Lily and the Octopus

by Steven Rowley

I crave cookies when I’m annoyed, when I feel I know better than those around me. Crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies warm from the oven, with the chocolate soft but not melted. I don’t know the derivation of this comfort craving, but there’s a quote from Cookie Monster that’s always inhabited my head: “Today me will live in the moment, unless it’s unpleasant, in which case me will eat a cookie.”

All I know is if I have to spend another Friday afternoon in this soft, buttery hell, I am going to eat cookies, and lots of them.