No Donuts Today Folks

Adelberg's donut shop was a popular stop in the Hampton community frequented by visitors and locals alike. The bakery boasted a large variety of pastries and also produced cakes for every occasion. To generate more income, the quaint German shop had several cozy tables where you could order Mrs. Adelberg's delicious casseroles, soups, and sandwiches.

It took a dedicated staff to produce donuts every day. The work started at 4:00 AM and the shop was open until 2:00 PM in the afternoon. Gertrude and Albert Adelberg were the owners and master bakers. They came from Germany in their late 20's, worked in New York under the tutelage of an old German baker, Gunther. When Gunther retired, Adelberg's purchased the bakery and ran it successfully for 20 years. In time, children grown, they grew tired of city life and moved to The Hamptons.

This morning the routine began as usual, but it was cloyingly hot in the bakery and Gertrude said, "Albert, I'm going to take a quick run over to the gas station to pick up some bottled water, it seems we are out. I won't be long."

"OK honey, we've got you covered."

Gertrude appeared back in the room, "Albert, have you seen my purse, I set it on the shelf, as always, but it's gone."

"No dear, maybe you misplaced it."

"I didn't, I distinctly remember putting it there. Someone has taken it; I'm calling the police."

"Are you sure? Maybe you left it at home!"

"You're not listening to me, I put it right there on the shelf and it is gone." Gertrude made a call to the police.

The officer stood there. "We had a call that there was a robbery here, a woman's purse?"

"Yes, that was mine," stated Gertrude.

"Show me where you had the purse if you will Madam."

"Right here!" Gertrude pointed to the shelf.

"Humm," said the officer. "Do you keep this back door locked?"

"Well no, we open it when we get here. It's for safety, in case of fire, we don't want to keep it locked."

"If you noticed, it's ajar."

"Yes, I propped it open, it was so hot in here this morning. What's that got to do with my purse?"

"Well, no offense Madam, but it's not the safest place to keep your purse is it?"

With that, the officer bent down to see if he could obtain some fingerprints that may have been left on the shelf. Suddenly he let out a yell! "Geez, what the heck? A cat, a cat in the bakery? That could be cause for a health inspection!"

"Oh no, Mr., Mr. Officer, that's not our cat? He must have come in through the open door," said Gertrude.

"The open door, the open door, did you ever consider getting a screen door?", he yelled.

Then the cat flew out of the shelf and chaos ensued as the officer and employees began chasing it throughout the bakery. Smoke started rolling out of the oven from the forgotten pastry. The cat catapulted from one counter to the other knocking the large steel pot of donut batter on the floor followed by a enormous caldron of soup that was ready to heat up on the stove. Everyone started slipping on the spillage and just like dominos they landed on the floor, including the officer who was at the end of his patience.

They lay there watching the startled cat streak out the door. One by one, getting to their feet Albert said, "We're running out of time, I don't think we'll meet our deadline today."

The officer wiped himself off, walked to the door and slammed it shut, then bent down and looked at the shelf. "Madam, could you come here please?"

Gertrude, looking like she had rolled in a mud puddle, stood next to the officer.

"There is your purse. I suggest that you keep the back door shut from now on; or better yet, find a locked location for your purse. Apparently, the cat knocked it over. He tipped his dripping hat. "I believe this is a case of the cat burgler." With a grumpy, "Have a good day," and looking disgusted at the mess before him, he disappeared out the front door.

Albert, who had cleaned himself up as best he could, went to greet his waiting customers outside. "I'm sorry, we've had a little glitch. The bakery will be closed, no donuts today folks."

Sighing at the cleanup that needed to be done he thought, maybe it's time to retire.

772 Words
Prompts: running out of time
glitch - smoke - donut batter
woman's purse.