Pooben Narayanen's Blog - Posts Tagged "children"
New website
Hello Goodreads,
How is everyone doing? Okay I haven't posted in a while.
But I have launched my website: www.mounthopeexplorersclub.com
On the site you will find short stories from Mount Hope. Whether its weird happenings or handling bullies (yeap you have bullies in Mauritius too!).
Take a look and send me your feedback Goodreads. It is safe to read at work guys.
How is everyone doing? Okay I haven't posted in a while.
But I have launched my website: www.mounthopeexplorersclub.com
On the site you will find short stories from Mount Hope. Whether its weird happenings or handling bullies (yeap you have bullies in Mauritius too!).
Take a look and send me your feedback Goodreads. It is safe to read at work guys.
A Night at the Governor's Lodge
“Welcome to the Governor’s Lodge. Mount Hope’s Only Historical Bed and Breakfast,” Aditya read on the gate. He held it open so his friends Ételle and Om could walk in.
“Wow, they really cleaned up the place,” Om said.
“Remember how it was all overgrown?” Aditya closed the gate behind them.
“Look at the lodge, it’s beautiful,” Ételle said. “They’ve put corrugated iron on the roof and repainted it.”
Just then the door to the lodge opened and Aditya’s Uncle Rajesh walked out.
“Hello, children,” Rajesh said. “Welcome to the Governor’s Lodge.”
“Hi, Uncle Rajesh,” the three kids said. Om and Ételle called him uncle too as they had known him their whole life.
“Come on in.” He beckoned for them to enter. “Your Aunty Kavita is waiting for you all out back.”
They entered the main hall of the lodge.
“It looks really nice,” Aditya said.
“Yeah, you did a great job restoring it.” Om touched the hand rail to the staircase that was next to the door.
“Dr. Gail says it’s seventy years old,” Ételle said.
“It’s seventy-two actually,” Uncle Rajesh said. “The British Governor used it when he’d come visit Mount Hope. For a long time it had no use and when I offered to buy it from the government they were more than happy to sell it to me.”
“Dr. Gail also said that it’s a heritage building.”
“It is. The government also asked that I keep it as original as possible. Which we’ve managed to do with Dr. Gail’s help. Once it’s done it’ll be the only historical bed and breakfast in Mount Hope.”
“Like it says on the sign!” Aditya said.
“That’s right.”
“When will you finish?” Aditya could see that the stairs in the hall next to the entrance and the walls had all been either repainted or varnished.
“Another week or so, we still have renovations to complete upstairs. I’ll show you kids next time.” Rajesh saw their long faces. “Don’t be so disappointed. Come on let’s get some BBQ.”
***
“You kids want something else to eat?” Kavita asked.
“We’re all so full Aunty Kavita.” Aditya patted his belly.
“All right,” Uncle Rajesh said. “Let’s get the fire going.”
“Awesome!” The kids sat down on their camper beds which were installed around the fireplace in the lounge and restaurant.
“The lounge and restaurant is really nice, Uncle Rajesh,” Ételle said.
“Thank you Ételle. But we’re not done yet which is why we’re camping here tonight. I’d show you guys the kitchen but it’s not finished. That’s why it’s locked.” He pointed to the windows. “Those and the door to the garden aren’t done either. They’re all sealed shut.”
“Is this the electronic equipment that we’re all guarding for tonight?” Om lifted a blanket revealing a flat screen TV in its box. He could see there were more boxes.
“That’s right,” Kavita said. “Thanks for helping us keep an eye on things kids. We didn’t want to leave it here overnight. You just never know.”
“This is fun, Aunty,” Ételle said. “Just like camping. With the fireplace it’s even nicer.”
“Uncle Rajesh?” Aditya asked.
“Tell me, son.”
“You think this place is haunted?”
“Yeah, is it?” Om asked.
“Don’t be silly guys,” Ételle said. “But is it, Uncle Rajesh?”
“Well, the other day, I heard noises upstairs and when I went up to look…”
“Stop scaring the children, Rajesh,” Aunty Kavita interrupted him. “He didn’t hear anything. The lodge is not…” She suddenly grabbed her stomach. “Ow!”
Rajesh rushed to her side.
“What’s wrong dear?” He took a hold of her hand.
“My stomach,” she said. “Must have eaten too much.”
She got up but yelled out and sat back down again.
Ételle sat down next to her and started rubbing her back.
“Thank you dear,” Aunty Kavita said.
“I think it might be appendicitis,” Om said.
They all looked at him.
“My brother Dan had the same kind of pains last year and that’s what it was.”
“I think you might be right, Om,” Kavita said.
“Then we should go to the hospital.” Rajesh stood up and held a hand out to help his wife.
“What about the children?”
“Aditya, call your mom to pick you guys up. Just lock up and I’ll pick up the keys later. I have a spare set.”
“Okay, Uncle Rajesh,” Aditya said.
They helped Kavita to the car.
“Call your mom, dear,” she said as she sat down.
“Yes, Aunty,” Aditya said. “You get better.”
Uncle Rajesh started the car.
As the car left it hit Aditya. “Guys, we don’t have a phone.”
Just then there was a crack of lightning followed by thunder and heavy rain.
***
The three of them ran inside and closed the door.
“What do we do now?” Ételle asked.
“We can’t walk home in this rain,” Om said. “It’s too dark and too far away.”
“We might as well stay and keep an eye on things. What do you guys think?”
Aditya led the way back to where their camper beds were.
“You’re right,” Om said. “Uncle Rajesh should be back soon.”
“I hope Aunty Kavita’s okay.” Ételle unrolled her sleeping bag.
“I hope so too.” Aditya got ready for bed.
“Goodnight guys,” Om said and turned off the hurricane lamp.
“Goodnight,” Aditya and Ételle said.
Soon they were all asleep.
***
Aditya woke up with a start. The rain had turned into a drizzle. His friends were sleeping soundly. The whole place was eerily quiet. He lay back down, but woke up again.
Were those footsteps?
He listened carefully.
Footsteps! Upstairs!
“Who’s walking upstairs?” Om whispered making Aditya jump. “Sorry, dude. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I have no idea!”
“Ételle wake up.” Om shook Ételle’s shoulder.
“What’s going on?” Ételle rubbed her eyes. “Are they back?”
“No. Shhh.”
The pitter-patter was right above their heads.
“Someone’s upstairs!” Aditya whispered.
There was a loud thump, followed by dragging.
Aditya turned on the hurricane lamp which illuminated the room.
“Let’s go see what’s going on,” he said.
The three of them walked quietly out of the restaurant into the main hall to the stairs. The light from the lamp cast eerie shadows all around them.
A groan from the second floor broke the silence, it slowly turned into a screech. The three of them stopped at the foot of the stairs.
“Whoever’s up there we called the police and they’re going to be here soon!” Om yelled.
“Good one, Om.” Aditya silently high-fived him.
“I can still hear them walking,” Ételle said.
“Let’s go see what’s going on.” Om grabbed a broom that was leaning next to the staircase.
