Submission (#994) Approved

Starberry Jam and Fried Nutbread

A short story by UmbreonStorm

Word count: 875

Amazon loved Starberries. Why wouldn’t she? Sweet, sticky, and easy to see if they were ripe. But she was totally sure she had found someone who loved them more. 

Nom nom nom. SunJade crunched and slurped through another pawful of berries. Her pale pink fur was stained purple blue with gold flecks. Amazon glared at the Kittom. It had been her idea to team up for the food contest, but so far, CERTAIN ELNINS were not cooperating. SunJade noticed the unfriendly gaze trained on her and stopped eating. She looked guiltily at the older Elnin next to her.

“Sorry, Amazon. They’re just.. so YUMMY!”

“I know,” Amazon said kindly. “But we need to collect them, not eat them. Also, do you have any ideas for something to pair the jam with? I don’t think we’ll win the contest with plain Starberry Jam.” 

SunJade sighed.

“Yeah. I know.” Then, her face lit up.

“Uh oh, I know that look. What is it? What’s the crazy idea now?” Amazon said.

“NUUUUT BREEEEAAAD!” Shrieked the Kittom.

“Actually… that might work…” Mused Amazon. She finished filling her basket with berries, then grabbed a second and started filling it with different types of nuts from the nearby trees. SunJade scampered over to help. After the two Elnins had dumped several loads of almonds, pine nuts, acorns, and everything else that looked even remotely like a nut into their baskets, Amazon and SunJade left the forest dragging a heavy load. When they got back to Amazon’s home, their designated workshop, they ran into a small problem. Neither of them were good bakers! At this realization, SunJade started wailing. Amazon grit her teeth in determination. She would learn to make nut bread, she would win the contest, and she would keep the DARN KITTOM HAPPY!

Many trips to the bakery shop and a lot of mashed starberries later, Amazon and SunJade were ready to begin cooking. Amazon made her dough, mashing flour, water, nuts, and a pinch of yeast. SunJade was putting the mashed starberries through a press to take out lumps and seeds. The seeds glowed, so they could be used for lanterns. Finally, the dough was ready, but Amazon couldn’t remember how to cook it. 

“Well, it needs heat, right?” Asked SunJade.

“Yeah.” Replied Amazon.

“So put it on the stove!” The Kittom told her.

“Ok.” Said Amazon doubtfully. “I’ll try.”

Amazon put the dough in a pan, and set it on the stove. She turned it on and waited.

“I feel like we’re forgetting something.” Amazon said.

After a few moments of thinking, SunJade replied, “I know! Butter! Bread and butter taste great together!”

“Worth a try.” Said Amazon. She cut off a large block of butter and put it in the pan, covering her orange and white paws in the slippery stuff. She licked it off with a contented smile, not noticing all the sizzling in the pan from the butter frying. SunJade was almost done with the jam, and was very proud of how much they had made.

“Hey, Amazon?” She asked. “Can we plant a few of these seeds outside your home to make Starberry bushes?”

“That’s a great idea!” Exclaimed Amazon.

The Elnin and the Kittom went outside and dropped the seeds in the dirt, piled some over them, and watered it.

“Now we wait.” Amazon told SunJade. “It’ll start to sprout tonight, when the first star rises.”

The two of them went back inside, tempted by the wonderful aroma of the nutbread. Amazon took it out of the pan and turned off the stove. Looking at it, she realized something wasn’t right. Instead of being soft and buttery, it was crispy and dense, like the fried cheese she sometimes made. Wait… she made fried cheese by putting it in a PAN on the STOVE with BUTTER. The same way she had made the nut bread! 

“Uuuuugggghhhh” groaned Amazon. “I fried it! I can’t beleive I was so stupid!”

SunJade looked up at her, a large piece of the Nutbread in her mouth and a look of wonder of her face. 

“Ish AMASHONG!” She said excitedly with a mouthful of bread. Amazon looked at her doubtfully. 

SunJade swallowed, then said, “go ahead try it. It’s soooo good!”

Amazon took a piece and popped it on her mouth and chewed slowly, amazed at the tangy, rich, slightly sweet flavors of the bread. She sighed in appreciation of it, and then had a thought. She took more bread and spread some of the Starberry jam on it and rolled it up. She took a huge bite to savor, and then wolfed down the rest. 

“So. Stinking. DELICIOUS!” She yelled. SunJade was eating a piece of bread with jam so she couldn’t talk, but the Kittom nodded vigorously. Amazon and SunJade made more fried Nutbread and Starberry jam until the sun was high in the sky. Then, they smeared the jam on neatly sliced pieces of bread and rolled them up tight. They finished putting the rolls on a plate just before sundown. The two Elnins were confident in their amazing bread and jam and were ready to win the contest the next day. They feel asleep with full stomachs and happy hearts, ready for their food victory.