DISCLAIMER:
I love SOM, am not making so much as a cent with this fic (lol, as if this would fetch anything other than a lighted match if put out in public hehe), and I own nothing, so sue me.
Actually…on second thought, don't. It's really not worth it.
All you get is:
-to meet a crazy 14 year old **who at the moment is wearing knee-length rainbow socks and her school uniform**
-a few buttons
-about a dollar at most
And
-total satisfaction.
Uh…scrap that last point.
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~~|Making Cakes|~~
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Note: This is a one-chapter, kinda short ficcie.
The bright morning sunlight streamed through a gap in the drapes that covered the immaculate windows, spotlighting various parts of the carpeted floor.
Maria was standing next to her wardrobe, rifling through all of the dresses that she had been able to make during her stay with the Von Trapp family. She contemplated between wearing simple everyday clothes, or a pretty dress that she had made especially for occasions like this. Her mind settled on plain clothes, as she would be around seven lively children all day. Once she had dressed, brushed her hair and tidied up her closet a little, she opened her window before crossing her room and stepping into the hallway.
Before she had fully descended down the stairs, she found seven faces shining with happiness waiting for her in the huge, beautifully designed room. She opened her mouth to greet the children with whom she had established such a strong relationship with, but not a sound had escaped her lips, when-
"Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Fraulein Mar-iaa-
Happy Birthday to you!"
Maria had not moved another step out of shock, even as the last tinkle of guitar chords faded from Liesl's strumming. Finally, after recovering quickly, a delighted smile lit up her features.
"That was absolutely wonderful. I didn't even expect you to remember but this was so wonderful and-"
"Why?" Interrupted Brigitta. The governess looked confused.
"Well, you sang so beautifully-"
"No," Maria was stopped again, this time by Louisa. "Why didn't you expect us to remember your birthday?"
"Oh I see. Well I wasn't sure if you would. After all, I forgot poor Marta's birthday, and it was just a few days after I arrived!"
"That's alright! You remembered after I told you." Marta replied brightly. Maria laughed.
"Yes, but I should have remembered before you told me, Marta."
"Well, it was only a few days after you came as you said, Fraulein Maria. You must have had a lot on your mind." Liesl said reasonably.
"Perhaps. Now, what are we going to do today? It is too much of a beautiful day to-"
"Oh, we already have something planned, Fraulein Maria." Friedrich interjected somewhat pompously. Maria tilted her head as yet another smile crept across her face.
"You do, do you?" Gretl nodded earnestly as she stepped forward and took one of her governess' hands into her own.
Maria barely had time to react to this, and before she knew it, she was being ushered along by six older children, the youngest seventh hauling her along with extraordinary ease. She looked at Liesl, whose expression gave away nothing. She merely grinned.
"We're here!" Announced Kurt rather unnecessarily.
"We're where?" Questioned Maria before Friedrich stepped forward, bowed and opened the white door.
"Here."
"The Kitchen?" Maria was astounded. "Well. It's a beautiful kitchen…but what are we going to do?"
"Cook! What else?" Supplied Brigitta at once.
"We have permission to help you make a cake." Leisl added.
"A cake? What for?"
"For your birthday. Surely you haven't forgotten?" Said Louisa said, the corners of her mouth in a grin.
Maria chuckled.
"Fraulein Maria?"
"Yes, Marta?"
"Can we go inside now?"
"What? Oh- yes, of course." Maria waited for all seven children to amble into the room, looking around in awe. She stepped inside and closed the door.
The room was room was spotless and tidy. It was not big, but nowhere near cramped at all. Gleaming red and white tiles covered the floor, there were benches covering a wall. Also in the room were several ovens, cupboards, wash sinks, and even a few pictures stuck up around the place showing tasty-looking foods, recipes, nutrition guides, and random notes such as 'Elephants might be pink, but the only place to wash my hands is my beloved little sink!' Maria chuckled before turning to the children.
~*~
"Come on, everybody! ...Use plenty of soap, that's it." After convincing them that the room would still be intact later on in the day as well (at least that is what she dearly hoped), Maria gently shooed the children to wash their hands.
Within a few minutes, there was silence. Maria looked from sibling to sibling.
"Well? What are we waiting for?"
"Fraulein Maria?" Louisa asked hesitantly.
"Hmm?"
"We…do not really know how to…bake a cake. We would have done it alone, but we had no idea where to start."
"Oh I see. Well, we mustn't waste time. What sort of a cake would you like?" A large variety of answers jumped out at the governess.
"A spider cake!"
"Chocolate!"
"Vanilla!"
"No cake, biscuits!"
"Louisa and Kurt have some grasshoppers we could use…"
"Brigitta!"
"It was just a suggestion." Brigitta shrugged. "What cake would you like, Fraulein Maria?"
Maria thought for a moment.
