Along the Brandywine is hosting an Inklings link-up this month! The prompt being a scene with a cake in book or film, I decided to share part of a story from one of my childhood favorites, In Grandma's Attic by Arleta Richardson. In it, Mabel bakes a cake for her Ma's surprise birthday party.
If Ma suspected anything, she didn't let on. She returned to her sewing, and I spent the afternoon hanging on the front gate, waiting for the first arrivals to the party. They were to come at suppertime, and the ladies would all bring something good to eat. I was sure that no one would come with as beautiful a cake as mine, though. And I was right. Ma was surprised and pleased. "You made this all by yourself, Mabel?" she asked. "Why, it is just lovely. I had no idea you could do that alone!" Proudly I handed Ma the knife. "You must have the first piece, because it's your birthday," I said. Ma cut the cake, and took a large slice on her plate. She took a bite, and an odd look came over her face. Something is wrong, I thought. But what could it be? I watched anxiously, but Ma kept on eating. Satisfied with my success, I ran to play with the other children. That evening, . . . Ma said, "It was the most unusual cake I've ever eaten. What did you use to flavor it, Mabel?" she asked. "Why, the vanilla, Ma," I said. "Just like you always use." "Show me where you got it," said Ma. "Where did you find the vanilla?" Ma followed me to the pantry, and I pointed to the big bottle on the shelf. Ma took it down and looked at it; then she began to laugh. On the front of the bottle the label read, WATKIN'S LINIMENT. Ma wiped her eyes and hugged me close. "That's all right, Mabel," she said. "It was a lovely cake. A little liniment never hurt anyone. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present." It seems this is a popular mistake ;) Have you read the Grandma's Attic series? Did you ever put liniment in a cake?
5 Comments
4/16/2024 02:39:36 pm
Oh, this is a sweet scene! And this does seem to be a popular mistake, heh. I'm not sure I've ever heard of this series! What is it about?
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Ruth March
4/17/2024 08:26:34 pm
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Lizzie! Grandma's Attic is a series of anecdotes from a young girl's life, framed as the girl, now a grandma, telling them to her granddaughter. From my understanding they are based on real life, as the granddaughter wrote the books when she grew up. Hopefully that makes sense? They've been on my mind recently, as my younger brother just finished reading them for the first time, and seeing him experience the stories for the first time brought back lots of memories for me <3
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4/19/2024 08:08:30 pm
Oh, that sounds cool! Almost a little Little House-ish. Ah, re-experiencing stories through others is always lovely...almost like getting to read them for the first time again yourself! 4/21/2024 09:24:04 pm
I've known this to happen with different substances to a couple of different people in real life! I don't bake or cook enough, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. Cute scene!
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Ruth March
4/22/2024 08:02:06 pm
Baking is a tricky business, isn't it?
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