New Beginning 827

“I’ve got nothing to do,” I told Mum.

“I’ve got a headache. You need to play quietly, Oliver.”

“Playing quietly is boring. It’s not fun without Jack.”

But Mum had already shut the door to her bedroom. Why did all my toys look so dull whenever Jack was out? Maybe there was something fun in the kitchen.

Nope, the tidy kitchen was as quiet as the rest of the house. What about the fridge? I wasn’t hungry. Well, not really hungry. Not hungry enough to eat a carrot, but I would munch on something tasty.

And that’s when I saw it. How could I have forgotten yesterday’s birthday dinner?

The cake. The fattest, squashiest cake ever. It was so tall it couldn’t fit in your mouth, even if you opened up as wide as it could go. It was a moist, gooey chocolate cake that stuck to your tongue. There was a shiny frosting on top, so deep that the red cherries sunk almost all the way through. A layer of raspberry jam ran through the middle, so the top and bottom bits stuck together.

It looked so yumalicious.

There wasn’t much left. How could this wedge be shared between us all? It would need to be cut into tiny, thin bits for everyone.

But what if the cake had gone bad? Then nobody would be able to eat it.

I had to make sure that it was still ok.

Very carefully, I lifted the cake from the fridge. It looked fine. I had a sniff. What a sweet, creamy smell.

But how could I be sure it was still good?

“Hey, buddy. What'cha got? Some cake?”

I turned around, and there was Jack! His fur shone in the morning light through the kitchen window, and his silly floppy ears were waving around. He smiled, showing his funny buck teeth.

“I'm just making sure it's okay.” I held the plate out to him. “Want some?”

“No thanks, pal. I'm an herbivore.” He looked at the kitchen door. “Where's your mum?”

“Aw, she's lying down. She has a headache again.”

“Hmm.” Jack frowned. “Maybe we should check her.”

I set the plate on the counter, and started measuring a slice with the knife. “What do you mean, Jack?”

“You know-- take a look inside. Make sure everything's tick-tock and shipshape. Like with the cake.”

I decided on a fair-sized piece. Pretty big, but not so huge Da would be cross. He told Mum I was 'porky', one night when they thought I was asleep. “You're silly, Jack.”

“Well, if you don't care about her...”

Same old Jack, with his games. 'Let's see what's inside puppies'. 'Let's find out what makes kittens go'. 'Let's make Danny Haskins stop taking your lunch'. I cut the cake and put a chunk in my mouth, pressing it flat to fit. Raspberry filling oozed over my fingers. I dropped the knife into the sink so I could lick my hands. “Are you sure you don't want some?” My voice was muffled, but Jack always understood me. “It's yumalicious.”

Jack shook his head. “I should'a picked a skinny kid,” he muttered.


Opening: Anony Mouse.....Continuation: Sean