“Yeah,” Aditya said. “Come on.”
“Wait!” Ételle picked up an old carpet duster. “Okay let’s go.”
They bunched together as they made their way up the stairs.
The sounds of screeching and groans continued.
Oh man, he thought as lifted the lamp. At least they’ve stopped walking. Whoever or whatever they are.
“That noise, that screeching, it’s coming from down the hall,” he whispered. “I think it’s the room above where we’re sleeping.”
They were soon in the corridor and the door to the last room that faced them, was open.
“I think the voices are coming from that room.”
“Yeah, I think so too,” Om said.
“Come ‘on let’s go see who’s there.” Ételle raised the carpet duster.
“Wait!” Aditya stared at his friends.
“What?” Ételle whispered.
“What if it’s something that’s not, you know…” His friends’ eyes were wide open. “Earthly.”
“Like a ghost?” Ételle asked.
“Don’t say that.” Om grabbed his broom tighter. “It’s a person and he’s going to wish that he didn’t break into the lodge.”
“Could be a she.”
“Only one way to find out.” Aditya led them down the hall.
All the other rooms were closed.
“That’s the only room that’s open,” he whispered.
They were soon in the doorway. When the hurricane lamp flickered and died.
“Man! I can’t see anything.”
At the same moment, the window flew open. A crack of lightning lit up the room.
A white figure stared at them from the middle of the room.
This isn’t happening!
There was another burst of lightning. Another window flew open with wind and rain coming in. The figure emitted a loud blood curdling screech and started moving towards them.
They all screamed, dropped whatever was in their hands, and ran.
Aditya looked back.
“It’s coming!” he yelled.
They ran down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. They turned around and in the half-light there was the figure at the top of the stairs.
There was another crack of lightning, followed by another blood curdling screech. The figure moved down the stairs.
They screamed again.
“The restaurant!” Aditya yelled.
They ran to the restaurant and closed the door behind them. A huge crash came from behind the door but they did not open it to investigate.
“We should barricade the door,” Aditya said.
“Can’t ghosts go through walls?” Om asked as he helped push a sofa to block the door.
“We don’t know what it was.” Ételle turned on the other hurricane lamp. “What do we do now?”
“We can’t go anywhere, the door to the garden and the kitchen is locked.” Om tried to open a window with no luck. “The windows are sealed shut remember?”
“We’re stuck here,” Aditya said.
The three of them sat down on one of the camper beds.
Aditya looked at the door.
Man! A ghost and I thought Uncle Rajesh was joking…
He got up, climbed on the sofa and put his ear to the door.
“I don’t hear anything,” he said. “But we should stay up. Just in case.”
They tried to stay awake for the remainder of the night. But soon fell asleep with the sound of rain drops on the roof.
***
For the second time, Aditya woke up with a start. He looked around. Om was in his camper bed and Ételle sleeping on a sofa.
The sun’s up. What woke me up?
He heard knocking on the restaurant door.
“You kids in there? Open up!” Uncle Rajesh yelled.
“We’re here, Uncle!” he yelled back, waking up Om and Ételle. “Give me a hand to move this.”
Om got up and rushed to help him push the sofa away. They opened the doors to let Uncle Rajesh in.
“Why did you block the door?” he asked. “You kids okay?”
Aditya and his friends went over what happened after he had left.
“Ghost?” Uncle Rajesh laughed. “So that’s what happened? Come on I’ll show you your ghost.”
He led them to the hallway and at the bottom of the stairs was a mannequin with a white sheet lying next to it.
“That’s the ghost!” Aditya pointed and yelled.
“It’s a mannequin. Like the one tailors use.” Uncle Rajesh picked it up. It had a head and torso and was on wheels.
“But it made noises,” Om said. “Blood curdling noises.”
“And it came after us,” Ételle added.
Uncle Rajesh covered the mannequin with the sheet and rolled it around. It made a blood curdling screeching noise as Uncle Rajesh rolled it faster.
“That’s your ghost! See it gets louder as it rolls faster. It is pretty creepy though.” He stopped rolling it. “The window in that room needs to be fixed, so the storm must have blown it open and the wind pushed the mannequin around.”
“What about the footsteps and the dragging?” Aditya asked.
“It’s the cats,” Uncle Rajesh said. “They’re always playing with the floor mats and covering. I don’t have the heart to put them into the animal shelter.”
“So no ghosts?” Aditya asked.
“No,” Uncle Rajesh said. “Now come ‘on. Let me get you kids to the hospital. Your Aunty had her appendicitis removed last night which is why I didn’t return earlier. But all she keeps asking about is if you kids are okay.”
They followed him out. As he closed the door, Aditya peeked upstairs and saw a cat looking down at him.
“Wow, they really cleaned up the place,” Om said.
“Remember how it was all overgrown?” Aditya closed the gate behind them.
“Look at the lodge, it’s beautiful,” Ételle said. “They’ve put corrugated iron on the roof and repainted it.”
Just then the door to the lodge opened and Aditya’s Uncle Rajesh walked out.
“Hello, children,” Rajesh said. “Welcome to the Governor’s Lodge.”
“Hi, Uncle Rajesh,” the three kids said. Om and Ételle called him uncle too as they had known him their whole life.
“Come on in.” He beckoned for them to enter. “Your Aunty Kavita is waiting for you all out back.”
They entered the main hall of the lodge.
“It looks really nice,” Aditya said.
“Yeah, you did a great job restoring it.” Om touched the hand rail to the staircase that was next to the door.
“Dr. Gail says it’s seventy years old,” Ételle said.
“It’s seventy-two actually,” Uncle Rajesh said. “The British Governor used it when he’d come visit Mount Hope. For a long time it had no use and when I offered to buy it from the government they were more than happy to sell it to me.”
“Dr. Gail also said that it’s a heritage building.”
“It is. The government also asked that I keep it as original as possible. Which we’ve managed to do with Dr. Gail’s help. Once it’s done it’ll be the only historical bed and breakfast in Mount Hope.”
“Like it says on the sign!” Aditya said.
“That’s right.”
“When will you finish?” Aditya could see that the stairs in the hall next to the entrance and the walls had all been either repainted or varnished.
“Another week or so, we still have renovations to complete upstairs. I’ll show you kids next time.” Rajesh saw their long faces. “Don’t be so disappointed. Come on let’s get some BBQ.”
***
“You kids want something else to eat?” Kavita asked.
“We’re all so full Aunty Kavita.” Aditya patted his belly.
“All right,” Uncle Rajesh said. “Let’s get the fire going.”
“Awesome!” The kids sat down on their camper beds which were installed around the fireplace in the lounge and restaurant.
“The lounge and restaurant is really nice, Uncle Rajesh,” Ételle said.
“Thank you Ételle. But we’re not done yet which is why we’re camping here tonight. I’d show you guys the kitchen but it’s not finished. That’s why it’s locked.” He pointed to the windows. “Those and the door to the garden aren’t done either. They’re all sealed shut.”
