Once upon a time, in a faraway and industrious land called Provision Village, there resided a sovereign ruler known as King Gluten. Despite his name (which is a mixture of two proteins found in some cereal grains), he was immensely fat with a spherical face with black-beaded eyes, jet-black hair. He wore royal garb of shades of royal purple and baby blue with his royal crown decorated in platinum with crystals of all different colors.  Although he was considered a considerate monarchy figure, the people of Provision Village knew him as being a bad-tempered person and would even revert to extreme methods of violence at certain times, particularly whenever he was ravenous for certain cravings. He was known practically for having a humongous appetite for the finest foods. His methods of violence included suspending his offender off a deadly summit, force-feeding his offender (sweetened) poison and his most offensive punishment of all: leaving his offender to perish in the sub-zero cold in the Ration Mountains, where food was scarce. Yet, no one faced King Gluten’s annoying irritability more (and worse) than his personal regal chef, Maple.

               Maple was an ordinary sixteen-year old that specialized in the field of cooking. She had chestnut-colored hair that matched her hazel eyes, along with a white-colored apron depicting a maple leaf, the plant that she was named for. Along with this, she had a slender figure in comparison with her hefty Highness. She had lived in the king’s royal and industrious kitchen ever since she was five years old and had pleased the king’s palette by her creation of an orange peel cake, adorned with genuine chocolate icing and edible canned cherries. One day, while she was preparing a rich banquet with beverages of wine and beer, the king’s page boy, Cal (who was nicknamed Calzone) entered inside the kitchen. He was known as being really intelligent and knowledgeable in the works of English, math, and science. He told Maple, “King Gluten is growing more impatient by the second for his dinner!” She responded back to him saying, “Humph… That’s because he always has these unexpected cravings that he wants me to make!” He was abashed at her complaint, stating, “Well, I advise you to hurry making the king’s banquet...” After Cal’s rant about the king’s banquet, Maple finished making preparations for his food and started to serve the king, addressing him, “Your Majesty.” King Gluten started to gorge with his food, stuffing himself endlessly without rest. However, he told Maple, “This food is bland! Get out of my house. You’re trying to poison me”, with eyes filled with rage. Maple replied to him, “Your Highness, I think that it’s because you eat so much that it tastes bland to your lips...” The king was enraged, stating, “How dare you say that to my face?! I will overthrow you and you will be replaced by a new cook, one who doesn’t comment so rashly about my taste buds! You will be left alone in the Ration Mountains to perish in the sub-zero cold. My page boy, Cal will be personally joining you to make sure you are “disposed off.” So, King Gluten did just that.

               Maple and Cal was sent to the Ration Mountains and thought up a mischievous plan for her king: a plan that would rid of King Gluten’s hot-blooded “tantrums”. She had a plan of using something known to Provision Village as the Chilled Berries. These berries were considered to be a marvelous stress-reliever (due to their satisfying taste on the taste buds) and could calm even the stingiest person, but there were extremely rare and can only be found in snowy areas and during blizzards. They also drew the person who ate the berries into a deep sleep, lasting about an hour, and they would be cured of their stress. Eating too much of the Chilled Berries, on the other hand, made the person who ate the berries not only fall asleep, but also gave him or her amnesia. Her strategy was to use these berries and serve them to King Gluten in any possible way. However, there was a price: a magnificent bird known as the Combed Crow was the guardian of these rare berries. It was a bizarre cross between a rooster and a crow. It was very vicious to anyone who passed its territory, known as the Crow’s Peak. Maple and Cal went to their way to find these particular berries. They passed through many routes, but a blizzard disrupted their progress. They noticed a mother Combed Crow soaring through the blizzard near a strange sapling. They followed it and found the sapling; the sapling was holding the “rare” Chilled Berries! Maple ran to collect the berries, but the mother Combed Crow blocked her path. Maple then noticed baby birds underneath the mother; she understood that she was only to protect her kin. She also found out that the Chilled Berries were their source for food. She walked behind the Crow and gathered 6 Berries. Together with Cal, Maple trekked back to Gluten’s home. She met the new cook, Allison, and starting preparing a dish for the king, alongside Cal and Allison. The time had arrived for Maple to present herself (and her mysterious dish) to the king.

               Once inside the king’s chamber, Maple presented her mysterious dish to King Gluten: a pie made with the Chilled Berries. He ate the pie with glee and soon fell asleep. Cal then discovered that eating a certain amount of berries determined whether a “victim” would just fall into a deep sleep or have amnesia. Cal asked cautiously, “How many berries did you put in that pie?” Maple answered him, “Six berries. Why?!” Cal said with great distress, “Oh no! Two berries are enough! You gave him three times the amount!” Maple said with relief, “Whew! Thank goodness. Now I can relax about the king not getting on my nerves! If he has amnesia, I’ll teach him not to be a glutton!”

THE END