A creation and more
Hells kitchen
Shadow and Maria were wondering down the corridor heading towards the Professors personal study. They were told by Jason a few minute ago that Gerald requested to see them both and that the matter was important.
"I wonder why grandfather wants to see us." Maria asked with a puzzled expression.
"I'm not sure, alls I know is that we haven't done anything wrong…well that he doesn't knows of anyway." Shadow answered in a serious tone think also what this important meeting is about.
This made Maria think a little harder.
"You don't suppose it has something to do with the whole kitchen incident that happened over a week ago. He did say he would punish us for that but never did." Maria announced in a worried tone.
"It could be…I do hope not, with the mood he has been in lately I wouldn't want to be at the other end of his temper. It kind of reminds me a little of my so called biological father Black Doom except the Professor is much more…what's the word I'm looking for…ah that's it merciful…" Shadow announced, remembering his very first encounter with his 'father' on a computer screen, as the two approached the Professors personal study entrance door.
They both stood there feeling nervous, suddenly not wanting to go in.
One week and three days ago…
Maria and Shadow stood in an empty kitchen. Maria had managed to convinced her hedgehog friend that it was a great idea to play restaurants with the usage actual food and cooking the food with a real oven.
By convincing, it was more like Maria almost breaking into tears while giving off the most saddest look ever invented when Shadow damn right refused, then an explanation on how the kitchen staff would be tired after training all day and that they were just helping. Maria knew Shadow would say yes after all was said and the look thrown in for good measure.
So here they were in this huge abandoned kitchen, unsupervised and ready to play their game.
"Maria I'm still not to sure about this restaurant game of yours." Shadow announced as his eyes wondered around the empty kitchen.
"Shadow don't worry everyone working in here is off doing a day's training and we would be long gone by the time they all get back…what could possibly go wrong?" Maria assured her friend with a smile as she walked towards the oven turning it on adding "we're only helping."
"I can think of a million things that could go wrong." Shadow whispered to himself then thought "like you getting hurt for starters."
Maria didn't hear what he friend said as she put an apron on then passed Shadow one for him to put on which he did still feeling unsure about all this.
"Right I'll be head chef and you can be my assistant…we need to prepare the soup of the day, so Shadow get the vegetables and dice them up for the vegetable soup. I'll start with making the stew, just don't use all the veg I need some for the stew ok." Maria instructed with a smile.
Shadow sighed and nodded thinking "why cant I be head chef…"
In the space of 20 minutes Shadow had diced the veg and put them into a huge pot that was sitting on top of the stove of one of the ovens in the kitchen. Since Shadow was shorter then a human he had to stand on a booster step in order to reach over the pot. Shadow added the vegetable stock and the soup was coming along nicely.
As for the stew Maria was making, thing weren't going smoothly. She was standing over the stove a little away from Shadow working on the stew. She had somehow over sealed the meat so it was a little burnt, the veg were way to chunky and the gravy like sauce was far to thick to be considered sauce.
Shadow glanced over to his so called head chef, seeing that she was having a hard time with the stew, he left his post and joined Maria forgetting to turn the heat down before hand.
"Is there anything you want me to help you with…chef." Shadow asked watching Maria trying to stir the stew.
"Y-yes could you stir this while I get started with the cakes…my trusted assistant." Maria cheerfully said handing the stew responsibilities over.
Shadow sighed as he walked back to his station to drag his step over to Maria's abandoned work station still forgetting about turning down the heat on the soup pot.
While Shadow stirred the way too thick stew, Maria started to put all the ingredients together to make this cake she mentioned. With a lot of mess and splashes of cake mix she finally finished mixing the batter.
"Assistant chef…could you please find some cake tins for me and then help me poor the cake batter into them." Maria ordered in her sweet voice.
"Yes chef." Shadow replied with a solute, also abandoning the stew.
Shadow searched for the silver cake tins, going through all the cupboards and draws until he found two medium sized circular tins then rushed over to Maria who was at a different work station, opposite the ovens.
"Here they are chef, what would you have me do next?" Shadow asked putting the tins onto the side with a clang.
"Help me poor this mix evenly into the tins then I want you to put then into the oven's, one in each." Maria explained lifting the mixing bowl.
Shadow grabbed the spoon Maria used to mix the cake batter with and spooned the mix into the tins while Maria held onto the bowel. As they did this the soup started to bubble dangerously high, almost spilling over the rim on the pot but nether of them noticed.
With the cakes now in the oven baking, the two friends decided to set the tables in the giant dinner hall on the other side of the serving hatch. Both completely forgetting about the soup and stew that were on a high heat.
Shadow had the culturally and dishing out a knife, fork, spoon and soup spoon onto each seating place while Maria went around placing napkins and cups on the tables. It took them 40 minutes to finish setting up since they decided to take their time. Both feeling a little tired they took a seat at one of the tables closest to the kitchen entrance.
"Cooking it exhausting, wouldn't you agree Shadow." Maria asked as she yarned a little.
After a few seconds both of then stood up quickly.
"The food!" They both shouted then rushed into the kitchen.
