Sky’s mother was learning to cook better.

Why she needed to be better, Sky didn’t know. Sky rarely had complaints, unless she was served vegetables.

That must be why Mama was taking lessons.

Sky liked that now she could have yummy snacks and get to explore this new place. It was the biggest cave she’d ever been in, carved into the side of the mountain as if by giant claws. The kitchen was deeper inside, and she could hear dishes clinking together and water running.

The room was full of bookshelves and comfy places to sit. Sky tossed a blanket over herself and lounged on the pillows by the table. A cup and plate sat before her, ceramic with a pretty design. They were white with a pale pink swirl, like a vine, with tiny flowers.

All of Mama’s cups and plates were chipped and stained. But that meant they were old, and well loved.

“Do you like your tea, Prince?” she whispered to her loyal friend.

His beady black eyes gleamed. The stitching around his right arm was starting to come undone. Sky would have to ask Mama to fix that. But he would feel better if he had some tea.

And cookies.

Sky was waiting for those cookies.

She took a sip of her own tea. It was actually fruit punch, but you couldn’t have a tea party without tea, right? Sky had taken a sip of Mama’s tea once, expecting it to taste good.

It did not taste good.

So she could pretend, because tea seemed much more elegant. She set the cup down gently with a clink. A wonderful aroma wafted through the air.

“Do you smell that? Does that mean the cookies are done?” she said gleefully.

She plucked Prince off the table and nodded his head.

“I bet Mama’s doing great. She deserves all the best cookies. And Goliath makes the best.”

She rubbed Prince’s neck. The soft material that made his scales was pink, just like hers. It was starting to fade now.

“I’m flattered that you think so.”

Goliath entered the room, followed by Mama, who was holding a plate of cookies.

“Chocolate chip. Your favorite.” She said, smiling.

She kissed the top of Sky’s head and set the plate on the table.

“And I didn’t even set anything on fire this time.”

“This time.” Goliath chuckled. “Your idea of cooking is to breathe fire on it and call it a day.”

“I like my food crispy.” Mama retorted.

She plopped two cookies on Sky’s plate.

“Aw, only two?”

“You’ll make yourself sick if you eat too many.”

“You say that as if you haven’t been sneaking them when you think no one is looking.” Goliath commented and Sky smothered a giggle.

“B-but that’s- I’m the chef!” Mama cried. “I need to test my creations.”

She snatched a cookie before anyone could argue.

“I like to be thorough.”

“I’d be very happy to help you taste test more often.” Sky volunteered. “Prince says yes too.”

Prince had fallen over again, his little wings sticking up.

“Actually, I’d like to see you taste test some vegetables tonight.” Mama said.

Sky stuck out her tongue with disgust.

“As long as there’s no broccoli.”

“I can work with that.”

“I was thinking.” Goliath said suddenly. “Would you like to help us make the next batch?”

Mama nodded in agreement.

Sky jumped up, tossing aside the blanket.

“Yesyesyes!!”

~

The kitchen was even bigger, cabinets lining every wall, and a table that stretched across the entire room. Sky would have wondered who needed that much table space, but as she quickly realized, all of it was put to good use.

Heavy mixing bowls, jars filled with wooden spoons and spatulas, and even more cookbooks stacked on top of each other. Goliath had an entire room full of books, and he still had more?! Sky could never imagine reading so much.

But what she was most excited about was that the table was her height. Mama’s table was much smaller, but too tall to see the top of. Of course, Mama was much bigger than Goliath, so it only made sense to have a table that matched. Goliath matched his kitchen. His scales were the same color as the smooth gray stone that made up the cave walls and tabletop.

“Are you ready to begin?” he asked.

Sky plopped Prince down on the edge of the table. He would supervise. She clapped her hands together.

“I’m ready!”

~

Baking was more complicated than she thought, but it was still fun. If she could make a tasty treat after all her hard work, then it would be worth it. And those cookies had been very tasty. Mama showed her how to stir together the butter and sugar.

“And we’ll add just a little vanilla.”

It was funny how tiny the bottle was in Mama’s large claws.

Sky watched as Goliath cracked the eggs. He tapped each egg on the table three times before cracking it in a separate bowl.

“Why don’t you put it in with the sugar?” she asked.

“In case you get a bad egg. You don’t want to ruin the rest of your ingredients. Or, if you get a piece of shell stuck, you can get it out easily.”

He examined the bowl for shell fragments.

“I’ve never had a rotten egg, but you never know.”

“It only takes one time.” Mama agreed, wrinkling her snout.

“And now we add the flour and baking soda.” Goliath began.

“What does that do?” Sky asked, pointing to the bottle of baking soda.

It looked like fairy dust, but less sparkling and colorful. Was it magical too?

“This helps the dough rise, so our cookies will be light and fluffy.”

When Sky tried to measure the flour, some of it puffed up into the air in a cloud. She sneezed. More of it was getting on the table than in the bowl, but no one was upset with her.

“Flour might be one of the messier ingredients.” Goliath said.

Mama had to step in and stir the dough when they added more flour. It was much harder to stir than the butter and sugar! But Mama was strong and the dough mixed together quickly. Someday Sky would become strong enough to make cookies all by herself.

“Do you know what we add next?” Goliath asked.

Sky grinned.

“Chocolate chips!”

~

She may have added too many chocolate chips.

But Mama said you could never have too much chocolate.

She got to press the dough into the pan so they could make bar cookies. The dough was soft and smooth and she could smell the butter. Goliath put the pan in the oven and set the timer.

“When this goes off, we’ll check them and make sure they’re done.”

~

Sky hopped up and down eagerly while Goliath sliced them into bars. He pulled out a square and presented it on a plate to her.

It was the best cookie she had ever tasted, the chocolate chips still melty.

But the best part was that Mama looked so proud.