“Is this the electronic equipment that we’re all guarding for tonight?” Om lifted a blanket revealing a flat screen TV in its box. He could see there were more boxes.
“That’s right,” Kavita said. “Thanks for helping us keep an eye on things kids. We didn’t want to leave it here overnight. You just never know.”
“This is fun, Aunty,” Ételle said. “Just like camping. With the fireplace it’s even nicer.”
“Uncle Rajesh?” Aditya asked.
“Tell me, son.”
“You think this place is haunted?”
“Yeah, is it?” Om asked.
“Don’t be silly guys,” Ételle said. “But is it, Uncle Rajesh?”
“Well, the other day, I heard noises upstairs and when I went up to look…”
“Stop scaring the children, Rajesh,” Aunty Kavita interrupted him. “He didn’t hear anything. The lodge is not…” She suddenly grabbed her stomach. “Ow!”
Rajesh rushed to her side.
“What’s wrong dear?” He took a hold of her hand.
“My stomach,” she said. “Must have eaten too much.”
She got up but yelled out and sat back down again.
Ételle sat down next to her and started rubbing her back.
“Thank you dear,” Aunty Kavita said.
“I think it might be appendicitis,” Om said.
They all looked at him.
“My brother Dan had the same kind of pains last year and that’s what it was.”
“I think you might be right, Om,” Kavita said.
“Then we should go to the hospital.” Rajesh stood up and held a hand out to help his wife.
“What about the children?”
“Aditya, call your mom to pick you guys up. Just lock up and I’ll pick up the keys later. I have a spare set.”
“Okay, Uncle Rajesh,” Aditya said.
They helped Kavita to the car.
“Call your mom, dear,” she said as she sat down.
“Yes, Aunty,” Aditya said. “You get better.”
Uncle Rajesh started the car.
As the car left it hit Aditya. “Guys, we don’t have a phone.”
Just then there was a crack of lightning followed by thunder and heavy rain.
***
The three of them ran inside and closed the door.
“What do we do now?” Ételle asked.
“We can’t walk home in this rain,” Om said. “It’s too dark and too far away.”
“We might as well stay and keep an eye on things. What do you guys think?”
Aditya led the way back to where their camper beds were.
“You’re right,” Om said. “Uncle Rajesh should be back soon.”
“I hope Aunty Kavita’s okay.” Ételle unrolled her sleeping bag.
“I hope so too.” Aditya got ready for bed.
“Goodnight guys,” Om said and turned off the hurricane lamp.
“Goodnight,” Aditya and Ételle said.
Soon they were all asleep.
***
Aditya woke up with a start. The rain had turned into a drizzle. His friends were sleeping soundly. The whole place was eerily quiet. He lay back down, but woke up again.
Were those footsteps?
He listened carefully.
Footsteps! Upstairs!
“Who’s walking upstairs?” Om whispered making Aditya jump. “Sorry, dude. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“I have no idea!”
“Ételle wake up.” Om shook Ételle’s shoulder.
“What’s going on?” Ételle rubbed her eyes. “Are they back?”
“No. Shhh.”
The pitter-patter was right above their heads.
“Someone’s upstairs!” Aditya whispered.
There was a loud thump, followed by dragging.
Aditya turned on the hurricane lamp which illuminated the room.
“Let’s go see what’s going on,” he said.
The three of them walked quietly out of the restaurant into the main hall to the stairs. The light from the lamp cast eerie shadows all around them.
A groan from the second floor broke the silence, it slowly turned into a screech. The three of them stopped at the foot of the stairs.
“Whoever’s up there we called the police and they’re going to be here soon!” Om yelled.
“Good one, Om.” Aditya silently high-fived him.
“I can still hear them walking,” Ételle said.
“Let’s go see what’s going on.” Om grabbed a broom that was leaning next to the staircase.
“Yeah,” Aditya said. “Come on.”
“Wait!” Ételle picked up an old carpet duster. “Okay let’s go.”
They bunched together as they made their way up the stairs.
The sounds of screeching and groans continued.
Oh man, he thought as lifted the lamp. At least they’ve stopped walking. Whoever or whatever they are.
“That noise, that screeching, it’s coming from down the hall,” he whispered. “I think it’s the room above where we’re sleeping.”
They were soon in the corridor and the door to the last room that faced them, was open.
“I think the voices are coming from that room.”
“Yeah, I think so too,” Om said.
“Come ‘on let’s go see who’s there.” Ételle raised the carpet duster.
“Wait!” Aditya stared at his friends.
“What?” Ételle whispered.
“What if it’s something that’s not, you know…” His friends’ eyes were wide open. “Earthly.”
“Like a ghost?” Ételle asked.
“Don’t say that.” Om grabbed his broom tighter. “It’s a person and he’s going to wish that he didn’t break into the lodge.”
“Could be a she.”
“Only one way to find out.” Aditya led them down the hall.
All the other rooms were closed.
“That’s the only room that’s open,” he whispered.
They were soon in the doorway. When the hurricane lamp flickered and died.
“Man! I can’t see anything.”
At the same moment, the window flew open. A crack of lightning lit up the room.
A white figure stared at them from the middle of the room.
This isn’t happening!
There was another burst of lightning. Another window flew open with wind and rain coming in. The figure emitted a loud blood curdling screech and started moving towards them.
They all screamed, dropped whatever was in their hands, and ran.
Aditya looked back.
“It’s coming!” he yelled.
They ran down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. They turned around and in the half-light there was the figure at the top of the stairs.
There was another crack of lightning, followed by another blood curdling screech. The figure moved down the stairs.
They screamed again.
“The restaurant!” Aditya yelled.
They ran to the restaurant and closed the door behind them. A huge crash came from behind the door but they did not open it to investigate.
“We should barricade the door,” Aditya said.
“Can’t ghosts go through walls?” Om asked as he helped push a sofa to block the door.
“We don’t know what it was.” Ételle turned on the other hurricane lamp. “What do we do now?”
“We can’t go anywhere, the door to the garden and the kitchen is locked.” Om tried to open a window with no luck. “The windows are sealed shut remember?”
“We’re stuck here,” Aditya said.
The three of them sat down on one of the camper beds.
Aditya looked at the door.
Man! A ghost and I thought Uncle Rajesh was joking…
He got up, climbed on the sofa and put his ear to the door.
“I don’t hear anything,” he said. “But we should stay up. Just in case.”
They tried to stay awake for the remainder of the night. But soon fell asleep with the sound of rain drops on the roof.
***
For the second time, Aditya woke up with a start. He looked around. Om was in his camper bed and Ételle sleeping on a sofa.
The sun’s up. What woke me up?
He heard knocking on the restaurant door.
“You kids in there? Open up!” Uncle Rajesh yelled.
“We’re here, Uncle!” he yelled back, waking up Om and Ételle. “Give me a hand to move this.”
Om got up and rushed to help him push the sofa away. They opened the doors to let Uncle Rajesh in.
