I just finished the previous chapter and am now in the mood for a family chapter. This was an idea I used in one of my other stories. (You can tell I wrote that AN many months ago.)
Photo #116: Sticky Situation
Eadlyn's mom is no world-class chef but she could work her way around a kitchen in a way that would make world-class chefs proud. If there was a time when her mother wanted to cook for the family, the chefs got the day off and she manned the kitchen. She could work it on her own and there's usually an army of chefs and their assistants in there. Sometimes, she would wear the aprons even if she wanted to make a small snack or experiment. Yet there are times where experiments should stick to labs and be done by professionals, especially when that laboratory is the kitchen, the experiment is taffy, and the mad scientist is Queen America Schreave.
Eadlyn remembers the day depicted in the photo. She was sitting in the kitchen. That's it. She was sitting because she couldn't move. It was like the taffy exploded all over the kitchen and they fell victim to it.
Shivers run down her spine as she looks at this photo. She runs her fingers through her hair to see if she has taffy in her hair. When her fingers get caught on a knot, her heart stops for a second before it untangles on its own. Eadlyn checks if the photo is stuck to the wall with taffy. It could've worked but it's only tape. Probably for the better.
The photo is hilarious now that she isn't there anymore. Her entire family is in the kitchen, wailing for help. Strings of taffy hang everywhere from the walls to the cupboards to the people like confetti.
Never in her life did she feel like bait in a spider's web, but she would've rather been the fly than the princess in the photo.
-o-
"One of the bakers I met in France taught me how to do this but I don't think I'm doing this correctly."
None of the kids respond because they're not taffy connoisseurs, but they know that the spoon shouldn't be stuck in the taffy which is now stuck to the bowl. However, they would rather eat that cement taffy than tell their mother that she's wrong. At least if they eat it, their mouths would be sealed so they couldn't talk either way.
Instead, they give her plastered smiles and small nods.
America turns around to try and find a method to fix this madness. The kids, who sit at the kitchen island, look at each other with alarmed faces. Silently, they try to strategize. Their current plan was that all the taffy samples were too inedible to ingest.
They're distracted when their father walks in. All their eyes, bug-eyed in alarm, turn to face him. They try to relay a get out of here before she sees you message but their rescue attempts were useless due to miscommunication and America spotting him.
"Maxon!" She exclaims. "Come here."
Too late. The kids straighten as Maxon walks over to his wife, looking down at her taffy attempts. He sees the spoon stuck erectly in the mixture bowl, some spillage on the counters, and four petrified kids across the island planning an escape. Now Maxon has to find a way to compliment this but how could he do so without lying?
"This would make a great adhesive," Maxon says, poking at the standing spoon and having it not budge.
"Hey!" America yells.
Maxon smiles at the sound of the kids' muffled laughter. "Dear, maybe we should schedule another trip to France."
America huffs. She's about to get mad at him but realizes that he as a point. This isn't taffy. It's basically cement. She looks up at their kids and sees the horrific scene she didn't know she created. Eadlyn was stuck to the chair since she was somehow sitting on the taffy. From her spot, she was helping Ahren get his arm loose from his side. Kaden was stuck on the ground since he stepped in it and tried to run away. And Osten is staring at the bowl with the spoon, tempted to take it for later. She knows her youngest son would find some maniacal use for it.
And all Maxon could do was laugh and take a picture. She didn't even know he brought his camera.
Maxon lowers the camera and sees America's narrowed eyes. He wanted to help his kids but didn't know how without getting stuck himself. He can't know if he was brave and heroic until something terrible happens and he's forced into action. Presently, he'll admit cowardice to that lethal substance.
America sighs, smacking her hands by her side. "Just because I caused this problem doesn't mean I have the solution."
There is nothing more beautiful than watching someone who's really good at something finally, and apologetically, being allowed to do that thing to its full extent. Persistence is an attribute of success that can pay off, especially if you hang in there against the odds, but you need to know when to let go.
"I had a chance and that's what hurt the most," America mutters as she watches Kaden take off his shoes and try to make a run for it. His socks get stuck and he whines because he was so close to the door.
Maxon puts his arm around her, hoping it gets stuck there. "I'll book another trip to France as soon as possible."
I've never had taffy before but I don't think I'll like it, especially after this chapter. I'm more into chocolate than gummy or sour treats.
