Sister Lovely began to make baked ziti. She started by boiling a pot of water for the noodles. She thought Sister Krumbles would start making the cake. But instead, the plump sister put on her coat.
“Aren’t you going to start baking the cake?” Sister Lovely asked.
“Oh no! I need the cake to be as fresh as it can be. I will start baking tomorrow,” said Sister Krumbles as she went to the door. “Today I am going to make friends with Ronnie the Rooster.” Out she went.
Sister Krumbles walked to Ronnie’s cage. She was scared, but she felt bad when she saw Ronnie.
He was lying like a lump in his cage. He hadn’t touched his food or his water.
Sister Krumbles tried to remember what Farmer Murphy had said to do. “Ronnie—don’t be scared! I want to be your friend,” she said. Slowly she opened the cage. She grabbed his legs quickly and pulled him out.
Sister Krumbles held the rooster upside down just as Farmer Murphy had done. She was so scared her hand shook. But Ronnie spread his wings and lay limp. So Sister Krumbles walked around the yard holding him upside down.
“Does it feel good to be out of that cage?” she asked. “If you let me be your friend, you can be free again.”
Sister Krumbles walked around the yard three times. She prayed and prayed. At last she flipped Ronnie into her arms. She held him like a little baby. But she was still scared he would peck her.
“There,” she said. Her legs were shaking. She had to sit down on the back porch.
But she started to pet Ronnie’s back. She said in a sweet voice, “You’re a nice rooster….What a nice rooster!”
Ronnie didn’t move. He did not seem mad. He seemed to like it. Then he began to coo. Sister Krumbles smiled. She and Ronnie were friends!
The afternoon seemed to fly by. When Sister Lovely called her to dinner, Sister Krumbles was surprised. She had spent so many hours with Ronnie the Rooster!
“I’ll just put you back in the cage for now,” she said. “Just until I’m sure you feel the same about me as I feel about you.”
When she put him back, Ronnie stood up in the cage. He pecked at his food and water. He seemed content. “That’s a good boy! I’ll take you out tomorrow, as soon as I finish baking the birthday cake,” Sister Krumbles said. She went inside to see what her Sisters had done.
Sister Lovely had baked pans of ziti and other yummy foods. Sister Shiny had the dining room clean and the silver polished. Sister Wanda and Sister Lacey were home from the store with many bags. They had bought large red strawberries for the cake. Sister Krumbles was thrilled. “They’re beautiful!” she exclaimed.
“Let’s see the present you brought Mother Mercy!” said Sister Shiny to Sister Lacey.
“Oh…Surprise Spoilers!” the gray-haired sister answered. “You can all be surprised when Mother Mercy unwraps it.”
No amount of begging would make Sister Lacey tell what the present was. So each of the Sisters went off to night prayer with different ideas of what it could be.
Sister Shiny remembered that she was in charge so after prayer she walked all through the house. She made sure every door was locked. She made sure each window was shut. She checked the door in the gift shop. It was locked.
All the new rosaries they had made were on top of the counter. They looked so pretty that Sister Shiny did not want to put them back into the cabinet. She made sure the window was locked.
When she looked outside, she saw two policemen. They were sitting in their police car watching the houses. Sister Shiny felt very safe.
She went to bed tired, and dreamed about balloons and birthday cake.
© 2014 Chesterton Press.com
Chapter 6
A Little Powder
Sister Krumbles couldn’t wait to spend more time with Ronnie the Rooster. That night she dreamed of him. Ronnie would sit on the porch beside her. He would walk down the sidewalk with her. She even dreamed that he prayed in the chapel with her!
In her dreams, she and Ronnie were best friends. Ronnie could talk just as if he were a person. He wore a hat and a little green vest. He even had a cell phone that he would call her on. He would text her little chicken jokes. One of the jokes was, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” The answer was “Because good-looking Ronnie the Rooster was on the other side!”
Sister Krumbles woke up laughing. Hopping out of bed, she dressed quickly. After she prayed, she went to the kitchen. No one else was up yet. She drank a glass of orange juice. Then she ran out the kitchen door.