“Why did you block the door?” he asked. “You kids okay?”
Aditya and his friends went over what happened after he had left.
“Ghost?” Uncle Rajesh laughed. “So that’s what happened? Come on I’ll show you your ghost.”
He led them to the hallway and at the bottom of the stairs was a mannequin with a white sheet lying next to it.
“That’s the ghost!” Aditya pointed and yelled.
“It’s a mannequin. Like the one tailors use.” Uncle Rajesh picked it up. It had a head and torso and was on wheels.
“But it made noises,” Om said. “Blood curdling noises.”
“And it came after us,” Ételle added.
Uncle Rajesh covered the mannequin with the sheet and rolled it around. It made a blood curdling screeching noise as Uncle Rajesh rolled it faster.
“That’s your ghost! See it gets louder as it rolls faster. It is pretty creepy though.” He stopped rolling it. “The window in that room needs to be fixed, so the storm must have blown it open and the wind pushed the mannequin around.”
“What about the footsteps and the dragging?” Aditya asked.
“It’s the cats,” Uncle Rajesh said. “They’re always playing with the floor mats and covering. I don’t have the heart to put them into the animal shelter.”
“So no ghosts?” Aditya asked.
“No,” Uncle Rajesh said. “Now come ‘on. Let me get you kids to the hospital. Your Aunty had her appendicitis removed last night which is why I didn’t return earlier. But all she keeps asking about is if you kids are okay.”
They followed him out. As he closed the door, Aditya peeked upstairs and saw a cat looking down at him.
Ételle in the cook off- Ételle takes part in the Mount Hope Junior Chef Competition
“Okay,” Ételle said. “I think I’m all set.”
“Yeah, I think so too,” her cousin Om said.
“I checked twice,” her friend Aditya said. “Chef Vinnie is about to speak.”
They all watched the stage of the Mount Hope Gymnasium, where a small man with a chef’s hat stood in front of the microphone.
“Hello,” Chef Vinnie said into the mike. “Uh, is this thing on?”
“Yes,” one of the technicians replied. “It’s on Chef.”
“Oh! Okay,” Chef Vinnie said. “Right. Welcome everyone to Mount Hope’s Junior Chef Tournament. Now we have twenty contestants in all. You have three plates to make a starter, main course and desert. You will be judged by our three chefs Chef Savita, Chef Jane and Chef Ismail.”
The three chefs joined him on stage, they weren’t wearing chef hats, but they had chef coats and scarves on.
“Okay,” Chef Vinnie continued. “Remember, first prize is a weekend for you, your parents and your siblings at Mount Hope Hotel, second prize is a tablet and third prize is a digital camera. Remember, stick to the rules. Right so we start in five minutes! Get ready!”
***
Ételle put the finishing touches on her dish. Om gave her a thumbs up from the stand, Aditya smiled at her nervously. Which made her even more nervous. The buzzer went off indicating that time was up. The judges were going by each table.
Chef Vinnie came to her table followed by the judges.
“Our youngest chef,” he said and smiled encouragingly. “This is Chef Ételle. What have you made for us dear?”
Ételle cleared her throat.
“It’s a very simple dish, made of chicken, sautéed with onions, chilli and lots of garlic. Which is served with toasted baguette.”
The four chefs had a bite.
“Very nice,” Chef Jane said and took another bite.
“Oops!” Chef Savita said. “I just got a bite of that chilli, it has a kick.”
“My dear,” Chef Ismail said. “The extra garlic is perfect. Well done.”
Chef Vinnie smiled at her, the judges made their notes and moved on to the next table.
Ételle waited, worried she had not made it to the next stage, as the chefs had done their rounds. She was joined by Om and Aditya. Both had a taste of her dish.
“That’s really good!” Om said.
“Yeah, wow,” Aditya said and grabbed another baguette.
“I hope the chefs liked it,” Ételle said.
“They’re announcing their decision,” Aditya said.
The three of them watched Chef Vinnie climb to the podium. He went down the list of those who had made it. Ételle’s neighbour was not as fortunate and he started to pack his things.
“Chef Ételle, has passed on to the next stage,” he said and continued to read down the list.
“Awesome!” Om and Aditya said together. They both high fived Ételle.
“I best get ready for the main dish,” she said.
“The final person to pass on to the next stage is Chef Navi.” They heard Chef Vinnie say. This caused all three of them to look around the gym.
“No way!” Aditya said.
“That idiot can cook?” Om added.
“Who would have thought that Mount Hope’s biggest bully can cook?” Ételle said.
Navi saw them and came over.
“You should stick to exploring, explorer girl,” Navi said as he put his hands on the edge of the table and leaned so his face was close to theirs. “This competition is mine.”
“It’s not over, Navi,” Ételle said.
“Yeah, man, there are two dishes to go,” Om said.
“And Ételle is going to beat you,” Aditya added.
“We’ll see,” Navi said as he pushed a cup and walked away.
“Cup’s empty!” Aditya called after him.
“Idiot,” Om said. “You got this, Ételle.”
“Yeah,” Aditya added.
“Yeah, I hope so,” Ételle said and smiled nervously.
“Yeah, I think so too,” her cousin Om said.
“I checked twice,” her friend Aditya said. “Chef Vinnie is about to speak.”
They all watched the stage of the Mount Hope Gymnasium, where a small man with a chef’s hat stood in front of the microphone.
“Hello,” Chef Vinnie said into the mike. “Uh, is this thing on?”
“Yes,” one of the technicians replied. “It’s on Chef.”
“Oh! Okay,” Chef Vinnie said. “Right. Welcome everyone to Mount Hope’s Junior Chef Tournament. Now we have twenty contestants in all. You have three plates to make a starter, main course and desert. You will be judged by our three chefs Chef Savita, Chef Jane and Chef Ismail.”
The three chefs joined him on stage, they weren’t wearing chef hats, but they had chef coats and scarves on.
“Okay,” Chef Vinnie continued. “Remember, first prize is a weekend for you, your parents and your siblings at Mount Hope Hotel, second prize is a tablet and third prize is a digital camera. Remember, stick to the rules. Right so we start in five minutes! Get ready!”
***
Ételle put the finishing touches on her dish. Om gave her a thumbs up from the stand, Aditya smiled at her nervously. Which made her even more nervous. The buzzer went off indicating that time was up. The judges were going by each table.
Chef Vinnie came to her table followed by the judges.
“Our youngest chef,” he said and smiled encouragingly. “This is Chef Ételle. What have you made for us dear?”
Ételle cleared her throat.
“It’s a very simple dish, made of chicken, sautéed with onions, chilli and lots of garlic. Which is served with toasted baguette.”
The four chefs had a bite.
“Very nice,” Chef Jane said and took another bite.
“Oops!” Chef Savita said. “I just got a bite of that chilli, it has a kick.”
“My dear,” Chef Ismail said. “The extra garlic is perfect. Well done.”
Chef Vinnie smiled at her, the judges made their notes and moved on to the next table.