"Well, it needs to be sweet. Do you all like strawberries?" A chorus of 'Yes' erupted in the small room, making a pot pan totter uncertainly from its hook on the wall. "I know you all like chocolate…what about chocolate cake…with strawberries around the side…and…perhaps-"
"We could teach the grasshoppers to hold a big strawberry up in the centre of the cake!" Maria turned pale at the thought of food and grasshoppers being related.
"Kurt, there is really no need-" Liesl began sternly.
"I was joking!" Kurt added hastily.
"Let's just make that."
"Make what?" Came Maria's quick question.
"Chocolate with strawberries on the side, and one in the centre." Liesl replied. "Minus any insects, of course." She added a few seconds later.
"Alright." Agreed Maria, clapping her hands together.
Almost a half an hour later, the cake had still not been mixed up, but Gretl had accidentally dropped a bag of chocolate mix, engulfing eight people in small cloud of chocolate powder. Eventually, the fine particles had settled themselves in their previously perfect clothes, their hair, and all over the floor and bench tops. Gretl looked apologetic for a moment, before Friedrich bustled away to fetch a broom and dustpan. Maria suddenly found herself feeling grateful she had decided on wearing plain clothes that day.
Mixing all the ingredients together in one bowl proved hard enough with seven children fighting over turns, but when Marta was accidentally pushed roughly back, she crashed into Maria, who staggered slightly, flinging her arms out to steady herself. Louisa, who had been standing sensibly away from the commotion, received an accidental knock in the side.
"Oh, Louisa, I am so sorry! I truly did not mean-"
"It is alright, Fraulein Maria, really." Her eyes grew wide suddenly. "WATCH OUT FOR THE WATER!" She bellowed, but it had already toppled over. Water seeped slowly across the bench top, dripping steadily on the once clean tiled floor. Maria sighed.
"Has the mixture been mixed enough, yet?" She asked calmly. Gretl scooped the bowl into her arms and clasped it tightly against her chest as she walked over to Maria, careful to not slip on anything. As Maria took the bowl away from the girl, she realised that some of the concoction must have slopped over the side, as it was now on the front of Gretl's sweet navy blue dress. Setting the mixing bowl aside for the moment, Maria tore off some paper towels and handed them to Liesl, who helped to clean off most of the sticky cake mix. Maria had started sweeping up the chocolate powder that was still lying on the floor, while the rest of the children had set to work soaking up the water and cleaning off all benches.
Once most of the evidence that there had been seven children and one governess in the kitchens had been cleared away, Maria set the temperature on one of the nearest ovens, and lazily pushed the cake inside to let it bake.
"Whew! I must say that was harder than I thought it would be."
"I would say so." Maria's eyes went wide in shock. The voice was not one of the children's. It was deep and carried a tinge of amusement.
"Captain?" The man chuckled. Maria was vaguely aware that all eight of them must have horrid looking outfits and hair, as they had not realised the fine powder had also settled itself into their hair, probably making them all look older and more dirty-haired.
"Yes. I heard a bit of commotion, so I came to investigate." There was no trace of anger.
"Well, it's all under control now, isn't it?" Maria nodded towards the children, who were looking tired, but still managed to mumble slightly in agreement.
"What the devil has been going on in here?"
"We were making a cake!" Brigitta insisted.
"Ah…I see." His eyes travelled around the kitchen and then landed on Maria. "You have been helping them, I presume?" Maria flushed slightly.
"Well they did most of the work…I simply-"
"That is obviously why you seem to have their mess all over you." Maria, busily scraping remnants of cake mix of the palm of her hand; nodded absently, before shaking her head.
"Yes- I mean no! We all took part in the mess-making I believe." The captain laughed, looking at the self-satisfied faces of his children.
"Children- go up to your rooms, clean yourselves up and change out of your cooking clothes." After all seven children had walked out of the door sheepishly, the captain turned to Maria.
"Happy Birthday, Fraulein. I have no doubt that cake will be very interesting to eat for dessert." Maria laughed to herself as he too, left.
"Thank you." She whispered softly into the empty kitchen as she emptied the contents of the dustpan into the rubbish bin.
~*~
A/N: Well, that was it. LoL, I'm sorry. It was my first SOM fic. :P Anyway, it has not been checked over, so I am way open for comments and suggestions, I'll rewrite and repost! I prefer getting lots of opinions all at once hehe. :P Please don't kill me. Anyway, so please review, because the more reviews, the faster I can rewrite this [kind of strange] story. Oh…and if you want to read anything else by me (hehe, lucky me if you do) …I have a story on fictionpress.net called 'Silent Sobs'. I'm really proud of it, so if you could check that out, I'd be really grateful. Jelpy doesn't have to though, lol, she's already read it. :P anyway, bu-bye!
Later,
~*PsYcHo_Me o.0*~
P.S. I have absolutely no idea what kitchens back then looked like, so I made it all up.
