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The cake they had seen from a distance and the one in question sat atop a silver pedestal, gleaming under the lantern light. It was black, frosted with what looked like glossy licorice, and adorned with intricate swirls and patterns. It was unlike any cake they’d ever seen, and to their inexperienced eyes, it looked absolutely delicious. “We want that one!” Jabar said confidently to the bakery vendor as he pointed to the shiny cake. Zelnard handed over the coins he’d saved up over the past year, and the vendor, an elderly woman with a crooked smile, put out her hand and asked, “What do you want this for?”
“It's a surprise” Zelnard responded, trying to be nonchalant about being out at night and making a regular everyday purchase and not letting on that he was actually an escapee.
“It sure will be a surprise," the old lady said as she gladly took in the handful of coins and she handed him the cake with a wink. “Enjoy, lads.”
They could barely contain their excitement as they made their way back to the beach with the somewhat heavy cake not a burden at all. Half way home to the Monastery along the shining sands the gentle waves of the Crystal Quay coast lapped against the shore. It was the perfect spot for a birthday feast.
Zelnard placed the cake on a rock on the sand, the moonlight making it gleam even more. “This is going to be the best eleventh birthday ever,” he declared, his voice full of anticipation.
He took a big, celebratory bite...and immediately recoiled, his face contorting into a mix of shock and horror. The cake was hard, tasteless, and distinctly rubbery.
Jabar’s laughter erupted, loud and uncontrollable. “What’s wrong, Z? Not what you expected?”
Zelnard acted out spitting out the bite of what he now realised was a round of black rubber, not cake. His eyes watered, not from the shock of losing his coins and sadness of not having any cake to show for it, but from the absurdity of the situation. Between bouts of laughter and tears, he managed to say, “This… this is the worst birthday cake ever!”
But Jabar’s infectious laughter was impossible to resist. Soon, Zelnard found himself rolling on the sand, laughing until his sides hurt. The two boys laughed and laughed, the sound echoing across the moonlit deserted beach, their disappointment turned into one of the best memories they would ever share. “You know who would like this cake?” Zelnard said, now thinking a bit more rationally. “Dumbstorm”.
“Yes, let's....wait no, he’ll kill us, we can’t.” Said Jabar still in half breaths from laughing and coming round to the gravity of the suggestion.
“Well I’m not losing 1 half gold piece and 3 bronzes for nothing. This delicious treat will be waiting for Dunstor in his room tonight!”
Jabar looked at Zelnard and said, “Think about it Z, would you eat a cake that suddenly appeared in your room without any explanation?”
“Yes!” he replied and they both started laughing haughtily again.
What was the plan that Jabar and Zelnard hatched?
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