“Hey B.” smiled the neighbor boy, Shaun Telman, placing baked goods on the counter. His puppy, Dash, approached the old woman for attention.

 

 

“Hello, Shaun. How was your week?” she was excited to hear about his time at school, having little other stimulation at her stage in life.

“Not bad.”

“Oh you gotta give me more than that!” she laughed.

“Okay…” he submitted to her request, “...Fiona told one of our classmates that I was a minute-man. I didn’t even know what that meant but then-”

“Hold on right there.” Shaun was interrupted abruptly. “What happened to the rest of the pastries?”

“Sorry, I tossed some to those little ducks by the pond.” he admitted.

“You know I live off these. You’ll just have to bring me some more tomorrow.”

“Will do!” Shaun agreed, finished his story and he walked home with Dash.

Bianca Stubbins was alone, as usual, once her neighbor left. It wasn’t the silence that bothered her, or the loneliness itself. More than anything else, she was bored. With no family to her own and no real friends besides Shaun, she felt she was waiting for her end. Aside from his stories, the only thing that brought her excitement were pastries. 

Ever since she was little, Bianca had an affinity for baked goods. She couldn’t remember when her infatuation with pastries began, but she often recalled a moment in her life when things could have taken another path. She felt that maybe if she had chosen differently and taken a risk, she would be happier in the end. Being this near to the end, that moment had become a fixation. 

Before laying down to sleep, she often pictured choosing differently, hoping to dream of the outcome and waking to find it as reality.

The sun rose and Bianca was in the same old reality. She struggled to rise from her bed and slowly shuffled to her chair in the living room, making sure to unlock the door on the way so that Shaun could enter later in the day.

It was just before Shaun’s arrival that Bianca’s heart began to give out. She sat in her chair, grasping at her chest and heaving. Shaun opened the door and rushed over with Dash, realizing what was happening.

“B!” he shouted, afraid to lose his friend.

“Shaun, don’t worry about me. I want you to hear these words…” Bianca gathered as much air as she could. “Be brave enough to make the hard choice.”

Bianca watched Shaun’s face freeze in reaction to her words, but more than that. Dash froze, the world froze, and everything darkened. She thought this was it. Then, the image of a crustacean, an hourglass and a clock flew through her mind.

Suddenly, Bianca was standing… and young.

She recognized for a split-second that this was the moment she wished to revisit. Her memories of her life past that point faded rapidly. All that was left in her mind was her words to Shaun.

Bianca walked ahead of her father in the crosswalk and before her floated a demon made of confection. A cream demon. Creamon.

 

It held out-stretched a sugary tentacle and she heard a voice in her head.

“If you take this power, you will never see him again.” it pointed at her father, who was distracted by other parents.

Bianca made her choice, tears in her eyes. 

She stood for some time watching panic set in on her father’s face, watching him interrogate everyone nearby, watching him break down at his loss. “Where’s my baby girl?” He sobbed as he spoke to the police, and Bianca sadly followed Creamon to another realm.

Torturous years of mastery followed before she was in complete control of her power and able to return to her own realm.

Upon returning, she purchased a closed down bakery to operate out of.

 

“Just take care of the cat.” the old owner requested.

She closed the door behind her and focused her energy to fill the empty shop with pastries. 

During shop hours, Bianca Stubbins would tend the counter and cater to her guests, but after hours, BakeSale would gradually make the world just a little bit sweeter.