2015 Young Explorer's Adventure Guide by Marilag Angway

Author:Marilag Angway
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: adventure, anthology, science fiction, space, robots, middle grade
Publisher: Dreaming Robot Press

“Nana’s Cheesecake:”

-Go to the Super Fresh in Primrose and pick one out.

Heartbroken? Don’t be. I happened to have one at home when they first stopped by, and I fibbed a little. Never had the heart to change my story.

Our little secret, dear.

Love always, Nana

…………………………

Before long, Madalynn had set the dining room table with several tall red candles and enough place settings to seat six. She had no idea how many people would be stopping by per group, but if there were more than six they’d have to deal with standing. Each setting consisted of a small desert plate, a fleshly cleaned fork, and a coffee cup. A French press sat waiting to be plunged in the kitchen. She also placed a small knife for slicing on the table.

The dining room glowed in the candlelight and Madalynn was very proud. She hoped desperately that she would live up the visitors’ expectations.

Moonlight mixed with candlelight in the room, and a wind moaned just outside the windows.

She couldn’t keep still and spent the next half hour checking and rechecking the cake, to make sure it looked okay, and blowing out and relighting the candles so that they wouldn’t burn too low before they arrived.

Then, when she thought that perhaps her father was right, and that Nana was making up stories, there came a timid knock at the front door.

Madalynn froze. Her first thought was not that visitors had arrived, but that her father had discovered where she was. She contemplated hiding beneath the table to avoid discovery, but realized if it was her father, he would have stormed into the house by then. He surely had a key of his own.

The knocking came again, softly, as if whoever was out there was terrified that someone might actually open the door. Madalynn also heard the creak of the rocker swaying back and forth.

A dark, elongated shadow hovered beyond the window by the door, obscured by the curtains. Whoever stood just beyond the door was trying to see inside. Its shape was skewed and made Madalynn feel dizzy just looking at it. It looked as if the person had to bend over just to look through the window.

Madalynn reconsidered hiding after all.

Again, the knock sounded at the door. Muffled voices spoke.

Madalynn swallowed and stepped slowly through the dining room. She placed her hand on the doorknob but did not turn it.

“Who is it?” she called out, her heart racing.

The squeaking of the chair stopped.

“Oh, she sounds adorable!” said a woman.

“She’s actually there?” asked a man. “I was so worried it’d be empty.”

Madalynn wiped sweat from her brow and tried to peer through the window to see them, but they were too close to the door now for her to get a good glimpse.

“What brings you to these parts?” Madalynn said, feeling foolish as the words slipped from her lips.

“A delicacy worth traveling for,” said the woman.

“And company,” said the man.

Madalynn opened the door.

There stood in the threshold the tallest creature she had ever seen. The woman’s chest towered far above the door.

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