Ételle waited, worried she had not made it to the next stage, as the chefs had done their rounds. She was joined by Om and Aditya. Both had a taste of her dish.
“That’s really good!” Om said.
“Yeah, wow,” Aditya said and grabbed another baguette.
“I hope the chefs liked it,” Ételle said.
“They’re announcing their decision,” Aditya said.
The three of them watched Chef Vinnie climb to the podium. He went down the list of those who had made it. Ételle’s neighbour was not as fortunate and he started to pack his things.
“Chef Ételle, has passed on to the next stage,” he said and continued to read down the list.
“Awesome!” Om and Aditya said together. They both high fived Ételle.
“I best get ready for the main dish,” she said.
“The final person to pass on to the next stage is Chef Navi.” They heard Chef Vinnie say. This caused all three of them to look around the gym.
“No way!” Aditya said.
“That idiot can cook?” Om added.
“Who would have thought that Mount Hope’s biggest bully can cook?” Ételle said.
Navi saw them and came over.
“You should stick to exploring, explorer girl,” Navi said as he put his hands on the edge of the table and leaned so his face was close to theirs. “This competition is mine.”
“It’s not over, Navi,” Ételle said.
“Yeah, man, there are two dishes to go,” Om said.
“And Ételle is going to beat you,” Aditya added.
“We’ll see,” Navi said as he pushed a cup and walked away.
“Cup’s empty!” Aditya called after him.
“Idiot,” Om said. “You got this, Ételle.”
“Yeah,” Aditya added.
“Yeah, I hope so,” Ételle said and smiled nervously.
Mount Hope Mini-Chef Competition – Ételle has to put on her chef hat as one of the youngest participants in the competition…
“Okay,” Ételle said. “I think I’m all set.”
“Yeah, I think so too,” her cousin Om said.
“I checked twice,” her friend Aditya added. “The gym’s completely different.”
“I count twenty fully equipped cooking stations.” Om finished counting with his finger.
The cooking stations were lined up across from with one another. At the furthest end of the gym were the bleachers.
“Chef Vinnie is about to speak,” Ételle said.
They all turned to the stage of the Mount Hope Gymnasium, which was at the opposite end of the gym, where a small man with a chef’s hat stood in front of the microphone.
“Hello,” Chef Vinnie said into the mike. “Uh, is this thing on?”
“Yes,” one of the technicians replied. “It’s on Chef.”
“Oh! Okay,” Chef Vinnie said. “Right. Welcome everyone to Mount Hope’s Mini-Chef Tournament. Now we have twenty contestants in all. You have three plates to make a starter, main course and desert. You will be judged by our three chefs Chef Savita, Chef Jane and Chef Ismail.”
The three chefs joined him on stage, they weren’t wearing chef hats, but they had chef coats and scarves on. “Non-contestants please leave the cooking stations and go to the bleachers.”
“Good luck, cousin,” Om said and high-fived Ételle.
“You’ve got this!” Aditya also high-fived her.
“Thanks guys,” Ételle said.
Om and Aditya joined the rest of the spectators in the bleachers.
“Okay,” Chef Vinnie continued. “Remember, first prize is a weekend for you, your parents and siblings at Mount Hope Hotel, second prize is a tablet and third prize a digital camera. Remember, stick to the rules. You will be given your surprise ingredients.”
Ételle was given a plastic container. She didn’t touch it, although she was dying to see what was inside.
“Right. You have thirty minutes for the starter round. Get ready!” He raised a stop watch. “Start now!”
***
Ételle put the finishing touches on her dish. She had been given chicken breast, baguette, chillies, onions and garlic. It had been a no-brainer as far as what she had to make, but preparing the dish in thirty minutes was a challenge. Om gave her a thumbs up from the stand, Aditya smiled at her nervously. Which made her even more nervous.
“Time’s up chefs!” Chef Vinnie said.
The judges come down from the stage and went by each table tasting the dishes. There was complete silence.
Chef Vinnie came to her table followed by the judges.
“Our youngest chef,” he said and smiled encouragingly. “This is Chef Ételle. What have you made for us dear?”
Ételle cleared her throat.
“It’s a very simple dish, of chicken, sautéed with onions, chilli and lots of garlic. Which is served with toasted baguette.”
The four chefs had a bite.
“Very nice,” Chef Jane said and took another bite.
“Oops!” Chef Savita said. “I just got a bite of that chilli, it has a kick.”
“My dear,” Chef Ismail said. “The extra garlic is perfect. Well done.”
Chef Vinnie gave her a smile. The judges made their notes and moved on to the next table.
Ételle waited, worried she had not made it to the next stage, as the chefs had did their rounds. She was joined by Om and Aditya. Both had a taste of her dish.
“That’s really good!” Om said.
“Yeah, wow,” Aditya said and grabbed another baguette.
“I hope the chefs liked it,” Ételle said.
“They’re announcing their decision,” Aditya said.
The three of them watched Chef Vinnie climb to the podium. He went down the list of those who had made it. Ételle’s neighbour was not as fortunate and he started to pack his things.
“Chef Ételle, has passed on to the next stage,” he said and continued to read down the list.
“Awesome!” Om and Aditya said together. They both high fived Ételle.
“I best get ready for the main dish,” she said.
“The final person to pass on to the next stage is Chef Navi.” They heard Chef Vinnie say. This caused all three of them to look around the gym.
“No way!” Aditya said.
“That idiot can cook?” Om added.
“Who would have thought that Mount Hope’s biggest bully can cook?” Ételle said.
Navi saw them and came over.
“You should stick to exploring, explorer girl,” Navi said as he put his hands on the edge of the table and leaned so his face was close to theirs. “This competition is mine.”
“It’s not over, Navi,” Ételle said.
“Yeah, man, there are two dishes to go,” Om said.
“And Ételle is going to beat you,” Aditya added.
“We’ll see,” Navi said as he pushed a cup and walked away.
“Cup’s empty!” Aditya called after him.
“Idiot,” Om said. “You got this, Ételle.”
“Yeah,” Aditya added.
“Yeah, I hope so,” Ételle said and smiled nervously.
***
“First,” Chef Vinnie said. “I would like to say to those of you who have been eliminated, thank you for participating. Now, for those of you who’ve made it to the second round, things are about to get interesting. In a minute you will be given your ingredients, a different set for each of you. You will have 45 minutes to prepare your main dish.”
Ételle watched as they delivered her ingredients. She was not sure what she was getting.
“Don’t touch the Tupperware until I say so!” Chef Vinnie shouted, making Ételle jump. She backed her hand away from the Tupperware. Ételle looked towards where Om and Aditya were sitting, they smiled at her and she smiled back nervously.
“Right,” Chef Vinnie said. Ételle felt butterflies in her stomach. She breathed deeply to calm herself down.
Breathe and relax.
“Judges, are you ready?” Chef Vinnie asked.
Ételle watched as the judges nodded.
