Fortune Cookie Fiasco (Krystal Ball)

by Ruby Ann Phillips

  “BLURGH!” Billy gurgled and crawled under one of the tables.

  I turned my attention to Claire. Her eyes were closed, and she was lying on her side.

  “Speak to me,” I cried, giving her a shake.

  “BRAINS!” Claire shouted. She jerked her body toward me with outstretched arms. “BRAINS!”

  “Not you too!” I moaned.

  I aimed my Zombie Zapper at her, but she slapped it out of my hand. I turned to run after it, but Billy surprised me. He threw cherry filling on my apron that left a big red splatter.

  “I’ve been hit!” I yelled, clutching my chest. “What will happen now?”

  “BRAINS!” Billy shouted.

  “BRAINS!” shouted Claire, grabbing my Zombie Zapper.

  As they shuffled closer, my back came up against the wall. I was trapped.

  “Please don’t eat my precious brains!” I wailed.

  DING!

  The oven timer rang. The cookies were ready!

  “That was fast,” I said. “I guess time flies when you’re having fun.”

  “Hey,” said Claire. “That sounds like a good fortune to me. Let’s put it in our cookies.”

  “Totally,” I replied.

  As we ran toward the oven, I slipped on a patch of apple filling on the floor. Stumbling forward, I knocked into Claire, who fell onto Billy, who crashed into a large vat of vanilla icing.

  The tub teetered and tottered and tipped over, spilling vanilla icing everywhere. SPLOOSH!

  “Oh, no!” we cried.

  The icing splashed onto our shoes, the counter, and spread across the tile toward the oven.

  The three of us tumbled on top of each other on the slippery floor. We were completely covered from head to toe with icing.

  “This sure is a sticky situation,” Billy said.

  I started to giggle, but then a shiver went up and down my spine.

  “You guys, something like this happened in my dream,” I said.

  I told my friends what I had seen last night and how I thought it was a sign of caution.

  “It so totally was a sign,” added Claire.

  Suddenly, the smoke alarm blared.

  BREEP! BREEP! BREEP!

  “Our cookies are burning!” I screamed.

  Mr. Katsikis burst into the room. “What’s going on here?” he bellowed.

  He walked carefully to the oven and turned on an overhead fan. Then he opened the oven door. Black clouds of smoke billowed out, getting sucked into the fan.

  Mrs. Katsikis ran in and turned off the smoke detector. Then she took in the sight.

  “Oh my,” was all she could muster.

  Billy’s father glared at us, and I felt a sharp pang of guilt.

  “Mr. and Mrs. Katsikis,” I started, “I’m so sorry. I’ll help clean everything up right now.”

  “That’s very thoughtful,” Mrs. Katsikis told us. “But I think it’s best if you all go home.”

  She ushered us out the kitchen door into the front of the shop. I craned my neck back to look at Billy, but he was staring at the ground.

  My head was spinning so fast that before I knew it, I was standing outside the House of Sweets with Claire at my side.

  “Uh-oh,” she said. “This is so not good.”

  “I know,” I whispered back.

  “What are we going to do?” she asked me. “Billy’s in trouble, but we’re all to blame. Plus, our good fortune cookies are still in the kitchen. How are we going to make any money and go to the zoo? How are we going to beat the Mean Team?”

  Claire was absolutely right. Everything was going wrong, and I felt sick. I shut my eyes and tilted my head.

  Maybe I can catch a glimpse of the future, I thought. But nothing appeared.

  I opened my eyes and looked at my best friend.

  “Outlook hazy,” I answered. “Cannot predict now.”

  Chapter 8

  The Cookie Crumbles

  After the fortune cookie fiasco at the House of Sweets, Claire and I ended up at my apartment. When my parents saw how upset we were, they asked us what happened. So, I told them.

  “Oh, honey,” Mom said. “That’s terrible.”

  “Chin up, sweetheart. Your mother and I can help make more cookies right here,” Dad offered.

