In a certain family house, acertain hose wife wearing an apron, just finished baking a holiday festive cookies. Drooping a heat protective gloves from her hands,that she used for picking out a hot metal plate from oven; she make a sigh and leave the kitchen through open door into a living room or a hallway.
This left the kitchen empty silent. But, as we look around, then on a kitchen counter, on a long desk, where are some kitchen stuff, pots, cups, ingredients of daily use and such, there is something…
A single Gingerbread man cookie is lying there, as if forgotten by that wife. Its a perfect themed cookie, with all his details as sugar coated face and the marshmallow buttons. It lies there motionlessly awaiting, until someone will notice him.
But…Suddenly… That Gingerbread man awake… Become alive, when he gasped for air, as if he resurface to the land of living, or awake from bad dream. As such, he is confused. "What happened?! Where I am?!"
Slowing down his breading, this man manage to stand up and look around. As he glance onto the room,he trying to recognize where he is. "I~i… I know?- this place?" Little by little, his expression beam up into a hopeful one. "This is my house!… I am home!"
He happily start to running, hopping, in direction toward the door, overjoyed from familiar place. "Hone~ey!! I am home~e!!"
Yet… As he reach, the edge of the counter table, he suddenly sober from whatever happy felling he was drunk on. On the edge, he looses his balance, as his glance hop over the rim, downinto the deep canyon that was a kitchen floor. With one of his legs already in air, he swing his arm in circles, to restore balance. He nearly fall down, if he wasn't been able to make that step back.
With expression of a fear in his face, he back few more steps from the edge, only now realizing that something is off. "Is this really my house?…" Glancing around the room, he start to noticing the outstanding difference in size between him and everything else as if he ventured onto giant domain.
Then he glance at his arms… "What the? What are those?…" He froze in horror, realizing that his arms, are not what they used to be. Right now, they are something straight from a fairy tail. Then a dark shadow of realization show on his face. He need to know. He need to be sure, that the reality is not what it seems to be. So he look around and his glace fall onto something that look like a glass bottle, that produce a slightly reflection.
A moment of hesitation…
Yet, there was no need to delay the moment of truth. So he walk,-- directly toward that glossy surface, glaring at the reflection of himself. Step by step... He stop only, when his hands touched the glass bottle and there was no denying, what is the reflection of a person, he see in front of himself. With a defeated tone of voice he utter the truth. "I am?… A Gingerbread man?…"
.
Then, a shadow rise behind him…
No! It was another face…
.
He barely turn back, when someone attack him.
Someone aggressively push him so hard, so his back smack against the bottle. One hand, land on his shoulder, pressing him against the glass wall. The other, aimed a spike of spear at his face.
.
He on reflex shout. "Wait!!…" But he stop in confusion as he glanced at who assault him. "What?!…"
The attacker was another Gingerbread man, but with a whitelong beard [sugar coating], hat and survival gear around him. The spear was actually a toothpick, and the old man had few other sticking from his backpack on back. Its seemed that this cookie was around for a while. Of course this one fella was unfriendly suspicious from the confused man. Observing him with a bad glare, swinging his spear from side to side, he bark. "Who are you?! What are you doing here?! Who send you?!"
.
Of course, naked chin man, in confusion barked back. "Who I am?!… What I am?!... I?- I don't know anymore! More importantly: Who, are, you?!"
White beard old man, glaring him suspiciously in nearly random patterns, make this noise of understanding. "I- I see… First day? I am right, fresh bake?" Withdrawing a whole step back, he release the newbie, lowered his spear.
.
That dint helped to disperse the confusion this man, quite opposite. "What the heck, you talking about? I don't understand! Whats going on?!"
In contrast the old pal, hasty pressed his free hand on the confused one face. "Silence, newbie! Do not rise you voice! Its not safe here." He look around as if expecting a threat to show up from hiding. "Come! Follow me! I explain everything. But first, we must go to hideout." Without a hesitation he use his hand to grab the other cookie's hand and start to forcefully drag him in a certain direction.
.
Still… a soft thud came from the other side of the kitchen table. A cat jumped from floor, up onto table, to look around, whats new here.
Fresh bake, enthusiastically pointed back. "Look! Its my cat!"
