Recipe:
3 cups flour
Dash of ground red pepper (for spicy nights)
1 egg
½ cup shortening
Tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
Tsp of baking powder
¼ cup molasses
Dash of cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
The baking supplies were arrayed on the counter when I heard a sharp rap on the front door.
“Hello. My name is Calista. I’m here to help you bake.” She wore red heels that rocketed her height to six feet.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I don’t want to screw this up.”
Calista laughed, her deep, brown eyes playful.
“Don’t worry darling, I will help you.”
My hands shook as I mixed the ingredients. Calista directed my movements without touching anything. She walked me through each step, her eyes focused upon the bowl. I’d never baked anything before, much less something like this. When it came time to roll out the dough, I discovered that I was on my own. I started hyperventilating. I would mess this up.
“It is very important that you are the only one to touch the ingredients now. This is a special part of the making that will bond him to you.”
I nodded and tipped the bowl so the dough would tumble onto the counter. Calista called out orders about how I should move and handle the dough. I rolled, kneaded and pinched, working out any air bubbles. Calista handed me a heavy, wooden rolling pin and told me to flatten the dough to a 2-inch thickness. As I pressed it flat, I worried that my kitchen island might not be large enough to hold it.
“Now, you must cut the shape. It doesn’t have to be perfect, the magic will take care of the details.”
Calista hummed a tune that felt familiar and foreign at the same time. I could sense power flowing out of her and into me. I was her conduit for the creation. My skin tingled and my curls wavered around my face. I wondered if there might be lightning.
I carved out a large, gingerbread man shape. It wasn’t perfect. Some of the lines were crooked and one arm was longer than the other. I turned to Calista who must have sensed my panic.
“It’s ok child. No man is perfect and neither should this one be.”
I placed the images I’d cut from magazines; a man’s face, chest, arms and legs on top of my cookie man.
Calista chuckled when she saw the pictures.
“He may not look like the pictures, but he will be handsome.”
My favorite cologne was next. The scent was woodsy, but not too strong. It mixed with the cloves in the dough and I could almost see brown eyes and dark hair with a devilish smile. I circled the figure with a piece of wood for strength and flexibility, a seashell for dreams and hopes and on one side a Nicholas Sparks book for romance while on the other side, a Dan Brown book for intelligence.
“Don’t forget the personal item, child. It must be something very important to you.”
I placed my St. Christopher’s medal on the chest of the figure. My father gave it to me when I was a little girl. I wanted him to feel as safe as I had wearing it.
Energy swirled through the kitchen. Anticipation filled the air as if the atmosphere was holding its breath, waiting for what might happen next.
Calista took my hands, chanting words that I couldn’t understand. Her touch sent another wave of power through my body and we closed our eyes.
Wind coursed through the kitchen even though the windows were closed. The silverware in the drawers rattled and in the cabinet, I heard a glass shatter. I kept the image of the man who would be mine in my mind. No longer would I attend parties or weddings alone. My bed would no longer be empty and cold. I was ready for someone to talk to, touch and love. A man to hold onto until my own body has withered away.
My head spun with the power and the scents in the room. My only connection to reality was Calista’s firm grip and the words pouring from her mouth. Whoosh, everything in the kitchen stilled. Calista released my hands and I watched her drop to the floor, exhausted.
On the kitchen island, my gingerbread man opened his eyes.
Optimistic Author 
I really like where you ended this piece. Your descriptions of Calista and the narrator making the dough was so sensual; I thought that the story was going to take a turn and pair them together. But Calista’s use of endearments made me think she might be older, yes? Nice work with the prompts and fitting a complete story in 750 words.
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Thank you for your comments. I thought about pairing them, but decided to focus on the man making. Calista may end up with a story of her own.
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I loved this twist on the gingerbread man tale. The magical elements that were still modern day were especially appealing.
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Thank you for reading and your comments!
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What a tight story for so few words. I enjoyed reading this! 😀
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Thank you! I’m glad that you enjoyed the story. It was fun to write.😊
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That second last paragraph! Like Nate, I was hoping for a hookup with Calista by that point. She seemed so powerful and exciting. Stories of magic and food draw me in like a moth to a flame, and you had the added bonus of strong female/femme characters.
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Magical stories intrigue me as well. I thought about having the two women connect. Who knows? Mr Gingerbread man might not be the one. 😉
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I really enjoyed how you only hint and first that this isn’t an “ordinary” baking day before you really lay it on us. Great attention to detail in the man-making. I particularly liked the bit about the St. C medal.
I really wish I had a little bit of a hint about who Calista really is. I know it’s hard to give details on the secondary character in a tight word count, but she’s definitely intriguing!
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I do have plans for Calista. She is an exotic character and deserves her own story. Thank you for reading and commenting!
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This was engaging and I want to know what happens next! I was also hoping for a hookup between these two. The baker seems like a strong enough character to not need to conjure up a man! I liked how it wasn’t clear if the baker was a man or woman until more than halfway through he story.
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Thank you! I’m glad that you enjoyed the story. 😊
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I like your use of the recipe to start the story. The parenthetical hints at the tone to follow. Like Stacie, I wasn’t sure of the narrator’s gender then I chastised myself for worrying about it.
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The symbols that your narrator chose to place around the gingerbread man told me a lot about her. It was a really nice touch. Two thumbs up for magical baking!
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I really loved this part: I circled the figure with a piece of wood for strength and flexibility, a seashell for dreams and hopes and on one side a Nicholas Sparks book for romance while on the other side, a Dan Brown book for intelligence.
So many details like the look of panic to the mentor established relationship. I got the sense that Calista was old without being old physically which works in fantasy and magic. I was thrown by the opening with the recipe as for me it hung in space and not within the setting. The story took off at the knock and I was interesting in calista right away.
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Calista definitely deserves to be in more stories. From the beginning until the end I had no idea where this story was going to take me. Loved it.
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Thank you for your comments!
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