Magic Castle

Sisters, ten year old Abigail and eight year old Phoebe raced ahead of their mother on the sidewalk and stopped in front of the bakery. Noses pressed up to the display window they gazed longingly at the array of delectable baked goods. “Mumsy!” Abby exclaimed. “May we have a treat?” Phoebe chimed in “Pleeeeeze? We’ve been so good!”

“Ah yes, girls! I dare say we could all use a treat.” Juggling her shopping bags, their mother reached for the door handle, but just as she did so, the door swung open abruptly. Startled, she stepped back. A tall gentleman carrying two bakery boxes came to a halt on the threshold. Carolina stepped out of the way herding her daughters safely away to the side of the entrance.

“Oh my goodness!” The man stopped while still holding the door open. “I was in such a rush I simply wasn’t paying attention, please accept my apologies! He bent down and picked up a shopping bag Carolina had dropped. “Here you go! Oh, would you like my lottery ticket? There’s a monthly drawing for the most amazing chocolate cake, Death by Chocolate they call it. They don’t sell the cake, the only way you can get one is by winning the lottery! I will not be present for the drawing so I have no use for this ticket!”

Carolina shrugged her shoulders and said “Sure, thank you.” As the man held the door open, he handed her a gold ticket. She accepted it and tucked it into her purse. “Good bye.” She said as she put her arm around each girl and they entered the shop.

Abby inhaled the aromas of the sweets and spotted a display of iced cookies decorated with tiny silver balls. “Ooh I want one of these!” Phoebe ran over and squealed with delight. “Mumsy I want one of these too!”

Phoebe looked over to her mother and gasped as she looked past her. “Abby, look at that!”

Abby looked up and saw what Phoebe was gazing at. “Mumsy! Look at that! It’s a castle! Is it a cake?”

Carolina turned around and saw the most amazing chocolate creation displayed in a refrigerated glass tower. It looked like the castle at Disney; it was complete with tiny windows illuminated from a source of light inside. “Why, it is! And according to this sign it’s the one someone will win in the lottery! It’s quite lovely. Okay, let me get these cookies for you. I’ll try this strawberry tart.” she said, as she gestured toward the display case to the clerk waiting patiently behind the counter. “Will that be all today Ma’am?”

Carolina nodded yes, and the clerk placed the two cookies and the tart in a bakery box. Then she tore off a golden ticket from a roll and gently peeled it in half and handed it to Carolina. “Thank you for your purchase. Here is a ticket that enters you into our lottery for the Death by Chocolate castle cake! The drawing is actually tomorrow but you need to be present to win. It’s at 5:30 pm. Good luck, and have a wonderful day!”

Carolina handed the bakery box to Abigail and said “Be very careful with our goodies and as soon as we get home we can enjoy them.” She picked up her shopping bags and the girls followed her out the door after one last look at the magical castle cake.

The next day was Saturday and since there was no school, the sisters spent the day playing in their shared bedroom. They had fun building their own make believe castle using a card table and a bed sheet and Phoebe’s night side table lamp to make a turret under the sheet. They played with their favorite dolls and imagined playing with the magical castle at the bakery.

Carolina poked her head in their room and said “Dinner is ready! Come and wash up before we eat.”

“Oh goody! Mac and cheese!” Abigail exclaimed when she saw the steaming bowl on the dining room table.

“Yum, my favorite! Thank you Mumsy! Phoebe gave Carolina a sweet hug.

When they finished dinner and had cleared away the dishes Abigail spoke up. “Mumsy, it’s after 5:00 and the drawing for the castle cake is at 5:30!”

“Oh!” Carolina had forgotten about the lottery. Not wanting to disappoint her daughters, she gathered up her purse and car keys and said “Okay, let’s go! But chances are we will not win so please don’t be disappointed!”

They were able to park a block away from the bakery and Abigail and Phoebe held hands as they skipped to the front door. Looking through the glass they saw a crowd of people milling about the racks and tables. Several were viewing the Death by chocolate castle cake. Once inside the shop, they found a spot near the glass tower. Two women behind them were speaking softly to each other. One said “The castle isn’t the cake, that’s a prop made to look like a cake. The real cake is hidden inside!”

“I’m so glad as I would hate to ruin such a beautiful creation just for a slice of cake!” The woman next to her laughed. “Although I would adore to taste the infamous Death by Chocolate cake!”

“Attention please, may I have your attention!” A shop clerk waved her hands. The crowd hushed. “It is our delightful honor to draw the winning ticket for the magnificent Death by Chocolate castle cake! Mind you, the castle is not the actual cake. The cake is concealed inside waiting for the lucky winner to slice into! Get your tickets out, please!”

Carolina fished her ticket out of her wallet. The shop clerk paused to allow the crowd to find their ticket. She continued, “I’m going to read six numbers. If the ticket holder is not present, we will draw another ticket. Here goes, 168-261!” The clerk read the numbers again as Carolina and everyone else peered at their ticket.

“Oh dear, we were so close! We were only one number off!” Carolina sighed in disappointment. She would have loved to taste the decadent chocolate cake and have a beautiful castle for her beloved girls to play with.

“Mumsy,” Phoebe tugged on Carolina’s sleeve. “What about the ticket the man gave you?”

Carolina thought for a moment. She remembered then that she had tucked it in the side pocket of her purse.

The shop clerk said “I’ll read the number one more time and if no one has it, we will draw again.”

“Wait! Wait! I think I have it!” Carolina blurted out holding up the golden ticket she had found in her purse! The girls squealed with excitement. She handed the ticket over to the shop clerk.

“We have a winner! Now come this way and have a seat at this table!” The crowd burst into applause and cheering. Then the crowd parted and a pretty table was revealed, set beautifully with China plates and dainty forks. Another clerk was pouring milk into frosty glasses. Yet another person appeared wheeling the beautiful castle cake towards them. The delighted girls and their mother took seats and waited to see what was going to happen.

The clerk pushing the cake came to a stop and with a flourish, lifted up the castle drawbridge and revealed a shiny round cake which she carefully pulled out. The crowd oohed. The cake was sliced into wedges and placed on the China plates in front of the girls. “May I congratulate you and please, please enjoy!”

Carolina and both girls each cut a careful bite with their forks and raised them to their mouths nearly at the same time. The silky chocolate was a dream. All three closed their eyes and sighed with pleasure. “I’m never going to forget this as long as I live!” Abby gushed.

“Do we get to keep the castle?” Phoebe spoke up.

“Oh of course you do, young lady!” The shop clerk exclaimed. “Every month we build a new castle to conceal the special cake! No castle is exactly alike so what you have is a one of a kind!” She looked at Carolina. “Ma’am, I’ll need some information from you so we can deliver the castle to your home.” Carolina and the girls finished the cake on their plates. Phoebe looked at her mumsy and whispered, “I want to lick my plate!”

Carolina laughed and replied, “That’s okay we get to take the rest of this cake home! Let’s get going so we can put it safely away.”