The Missing Cookie Plant

Oralie was having a busy day, a normal one, buzzing children coming through the gates of her bakery, fawning over their favourite cookies, always welcomed by her loving, welcoming face. Preoccupied parents rushing through the gates, trying to shush their children by buying the handmade treats for them. And the loving grandparents, stocking up their grandkids favourite treats for them. No one knew how Oralie’s cookies were so delicious they just were, she used many ingredients not all secrets, not all revealed. But the way they were made, a mystery, a mystery to the greatest chefs. Many spent their entire lifetime, trying to find out the secret of the Spencer family, how the food looked so simple, yet majestic, tasted heavenly and divine. She went to the back to get some ingredients, when she wailed out in despair. “Where is it, she cried, oh my, where is it? It was here yesterday evening, where has it gone? Someone please call the police, they stole it.”

Hearing her cry, many people gathered outside, Oralie was one of the most gentle people in the neighbourhood, why would someone steal anything from her, not that Oralie had many things to begin with, she was a simple woman, never showed off, and lived her life in an ordinary way. What was so special that someone would steal it from her or what would make her react this way, no one was aware she had something so valuable, something she prized soo much, that made her loose her calm, collected demeanour. More importantly, why would someone do that to the soft-hearted Oralie? One of the people in the crowd which had surrounded her, called the police, while another tried to shush her and ask her what was wrong. But all their efforts were in dismay, she was too preoccupied to answer, she just kept on crying, about how precious it was and it’s importance.

Within minutes the police arrived, and questioned her. But even they couldn’t get anything out of her. So they waited, till they figured out something fishy, Oralie was being very protective about it, and the way she was hiding it it almost seamed as if it were illegal. Oralie shut down her cookie shop and whenever it was open, the food didn’t taste the same it used too, almost as if something important was missing, which was………

The police finally told her that she was wasting their time and they had figured out it was a special ingredient, but she wanted their help, she had to tell them, so begrudgingly she gave in, and told them that it was a plant.

“Well Oralie, you are quite protective about this plant”, an officer called Lara asked, raising her eyebrows. Now a normal person wouldn’t have understood that tone, but someone who had committed a crime would have. Hearing Lara’s accusation, Oralie burst into tears, and confessed. She told them about a plant their entire family grew, which had special powers which made people like it, even though the food they made was quite ordinary. She also told them about how centuries ago the biologists had once told her family how dangerous they were for people’s health but none of them listened, Oralie didn’t know much about this ingredient till 5-6 years ago, by the time she came to know, it had been too long since she was using it, and then she couldn’t stop. She had been told that an ancient family was once too close to finding their secrets, and they might in future, so even though the plant had been forgotten for centuries she had to keep it secretly, and well hidden. The officers carefully listened, coming to a conclusion, that they won’t punish Oralie yet, as they needed her help to identify it, and she could tell them clues about this mysterious family, caught up by this confession, no one was paying attention to how guilty officer Lara looked.

Soon after they asked her to describe how the plant looked and any clue about the family. Oralie told them that since she was too emotional no one had trusted her about the name of the family all she knew was that they always had either blonde hair or blue eyes. Now if they were in a big town, it would have been difficult to have found this person but in the town of Chilton, not many blonde were there, to come think of it, there were only 3, 4 blondes including officer Lara and 2 people with grey eyes once again including Lara, and since not many visitors came there, there was only one small inn, with 3 rooms which was usually empty, to investigate, they quickly ruled off officer Lara, since she obviously wouldn’t do it, or so they thought. After investigating they found that Delilah the blonde and her little daughter Eda who like her too was blonde had come to the bakery but they had left and gone to the playground because they couldn’t find her. The police did a search in her house and they couldn’t find anything. And their neighbour Imogen had told that they had gone to the park. The police striked them off their list. Next were Eliana, who had been out of station for many days and still hadn’t returned so she couldn’t possible have taken it. Next they went to the inn, only to find it a person checking in, no one had been here the past few days and the person checking in now was in a hurry, but since she was neither blonde nor did she have blue eyes, so they left her alone. The only one left now was Dara, Lara’s twin brother, all of the officers new he could be he suspect, he spent a suspicious amount of time at the bakery everyday, and he had blue eyes. All the officers had a horrible gut feeling that Dara could have been the thief, he was a genuinely nice person, kind, unlike his snarky and stuck up sister. When they reached his house, he refused everything, he did say that his family was looking for it, and even he wanted to acquire it, but he didn’t know it’s location and he most certainly had not stolen it, but the police still kept questioning him again and again, and watching her brother soo desperate, Lara confessed to the crime. She grumbled that it wasn’t fair that the Spencers had possessed that plant for ages, and gotten away with it since it was illegal. She wanted that fame for herself and making money that way. She wanted to earn the reputation for the best chef.

Dara looked at his sister, with a shaky look he asked her, "how could you? And you didn't even bother to tell me?"

When she gave no response Officer Kenric questioned her, "Did you want to reveal the existence to us, or did you want it for yourself?"

She told him that she did want to reveal it and get Oralie and her relatives in trouble, but that would mean the plant would no longer be accessible to her either, so she decided to steal it, and keep it for herself.

"That's very serious Lara" Officer Kenrice commented. But given the circumstances I can say that you both confess to the crime, in public and let them choose your punishment. You must handover the plant to our team of biologists, and you are suspended for a month.

Oralie, you are to pay a fine, and your bakery is to remain closed for a month, am I clear?

Soon after they went to the public square and an announcement was released, all residents were to report at the square 5 pm in the evening.

Everyone came, slightly surprised, anxious and curious, they had a peaceful town, and they were nowhere near a festival so why had they been called?

Their questions were soon answered as both Lara and Oralie confessed. The public decided that they did not need more punishment then they were already serving as both of them were faithful to the people, but they did ask that Oralie's to be supervised while baking as she couldn't be trusted anywhere near future. Now Dara who loved to bake too, immediately volunteered, and the town of Chilton became peaceful once again.

Wait, that's not the end, the plant which Oralie used, had quite a medicinal purpose too, which the biologists later discovered, so it was grown again in nursery's with another purpose to it's existence.

And we have a happy end.......