Chapter 1: Apple Pie

Adalyn's making biscuits with her mother when an unwanted guest sets his sights on the pie cooling in the kitchen window. A warm, family-centered tale of a curious girl's first remembered adventure.

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Transcript

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Chapter 1 Apple Pie A girl named Adeline lived on an island on a lake below a mountain. Adeline loved to learn new things. Her first adventures were with her mother in the kitchen or in the garden. It's hard to tell whether these first adventures were just the product of imagination or genuine experiences of an extraordinary young lady. This is the story of her first adventure, at least the first adventure she remembers. Adeline heard her door open, and she rolled over in her bed. With considerable excitement, she yelled, Mama! Her mother smiled and said, Good morning, baby girl. Are you ready to make some breakfast? Adeline loved to cook, and she answered with a resounding, Yes! Her mother picked her up and carried her out of the room into the kitchen. In no time at all, Adeline had a mountain of biscuit dough in front of her. She carefully copied her mother by rolling the dough out flat, cutting rough circles with a small cup, and placing those circles in a well greased pan. Good job, Adeline, her mother said, with no small amount of pride. Adeline had made four biscuits like this before she became distracted by something in the kitchen window. It was a fresh apple pie sitting there, with steam rising and the sunlight beaming in through the window. Apple pie, she screamed. Yes, Adeline, that's for after dinner tonight, her mother replied. Can we have pie now? Adeline said, with big round eyes lit up with expectation. No, Adeline, that's for tonight. So you're gonna have to be patient and wait to eat the pie later, her mother answered. Okay, Mommy, Adeline said, but she did not really understand why she had to wait. Adeline thought the pie looked delicious. She had helped pick the apples a few days before and had found herself daydreaming about the pie, when all of a sudden it moved. Pie, she said to her mother. Her mother stopped what she was doing and looked at the pie. No, honey, the pie's for tonight, her mother said. Squinting her big round eyes, Adeline kept looking at the pie in the window. The pie moved again, but this time a fox's head popped into view through the window. She did not know what a fox was, so she just yelled, Pie, pie. Her mother was distracted while she put the biscuits in the oven. Adeline yelled again, Pie, look, mommy. The fox's nose was pushing the pie across the windowsill. Tonight, honey, her mother said as she tended to the biscuits baking in the oven now. But she glanced over at the pie anyways. She screamed. The oven door slammed shut, and then she yelled, Fox, Adeline screamed. The fox jumped up, bumped its head, and fell from the window in surprise. The pie nearly slid off the window, but her mother took two big steps over to the window and took the pie in her hands and then put it on the kitchen table. Adeline's father ran into the kitchen, eyes searching the room for a problem. What happened? Is everything okay? He asked frantically. Adeline smiled and giggled. Now that the pie was safe, the whole event was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Fox got the pie, Adeline said. Her mother corrected. The fox tried to get the pie. She wiped her hands on her apron and went back to the stove to check on the biscuits. Her father walked over to the window, his boots heavy on the wooden kitchen floor, and looked out. He grunted. Well, the sly fox is gone now. He'll try to get the chicken soon, if he's hungry enough, he said as he walked over and kissed his wife, and then Adeline on the head. Do we really have to keep the pie on the window? he asked, scratching the stubble on his chin. Yes, it's the best place for it. Now wash up, breakfast is ready soon, her mother answered quickly. Adeline proudly picked up her small pan of biscuits and handed them to her mom, who put them in the oven while she finished frying the fresh eggs they had gathered from the chickens that morning. Breakfast was finally ready, and they all gathered around the table to eat.