“Mini-chefs. Get ready.” Chef Vinnie raised his stop watch. “Start now! You have 45 minutes.”
Ételle opened her container, there was a fish fillet, she wasn’t sure what species, but it didn’t matter, there were two eggplants, a chou-chou and two tomatoes.
She breathed in, thinking about what to cook.
Pan fried fish and steamed chou-chou!
***
Ételle prepared her marinade, she put some black pepper, ginger, garlic, into a mortar and added a bit of cilantro seeds for good measure. She pounded it all with a pestle. Once it was ground into a paste she put it into a bowl and added some olive oil and mixed it all together lightly with a spoon.
Ételle lay the fish onto a tray and marinated it, as she did so she stole a quick look at her neighbour and saw that the girl, who must have been around ten years old like her, was preparing something with tofu and noodles. A dish Ételle was all too familiar with.
I wish I had tofu.
She looked at Om and Aditya who smiled at her.
Ételle put the fish in the pan letting it simmer on low heat. As it was cooking she cut the chou-chou into four pieces and put it in the pressure cooker. Ételle picked up the two eggplants.
What do I do with you guys?
“You have 20-minutes left,” Chef Vinnie said.
Eggplant chutney!
Ételle sliced the eggplants into thin slices. She placed them into a pan and browned them, also turning the fish which was almost ready. The pressure cooker whistled, she felt panic rising inside of her. Things became blurry and the sounds of cooking sounded far, far way. Ételle grabbed the edge of the table.
Like with Bitey.
The image of the shark in the water surrounding the boat came into mind. The great white circling their boat in the lagoon. Panic.
Breath.
Ételle breathed in. The fish was sizzling and the pressure cooker whistled one more time. She sprung into action, turning off the pan and the pressure cooker.
“You have ten minutes,” Chef Vinnie called out.
Ételle turned the tomatoes into two large roses. She still had to get the eggplant ready. She cut some onions, garlic and the little bird eye chillies. She mashed up the eggplant with a fork after having removed the skin. She added some olive oil and mixed it up again.
Oh no! It’s runny!
“Five minutes,” Chef Vinnie said.
Ételle pulled out a plate and placed two pieces of the chou-chou sprinkling a bit of salt on each. She laid the fish in the middle of the plate and placed the two tomato roses at the top of the plate.
“Time’s up!” Chef Vinnie called out.
Ételle spread the sauce alongside the fish and looked at the plate. It was as good as it gets.
***
Chef Vinnie chewed slowly and pensively. “H’mmm, this is tasty,” he said mostly to himself.
“The baba ghanoush, is really good, Ételle,” Chef Jane said.
What’s baba ghanoush? I will have to look it up when I get home.
“Very good,” Chef Ismail said with his mouth full. “I’m going to have another piece.” And he took another piece of the fish.
“I like the chou-chou. Beautifully done, darling,” Chef Savita said.
“Thank you, chefs,” Ételle said.
“Right guys,” Chef Vinnie said. “To the next competitor.” They all moved on to the next table.
The chefs went through the other tables quickly. At Navi’s table, Ételle saw Chef Vinnie wag his finger at Navi, somewhat menacingly.
That Navi, is he trying to bully Chef Vinnie too? Once a bully always a bully.
The judges went to their table to deliberate. Ételle was joined by Om and Aditya.
“They stayed at your table the longest,” Aditya said.
“Yeah.” Om took a bite from the fish. “That’s why! You have to try this Aditya.” Om passed a fork to Aditya who took a bite.
“Wow, Ételle,” Aditya said. “You’re going to win this for sure.”
“Aren’t you going to eat any?” Om asked.
“No,” Ételle answered and wringed her hands. “I’m too nervous.”
“You should be.” Navi stood in front of the table.
“Shut-up, Navi,” Om said.
“Yeah,” Aditya added. “We saw you getting into trouble with the judge.”
“That Chef Vinnie, he better let me win,” Navi said. “My parents are one of the owners of Mount Hope Hotel.”
“So what?” Ételle narrowed her eyes at him.
“If I don’t win, they lose their jobs.”
“You can’t do that!”
“We’ll see.” Navi shoved the table and moved away towards his station.
***
“Again, I would like to thank those of you who made it this far and wish the remaining five chefs best of luck,” Chef Vinnie said to the audience.
Ételle sighed with relief. She was among the remaining five.
“Now this is the final round,” Chef Vinnie said. “You will be given your ingredients and when I say go that’s when you start. That goes for everyone.” Chef Vinnie and the other Chefs glared at Navi, who looked down at his station. “You will have 45 minutes.”
Ételle was given a Tupperware.
Chef Vinnie raised his stop watch. “Right. Start!”
Ételle opened the container, inside were mangoes, tapioca pearls, vanilla extract, and evaporated milk.
Ételle stared at it for a second.
I know cold tapioca pearls with mango puree!
***
As the tapioca pearls cooled in the bowl of ice Ételle prepared her mango puree.
“Fifteen minutes to go,” Chef Vinnie called out.
Ételle concentrated on what she had to do. She had shut out everything, she didn’t hear chef call out or see Om and Aditya wave to her. She was on a mission, make the best dessert she had ever made. Once she had pureed the mangoes she added it to the tapioca pearls and added the evaporated milk. She mixed everything together. Taking a small spoon she tasted it.
I’m missing something! The vanilla!
Ételle took the vanilla extract and added a few drops and mixed it all together. When she stopped she heard Chef Vinnie. “That’s it chefs, times up! Put your utensils down please!”
That’s it. I gave it the best I could.
***
The chefs each took a spoonful.
All four smiled with each bite and helped themselves to a few more bites.
“Okay, chefs,” Chef Vinnie said. “We have other plates to try!”
“You need to give us the recipe,” Chef Savita said as she moved to the next table.
“Will do chef,” Ételle said and watched as they moved to the next table.
The chefs were soon at their table deliberating.
Ételle was joined by her friends. But she hardly registered their presence. She was so nervous.
Om and Aditya didn’t say much and ate what was left of the dessert.
“Man, this is nerve-wracking,” Om said.
“You got that right,” Aditya said. “Okay Ételle?”
“Yeah,” Ételle answered absentmindedly.
“Chef Vinnie is climbing onto the stage.”
They watched as Chef Vinnie pulled out a list and cleared his throat.
“Right, so we have selected our winners for this year’s Mini-Chef. Everyone ready?” Chef Vinnie waited for an answer.
Chef Vinnie started reading starting with the last placed contestant. Ételle couldn’t hear him, she was so tense.
“Second place, Chef Ételle and first place Chef Navi, there you have it. Congratulations to you all.”
“What?” Aditya and Om said at the same time.
Ételle snapped out of it.
“How does he win?” Ételle said. “I don’t mind being second place but to Navi?”
“He must have threatened Chef Vinnie,” Aditya said.
“He did say his parents own the hotel,” Om added. “Let’s go see Chef Vinnie.”
***
“Threatened me?” Chef Vinnie said and then laughed. “Who that little squirt?”