Ronnie stood by the door of his cage. He seemed to be waiting for Sister Krumbles. She opened the door and took hold of Ronnie’s legs. She quickly turned him upside down. Smiling, she walked around the yard carrying Ronnie. Then she sat on the back porch and cradled him in her arms. Ronnie cooed happily. She thought, tomorrow I should be able to set him free.
Sister Krumbles put Ronnie back in his cage. She gave him fresh food and water. He pecked at his food and water. He seemed so happy.
As she went to the house, she heard the crows up in the pine tree calling, “Caw….Caw!” Looking up, she watched the large black crow glide through the air. Yes, she thought, God made birds to fly and be free!
At the breakfast table, Sister Krumbles couldn’t help grinning.
“Are you going to start making the birthday cake after morning prayers?” asked Sister Lovely. “I finished making all the food, so the kitchen is all yours today.”
“Nope!” answered Sister Krumbles. “There’s plenty of time! I’m going to spend the day with Ronnie the Rooster! I’ll make the cake tonight!”
Sister Shiny was upset. “I plan on cleaning the kitchen top to bottom after lunch today. I don’t want you making a mess after that!”
“Oh, don’t worry! I will clean up myself. I don’t want to make the whipped cream topping too early. It’s best fresh!” said Sister Krumbles.
The others were dismayed. But no one wanted to hurt Sister Krumbles’ feelings.
On the way to the chapel, Sister Shiny checked the gift shop. The door was locked. All the rosaries were still on the counter. “I wonder if the police have caught the thieves,” she said.
“Oh Crime-Solving Cops!” laughed Sister Lacey. “I hope so!”
Sister Lovely was worried. Everything was ready for the party. The children had sent beautiful invitations to the Sisters’ neighbors and friends. Thanks to Sister Shiny, the house was clean and neat. Sister Wanda had made signs and blown up all the balloons. All of the food was cooked. Everything was ready—everything except the birthday cake.
Sister Lovely watched Sister Krumbles play outside with the animals all day. She seemed to have forgotten about the cake. Sister Lovely did not want to chide her. But at suppertime, the cake was not made. Sister Lovely thought that something should be said.
“Sister Krumbles, what about the cake?” she asked.
“Holy Cooking Catastrophe! Didn’t you bake the cake yet?” asked Sister Lacey.
“Oh, don’t worry! I will bake the cake tonight after evening prayers. It should only take an hour or two!” Sister Krumbles said.
“But Mother Mercy said that she might actually get home tonight!” said Sister Wanda.
“Even if she gets home tonight, I will be able to make the cake!” laughed Sister Krumbles. “I can be quiet as a mouse! I can be as fast as a bee!”
The Sisters just shook their heads. But they were happy to see Sister Krumbles go to the kitchen after evening prayers.
“Thank God Mother Mercy hasn’t come home yet!” Sister Lovely said.
“Well, I will get up early tomorrow! I’ve seen the kitchen after Sister Krumbles bakes!” said Sister Shiny. All the Sisters giggled as they headed to bed.
Sister Krumbles looked for a cake pan. The kitchen had many round cake pans in all different sizes. Then Sister Krumbles had an idea! She could bake many cakes of different sizes. Then she could stack them to make a very, very tall cake!
I will have to triple the batte
r to make enough cake, she thought. I will have to use three times as much of everything.
Grabbing the butter, she knocked some milk over on the floor. I’ll clean that up later, she thought. She put the butter in the mixer bowl.
Now she thought I have to use three times the amount of sugar! She reached up to get the can of sugar. As she did, she knocked down the can of coffee. Coffee spilled all over the stove and floor. I’ll sweep that up later! she thought. She added the sugar to the butter.
Now she needed to add three times the amount of eggs. She took two cartons of eggs from the fridge. She slipped on the spilled milk and dropped one of the cartons! The eggs hit the floor and cracked. The yolks ran down the cracks in the tile floor. Well, one dozen eggs are enough. I’ll wash the floor when I’m done!
“Buzz…zzz!” whirled the mixer. Sister Krumbles tripled the amount of salt. She only spilled a little. Then she went to add the flour. “One….two…. three…four…cups!” she counted as she poured.
