“Burnt”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: Write a story titled “Burnt”.

I throw down the pan in disgust. “BURNT!” I scream, dragging my fingers through my hair. “IT’S BURNT AGAIN!”

Caleb sticks his head around the corner, his eyes wide. “Er, Ludwig? Are you okay?”

“NO!” I shout, turning on him, fists clenched. “I wanted some eggs and you weren’t here, so I decided to cook them myself, except the first time they were burnt, then the second time they were burnt again, then the third time they were burnt again, AND THE FOURTH TIME THEY WERE STILL BURNT AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M DOING WRONG!”

Caleb slinks into the room, keeping his back pressed against the wall. “Okay, buddy, well first of all, let’s calm down, okay?” He creeps up beside me, keeping one eye on me and the other one the stovetop behind me. He reaches over slowly and turns off the stove. “Okay,” he says, releasing a deep breath, “now let’s take a few deep breaths together, alright?”

Already, my anger’s starting to fade. “I’m fine,” I mutter. “Really.”

“No, you’re frustrated,” Caleb says sternly. He glances at my left hand. “You let your Magic get out of control again.”

I quickly cover my hand with my sleeve. “No I didn’t,” I mumble.

Caleb raises an eyebrow and I duck my head. “Okay, so maybe I let it get a tiny bit out of hand.”

He nods, looking around the kitchen. “Well, we all learn from our mistakes.”

I wince as I follow his gaze up and around. The entire place is completely burnt to a crisp, just like my eggs.

Caleb smirks at me. “Well, you’d better get cleaning. The dust pan is in the cupboard.”

Final Comments: I think I probably should’ve mentioned that the kitchen was completely burned down closer to the beginning of the story.

Overall Rating: 😳