The Peach Tree

      The Peach Tree  By Briggidy

       Kitty glanced down at the big cookie in her hand. It seemed oddly different. This cookie was missing something and she was unnecessarily angry at it. Walking over to the stained glass window in her office she looked through the cookie shaped cutouts. She could see the snow falling on the mailboxes that lined the street.  It made Velvet Hill look so romantic this time of year. The houses were all decorated with icicles, people were walking along the lake and children were playing baseball in the square.  This scene is why she chose it for her bakery Scrumptious Bites. Normally everything was bright and cheery but today seemed cold and dark..

Tomorrow is a big holiday for Velvet Hill.  “All cookies day”, everyone will be in the square to share in the celebration and to witness an annual cookie exchange between Velvet Hill and Corduroy Hill. It is the next town across the river. Each year both towns exchange a large cookie in celebration and acceptance of their alliance back in 1850 when two town bakeries went to war over the big peach tree that divided the towns

.  Just as she has done since she was 5 years old with her mother and grandmother, Kitty will be making the exchange cookie. This year is a little different though. It has been a rough year due to an unusually dry summer and the peach tree has not had much fruit on it. People have been on edge and a bit frustrated with the thought of it dying. What would become of the towns relationship with Corduroy Hill if the tree doesn’t bare fruit next year? The stress is making her not want to do it. Glancing down at the cookie still in her hand. Chocolate chips leaving velvety black globes on her palm, she gets a funny feeling in her stomach. 

“Something is missing”, she mumbles to herself. She brought the cookie to her lips to take a bite but her office door flew open stopping her.

“Kitty! You have to come quick! Something is happening!” It was Poppy, her assistant. 

“Poppy! You are covered in flour! What is going on!?” Flour was in Poppy’s hair and all over her apron. 

Poppy started to explain but before she could get a word out there was a loud crashing of pots and pans.. Kitty and poppy ran out to the kitchen. Kitty was not ready for what she saw. Pots and pans were everywhere. Her two bakers John and Timothy were covered in flour, eggs, and John yelled at Timothy, “You’re folding technique is atrocious!”

Timothy yelled back at John, “You wouldn’t know how to knead if your life depended on it!”

 “STOP! Stop it right now!” Kitty yelled back. She and Poppy got in between the two bakers. “What is going on here Poppy!?”

“ I don’t know. One minute they were tasting the cookies and the next minute they were fighting.” Poppy shouted..

Kitty sat John down on a chair near the mixer and Poppy took Timothy to the cold storage table across the room to cool down. 

“What is going on with you two?” Kitty asked john.

“He insulted my cookie!” John pouted 

From across the room Timothy shouted, “because it was bismol!”

“Do you see?” John cried into his hands.

“Listen you two need to get it together. I have never seen you so horrible with each other.” You are best friends. “We have a big day tomorrow. There is no time for quarling”

She grabbed John's coat. “Why don’t you go for a walk and get some hotcoco and come back after you cool off?” John slipped his arms in and walked out the door. Large snow flakes fluttered into the bakery. 

A moment later Timothy was putting on his jacket and muttering something about over mixed dough and broken eggs, then shuffled out the door as well.

“I sent him to go get hotcoco to cool off” Poppy said as she patted four out of her hair.

“That is exactly what I did too” Kitty shook her head. “What on earth happened to them?”

“I don’t know but I hope it wasn’t the cookie!” Poppy half laughed 

“The cookie!” Kitty exclaimed and hurried over to the batch on the counter. “You said they started acting strange when they ate the cookies. I was just thinking something was different about them before you came and got me”

“Well that just silly. How would a cookie turn anyone mad?” Poppy stared at her quizzically “You did everything as you always have...”

“No I didn’t. Something is missing. I can’t remember what the recipe is now. I can’t believe I have forgotten a recipe that I have been making for 40 years.”

Poppy looked around, well everything is here. All the same ingrediants are on the table. I can’t imagine what it could be. “

Just then they heard yelling outside. They looked at eachother and jumped up “John and Tim!!” They said in unison. 

Running to the door they flung it open, only to find Pete the Handyman and Simon the Theater Manager fighting in the street. Kitty looked at Poppy.

“Oh,I gave them cookies to try too!” Poppy bit her lip.

“Oh no! We have got to fix this. We have to find out what is wrong with those cookie ingredients!” Kitty rushed to the kitchen. Poppy on her heels.

Over the next two hours Poppy and Kitty made dozens of cookies. Each batch looking worse than the next. “What is happening!? Each batch just looks horrible.” 

“I don’t know. Let’s try more sugar!”

The batch was still horrible. “Maybe they taste fine?” Poppy went to stick one in her mouth and Kitty hit it out of her hand. 

“I can’t loose you right now too love”

Poppy slouched I don’t know what to do. And we should find John and Tim!”