Chefs Savita, Jane and Ismail all chuckled.
“He said his parents owned the hotel,” Ételle said.
“His parents don’t own the hotel,” Chef Vinnie said. “They come over every once in a while. So you think he threatened us into giving him first prize?”
“Yes,” the three kids answered.
Chef Vinnie laughed again and then looked at them.
“Oh, you guys are serious.” He wiped his tears. “Come with me.”
They followed Chef Vinnie to Navi’s station.
“What do you guys want?” Navi snarled.
“Keep quiet boy, before I take that prize away from you,” Chef Vinnie growled at him, which made Navi back down.
Chef Vinnie took some of his dessert and gave some to each of them.
“Try this flambé,” he said.
Ételle took a bite.
“Wow,” she said. “That’s amazing.”
“Do you need to try the other desserts?”
“No.”
“First prize, then?”
“Yes.” Ételle had another bite.
“Yeah, I think so too,” her cousin Om said.
“I checked twice,” her friend Aditya added. “The gym’s completely different.”
“I count twenty fully equipped cooking stations.” Om finished counting with his finger.
The cooking stations were lined up across from with one another. At the furthest end of the gym were the bleachers.
“Chef Vinnie is about to speak,” Ételle said.
They all turned to the stage of the Mount Hope Gymnasium, which was at the opposite end of the gym, where a small man with a chef’s hat stood in front of the microphone.
“Hello,” Chef Vinnie said into the mike. “Uh, is this thing on?”
“Yes,” one of the technicians replied. “It’s on Chef.”
“Oh! Okay,” Chef Vinnie said. “Right. Welcome everyone to Mount Hope’s Mini-Chef Tournament. Now we have twenty contestants in all. You have three plates to make a starter, main course and desert. You will be judged by our three chefs Chef Savita, Chef Jane and Chef Ismail.”
The three chefs joined him on stage, they weren’t wearing chef hats, but they had chef coats and scarves on. “Non-contestants please leave the cooking stations and go to the bleachers.”
“Good luck, cousin,” Om said and high-fived Ételle.
“You’ve got this!” Aditya also high-fived her.
“Thanks guys,” Ételle said.
Om and Aditya joined the rest of the spectators in the bleachers.
“Okay,” Chef Vinnie continued. “Remember, first prize is a weekend for you, your parents and siblings at Mount Hope Hotel, second prize is a tablet and third prize a digital camera. Remember, stick to the rules. You will be given your surprise ingredients.”
Ételle was given a plastic container. She didn’t touch it, although she was dying to see what was inside.
“Right. You have thirty minutes for the starter round. Get ready!” He raised a stop watch. “Start now!”
***
Ételle put the finishing touches on her dish. She had been given chicken breast, baguette, chillies, onions and garlic. It had been a no-brainer as far as what she had to make, but preparing the dish in thirty minutes was a challenge. Om gave her a thumbs up from the stand, Aditya smiled at her nervously. Which made her even more nervous.
“Time’s up chefs!” Chef Vinnie said.
The judges come down from the stage and went by each table tasting the dishes. There was complete silence.
Chef Vinnie came to her table followed by the judges.
“Our youngest chef,” he said and smiled encouragingly. “This is Chef Ételle. What have you made for us dear?”
Ételle cleared her throat.
“It’s a very simple dish, of chicken, sautéed with onions, chilli and lots of garlic. Which is served with toasted baguette.”
The four chefs had a bite.
“Very nice,” Chef Jane said and took another bite.
“Oops!” Chef Savita said. “I just got a bite of that chilli, it has a kick.”
“My dear,” Chef Ismail said. “The extra garlic is perfect. Well done.”
Chef Vinnie gave her a smile. The judges made their notes and moved on to the next table.
Ételle waited, worried she had not made it to the next stage, as the chefs had did their rounds. She was joined by Om and Aditya. Both had a taste of her dish.
“That’s really good!” Om said.
“Yeah, wow,” Aditya said and grabbed another baguette.
“I hope the chefs liked it,” Ételle said.
“They’re announcing their decision,” Aditya said.
The three of them watched Chef Vinnie climb to the podium. He went down the list of those who had made it. Ételle’s neighbour was not as fortunate and he started to pack his things.
“Chef Ételle, has passed on to the next stage,” he said and continued to read down the list.
“Awesome!” Om and Aditya said together. They both high fived Ételle.
“I best get ready for the main dish,” she said.
“The final person to pass on to the next stage is Chef Navi.” They heard Chef Vinnie say. This caused all three of them to look around the gym.
“No way!” Aditya said.
“That idiot can cook?” Om added.
“Who would have thought that Mount Hope’s biggest bully can cook?” Ételle said.
Navi saw them and came over.
“You should stick to exploring, explorer girl,” Navi said as he put his hands on the edge of the table and leaned so his face was close to theirs. “This competition is mine.”
“It’s not over, Navi,” Ételle said.
“Yeah, man, there are two dishes to go,” Om said.
“And Ételle is going to beat you,” Aditya added.
“We’ll see,” Navi said as he pushed a cup and walked away.
“Cup’s empty!” Aditya called after him.
“Idiot,” Om said. “You got this, Ételle.”
“Yeah,” Aditya added.
“Yeah, I hope so,” Ételle said and smiled nervously.
***
“First,” Chef Vinnie said. “I would like to say to those of you who have been eliminated, thank you for participating. Now, for those of you who’ve made it to the second round, things are about to get interesting. In a minute you will be given your ingredients, a different set for each of you. You will have 45 minutes to prepare your main dish.”
Ételle watched as they delivered her ingredients. She was not sure what she was getting.
“Don’t touch the Tupperware until I say so!” Chef Vinnie shouted, making Ételle jump. She backed her hand away from the Tupperware. Ételle looked towards where Om and Aditya were sitting, they smiled at her and she smiled back nervously.
“Right,” Chef Vinnie said. Ételle felt butterflies in her stomach. She breathed deeply to calm herself down.
Breathe and relax.
“Judges, are you ready?” Chef Vinnie asked.
Ételle watched as the judges nodded.
“Mini-chefs. Get ready.” Chef Vinnie raised his stop watch. “Start now! You have 45 minutes.”
Ételle opened her container, there was a fish fillet, she wasn’t sure what species, but it didn’t matter, there were two eggplants, a chou-chou and two tomatoes.
She breathed in, thinking about what to cook.
Pan fried fish and steamed chou-chou!
***
Ételle prepared her marinade, she put some black pepper, ginger, garlic, into a mortar and added a bit of cilantro seeds for good measure. She pounded it all with a pestle. Once it was ground into a paste she put it into a bowl and added some olive oil and mixed it all together lightly with a spoon.
Ételle lay the fish onto a tray and marinated it, as she did so she stole a quick look at her neighbour and saw that the girl, who must have been around ten years old like her, was preparing something with tofu and noodles. A dish Ételle was all too familiar with.
I wish I had tofu.
She looked at Om and Aditya who smiled at her.
