Do not tell the babies that they were Packbat bombs, aka breakfast rolls, without the chili powder."

"I won't."

We have never had a worse cooking mishap. Mmmm, thinking of cooking makes me want a drink of milk. So that will be the end of the story.