Short fiction. Writing from a prompt. Part 1 here.
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Emily explored her new cookbook, reading through the recipes page by page and taking time to think through the ingredients and procedures. She was looking for something that would pop out at her…some special recipe that did not remind her of any other recipe she had ever seen or tried. She was so consumed with reading through the book and deciphering the many notes, some of which appeared to be in different languages and in different handwriting that she forgot all about the competition she had applied to enter. As she sat with the book in her hands, feeling the vibrations of those that had used it before her, it grew dark outside and before she knew it, she had to get up and turn on the lights. As she got up, she placed the book on the table. Coming back to the book after flipping the light switch to the on position, she noticed the pointy corner of a faded pink piece of paper. She hadn’t seen it before but it was there now. She tugged at it gently. It appeared to be stuck between the back board and the endpaper of the cookbook. It was in there tightly and Emily realized that it could not have gotten back there by mistake. It was intentionally hidden there. She wondered why as she finally freed the paper from its hiding place.
The paper was old and the edges were not in the best shape. The outside of it was more faded than the inside. As she unfolded the paper, Emily saw what was definitely feminine writing with a lot of loops and flourishes. It was a letter which read: “Beloved niece, this is what you asked me for but I warn you that it is to be used only on the young man that you are sure is the perfect mate. You must be one hundred percent positive that the young man is the one you wish will adore you til the day he dies; the one you will honour and cherish all the days of your life. Once consumed, there is no turning back and the two of you will be bound together forever. So be very careful and choose wisely. If there is any doubt, do not use it. Wait until there is not a sliver of doubt.”
Intrigued, Emily read the few lines to the recipe: “Philtre d’amour–dittany of crete, banana leaves, boil in water then add to chocolate. Administer mixture as a drink every night during the waxing moon. While you boil and prepare the ingredients, you must think only of your beloved and imagine seeing him/her in their natural state and cherishing them every day of your life. To be prepared and administered with the greatest of caution.”
Giggling at the silliness of even the idea of a love potion, Emily folded the paper and returned it to its secret hiding place. She continued to browse the recipes in the book and finally came upon one that intrigued her. It was for a simple, yet very appealing banana chocolate cake. She marked it so she could prepare it the next day just in case she made it to the competition. She might just need a new recipe for that occasion.
In the end, Emily was accepted into the competition and not only did she win in her category, she also fell absolutely, totally in love with one of the judges. His name was Romero and he had paid special attention to Emily throughout the competition. When it was over, he had asked her if she would like to go on a date with him. Three dates later, Emily had found the one man that was her true love; the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She remember the faded pink paper in her chocolate cookbook and knew that it was put there and meant to be found by her so that she could win the heart of her true love, Romero. She pulled it out of the cookbook and began to look it over so she could get the ingredients and make the love potion. She would have to hurry as the moon would be entering its waxing stage in just three nights. She studied the paper carefully, eyes full of dreams of her future.
The prompt: A woman purchases an old cookbook at a used bookstore and discovers a note tucked inside its pages.
Source: The Writer’s Book of Matches: 1001 Prompts to Ignite Your Fiction, by the Staff of Fresh Boiled Peanuts, put out by Writer’s Digest Books.
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