Ételle put the fish in the pan letting it simmer on low heat. As it was cooking she cut the chou-chou into four pieces and put it in the pressure cooker. Ételle picked up the two eggplants.
What do I do with you guys?
“You have 20-minutes left,” Chef Vinnie said.
Eggplant chutney!
Ételle sliced the eggplants into thin slices. She placed them into a pan and browned them, also turning the fish which was almost ready. The pressure cooker whistled, she felt panic rising inside of her. Things became blurry and the sounds of cooking sounded far, far way. Ételle grabbed the edge of the table.
Like with Bitey.
The image of the shark in the water surrounding the boat came into mind. The great white circling their boat in the lagoon. Panic.
Breath.
Ételle breathed in. The fish was sizzling and the pressure cooker whistled one more time. She sprung into action, turning off the pan and the pressure cooker.
“You have ten minutes,” Chef Vinnie called out.
Ételle turned the tomatoes into two large roses. She still had to get the eggplant ready. She cut some onions, garlic and the little bird eye chillies. She mashed up the eggplant with a fork after having removed the skin. She added some olive oil and mixed it up again.
Oh no! It’s runny!
“Five minutes,” Chef Vinnie said.
Ételle pulled out a plate and placed two pieces of the chou-chou sprinkling a bit of salt on each. She laid the fish in the middle of the plate and placed the two tomato roses at the top of the plate.
“Time’s up!” Chef Vinnie called out.
Ételle spread the sauce alongside the fish and looked at the plate. It was as good as it gets.
***
Chef Vinnie chewed slowly and pensively. “H’mmm, this is tasty,” he said mostly to himself.
“The baba ghanoush, is really good, Ételle,” Chef Jane said.
What’s baba ghanoush? I will have to look it up when I get home.
“Very good,” Chef Ismail said with his mouth full. “I’m going to have another piece.” And he took another piece of the fish.
“I like the chou-chou. Beautifully done, darling,” Chef Savita said.
“Thank you, chefs,” Ételle said.
“Right guys,” Chef Vinnie said. “To the next competitor.” They all moved on to the next table.
The chefs went through the other tables quickly. At Navi’s table, Ételle saw Chef Vinnie wag his finger at Navi, somewhat menacingly.
That Navi, is he trying to bully Chef Vinnie too? Once a bully always a bully.
The judges went to their table to deliberate. Ételle was joined by Om and Aditya.
“They stayed at your table the longest,” Aditya said.
“Yeah.” Om took a bite from the fish. “That’s why! You have to try this Aditya.” Om passed a fork to Aditya who took a bite.
“Wow, Ételle,” Aditya said. “You’re going to win this for sure.”
“Aren’t you going to eat any?” Om asked.
“No,” Ételle answered and wringed her hands. “I’m too nervous.”
“You should be.” Navi stood in front of the table.
“Shut-up, Navi,” Om said.
“Yeah,” Aditya added. “We saw you getting into trouble with the judge.”
“That Chef Vinnie, he better let me win,” Navi said. “My parents are one of the owners of Mount Hope Hotel.”
“So what?” Ételle narrowed her eyes at him.
“If I don’t win, they lose their jobs.”
“You can’t do that!”
“We’ll see.” Navi shoved the table and moved away towards his station.
***
“Again, I would like to thank those of you who made it this far and wish the remaining five chefs best of luck,” Chef Vinnie said to the audience.
Ételle sighed with relief. She was among the remaining five.
“Now this is the final round,” Chef Vinnie said. “You will be given your ingredients and when I say go that’s when you start. That goes for everyone.” Chef Vinnie and the other Chefs glared at Navi, who looked down at his station. “You will have 45 minutes.”
Ételle was given a Tupperware.
Chef Vinnie raised his stop watch. “Right. Start!”
Ételle opened the container, inside were mangoes, tapioca pearls, vanilla extract, and evaporated milk.
Ételle stared at it for a second.
I know cold tapioca pearls with mango puree!
***
As the tapioca pearls cooled in the bowl of ice Ételle prepared her mango puree.
“Fifteen minutes to go,” Chef Vinnie called out.
Ételle concentrated on what she had to do. She had shut out everything, she didn’t hear chef call out or see Om and Aditya wave to her. She was on a mission, make the best dessert she had ever made. Once she had pureed the mangoes she added it to the tapioca pearls and added the evaporated milk. She mixed everything together. Taking a small spoon she tasted it.
I’m missing something! The vanilla!
Ételle took the vanilla extract and added a few drops and mixed it all together. When she stopped she heard Chef Vinnie. “That’s it chefs, times up! Put your utensils down please!”
That’s it. I gave it the best I could.
***
The chefs each took a spoonful.
All four smiled with each bite and helped themselves to a few more bites.
“Okay, chefs,” Chef Vinnie said. “We have other plates to try!”
“You need to give us the recipe,” Chef Savita said as she moved to the next table.
“Will do chef,” Ételle said and watched as they moved to the next table.
The chefs were soon at their table deliberating.
Ételle was joined by her friends. But she hardly registered their presence. She was so nervous.
Om and Aditya didn’t say much and ate what was left of the dessert.
“Man, this is nerve-wracking,” Om said.
“You got that right,” Aditya said. “Okay Ételle?”
“Yeah,” Ételle answered absentmindedly.
“Chef Vinnie is climbing onto the stage.”
They watched as Chef Vinnie pulled out a list and cleared his throat.
“Right, so we have selected our winners for this year’s Mini-Chef. Everyone ready?” Chef Vinnie waited for an answer.
Chef Vinnie started reading starting with the last placed contestant. Ételle couldn’t hear him, she was so tense.
“Second place, Chef Ételle and first place Chef Navi, there you have it. Congratulations to you all.”
“What?” Aditya and Om said at the same time.
Ételle snapped out of it.
“How does he win?” Ételle said. “I don’t mind being second place but to Navi?”
“He must have threatened Chef Vinnie,” Aditya said.
“He did say his parents own the hotel,” Om added. “Let’s go see Chef Vinnie.”
***
“Threatened me?” Chef Vinnie said and then laughed. “Who that little squirt?”
Chefs Savita, Jane and Ismail all chuckled.
“He said his parents owned the hotel,” Ételle said.
“His parents don’t own the hotel,” Chef Vinnie said. “They come over every once in a while. So you think he threatened us into giving him first prize?”
“Yes,” the three kids answered.
Chef Vinnie laughed again and then looked at them.
“Oh, you guys are serious.” He wiped his tears. “Come with me.”
They followed Chef Vinnie to Navi’s station.
“What do you guys want?” Navi snarled.
“Keep quiet boy, before I take that prize away from you,” Chef Vinnie growled at him, which made Navi back down.
Chef Vinnie took some of his dessert and gave some to each of them.
“Try this flambé,” he said.
Ételle took a bite.
“Wow,” she said. “That’s amazing.”
“Do you need to try the other desserts?”
“No.”
“First prize, then?”
“Yes.” Ételle had another bite.
