"Alright, kids! Mark your calendars because today is the day that I finally perfect my mum's soufflé recipe!" Clara exclaimed as she rushed to the kitchens and prepared all the ingredients.
Artie rolled his eyes as Angie sat idly in the sitting room reading a book. From their sitting room, they could hear Clara's footsteps scurrying around the kitchen as she set up all her baking equipment. Soon, the sound of eggs cracking was heard followed by Clara furiously whisking several ingredients together.
"Clara, you're wasting all of the flour and eggs by making those things!" Angie said with a turn of a page.
Clara smirked and finally poured the batter into a special soufflé dish once she was done. She put the dish in the oven and closed the oven door. Clara then adjusted the heat to the right temperature and turned around with a content look on her face.
Artie looked up from his homework, "Why are you always making soufflés? What's so special about soufflés?"
"Well, must there be a reason in baking soufflés? I mean, your sister is over there reading that book of hers when no one told her to. Why can't I make soufflés without anyone telling me to?" Clara interjected.
Angie called out from the sitting room, "You have to admit that wasting our baking ingredients by failing to make a soufflé is a bit odd, don't you think?"
Clara sighed and sat down across Artie. Artie continued his homework as Clara rested her head in her hands.
"Mum always made the best soufflés. I just feel like it's my destiny to live up to her soufflés," Clara said with a gleam in her eyes.
"By calling yourself the 'Soufflé Girl' when you haven't made a single descent soufflé yet?" Artie said with an arched eyebrow.
Clara smiled and reached her hand out to ruffle his hair. Artie laughed and soon returned to his English assignment.
Angie sighed and put her book down. She walked into the kitchen where Clara and Artie were sitting at. She sat next to Artie and gave Clara a tired look.
"Why can't you just buy soufflés from the store? You can still be Soufflé Girl. You can buy a whole pantry full of soufflés and we won't mind," Angie complained.
Clara put a finger up and tsked Angie jokingly. "Ah, but the feeling of making that perfect soufflé is just at the tip of my tongue! I'm so close to it, I can almost taste it!
Angie rolled her eyes and walked back to the sitting room. Clara then waited until a timer went off from the oven. She grabbed a pair of mittens that were lying on the kitchen counter and ran towards the oven. She opened the oven slowly and looked inside.
A smile slowly stretched across her face when she saw that the soufflé actually, legitimately rose. It wasn't burnt or anything! It actually looked like a descent soufflé!
Excitedly, she took the soufflé out of the oven and placed it on the counter. She took a deep whiff from it and closed her eyes as they sweet aroma of a newly baked soufflé rung her smelling senses. She opened her eyes and saw that the soufflé hadn't sunk yet, unlike her past soufflé creations.
Clara took off her mittens and got a plate from the cupboard and a fork from one of the drawers. Artie noticed the amount of energy his governess had and looked up from his half-completely English essay. With slight cautiousness in his step, he approached Clara.
"Did you do it? Did you finally make a soufflé that didn't die out on you?" Artie joked as he looked at Clara and the soufflé from across the counter.
"There's only one way to find out," Clara said with a slight sneer in her tone.
With that, she took a piece of the soufflé with her fork and popped it in her mouth, chewing the piece slowly. She studied the taste and made sure that she didn't miss a single molecule of her soufflé. She finished it down with one gulp of water.
Artie looked at her expectantly, "So? How does it taste?"
Clara opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it, as if she forgot what she was supposed to say. All of a sudden, she made a face a shook her head.
"Yeah, no. This certainly isn't any more perfect than my last ones."
"Told you so!" Angie said from the sitting room.
Clara rolled her eyes and Artie snickered. Clara gave Artie a wide smile as she took the soufflé and threw it in the rubbish bin.
"I'll perfect it one day, mum. After all, the recipe is as close to a soufflé as I can ever get for now," she muttered to herself as she continued taking care of the children.
All of a sudden, the door bell rang. Angie ran to open the door. She sighed and called to Clara, "Clara, it's your boyfriend again!"
Clara smiled widely as she gave Artie a quick peck on the forehead and grabbed her coat. Yes, she couldn't make the perfect soufflé that day. But a trip with the Doctor would seem a bit more pleasant.