The Cookbook
His cousin’s story about their great-grandparents had reminded Squirrel of something.
And so he ran home from the woods, trying not to trip over all the walnuts on the ground and hoping he didn’t get hit on the head as they continued to fall — thwump! — from the trees.
As soon as he got back to his nest, Squirrel wrestled his grandfather’s trunk out of the closet and into the living room, opened the lid, and rummaged through the contents, tossing aside hats and mittens, pulling out packets of letters tied with ribbon and stacking them on the floor, and, finally, at the very bottom, unearthing the handwritten cookbook his great-grandmother had compiled during the last heavy-nut year.
And as he sat on the floor, carefully turning page after brittle page, reading through recipes for nut soup, acorn soufflé, walnut scones with acorn butter, several varieties of nut pies, sautéed walnuts, roasted walnuts, and acorn stew, Squirrel’s stomach started to grumble and growl.
(Late October 2023)
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