Jack the Baker

“Ugh my head.”

I open my eyes.  A bright light shines onto them blinding them.  I’m looking at the ceiling of the kitchen.  I try to move my arms, but I can’t seem to be able to.  In fact I can’t seem to feel my hand at all not even the one that was stabbed a few days ago.   There’s no pain. My head is a little foggy too.

“Oh good you’re awake.” Said the girl genuinely happy.

I try to turn my head to face the girl, my head seems to be bound in place.

“I was afraid I was gonna be alone for the rest of the night.”

“What’s going on?”

“You ate one of my special sleepy cupcakes. Now stay quiet or you’re gonna wake grandpa!”

What is she talking about? Sleepy cupcakes?  Was she trying to knock me out?  Had I walked into another trap?  Her grandfather must have put her up to this; there is no other explanation.  But why set a trap if you already have the prize?

“Why would you untie me only to lead me up the stairs and knock me out when I got up here?”  I say.

“Well I couldn’t carry you.  You’re much too heavy to carry.”

“But why bring me up here?  After all couldn’t your granddad kill me fine in the basement?”

The girl laughed.  “Grandpa has nothing to do with this silly.  You’re here so that you can help me make cupcakes!  Doesn’t that sound fun?”

“Cupcakes?  If you wanted me to help make cupcakes I would have gladly helped.”  I lie  “Untie me and we can get started.”  Yeah right, as soon as she unties me I’m gonna give her a knock over the head.

“Oh no no no, Mr. Thief you can help me perfectly from where you are.”

The girl stats humming and moving around.

I try to look around.  I can’t move my head to look towards the girl but I could turn my head to the left and right.  On the right I see a counter that is a mess cupcake batter is spilled all over, there’s also a bunch of cooking equipment.  Blenders, a cookbook, a mixing bowl filled with batter and of course a cupcake pan.  On the right I see the collection of knifes but in addition to the knifes I see a car battery, the book of human anatomy, a saw and scalpels.  It looks like she is already has made the batter so why does she need me here?

“If you already finished making the batter why do you need my help?”

“I’m missing some ingredients.”

“Well untie me and I’ll find them for you”

“Silly, you ARE the ingredients.”  She said as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

At first I thought I has misheard her.  Surely she did not mean what I thought she said.

“What did you say?”

“You know what I said, fresh human organs are surprisingly really hard to come by. ” she said reaching for the scalpel and saw.

“Put that saw down.”  I said

She replied, “This is a hacksaw not a saw.  I don’t get it hacksaws don’t hack; hacking is what you do with daggers and axes and knifes. What do you think?”

I couldn’t process it.  This little girl was gonna kill me.  To make cupcakes.  This had to be a dream, but I couldn’t bring my self to feel scared.   Was it because of the drugged cupcake or was it because she looked like my daughter.

“Okey dokey hold still, this won’t hurt.  At least I hope so I spent the rest my allowance on those narcotics.”   She leaned out of sight, I can’t see what she’s doing but I can hear her.  Sawing away.

“Whew… you must work out a lot.  I’m having trouble cutting through.”  She said.

A few seconds later.  “There I’m through.  Now what to pull out first?”

I didn’t feel any pain during this, but for some reason I felt as though I should.

“I would like you to stick around a little while longer so I think I’ll pull the kidneys first.”

I hear the sound of her going to work with the “hacksaw” and then an “Ah ha I got it!” I hear her walk to the blender and a plop followed by another plop.  I hear the blender turn on.

I hear her humming to herself.

“Oh my goodness! I’ve never seen a liver in such bad shape.  You shouldn’t drinks so much Mr. thief it’s not good for you.   I can’t use this.  It’ll taste terrible.”  I hear the sound of something falling into a trashcan.

“I remember my first batch of cupcakes.”  She said.  “My grandfather made them for me.  They were good, but that was also the day I lost my mom and my dad.”  She looked distressed for a second and then went back to her cheerful disposition.

Her talking about her family made me think about my own family.  “Oh Flora it looks like I won’t see her again”

“There you go again. Flora?  Is she your wife or something?”

“She…” I started before I began to black out.

I’m awake again I see the girl holding a needle in my neck.  “It’s adrenalin I’ll keep you awake a little longer.  Car battery helps too.  You were saying?”

“Flora is my daughter I say.  It’s her birthday today.

“Oh.”  She said.

She looks at her anatomy book.   “Why is it called the small intestine if it’s bigger then the large intestine?”

“Beats me I failed high school anatomy,” I say

I feel a pulling as though someone has tied my waist to a pull and started to yank on it. I hear her using the hack saw again.  And then the blender.  I’m feeling kinda hallow inside.

“Will she miss you?”

“Huh?”

“Will Flora miss you?”

“Yeah, I’m sure she will.”

I hear the girl give a little sob.  As though she’s trying to hold back tears.

“What’s the matter?”

“I miss my mommy and daddy,” she sobs.  “And the worst part is that I won’t even see them in heaven, because I’m a bad person.” She wailed, “Now Flora will have to go through the same thing, and it’s all my fault.”

I don’t know what to say.  I’ve often thought of where I would go after I die and it’s not been optimistic.  But for her it’s almost hopeless.  No hope for a murderer that kills in cold blood. It might be the drugs or the blood loss talking but even though she’s cut me open, I can’t help feel sorry for her.

“It’ll be alright,” I say.  “No one really knows where they’re going after they die.  There’s still hope for you.  You might see your parents again.”

“You really thinks so, mister thief?” said the pink girl.

“Who knows, I’m not a priest.”  I say

We sit in silence for a while.  In my haze I can hardly form a cohesive thought.

“Well mister thief.  It’s been nice talking to you, but I’m afraid we have to stop talking now.”

“Why is that?” I say

“Well I’m removing your lungs next.” She said

“I wish I could have got to know you and your daughter a little better.  You seem like a nice guy.” Said the girl

“Goodnight, Flora.”

“Goodnight, mister thief.”

Three days later

Flora is at school drawing a picture of her and her father she misses him.  She hopes that he will be back soon.  They were going to go to the fun park for her birthday. but he never showed up.  They were going to have so much fun together.  She felt like she was going to cry.  But she had to be brave for her dad’s sake.

“Hi there!”

Flora looked up from her drawing to see a girl that she didn’t recognize from school.  She had blond hair and lightning blue eyes.  And she held in her hand a cupcake.

“I heard what happened to your dad so I made you some thing.”

  She reaches into her bag and pulls out a cupcake.  Here you go.  She pulls out a cupcake with rainbow sprinkles.

“Thanks.” said Flora quietly

“No sweat.”

The two sat in silence while they ate the cupcakes.  They were bitter tasting, but still really good.

“Wow these are good!”

“Thanks I want to be a baker when I grow up” said the mystery girl

“What’s your secret?”  Said Flora.

“They’re made with love.” said the strange girl

“That’s not a real secret.” Said Flora.

“But it’s true” said the girl

The two girls sit in silence.

“You know I lost my dad too.”  Said the girl

“Oh I’m sorry for your loss.” said Flora

“Its ok I was young.” Said the girl

“How did it happen?” said Flora

“It was a baking accident, there was a fire.” said the mystery girl.

“Oh…  So who are you again?”

“My name is Rosie,” said the girl “and I’m gonna your new best friend.”