August is a month for Prompts #15
8/15: Popcorn
“What’s Popcorn?”
Was the question asked at the breakfast table on a Saturday morning by a small child with mismatched eyes. The small boy with one emerald green eye and one bright brown eye is none other than Bartholomew Heart, the Barrel Baron.
With all the power and sway at his fingertips he had no idea what popcorn was.
The adults around the table scattered instantly in all directions. Moments later the first, his Aunt Maribel had returned.
“Spicy cheese popcorn is best.”
She tossed him a small red air puffed bag with flaming pieces of popcorn emblazoned on the front. Bartholomew’s mouth watered, he did enjoy spicy foods.
Suddenly, the bag was snatched from his hand and replaced with a jar.
“Chocolate peanut butter truffle popcorn, it’s the simplest delight. I grew up on it,” Uncle Blake chimed.
Blake and Maribel started to argue over which popcorn was better when his sister, Mya took the jar Blake had given him and said, “Here you go bro, I made it myself.”
Bartholomew’s eyes shot up and goosebumps flooded his skin when he looked down at the bubbling cauldron she held in her hand.
“Mya you can’t cook,” he managed.
The cauldron started to gurgle and the lid blasted off and Mya started to snicker, “Never mind. That was a lid popping recipe.”
She snickered and shuffled away with the jar Blake had given him tucked under her arm.
Before Bartholomew could complain, a sack of caramel coated popcorn plopped in his lap.
“That’s good stuff,” Uncle Sylvester noted as he tossed a handful in his mouth.
The sweet caramel scent filled his nostrils and he was ready to dig in when the door blew open and his sack flew out of his reach. Aunt Emma had returned with a tub of…
“Kettle Corn is the best, you can drop the rest,” she sang heartily.
The tub was knocked from her hands and scattered all over as his father reappeared with a bowl of freshly popped corn drizzled with butter and a dash of salt.
“Classic is the way to go son.”
The kitchen was in utter chaos as Uncle Blake and Aunt Maribel continued their argument about sweet versus spicy. Mya sat perched on the counter eating the chocolate peanut butter truffle popcorn. Uncle Sylvester had retrieved the caramel popcorn sack and started eating it. Aunt Emma used her powers and nimbly flipped through the kitchen retrieving the kettle corn frozen in mid air. His father's broad grin stretched and curved like the Cheshire cats.
Bartholomew took a deep breath and shrugged. He plucked a single kernel from the bowl and popped it in his mouth. Everyone stopped to witness his response to the taste. Suddenly, the collective gasp and expeditious movement registered before he felt it himself. There was an odd tickle at the back of his throat, his lips were numb, and his body started to itch. When his throat started to swell panic set in and Bartholomew began flailing wildly.
There was a loud squelch followed by him gasping for air. Belladonna had arrived just in the nick of time and used her powers to inject him with a counter. Her powers swirled around her menacingly and she growled, “Get it all out!”
Without a second passing by, all the popcorn and members of Bartholomew’s household scattered. He started to laugh and said, “Who knew I’m allergic to popcorn.”
***
Stay Tuned…
Mine Imagination: Flight of the Hummingbirds
By: T. M. Ashley
M.I Flight of the Hummingbirds is the debut by T. M. Ashley, which features a six century old mastermind that was banished from space and time and is now free to do as he pleases and find his way home. Read the Prologue here:
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