Choissao
Gouache on paper.Painted 2021/04/10
I woke up slowly with heavy, sleep-filled eyes. I rubbed them with my fist and yawned loudly, before pounding my arms against the covers. A light breeze flowing from behind a gently flapping curtain tried to wrap around me and lift me up from the futon, but I groaned and remained still.
We had spent a week at the M’Iuvra guesthouse now, sleeping in tiny cupboard rooms in exchange for helping out with jobs in the afternoons. What Lirita had not told me when she signed me up for this, was that an influx of guests from the surrounding farmlands had arrived for a conference that week, and the guesthouse was full. It meant that a never-ending stack of washing-up to do piled up in the evenings. Lirita hated tidying up after the guests, but brought in the dirty bowls with glee. I looked at my hands, which were still red raw from scrubbing plates.
Knowing I needed to get up, I pushed myself to my feet and pulled back the curtain. The clear, bright, blue sky radiated light that shone down like glistening rain upon all the rooftops, making them glow in golden yellows and oranges. These same raindrops of light splattered against the river far below in small glowing crystals, splashing back rainbow colours that lit the walls and underside of bridges. Light reflecting on the coloured windows that defined Varla’s buildings painted rainbows all over the grey stone pathways. Along the streets, people walked and chatted after gathering for their pre-dawn congregations. It looked beautiful.
Alarmed, I screamed. ‘Oh no!’
I quickly grabbed whatever clothes I could find lying around crumpled on the floor and threw them on. My boots refused to slide on. Once dressed, I opened the door and ran down the corridor. I peeked into Lirita’s room and found it empty, but with the bed perfectly made and clothes tidily stored away. I groaned and continued to run.
M’Ivura herself sat at the reception, having just returned from an early-morning meeting. She smiled when she saw me. ‘Up late again, I see?’ she said, chuckling. ‘Lirita left not long ago.’
I wiped my sleepy eyes and ran out the door. ‘I’ve got to run. I’ll be back later!’ The early morning sun shone directly into my eyes and I barely avoided bumping into the people I passed. Someone shouted angrily behind me, but I ignored them in my flight. I half-walked half-ran across one of the bridges and powered down a flight of stairs, almost tripping up in the process. I made my way down the final street, exhausted and sticky with sweat.
And there she was, at our regular bakery, having a paper bag handed to her.
‘No!’ I shouted.
Lirita turned to me with a smug grin plastered like a half-moon across her face: one she only ever reserved for this moment. I ran over and saw an empty spot where our favourite snack, a flaky pastry snack called a choissao once sat, now empty for the rest of the morning until the baker could make more. No other bakery in the area made them.
‘Every morning!’ I said while catching my breath. ‘But come on, why?’
‘You need to get up earlier to beat me,’ said Lirita, cheerily gripping the bag tightly to her chest.
I yawned and struggled to keep my eyes open in the sun. ‘But it’s unfair. You snuck off to bed early!’
‘If you hadn’t dropped those plates and spent half the night sweeping them up, you would have too!’
‘Wow, you two really like those choissaos,’ said the baker, chuckling to herself as she put Lirita’s coins in the till. Lirita grinned once more and walked off. I gave chase.
‘But are you really going to eat them all?’ I asked.
‘That’s none of your business,’ said Lirita, sticking her tongue out with a smile. ‘I just like them, okay?’ She then proceeded to retrieve one from the bag and munch it with delight.
‘But I want some too!’ I cried. I stood in the street with my fists clenched at my sides huffing at the flakes that fell from Lirita’s lips. ‘Fine, I’ll get something else!’ I shouted.
I ran back to the bakery to find a crowd now bunched around it. In minutes, they had bought everything and only crumbs remained behind the glass counter. I groaned loudly.
The baker could see I was upset. ‘What is this little game you and your friend have?’
‘I don’t know. She just takes way too much joy at beating me at stuff. Who wakes up that early anyway?’ I yawned. ‘But I’ll get here before her sometime!’
The baker thought for a moment. ‘You’re staying at M’Ivura’s, right? She stops by every morning for a coffee. Why don’t you ask her to pick up the choissao for you?’
I could just imagine Lirita with her smug face, thinking she is beating me to the bakery tomorrow, while she passes the very person carrying them back to the guesthouse. It would be so perfect. I must have been grinning mischievously from ear to ear, because the baker began to laugh.
‘That’s so good. But why help me?’ I asked.
‘I just like the entertainment,’ she said, trying to hide her smirk as she put more dough in the oven.Jul 8, 2021
#oc
#traditionalart
#fantasy
#bakery
#city
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