How We Write: A Saucer of Ice Cream
Our prompts for this story were: summer, pet, friend, you, ice cream. This time, they came from both of the writing groups Orion was in. The words summer, friend, and ice cream obviously inspired kids having a picnic of some kind.
But we couldn’t just write a simple story like that. We had to put our own spin on it. When Orion first heard what Kyros had planned, her eyes bugged out and she exclaimed, “You can’t do that!” But he convinced her, so here’s the sweet, twisted result.
Oh, and in case you’re curious about where the characters’ names come from, Pandor and Epimeth are shortened versions of Pandora and Epimetheus, the first humans created by Prometheus in Greek mythology.
A Saucer of Ice Cream
“I’ve never had this flavor of ice cream before, Pandor” the little boy squealed, spooning another large bite into his mouth. “It’s yummy!”
“I know, Epimeth” the little girl exclaimed. “My daddy picked up the stuff to make it on the way home the other day. Mommy made it up special ‘cause it’s been so hot this summer.”
They heard a crash from inside the house. Suddenly, the family pet burst through the door, careening across the yard directly at them.
“No, Slippy!” Pandor screamed, snatching her bowl from its saucer and lifting it high into the air.
But the animal was unstoppable. It darted under the table, managing to upend the whole affair, scattering bowls, saucers, ice cream and children in all directions.
Satisfied with the resulting mayhem, the animal began licking up the ice cream littering the ground.
Pandor let out a shriek and began crying.
“My ice cream!” she sobbed. “Daddy said he had to go a really long way to get the ingredients.” Plopping down on the lawn, she wailed, “I’ll never get any of this flavor again.”
Epimeth patted her arm, trying to comfort her. “It was good, but maybe your dad can get some more later.”
“What’s all this ruckus out here?” her mom called from the doorway. Shaking her head, she strode toward the children. “Heavens, look at this mess.”
“It wasn’t us,” Pandor choked out, pointing at the offending animal. “Slippy knocked over the table and ate all our ice cream. Epimeth and I really liked it,” she sniffled. “I heard Daddy tell you that the ingredients might not be available much longer.” She took a deep breath and moaned, “I’ll never ever have it again!”
Pandor’s mother knelt, consoling daughter. “Awww, don’t worry, honey. The ingredients aren’t going away that soon. I’m sure daddy can get some more the next time he travels there. The ingredients can be found all over Earth, so he’ll be able to grab enough for another batch soon.”
“Yay!” the children both cheered. “More human-flavored ice cream!!”