“No don’t worry. I called Jinny at the CocoSip to just send them home.I couldn’t risk them making that mess again”

Poppy looked worried. “I am so tired. It is midnight and we have to have the cookie ready by 8am. What are we going to do?”

They both stared at the counter and then kitty shot up. 

“I will be right back!” Kitty went to her office and closed the door behind her. She slipped her hand under her desk and pulled out a very tiny book. Her grandmothers recipe book. She slowly opened it and fingered the pages until she found one with a big tree on it. “The peach tree” She whispered to herself. “Grandma what am I missing?”

Her grandma never wrote down the recipe of The Cookie. You just somehow learned by her side.. Poppy didn’t even know and they have known eachother since diapers. But one thing grandma did do was leave clues. 

Kitty poured over the pages and just couldn’t figure it out. She tucked the tiny book into her apron and went back out to Poppy. 

Letting out a deep breath she said, “We are just going to have to do it. We are just going to have to make the cookie again. Slowly this time. It is so important for our towns “

Poppy looked sad as she shook her head. “Okay, but what if everyone turns mad?”

The girls went to work on their cookie. TIme flew by as they mixed and dolloped.  

The sun peeked through the stained glass and shined on Poppy’s face. She woke up with a start. “Kitty! It’s moring! “

They both glanced at the clock. “7:15! Oh my god!” They both flew in different directions. Poppy grabbing their jackets and hats while Kitty grabbed the beautiful decorated box that held THE cookie. 

“Let’s do this.” Kitty said as she reached for the door. 

“Kitty.” Poppy stopped her. “No matter what happens today, know that I love you and you did your best. I am sorry we couldn’t remember what the ingredient was”

Kitty hugged her and they locked the bakery door.

The large peach tree had hundreds of people surrounding it. They were all there waiting to watch the exchange and dance the day away afterwards. Corduroy Hill’s baker Matty from Delicious Bites was there with their own cookie. The Velvet Hill’s mayor was there with his wife and kids and mother. The school kids from both schools were there with balloons and whistle blowers. Poppy looked at kitty and nodded her head.  Kitty walked across the Peach Tree bridge and met with Matty. Matty had a huge smile on his face. Everyone surrounding him had a huge smile on their face. They were all so happy. She looked behind her and everyone behind her was smiling. She turned back to Matty. 

“We are so happy to continue this alliance Kitty. Your town means the world to us and together we have made some special improvements in both our towns. “ Matty took Kitties cookie. 

They opened each others boxes and took a piece each. Kitty watched as Matty raised the cookie to his mouth. 

“No! Don’t” Kitty slapped the piece from his mouth. “You can not eat that!”

Both towns gasped.

“What is going on Kitty? You almost knocked my tooth out!”

“It’s just that-” Kitty looked at Poppy and she was wide eyed andher hands were covering her face. 

“It is just that... It is not the right cookie. “ She filled them in on everything that had happened yesterday and this morning. “I failed. I couldn’t remember what the recipe was and I didn’t make it right and it is going to make you angry!”

Matty shook his head in disbelief. “What are you talking about? Your cookie could never make me angry. It isn’t about the cookie Kitty. It is about you being here to help us celebrate.The cookie is good but it isn’t what makes this perfect”

“It is? I thought I had to make the perfect cookie. I thought…”Kitty placed her hand in her apron pocket and remembered her grandmother’s tiny book . She pulled it out and looked at it. “ My grandmother always said it was the peach tree that made it special and the tree is the recipe...I thought...” 

Kitty and Matty looked at the tree.  

Mayor Ash stepped forward. It isn’t what is mixed in the cookie that makes it special it is what it is made with. Look at the peaches on the tree”

The town looked. “Do you see their shape. This tree is special because it produces peaches shaped like hearts.”

Kitty never noticed that before. She looked at her grandmother’s drawing. All the peaches were shaped like hearts. The whole tree! Just filled with hearts. 

“So that is why she never wrote a recipe!” Kitty exclaimed

“The only thing you need is love.’ Matty added “I thought you knew that’

“No I didn’t get it! Oh my gosh!” She turned to Poppy and threw the cookie to her.  Give some to Timothy and John please!”. 

“And Pete and Simon!” Poppy added. 

After the cookie exchange poppy and Kitty were watching John, Tim, Pete and Simon dancing while a band played on the town’s gazebo. “how did you know those cookies would cure them?” Poppy asked

“Because we spent all night making them.” Kitty stared out.

:”But we made them the same way as the batch that they ate last night”.

“No we didn’t . I was so frustrated and worried about the peach tree dying that I forgot to have fun. Once I remembered how important the cookie is, I made it with love.”

Poppy was confused, “But Matty said that the cookie doesn’t really matter. It is just us all being together’

“The cookies bring us together” Kitty smiled.

Poppy put her arm around Kitty’s waist and kissed her. “I love you.”

“I love you too “, Kitty squeezed her closer.

And The Cookie was perfect..