Best Friends
My name is Molly. I live in a small town called Castanet, where everybody is so nice. My farm is mostly a dairy farm where only the best products are made. I make everything, from normal cheese to goat butter, and always the highest quality. I work very hard every day, almost all day. The day is spent brushing my prize cows, sheep, and goats, churning milk to buttery perfection, and aging cheese ever so carefully. My farm is my life. I eat, sleep, and breathe it.
Now, I know I seem like a workaholic, but I have lots of friends. Every night, I sit and talk with them. If I tell them about my day, they tell me a story about themselves, or something like that. We always eat dinner together, every night. Then they go off and go to bed. I always make new food every night. I know so many different dairy dishes that it's insane! But they always tell me how much they love my cooking, so I do it for them.
I love my friends, but that doesn't always mean I support their decisions. Sometimes, my friends make really bad calls, so I help them out. I've kept them from making lots of bad decisions. Like that time Maya said she was going to enter the baking competition, I let her cake cook for a little longer than normal. I knew it was the right thing to do, saving her the embarrassment. Or that time when Renee said she was going to go to Toucan Island to catch a large fish. I ripped up her boat ticket. It's too dangerous, because she might get pulled in. And all those times all the girls in town told me that they were engaged…
Well, we'll talk about that later.
Anyway, my best friend Anissa came by my house last week to tell me something. She said it was really important that I listen, because it would impact me too. She was super excited, and seemed to be bursting out of her skin to tell me. I invited her inside, because it was getting dark out. She came and sat at my table and told me these exact words:
"Jin proposed! I'm getting married Molly! Isn't it wonderful?"
My heart sank. Not only the fact that she was leaving me, but the fact she seemed so happy about it.
No! I screamed inside. No, no, no! You're my best friend! You're mine! You can't marry some idiot doctor! You can't!
No matter how I felt inside, I didn't say another word. I sat there and smiled, a fake, forced smile. I knew I had to keep her from making this mistake. I had to. But looking at her face with its overjoyed expression, I knew I could do nothing.
"I have an idea," I said, smile still forced, "Why don't we have a sleepover, just like old times. I'll make some cheese fondue, an we'll have some wine. Watch some movies?"
Anissa was overjoyed at the thought. After she agreed, I went to the kitchen while she picked out some movies. I took out the finest cheese I had: Shining Sheep Cheese- Year 1. Quickly, I put it into a pot and slowly let it melt, adding butter along the way. After taking some herb bread out of the pantry, I went to the cellar where I kept my wine and aging cheeses. I grabbed a bottle of red wine before heading back upstairs to the kitchen. Taking out the crystal wine glasses, I poured the blood red wine and set the bottle down. I reached into the pantry before pulling out my special ingredient. I used it on extremely important occasions, and this was extremely important.
I poured some into Anissa's glass before the fondue was ready, and headed out with the snacks and drinks in hand. We stayed up really late, until Anissa said she was getting headaches. She had only had one glass of wine. I had no idea she was such a lightweight. We went to bed soon after that.
A few days later, I was flipping through TV channels when I came across a breaking news segment.
"-the fourth kidnapping this year, and search teams aren't very hopeful." Ellie stated. "We have the fiancé here to speak on the matter."
Jin stood there, eyes red from crying. "Just please return her home! Please! I love her more than life itself! I'll do anything."
Ellie spoke again. "Ms. Anissa was last seen leaving her home in lovely Castanet. If there is anyone who knows the whereabouts of her or these other young women, please report."
On the screen flashed the faces of Anissa, Renee, Maya, and Kathy. I looked at them in shock for a moment. My friends kidnapped? Really?
I only stared for a second longer before laughing and turning to my left.
"You hear that you guys?" I said, still laughing. "The said you're kidnapped!"
Looking back at me was Anissa, eyes blank and unmoving. Her mouth was gaped open slightly.
"I know right? They really are stupid." I said. I got up and closed Anissa's mouth. As I started making my way to the kitchen, Maya fell off the couch. I walked back over to her and set her limp body back up in a sitting position. I looked on both sides of her.
"Renee. Kathy. You know you have to hold her up. She's always been clumsy."
They stared back at me, their blank expressions stern.
"Don't look at me like that! You know she is." I walked back into my kitchen, giggling a little.
My friends are great people. They listen to me, they do what I want, and they never have anything bad to say. I love them so much, I let them live with me. We do everything together. We don't need men to tie us down. We are perfectly happy by ourselves. And now we can be best friends forever.
As I was in the kitchen, I remembered that I needed to put away my secret ingredient. Putting it away, I read the same label I always do when I put it away. I nearly have it memorized:
Rat Poison- Do Not Consume