They froze in horror. The soup was overflowing burning where it hit the stove and dripping onto the floor. The stew was doing the same except it had black smoke rising upwards. The cake's in both of the ovens couldn't be seen due to the thick black smoke that was flowing out of the sides threaten to burst into flames any second now.
"O no what do we do?" Maria asked in a panicked tone.
Just as she said that the smoke alarms went off causing Maria and Shadow to cover their ears in panic. Shadow took this moment to drag Maria out of the kitchen and a safe distance away. Shadow rushed to return to the kitchen to do something before the place actually did catch fire. As he entered the kitchen a few other people entered also along with Professor Gerald, who didn't look pleased to see Shadow in the kitchen looking concerned and guilty.
"Shadow out!" Gerald commanded white everyone rushed in, sorting the potential danger.
Shadow moved out of that kitchen at a fast passé and stood next to his human friend, who was still at a safe distance. It took all those in the kitchen a good couple of hours to get the kitchen back to the way it was before Shadow and Maria entered it.
While the cleaning was just starting, Gerald walked up to the two with an annoyed expression. He stopped in front of them, folded his arms across his chest and looked down at the two children.
"What happened?" Gerald questioned with a hint of anger in his tone.
"W-well you see we were playing restaurants, wanting to cook everyone dinner for later since we figured that the kitchen staff would be tired after a whole day of training and…thing got out of hand." Maria quietly explained looking very sorry as well as did Shadow.
"I want the both of you to go to your rooms until I find the right punishment for you both…you got that!" Gerald announced in a serious tone, taking the aprons from the two who took them off a little while ago then left them to help in the kitchen.
Maria and Shadow took a slow walk to their bedrooms both of then held a very sad expression on their faces and feeling very guilty for what happened.
Bach to present time…
Shadow curled his hand into a fist and gently knocked on the door three times. They both waited until they heard Gerald shout "come in."
"He seems to be in a good mood Maria maybe we have nothing to worry about." Shadow whispered to his human friend.
Maria nodded in agreement now feeling somewhat less nervous in entering her grandfather's study.
Shadow slowly opened the door and entered followed closely by Maria who shut the door behind herself.
"You wanted to see us Professor?" Shadow asked with a small hint of fear, somehow getting a bad vibe coming from Gerald.
"Yes..Shadow, Maria please take a seat." Gerald said motioning them to the two empty chairs opposite him, on the other side of his desk.
"I would like to discuss a small matter with the two of you." Gerald stated in a calm tone as he looked at the children.
"And what might that be grandfather?" Maria questioned in a sweet tone and loving smile, trying to hide her re-developing nerves.
"Don't look so nervous your not in trouble." Gerald said with a warm smile.
Upon hearing this Shadow and Maria instantly calmed down for the second time both thinking "thank god he forgot the kitchen incident."
"Back to the subject at hand I want the both of you to do me a favour. I want you both to participate in an experiment." Gerald asked in a semi serious tone.
"What kind of experiment Professor?" Shadow asked seeming interested to help with something.
"I want the both of you to write an 1000 word essay on why it is dangerous to play and cook in the kitchen unsupervised, and I want that done by the end of the day. Then I want the two of you to assist the kitchen staff in washing up the dirty dishes and drying before putting them in the correct place for a whole week starting from tomorrow." Gerald announced with a grin.
"Some experiment, that sounds more like a punishment to me." Shadow muttered to himself but Gerald heard it clearly.
"That depends on how you look at it my son. If the concluded outcome is that you both have learned your lesion then this little experiment was a success." The Professor stated then added "you should count yourself lucky that I'm in a good mood Shadow, otherwise I would have you doing those obstacle courses for hours non-stop for the next week without a proper break."
"I'd rather do that then go back in that damn kitchen." Shadow thought.
"Yes grandfather, we better get started on those essays." Maria said in a sad tone then added "we are very sorry for what we did."
"I know you both are…I expect to see you both at the end of the day with your 1000 word essays." Gerald replied then motioned them to leave.
The human girl and male hedgehog got up and dragged themselves out of Gerald's study dreading the work they had to do and closing the door behind them.
"Told you he was merciful otherwise we wouldn't of got off lightly with this supposed experiment." Shadow said as they walked down the corridor towards Maria's bedroom then added "although those obstacle courses he mentioned does sound better".
"You would say that Shadow but yeah I guess he is. I'm so not looking forward to working in that kitchen, especially after what we did." Maria agreed with a sigh.
"You know I really thought the Professor had forgotten about that since it took over a week for him to bring it up." Shadow announced as the reached Maria's room.
"So did I…alls I want to do now is get this whole punishment or as grandfather called it experiment over with and then put it behind us for ever." Maria said getting pens and paper out for the both of them.
"Yeah until next time we get into trouble and get punished for it." Shadow muttered to himself, out of earshot from Maria.
They both got to work on their 1000 word essay about why it is dangerous playing and cooking in a kitchen unsupervised. The two of them both thought that this day and the on coming week was going to be the worst moments in their lives.
If only they knew what the future held for the two of them…