  “Of course,” Mom said cheerfully. “I’m sure we can find a recipe on the Internet.”

  Dad brought over his laptop computer and started searching for recipes.

  I saw how excited my parents were, but inside I still felt uneasy. Don’t get me wrong — Mom and Dad are great cooks, but they’re not bakers.

  Dad saw my pained expression.

  “Don’t worry, Krystal,” he said, “this batch is going to be the best one yet.”

  “How hard can it be?” Mom asked.

  I forced a smile.

  My parents found a recipe online and skimmed through it. Mom said, “Perfect! We have all the ingredients right here!”

  And so, we started from scratch.

  Soon after the new batter was ready, Claire and I lined the cookie trays and placed them in the preheated oven. We set the timer and waited.

  Once the batch was cooked, we put them on the counter to dry, folding the hot dough over the mixing bowl to get the fortune cookie shape.

  “There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Dad asked.

  The fortune cookies did look good, after all.

  I smiled for real and said, “Thanks, Daddy!”

  Finally, when the cookies had cooled, Claire and I picked a couple up to try them.

  “Ew!” I cried. “The dough is soggy and mushy. Not at all crunchy like it should be.”

  Dad scratched his head, saying, “Hmm, we did everything the recipe asked . . . I don’t understand.”

  “Here’s a fortune,” I said. “Eat these cookies if you want to get sick.”

  “Krystal!” my mother said, sharply.

  I stormed out of the kitchen and plopped onto the sofa. My hopes of winning the bake-off went up in smoke back at the House of Sweets.

  Claire sat next to me. “It’s all going to be fine, Krystal,” she offered.

  Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. My mom opened it. Billy was standing there holding a bakery box and looking bummed.

  “Here are the cookies that survived,” he said. “At least you can sell something.”

  “What do you mean, you?” I asked.

  “I have to go the bakery every day after school and scrub the floor until it stops sticking to our shoes,” Billy told us. “Starting tomorrow.”

  “But the bake-off is tomorrow!” I cried.

  “I know,” he said glumly. “I can’t make it.”

  “Well, this stinks!” Claire exclaimed. “Our team is falling apart.”

  My ears perked up. I looked down at the writing on my shirt and read it out loud.

  “That’s the way the cookie crumbles,” I said. “It was a sign all along.”

  * * *

  That night, after Billy and Claire went home, I sat alone on my bed. Stanley was by my side.

  Placed out in front of me were my crystal ball, tarot cards, and tea leaves. These objects helped guide my gift, as Grandma called it. Right now, I was drawing a blank. I couldn’t see anything.

  Flopping onto my pillow, I stared at my ceiling. All across it were glow-in-the-dark star stickers.

  “Oh, my stars!” I gasped. “That’s it!”

  Dad told me that during ancient times, sailors used the stars as maps to guide them on their ocean travels.

  “I should use the stars to guide me,” I said.

  Grabbing Stanley, I hopped out of bed, slid on my slippers, and padded down the hall.

  “Where are you off to, honey?” Dad asked as I pass
ed him.

  “To the roof!” I exclaimed.

  I climbed the stairs to get to the roof of our building. Sometimes, Billy, Claire, and I would go up there and play. It was the perfect place for us to have our secret headquarters. Plus, the view was amazing. You could look out over Queens and see the Manhattan skyline. Anyone up there felt as if they were on top of the world!

  Hidden in the corner, behind a potted fern, was my trusty satchel. In it I kept my telescope case and an old astronomy textbook that Dad brought home from his school’s bookstore.

  I put Stanley down on the table and picked up my satchel. “Let’s see if the stars give me any bright ideas, Stanley.”

  While I was constructing the telescope, Mom and Dad joined me on the roof.

  “We figured you could use some company, and a sweet treat,” Mom said, holding a mug of cocoa.

  “Thanks, Mom,” I said and hugged her.

