The Magic Cake Shop by Meika Hashimoto Page A

squeeze. She said softly, “Don’t worry, Mr. Crackle. You’re the best baker in the world. If anyone can make this elixir, it’s you.”
    Albie chimed in, “Mr. Crackle, you’ll be drinking that elixir and getting back your senses faster than a bee on honey. After all, you’re a Supreme-Extreme Master!”
    Mr. Crackle smiled. “Thank you,” he said. He returned Emma’s squeeze and straightened his long back. “I do believe I’ve got the best assistants any winner of the Supreme-Extreme Master of the Kitchen Contest could choose.”
    Emma smiled. Suddenly something in her head jiggled. “Mr. Crackle?”
    “Yes, Emma?”
    “Do you know someone named Maddie Tinkleberry?”
    Mr. Crackle’s eyes lit up. “Last year’s Supreme-Extreme winner? Of course I do! Maddie is a very talented youngwoman. She and I once worked on a chocolate soufflé for the Queen of Bavaria’s eightieth birthday. At the last moment, she decided to add tickleberry rose extract to the batter. The soufflé came out quite perfect.”
    “Do you know where she is?”
    Mr. Crackle wrinkled his eyebrows. “The last time I saw her, she was about to leave for France to search for a rare ingredient—a mysterious kind of berry, I believe. She was in a great hurry.”
    Emma swallowed hard. “Mr. Beedy said she made the Elixir of Delight for him and then she disappeared. For months he tried to hunt her down to make sure she wouldn’t tell about the elixir, but he never found her.”
    Mabel clucked. “I should have known that Maddie would get herself into a cooking adventure.”
    Mr. Crackle frowned. “What do you mean?”
    “Maddie Tinkleberry does not like cheaters when it comes to food.” Mabel drew a finger down Mr. Crackle’s list as she scanned the ingredients. “When she created the Elixir of Delight, she must have realized that any mediocre cook with a dose of it would be unstoppable.” Her finger slowly made its way toward the bottom of the list. “My bet is that she’s looking for starberries in France. They have the most curious ability to reveal the true talent of a cook. Starberries turn anything that is not superb into a bland mush, but for a truly delicious creation, they enhance the flavors to an astonishing degree.”
    She pushed her glasses firmly up her nose. “I’ve finishedreading your list. It will only take me a few moments to gather these ingredients. In the meantime, why don’t you sit down a spell and take a breather—it’ll do you good before you attempt the recipe.” She turned to Emma and Albie. “You two should feel free to take a look around. But make sure you don’t taste anything. Some ingredients here are delightful in pies but deadly on their own.”

M abel pushed a comfy chair next to the spice shop’s front counter and gave Mr. Crackle an aspirin. “Sit,” she commanded.
    Mr. Crackle sat.
    As Mabel bustled off to find the elixir ingredients, she called to Emma and Albie, “Feel free to look around, but remember—if you try anything, you will most likely regret it.”
    Emma and Albie wandered into an aisle. There was so much to look at. Emma took a jar of green crystals off the shelf. She saw a label on the cover: MOON SUGAR . “So this is what Mr. Crackle puts in his truffles!” she exclaimed.
    “Ooooh, look at this one!” Albie said, tapping a bottle filled with golden syrup. “It’s called African billooflower honey. I bet it’d be tasty on crackers!”
    Emma reached for a jar labeled KOOLAKOOLA TREE BARK . She sat down and twisted off the lid, then reached in to feel the thick, dark chunks of bark. The rough, rich-smelling squares crumbled in her hand.

    She wanted badly to take a tiny taste, but she remembered how dangerous ingredients could be. With a sigh, she screwed the lid back on the jar.
    As she stood up, she heard a quick, strange sound.
    Thump
.
    Silence.
    Thump
.
    Silence.
    Albie cocked his ear. “Something’s moving about.”
    THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP
.
    Emma