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Cake Parade (7-9)
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Cake Parade
By: Sandie Lee

Trumpets blared. Drums rat-tat-tatted. The smell of cake hung in the air. Princess Adelia’s birthday was here. It was time once again for the Cake Parade.

In a tiny, crooked house, Simus Sweet searched frantically. Every bowl, pot, and spoon had been dirtied. Flour and sugar covered everything.

His mother yawned and rubbed her eyes as she walked into her dirty kitchen.

"The parade is about to begin," Simus said. "And I can’t find my cake." 
 
Simus didn’t notice the huge glob of cake batter plopping onto her head. He was too busy flinging open cupboard doors. Mom sighed as she tried to pull the goo from her hair.

"Is that it?" she asked, pointing to a gunky, lopsided lump peeking out from under a pile of dirty bowls.

Relieved, Simus dashed over and proudly held up his creation. "What do you think?"

Simus knew Mom loved him dearly. He had been trying his best to help out since the dragon snatched his father. But a baker . . . he was not.

"It’s. . . ah. . . nice," she said, giving him an extra big hug.

Simus left, walking proudly. If the Princess chose his cake, he would receive a mixing bowl made of gold. Pure gold. Which meant he and his mother would never have to worry about money again.

When Simus reached the end of the very long line, there were bakers with cakes as far as the eye could see. Cakes with all sorts of colored icing, candies, and flowers. Some cakes towered high above the rest. Others were drowned in fudge, toffee, and juicy berries.

One had sugar icicles that sparkled in the sunlight. A castle-shaped cake with stone-like frosting caught everyone’s attention.

Four men teetered under the weight of a mammoth-sized, purple cupcake. There was even a mound of puffy pastry. It was so light, the baker had to tie it to his wrist to keep it from floating off.

Simus looked down. His was the only gloppy cake.

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How could he ever win the gold mixing bowl?

One mean-looking baker turned to him and sneered. "You call that a birthday cake?" he asked. "It’s too small, falling over, and looks quite . . . quite . . . sticky."

Some of the others also pointed and snickered.

Simus was embarrassed. I wish I had never entered this parade, he thought.

Suddenly, he heard a strange WHOOSH! SNAP! noise, and a dark shadow covered the parade.

"A DRAGON!" someone yelled.

Simus was afraid. The dragon was enormous with thick black wings and razor-sharp claws. Everyone panicked. Bakers dropped their cakes as the dragon breathed fire over the parade.

Simus clutched his little cake and ran as fast as he could.

WHOOSH! SNAP! WHOOSH! SNAP! flapped the dragon’s wings.

Simus ran. The dragon swooped.

WHOOSH!

Simus slipped and slid on the smooshed cakes. The dragon opened its mouth, ready for a tasty snack.

SNAP! SNAP!

Simus lost his balance. His little cake flew out of his hands and sailed through the air.

WHOOSH!

It struck the dragon right in the mouth.

SPLAT!

The dragon stopped dead. This cake tasted horrible. The dragon began to bite and chomp. It shook its head back and forth. It snarled, pulling at the gooey mass. The cake stretched into long, gluey strings, like melted mozzarella cheese. The dragon tried breathing out more fire. But instead of flames, a big bubble started to form. The dragon huffed and snorted. The bubble grew bigger, covering its entire face. The frustrated dragon swiped at the gigantic bubble.

KA . . .PLOOOW!

The cake-bubble exploded, plastering the dragon from head to toe.

Suddenly, arrows filled the sky from every direction. The Royal Knights had arrived. With a big sweep of its huge wings, the beast lifted into the air and took off.

A crowd of people gathered around Simus as he picked himself up.

"Way to go," a man said, shaking his hand.

"You saved the day," exclaimed another.

Trumpets bellowed, announcing the Kings’ arrival.

"What’s your name?" the King commanded.

"Ah . . . Ah . . . I’m Simus Sweet, your Highness," he answered, bowing low.

"Simus Sweet, thank you for saving us," the King said. "And because of your bravery, you will become my Royal Baker."

Simus was shocked. "Who? Me?"

"Indeed," the King replied. "You will bake your amazing cakes, so we will always be safe from dragons."

The crowd cheered, but Simus was disappointed.

"Does this mean I don’t get the gold mixing bowl?"

The King chuckled. "If it’s a gold mixing bowl you want, a gold mixing bowl you shall have. In fact, I’ll give you two."

Simus was very happy and the crowd cheered even louder.

 

 

~The End~

 

Illustration Copyright © 2008 Monica Hepworth

Text Copyright © 2008 Sandi Lee

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