  As I sipped the delicious drink, Dad set up my telescope on the ledge and peered through it.

  “What are we looking for, Krystal?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “I thought maybe the stars could guide me. Show me what the future holds.”

  Using the telescope, I scanned the starry night sky. Finally, I found an interesting cluster. Three stars formed a triangle, and there were a number of stars that extended from it, in crooked lines out from under it.

  I described the constellation to my parents.

  “Hmm,” Dad said, rubbing his chin. “Let’s consult the guide.” He flipped through the textbook and settled on a spread.

  “Is this what you see?” he asked.

  “Yes!” I exclaimed.

  I read the constellation’s name — and gasped.

  “PEGASUS!”

  “Pegasus was the winged horse that helped heroes like Perseus and Bellerophon defeat many monsters that plagued the cities of ancient Greece,” my father read aloud.

  “Wow, cool!” Mom said. Then she saw I was lost deep in thought. “What is it, honey?”

  “I dreamed of Pegasus last night,” I said.

  I placed the mug of cocoa on the table and picked up Stanley.

  “I’m going to bed,” I said. “There are still some monsters I need to take care of, here in the real world and in dreamland.”

  “You’re a funny kid, you know that?” Dad said.

  “Yeah, I know,” I said and smiled.

  Mom kissed me on the cheek. “Have a good night,” she said. “See you in the morning.”

  I put two fingers next to my temple and acted like I was having a vision. “Not if I see you first!”

  Chapter 9

  The Dragon Returns

  Immediately after I fell asleep, I found myself back on the graham cracker drawbridge of Patisserie Palace. Peggy Sue was by my side, shaking whipped cream out of her feathers.

  I looked down and saw the rest of the cream swirling around inside the milk shake moat.

  “Wow, Peggy Sue!” I exclaimed. “How did we escape the avalanche?”

  “We have Serina to thank for that,” she replied.

  “Who?” I asked.

  “Me, of course,” said a lovely voice.

  I turned to see a glamorous mermaid with a shimmering tail sitting along the moat’s bank.

  “Peggy Sue is a dear friend of mine,” Serina stated. “So I rushed to the rescue as soon as I got word there was trouble.”

  “Who told you?” I asked.

  “My fine, finny friends!” Serina said, pointing down.

  Red, green, and yellow Swedish fish splashed through the milk shake waves. Behind them, a school of Goldfish crackers swam by.

  At that moment, there was a thunderous roar.

  GROOOAAR!

  The dangerous dragon had returned.

  “That beast needs to be taught a lesson!” I said.

  “And you are the teacher,” Peggy Sue told me. “Here are your supplies.”

  The winged horse produced a sugar-coated satchel. Inside were a helmet and chest-plate made of hard candy shell, a swirly lollipop shield, and a long licorice lasso.

  “Hurry, child,” Peggy Sue said. “Put these on!”

  As I rushed to dress myself, the dragon swooped down toward us.

  There was another deafening roar, and a blazing fireball blasted the bridge. The graham cracker crumbled beneath our feet. Embers hit the waffle cone tower and FWOOSH!

  It burst into flames.

  Serina raised her arms, causing waves of milk shake to lurch out of the moat. The cool, thick liquid landed on the wall, dousing the blaze.

  “Climb on my back,” Peggy Sue said.

  Together we flew up toward the dragon. The scaly creature belched another fireball at us.

  Peggy Sue swerved under the blast and then zoomed back up. I was face to face with our foe.

  With newfound strength, I twirled the licorice lasso over my head and let it loose. The loop coiled around the dragon’s snout, tying it tight.

  “That’s enough out of you,” I scolded. “Keep that trap shut!”

  Defeated, the dragon flew away.

  Peggy whooped with glee. “Way to tell that big buzzard to buzz off!”

  Together, we landed on a turret made of toffee.

  “The kingdom is saved!” said a powerful voice.