But, the old pal got horrified. That animal was several times bigger that them. "Its the monster! Run, fool!! Run, for you life!!"
.
White beard start to run, dragging the newbie behind himself. They hardly managed to sneak into gap between some packages, when a cat paw barely missed them. The leg stamped the desk on empty.Unsatisfied cat, scratch the narrow entrance as if testing if it will divide, so it can reach inside. Because that was not happening, that cat use its predatory eye, to glance into that narrow space, to observe what its chance are to catch the prey. Whoever the duo of Gingerbread mans moved behind some corner. Of course the cat dint liked, that the pray moved away from its gaze and range; so it meowed in dissatisfaction. It even try its paw on other things and stuff, to convince some packages and kitchen equipment, to move from its way. But that was an unsuccessful attempt.
.
The newbie glanced around the corner, to see as the cat moved away. "What was that?! It newer happened before… not like this…"
But the old pal, lying on some wall,had a hard time to catching his breath. "Don't get fooled by that beast! It hunts and kill everything that's smaller that itself. There is no point, to trying to talk to it. It will be in a wain."
.
Then something else arrived at the Kitchen. It was a (giant?) that lived here. Maybe it was the for the cat making noises, or just a chance, but the house wife returned.
Of course the fresh baked man, jumped in joy. "Look, its my Wife, she will help us!"
But the breaded man, in panic, barked back. "Hold on! That will not work!" However the other cookie was already passing the narrow passage. "Fool! Don't be like the rest! Don't go!" Yet the other already exited the safety of thisplace, so the old pal manage only shout from the other side of the narrow passage. "You fo~~ol!!"
.
The pleas from old pal was for no use, as the Gingerbread man runs across the table field trying to attract the attention of his Wife. "Hone~ey!! Here I am!!"
Yet… there was that cat…
A quick run… then a cat paw was fast…
The predator slapped the runner from its feet onto his back. The big paw pined that man onto the table and by stomping on it, the hunter prevent him from any attempt to stand up.
The white beard, managed to get out from the narrow passage. Rising its spear he was ready to rescue the newbie. But… as he glanced up at his opponent, he noticed that the cat was watching him by a corner of its predatory eye. A dearth expression settle on his face as he realized something: The hunt was not over. The cat wants him! Expecting from him, to fall to its trap, as the newbie was a bait. The old fella got a shaky legs.
Yet, a weak step forward, hardened grip around the spear, and muscle tension; all speak about his intention to leach out and save the other one.
But the monster,-- the monster was waiting. Its false gaze, observing the newbie, seemed like a mockery toward the old pal. Like if the mighty beast was laughing to the elderly hero face, ridiculing his grasping for a bravery.
Yet, the giant… the giant was approaching.
It was a time up. A sad expression settle on the old Gingerbread man face. He cant save the fresh baked. Not when both monsters are around. With a painful feelings, he began backing back into the narrow passage. Still glaring at the cat, he maybe hoped that the monster will leap at him, giving the newbie one last chance to escape.
Yet that not happened, and it was only he, who grasp the chance to life for fighting another day.
.
On other side of coin, the fresh bakedGingerbread man, was breathing hardly, staring up at the cat who was glaring down at him. His body was heavy, and he hardly was able to make any movement, with that paw on his chest. Yet still call toward his wife to get her attention. "Hone~ey!!"
It seemed, that this time, the pleading worked. The giant turned its gaze toward the cat. "Whats wrong sweetie? … Oh, no! You cant! This cookie isn't for you! You have you own crackers!" She reached out her hand and take that Gingerbread man cookie from under the cats paw. Of course that cat opened her eyes wide, like a saint, innocently glaring at that house wife. Yet this giant, ignored the cat stare and make a better look at the cookie in its palm. "Did I forget about you?..."
.
Man tried to smile and with shaky weak voice address his Wife, hardly keeping his eyes open. "Honey, I am home~e..."
Yet, even if the house wife was the one who had opened eyes, she seemed to have a very distant look. "I wonder when you will finally return home darling. I even make your favorite cookies." With a dreamy expression, the hand move a little big higher.
Then… there was this sound… a cookie like bite, chomp, and crunch…
A single tear went down a certain cheek, accompanying this bitter sweet taste.
End
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[Note: It was a 1. November a day know for many visits from other side.]