Oh no! I will need twelve cups of flour, not just four! There was no more flour left! Sister Krumbles looked but she couldn’t find any more flour. I will just have to see how it comes out, she thought. As she moved things on the shelf, she knocked over a box of bread crumbs. Crumbs scattered all over the counter and the floor. I’ll sweep them up after the cake is in the oven! she decided.
She stirred the batter. Sister Krumbles hoped it would make a thick, rich batter. But the mix was like white water. The mixer splashed it everywhere.
Now what? she thought. I have to thicken it! She searched for a while, but she could not find any flour.
But she did find baking powder. The baking powder was white. It looked like flour. It tasted a little like flour. She added some to the batter. It thickened a little. There were four cans of baking powder on the shelf. It can’t hurt to use more.
“One can….two cans…three cans….four! Just keep adding more, more, more!” she sang.
She added six full cans of the baking powder. Now the batter was perfect: thick and rich! I just have to grease the pans.
But now she began to yawn. She thought, I will just make one big cake after all. She greased the largest pan. She poured all the batter into it. Then she put the pan into the oven. I need to clean up the kitchen, she thought. But now she was very tired. I will just sit down for a while. When she sat down, she could hardly keep her eyes open. I will just put my head down and rest.
She put her head down on the kitchen table. Before she knew it, Sister Krumbles was asleep.
Sister Shiny woke up with a start. She heard a strange noise downstairs. Is it the robber? When she sat up, she saw it was still dark. There was a strange smell in the air. Then she heard the noise again.
“Waaah….aaah…zzzh…bang!”
Sister Shiny jumped out of bed and put on her robe. What is Sister Krumbles doing down there?
Then she heard the sound again: “WAAAH… AAAH…ZZZH…CLANG!”
She ran into the hallway. The other Sisters were looking out of their rooms. “What is that?” shouted Sister Lovely. “It sounds like the oven!”
All of the Sisters ran downstairs. They ran so fast. They didn’t even see Mother Mercy coming through the front door.
In the kitchen, the oven door was open. It looked as if a giant balloon was growing inside.
“It’s Sister Krumble’s cake!” yelled Sister Wanda.
Sister Krumbles woke up with a jump. When she saw the huge cake, her mouth dropped open.
“Creepy Cake Calamity!” yelled Sister Lacey. “Get out of the kitchen, Sister Krumbles!”
Sister Krumbles ran to stand with the rest of the Sisters. With big wide eyes she watched the strange cake!
The balloon continued to grow! It was as big as the stove. “WAAAH…WAAAH…ZZZZ!” it hissed as it grew larger and larger.
Suddenly the hissing grew louder. With the hissing “ZZZ!” the balloon deflated. As the cake shrunk, the Sisters moved toward it. Then the cake started to grow again. The crowd of Sisters stepped back in fear. In and out the batter balloon went. Back and forth the Sisters went. The cake seemed to be breathing. With each breath it grew larger. “WAAAH!…WAAAAH!…ZZZZ!” The noise grew louder and louder as the batter grew!
“Oh Bursting Batter Blobs!” shouted Sister Lacey as she realized what was about to happen.
“Duck!” shouted Sister Shiny as the blob expanded. The Sisters all fell to the floor.
The cake blob exploded! It blew thousands of bits of hot batter all over the kitchen! Bits of batter hit the cabinets. Bits of batter hit the walls. Bits of the batter hit the Sisters.
The Sisters got to their feet. “I am sorry!” whispered Sister Krumbles.
“What on earth did you put into that cake?” asked Sister Lacey.
“I ran out of flour, so I used baking powder instead,” said Sister Krumbles.
“Oh, Careless Cookery!” shouted Sister Lacey. “Don’t you know that too much baking powder explodes?”
“I thought it would make the batter thick!” said Sister Krumbles.
Sister Lovely was upset. “If you had baked the cake when I was here,” she said, “I would have told you. If you had baked instead of playing with the animals all day, this would not have happened!”
Sister Krumbles knew that Sister Lovely was right. She should have made the cake sooner. She was about to say this, when she saw something else even more terrible than a cake batter bomb.
