Sy licked at her fingers again with frosting. Finally, the cake was almost done- cooled down and set up on a silver platter. The only thing left was to finish the icing. A task, however, Sy found difficulty with.
"I'm five years old now! I can do this." Sy cried. A little hand picked up the butter knife and plunged it into the bowl. It scooped out another helping of the pink dyed frosting.
"Okay, good so far." Sy pulled it back, trying to balance. She was near to the cake when-
"Almost-" SPLAT. The frosting dripped off to fall onto the counter.
"AH!" Sy yelled with frustration. She bit her lower lip and tried not to cry. But it was vexing. Most of the frosting was on the counter, not the cake.
Sy froze with the knife a moment. She studied her hands. Two little pale hands were covered in pink. They looked well enough, but they moved wrong. Her motor skills were still lacking.
"Bugger it-" She huffed and gave up.
Sy roughly scarped up the rest of the frosting with her knife. It made an excellent scratching sound as metal raked against the wood. Sy vaguely hoped it wouldn't put wood shavings into the frosting. But it was not enough to stop what she was doing.
She was too fed up at this point to have any control.
Sy scraped and slathered the frosting onto the cake. Then, she pressed down too hard with the frosting and ripped up the top layer—pieces of the cake mixed with the pink. Sy, annoyed by that, sucked in her lips to look like a fish.
But Sy didn't scream this time.
It's fine. It's going to be okay- Sy kept trying to console herself.
Sy couldn't be angry. It wasn't worth it. The cake needed to be finished first before mom got back. Which could be at any time now.
"Speaking of which-" Sy spoke aloud. She leaned over on the stool to look out. The sundial had marked another hour passed. It was getting later and closer to dinner now. But still, mom wasn't home.
Sy frowned at the time. That was not like her. Her hand paused on the cake. She could feel her heartbeat uneasily.
"I- she's okay, right?" Sy asked. Her voice broke by the worry for her mother. The woman had not left her alone for so long before.
"She'll be home soon. Maybe already at the door-" Sy voiced. Trying to be hopeful, she turned to lean forward. She looked toward the door. Her breath held a moment. The door remained silent. Sy squeezed the knife's handle.
"CROAK" A loud bellow came from Sy's feet. The girl swiveled her head and looked down.
It was the toad from before. He was looking up at her quietly. Sy dropped her knife and bent over. She scooped the toad up and set him on the counter. He sat with his fat belly plopped out. His eyes blinked at the same time, making a sleepy expression.
Sy found it to have a calming effect on her. She smiled down at him. Her finger moved to rub between the eyes. The toad gave a grumbled croak sound.
"You're right. I need to finish the cake." Sy voiced. She retracted her hand and pulled up the knife. Again she plugged into the frosting bowl. The stab made a sloppy sound of air, and Sy tried to giggle. It sounded a little forced to her- but it did make her feel better.
"She's going to be so impressed that I made this! And no eggshells-" Sy was saying as a loud knock sounded from the hall. Surprised, Sy dropped her knife with a clatter. She jumped down from her stool to land loudly on her feet.
Without pause, Sy took to run. She rushed down the hall to jump at the door. It was pulled open.
"Mom!" Sy exclaimed first before looking. Her smile fell as she saw open space on the threshold. It was not her mother. There was no one there. Sy furrowed her brows feeling confused. She adjusted her gaze to look down. What she saw did not surprise her.
It was a basket filled with food. Sy could see a pouch of coins tucked inside. It was a form of payment. Also, there was a note attached to the bag. It looked like another request for a potion or spell made by one of the neighbors.
"Oh." Sy voiced feeling as flat as she sounded. She bent down to pick up the basket. It was heavy in her arms, but Sy was vital for her age and managed. She tucked the basket into one shoulder. The free arm closed the door and locked it.
Mom doesn't like it when they do this kind of stuff. Sy thought. She says it's rotten how they leave baskets and run before she ever has a chance to turn them down. So she ends up having to do it. Makes her super mad.
Sy carried the basket down the hall. She stopped to drop it in front of the study. It looked like she had never gone in there. But then, the door was closed again, and everything was back in its place.
The child turned to return to the kitchen. Upon entering, she saw the toad licking at the frosting. Sy pouted and wagged a finger at him.
"Hey there, buster! Toads don't eat sweets. Stop that right now-" Sy was in the middle of speaking as another knock rang. Hearing this, Sy was slower to turn.
If it's another basket…Sy was thinking. She could already imagine how angry her mom would be.
First, her face will go red and blotchy like a tomato. And then she's going to start yelling. The child sighed. The idea of hearing and seeing her mom angry made her mood sour. She didn't want that to happen. Not today.
Sy walked back to the door. Her footsteps dragged on the floor and echoed until she stopped at the door. The door opened. She looked down, expecting what it would be.
But this was not expected. Sy blinked down at it with confusion. This was not something expected at all. She blinked after it again, a little stunned.
No one's done this before. Sy thought.
It was not another basket. This was new. Just a single rose with a silk ribbon lay on the step. The rose was white with a maroon-colored stripe.
Sy took it up with one hand. She looked after it. Already she could smell the gentle fragrance. It was freshly cut. The stem was cold as if it was on ice until then.
"Hello?" Sy called out. She peered out around her to try and see who had left this. There was no one. This was perplexing.
Why? Was all Sy could think of after the rose. There was no note. No request for a spell or something. It was just a rose.
While looking closer, Sy found a thin string stuck inside the ribbon. She deftly pulled it free, being careful not to snap it.
"Is this...?"
Sy held it out in the palm of her hand to look at. As she did, the string caught the fading light of the sun. It gave a glimmering shine that filled her eyes. Sy could see it to be a long strand of fine silver hair.