  King Sprinkle appeared before us. He was a short round man with brown hair and a long beard. His royal wardrobe, from his long purple cape to his pointed shoes, was covered with rainbow-colored sprinkles.

  “Your majesty,” Peggy Sue said, bowing her head. “We are at your service.”

  “No, it is I who is at your service, my dears,” King Sprinkle replied, bowing his head in return.

  Then he turned and looked down over the side of the turret. I followed his gaze and saw Serina. Surrounding her were all the kingdom’s inhabitants.

  “All hail Krystal Ball,” the king announced. “Protector of Patisserie Palace!”

  Everyone erupted into an enormous cheer. The royal subjects started chanting my name.

  “Krystal! Krystal! Krystal!”

  I was going to burst with joy.

  That was when I heard a loud voice shout, “Krystal, WAKE UP!”

  * * *

  I jolted upright and looked around. I was in my bedroom, and my mother stood over me.

  “Krystal, dear, you’re going to be late for school,” she said.

  “Suffering solar systems!” I exclaimed.

  Frazzled, I leaped out of bed and rushed to get ready.

  Several minutes later, I walked into my classroom, carrying the box with our precious fortune cookies inside.

  Miss Callisto clapped her hands. “Attention, class. Put all your baked items on the table in the back. The bake-off will take place at the end of the day in the cafeteria. Oh, I’m so excited!”

  Throughout the day, I looked up at the clock. It just dragged on forever!

  Finally, class was over and the time for the bake-off arrived. Unfortunately, Billy had to go to the bakery and clean up our mess.

  “I’ll catch you later,” he said sadly. “Good luck!”

  Claire and I waved good-bye and headed to the cafeteria with our fortune cookies. There was a big banner that said Nikola Tesla Elementary School Annual Bake-Off.

  The tables were set up in a circle, and we found ours all the way in the back. “I guess they’re saving the best for last, huh?” Claire said, smiling. “I’ll go get a tablecloth. BRB!”

  As I headed to the table, Kate appeared and blocked my path. Her table was next to ours. Ugh!

  She was carrying a silver serving platter with a domed cover. I hated to admit it, but whatever was inside smelled really delicious. Like bananas and chocolate.

  Kate looked down and scoffed. “Is that your e
xcuse for an entry? It’s sad. Like you,” she said.

  My faced burned, but I stood firm and said, “Not as sad as you, Kate. You make people feel bad so you can feel good about yourself.”

  “Nobody talks to me that way!” she shrieked. “I’m Kate Saxon!”

  “No, you’re just a big bully,” I said.

  I walked passed Kate feeling like the hero from my dream, that I had just defeated the dragon all over again. Sadly, my victory was short lived.

  Kate stuck out her foot and tripped me.

  I stumbled forward, dropping the box. The fortune cookies skidded across the floor.

  Adding to my misfortune, a bunch of boys came trampling by. They accidentally crushed and crunched and kicked the cookies around.

  Everything we had created was destroyed!

  Kate really was like the fire-breathing dragon.

  “You rotten reptile!” I shouted.

  She flipped her hair and walked away.

  Claire saw me on my knees and rushed over.

  “Oh no!” she gasped. “What happened?”

  I told her the whole story.

  Claire balled her fists. “I’m going to march over there and knock her block off!”

  “Forget it,” I cried. “What are we going to do?”

  “I don’t know,” Claire answered. “It’s not like we can magically make more out of thin air.”

  Suddenly, I had a revelation. I remembered what Grandma said at the salon: “Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”

  “Actually, Claire,” I said to her. “I think we can!”

  Chapter 10

  The Sweetest Treat

  “Quick, Claire,” I urged. “We need to get in touch with Billy!”

  “How?” she asked. “We don’t have cell phones.”

  “I had something else in mind.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I remembered that Grandma had reached out and influenced me with a vision. I tried to picture Billy at the House of Sweets. An image soon appeared. Billy was standing in the kitchen mopping.