Mother Mercy was standing in the kitchen doorway. She was covered with cake batter. Her face was so red that she looked like a human bomb about to explode.
© 2014 Chesterton Press.com
Chapter 7
A Shining Example
The other Sisters turned around. They saw Mother Mercy. No one knew what to say.
There were broken eggs all over the floor with bread crumbs soaking in the yolk. There was ground coffee all over the stove and counter with watery batter mixed in. Dried milk was spilled on the floor in front of the fridge. And there were bits of batter everywhere.
Mother Mercy wiped the cake batter from her red face. And she exploded with loud words.
“WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?” shouted Mother Mercy at Sister Krumbles. “Why were you outside playing with the animals all day instead of doing your work?”
She waved her arms in the air. “AND WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU DOING, BAKING A CAKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT?”
The other Sisters did not know what to say. How could they defend Sister Krumbles without ruining the surprise?
At last, Sister Lovely said, “She didn’t mean to make a mess!”
“AUGH!” answered Mother Mercy. “She never MEANS to make a mess, but she always does—doesn’t she?”
“I will clean it all up myself,” Sister Krumbles said.
“NO! Stay out of trouble and go outside with the animals!” yelled Mother Mercy. “And STAY outside with the animals!”
Sadly Sister Krumbles went out the kitchen door. The sun was coming up outside.
Mother Mercy’s face was still red with anger. She went to the sink and got a rag. She began to clean up the floor. The other Sisters ran to help her.
No one said anything. No one knew what to say. They waited for Mother Mercy to calm down.
But Mother Mercy’s temper didn’t get any better. She kept growling about Sister Krumbles. “Why is she always so careless and messy?”
Sister Lovely started to wonder if there was more to it. “How did your meeting with the Bishop go?” she asked.
Mother Mercy’s face turned from red to white. She sighed, “Mr. Lemon has been calling the Bishop every day. Mr. Lemon seems to think that we caused the robberies by caring for the poor and bringing the needy into the neighborhood.”
“Oh Lousy Laments!” said Sister Lacey, as she finished mopping the floor. “Does that man do nothing else but complain?”
“If we can’t solve the mystery of who is taking the rosaries, we may have to leave this convent.
The Bishop may transfer us to another town!” said Mother Mercy.
No wonder Mother Mercy was so upset!
Sometimes when we are upset about one thing, we get angry about another thing, thought Sister Lovely as she finished wiping the counters. We take out our feelings on someone else. That is why she lost her temper with Sister Krumbles.
Trying to make things better, Sister Lovely asked, “Can Sister Krumbles come back inside?”
Mother Mercy squared her shoulders. “No! Let her think about what she did.” She walked into her office and slammed the door.
Sitting outside, Sister Krumbles told the goats how sad she was. They nodded their heads as she spoke. Sister Krumbles petted their soft ears. She tickled their chins. She wished that she had listened to Sister Lovely. If I had made the cake sooner none of this would have happened.
Sadly, she visited the chickens. There were some new eggs in the nests. She wondered if they would have any new baby chicks soon.
She thought of how she had spent all yesterday playing outside when she should have worked. Now she could not go back inside and help her sisters, even though she wanted to. I did everything backwards! she thought.
Sister Krumbles decided to take Ronnie the Rooster out of his cage. She held him upside down. Then she walked him around the yard to calm him. I wonder if this would work with Mother Mercy? she thought. She smiled at the idea of holding Mother Mercy upside down.
After a while, Sister Krumbles went to sit on the back porch. But then she thought of how upset Sister Lovely had been. She thought of what Sister Lacey had said, and how Sister Shiny had screamed. It was not just Mother Mercy who was upset with her. It seemed everyone was.
So Sister Krumbles walked away from the kitchen. She went to the pine tree and sat down.
As she stroked Ronnie, she told him her troubles. “It’s so easy to talk to you,” she whispered.
She sighed. “You can always tell animals your troubles, and they never yell at you. I think God made animals to be our special friends.”
The Case of the Stolen Rosaries (Sisters of the Last Straw Book 3) Page 3