A Tasty Treat
Also about Forster, his Mommy, and Avilee
Of course, she's piqued my curiosity and I'd love to read more
about her...Maybe you could have the little boy try to find her by tempting
every swan he meets with apples. -- Jennifer
"applepie with vanilla ice cream" - Akinaj (Sorry I lost the ice cream. It was tricky enough keeping most of the filling in the pie. {chuckle, SMILE})
Acknowledgments: I would like to thank my Mom for her help. (Dad's busy with taxes.) Also betaed by southerndave.
Words: 477
Warnings: none.
A Tasty Treat
by Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
copyright 2006
A woman approached a bench where a small boy sat, surrounded by swans and ducks.
"Are you feeding apples to the swans again, Forster?"
"But Mommy, swans do like apples! They really do! See?" the boy said, tossing another chunk of apple to the group of birds that had gathered around the bench he sat on.
"I see that, Forster," the woman said with a smile. "I guess I was wrong about that. We don't have enough to feed all the animals, you know."
"I'm not trying to feed all the animals, just the swans," the boy answered, "Well, them and the ducks. Ducks like apples, too, Mommy!"
The woman sighed and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked.
"Feed me lunch?" the boy asked hopefully. Then he turned his head sharply. "Look at that swan, Mommy!" he cried, pointing behind them
"I see plenty of swans right here, Forster, without looking for more," she replied, looking over the swans in front of them.
"But that swan's got its head in our picnic basket!"
"What!?" the woman cried, turning sharply. "Hey! Shoo! Go away! Get out of there! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!" She took off towards where she'd left their lunch, shouting, "If I catch you, I'll cook you for dinner!"
The swan pulled her head out of the basket, a piece of pie wedged in her beak. She stared at the woman running across the meadow towards her, waving her hands furiously over her head. The swan turned and ran away, pie still clutched in her beak. Getting up to speed, she took off into the air just as the woman neared the basket. One glance back showed the woman standing by the basket, shaking her fist at the fleeing bird, while the boy sat on the bench, both hands clapped over his mouth to stifle the giggles that shook his small body.
******
Three thickets north-northwest of the meadow, across the river and up a bit, Avilee landed on a large branch in a pine tree. She carefully laid the pie next to the trunk before throwing her feathered cloak back with a practiced flick of her beak. Tucking her hair behind her ears, the girl leaned forward to inspect her prize. It had lost some filling, but it is hard not to lose a little while flying. She wished she could have eaten it before it lost its filling, but that would have been a waste of pie. Swans can't taste much.
Avilee picked up her ill-gotten prize, and picked some moss and bark off of it, careful not to lose any more filling. Then the young swan-maid took a bite of pie, and smiled broadly. Food does taste so much better to people than it does to swans... and few things taste quite as good as stolen dessert.
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
Of course, she's piqued my curiosity and I'd love to read more
about her...Maybe you could have the little boy try to find her by tempting
every swan he meets with apples. -- Jennifer
"applepie with vanilla ice cream" - Akinaj (Sorry I lost the ice cream. It was tricky enough keeping most of the filling in the pie. {chuckle, SMILE})
Acknowledgments: I would like to thank my Mom for her help. (Dad's busy with taxes.) Also betaed by southerndave.
Words: 477
Warnings: none.
A Tasty Treat
by Anne Elizabeth Baldwin
copyright 2006
A woman approached a bench where a small boy sat, surrounded by swans and ducks.
"Are you feeding apples to the swans again, Forster?"
"But Mommy, swans do like apples! They really do! See?" the boy said, tossing another chunk of apple to the group of birds that had gathered around the bench he sat on.
"I see that, Forster," the woman said with a smile. "I guess I was wrong about that. We don't have enough to feed all the animals, you know."
"I'm not trying to feed all the animals, just the swans," the boy answered, "Well, them and the ducks. Ducks like apples, too, Mommy!"
The woman sighed and shook her head. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked.
"Feed me lunch?" the boy asked hopefully. Then he turned his head sharply. "Look at that swan, Mommy!" he cried, pointing behind them
"I see plenty of swans right here, Forster, without looking for more," she replied, looking over the swans in front of them.
"But that swan's got its head in our picnic basket!"
"What!?" the woman cried, turning sharply. "Hey! Shoo! Go away! Get out of there! Shoo! Shoo! Shoo!" She took off towards where she'd left their lunch, shouting, "If I catch you, I'll cook you for dinner!"
The swan pulled her head out of the basket, a piece of pie wedged in her beak. She stared at the woman running across the meadow towards her, waving her hands furiously over her head. The swan turned and ran away, pie still clutched in her beak. Getting up to speed, she took off into the air just as the woman neared the basket. One glance back showed the woman standing by the basket, shaking her fist at the fleeing bird, while the boy sat on the bench, both hands clapped over his mouth to stifle the giggles that shook his small body.
******
Three thickets north-northwest of the meadow, across the river and up a bit, Avilee landed on a large branch in a pine tree. She carefully laid the pie next to the trunk before throwing her feathered cloak back with a practiced flick of her beak. Tucking her hair behind her ears, the girl leaned forward to inspect her prize. It had lost some filling, but it is hard not to lose a little while flying. She wished she could have eaten it before it lost its filling, but that would have been a waste of pie. Swans can't taste much.
Avilee picked up her ill-gotten prize, and picked some moss and bark off of it, careful not to lose any more filling. Then the young swan-maid took a bite of pie, and smiled broadly. Food does taste so much better to people than it does to swans... and few things taste quite as good as stolen dessert.
Anne Elizabeth Baldwin