Kitchen Whispers

[u]Kitchen Whispers[/u]

"Everyone excited?"

The tiny sound carried in the small kitchen. Upon a shelf lay a shelf of spices, tooth picks, and other odds and ends used for baking.

"Excited about what? She's just making biscuits. Not like she's using me..."

The paprika spoke in a grumpy and disappointed tone. The salt piped up for the second time.

"But I love it when she makes bread! Well, I love it any time she makes anything!"

A smile grew along the salt shakers face. He looked around at the others on the shelf, most of them sleeping. As the salt shaker sat there trying to engage the other spices, he pondered on Turmeric. As he thought, he realized he had never even spoken directly to Turmeric. The salt shaker was unsure if she ever even used Turmeric, poor fellow.

"How's in going up there Turmeric?"

The strongly flavored spice looked down from a higher shelf; a bitter, disheartened expression covered his face. With a small popping sound, Turmeric's shaker opened, and a rain of strongly flavored powdered root fell upon the salt shaker.

"Don't talk to me you giddy idiot!"

Salt flailed slightly the powder burned his eyes; it had fallen directly on Salt's upturned face.

"Apparently you really are bitter!"

Shaking himself free of the majority of the spice, he turned to Pepper, his counter-part.

"How was your rest?"

Pepper was just opening his eyes, having just woken up. He sneezed as he inhaled.

"Damn it, are you having another spice throwing competition? Like I told you, there are above you, it's easy for them to throw down, but hard for you to throw up to them!"

Salt giggled, even under the harsh tones of Peppers coarse voice.

"No, Turmeric was grumpy, I tried to say hello. Wonder why his is so bitter?"

Pepper's expression turned to a compassionate one,

"My boy, you're to naïve. You were one of the first spices; you're the most seasoned of all of us..."

Salt giggled again, he always enjoyed puns. Pepper managed a half smile, before continuing.

"You need to learn about how the way works in the big old kitchen. Some people don't like to be bothered. Some have been here for so long, and they are almost never used. They can be 'grumpy' to say the least."

Salt smiled, nodded, a gave a gentle nudge to pepper as a thank you of sorts.

"So did you here? She's making bread today!"

Pepper smiled gently, knowing Salt's excitement.


"I'm sure you'll be used. I think that all the breads of the world have salt in them... in fact..."

A large noise drew their attention to the entrance of the kitchen. Pepper looked hurriedly at salt, an expression of excitement on his face.

"Here she comes, good luck buddy!"

These final words were in a whisper, for fear that she would hear. An tear ridden woman entered the kitchen, slamming a brown paper bag filled with ingredient on the counter, beside the sink. A red-faced man followed. He began to shout at her. Calling her mean names, saying she had been doing... inter coarse with some one. Salt was puzzled, he guessed that she was spending long afternoons with her boss, looking at a new coarseness of spices. She screamed as he grabbed her roughly by the sides of her arms. More words, furious words erupted from the man. The spices above and around the Salt shaker pulled back, all trying to make their way to the back of the shelf.

"Why are they shrinking away?"

The question ran through his little salt shaker head, even as the man struck her. His fist pulled back, and flew forward again. Little flecks of red fell against the white kitchen tiles. Screams came forth, choked by what Salt assumed was red food coloring. Even as the man threw her to the table, he head striking the corner... even as her grabbed the boning knife, and perforated her like a piecrust. More red food coloring, a tiny bit flew up to the shelf, and fell on Salt delicate white porcelain face.

"Why is he baking, he's never here, why so much food coloring, why red?"

Tiny sobs erupted from the shelf, so very quiet, audible only to those on the shelf. The man stopped, stepped back from her. He dropped the knife, whipped his face, it smeared red. He began to breathe heavily. He looked worried. He himself sobbed broke down and leaked like a poorly made tart, all over her reddened body. Salt was still puzzled; he turned to Pepper, who was closer to the back of the shelf. Salt expression was confused, with an error of sadness. Bits of Turmeric stained his face, a tiny spot of red rested upon his cheek. He looked more like a dirty solider in the trenches, then a salt shaker. Salt spoke...

"No bread today?"