[CHAPTER] A Pastry Sprite's Wish

Once upon a time, in a layer of the Cascades
Three pastry sprites would watch as the tatsukoi made haste
Every morning, early on, they would wake to prepare dough
To bake and create treats, so much that it would overflow

And yet these poor three sprites could not do the same
Their tiny little hands were rather quite lame
So they wished upon a star, during a special time of the year
And then suddenly, voilá! They could start their baking careers.

He knew it sounded silly, and he wanted to say it as much, but deep down, maybe even silly could count to something, when you had a desire so big. It started as a joke when they were very young, the idea of becoming tatsukoi, having proper hands to work with these cool tools they would use, and not like they hadn't broke in into some bakeries in the past to create treats themselves - many bakers would wake up for years with mysterious cakes, breads, and treats already prepared in the morning before anyone ever wake up - but they could only do so much in a night, and things were not always perfect due to their sizes.

Wishing upon a star was something that little kids would do, fairy tales, is what Liqueur would tell himself for sure, and how Surprise was an absolute insufferable dreamer when it came to these things. But the truth was that part of him also wanted it to be real, and that small wish they all shared could be attainable.

Even while thinking it was lame, he still kept vigilantly looking at the sky from the tiny window, while waiting all night for a shooting star.

"The book said at least one shooting star grants a wish today!" she retorted.

"They say that about the star shower during the Midwinter Wishes, too, and it's never about having wishes really granted, Surprise. It's about looking at the new year coming and setting your mind on your goals so you can have the strength to achieve the--"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, but do they have a magical birthday cake during this time of the year!? I don't think so!"

The small colorful cake sat in the middle of the bakery, they had broken in for the night, a perfectly centered candle waiting to be lit right in the middle. Surprise had insisted it had to be perfectly centered, to which Cream did her best to measure and properly follow her instructions to a "t". Liqueur truly could not believe how much Cream would sometimes oblige Surprise's request, but then again, she was a good-hearted and helpful character all the way, bless her.

"Now, now, let's not fight." The lighter in Cream's arms stood firmly still, ready to jump into action at the sign of any sparkly light coming from the heavens. "It will be nice to at least make a wish together, I've never shared a birthday wish!"

Liqueur sighed, "It's not a birthday, in fact it's nobody's birthday now!"

"But it feels like a birthday, doesn't it?" Surprise placed her tiny hands on her hips. "This is why today is special! I can't place my finger on why, but I absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, feel like today is a birthday! THE birthday!"

"Of who, you crazy sprite!? I think you right about lost your-"

But as he was ready to start bickering again, he saw it. A shining star cutting the night sky so suddenly, he almost had no time to gasp.

"Agh-- a shooting star! Shooting star!!!" he fumbled out of his outpost to quickly join the others

"AH!" Surprised gasped for him instead, waving her hands at Cream, "Light the candle! Light the candle!"

Cream, who unsurprisingly had not panicked like her companions, lit the little candle and placed the lighter on the side before joining hands together.

The three circle the cake, an unspoken anticipation and excitement filled their hearts for what felt like something very special.

"Now... All we have to do is wish together and then blow the candle!"

They all took a deep breath, thinking out loud at the same time.

"I wish to become Tatsukoi!" And swiftly the bakery fell into darkness again as they blew the candle at the same time.

A few seconds passed, their tiny hands still linked, together, and none dared move yet in fear that the wish would not be realized if they so much as moved na inch. A few minutes passed before their heard a deep breath coming from Cream.

"Sorry, I couldn't hold any more."

"What!?" Surprise was flabbergasted, "Cream, you didn't have to hold your breath!"

"Oh, ooops, haha... My bad!"

"Aaarg, might would have to as well, because nothing has changed." Liqueur retorted and let go of them. "Bah, I knew this was pointless, you're always coming up with nonsense plans, Surprise. We wasted time with this whole thing, honestly, we could've been finally done with that early batch, but noooooo, special wish this, special wish that."

"Oh, quit it, Liqueur! You were on board with this whole thing up until now, you had high hopes it'd work too!" she retorted, but couldn't help to understand his disappointment too. She did truly believe this would work; that's what it was said would happen from that weird cooking book secret page.

"Hey... At least it was nice to take a break from work, wasn't it? I like spending time with you guys, and I love eating cake. Let's not waste this wonderful thing we did together, at least, how is that?"

Cream always knew the right things to say in order to pacify any situation. They couldn't keep bickering when a nice sentiment was right there, isn't it? Begrundingly, Liqueur grabbed the knife and cut three slices, while surprised, helped with the plate, and Cream produced three tiny forks for each of them from her apron.

They sat around the plate - no need to grab three after all - and lifted their forks to taste it.

"Here's to our friendship and the good baked goods we have produced so far!" Cream started.

Surprise smiled, touched by her word,s "Here's to us!"

"Yeah, I guess. I'm sorry for being a downer, you guys are still my friends and we can still make stuff together." Liqueur gave in with a sigh.

They each pierced a piece of their respective slices and began to taste it for the first time. Surprisingly, it was an absolutely delicious cake!

"Oh wow! This came out really good! It tastes just like what my mom used to make!" Cream smiled

"... I... Am surprised. You didn't dump an absolute sugar bomb in it this time." Liqueur grabbed another piece.

"What are you talking about? This is the most delicious, sugary sweet cake I've ever had!" Surprise responded with her mouth full of cake.

It was in fact so delicious that they each grabbed another bite right away, and then another, not stopping until the whole cake was gone! That had never happened before; at this point, they were so used to baking and tasting their recipes, none of them had ever gone haywire over a treat like this. And yet, there they were, plopped over the table, bellies full of cake.

"Ouugh... My tummy hurts, but I'd have another piece any time..."

"Normally... I'd call you out, but I feel the same, ough..."

"That was really good... owie I've never been this full..."

They closed their eyes for a moment. Sure, their wishes didn't come true, but at least they had delicious cake.

...
...
...

And then it started. A tingling sensation ran through their little bodies, making them shiver all over, their hairs standing up straight.

"Wow, what is happening!!" Surprise stood up quickly

"Oh no, oh no, oh no---" Liqueur carefully turned himself, thinking the cake might've done them for this time.

"Oh, this feels funny!" Cream had never had such a feeling after eating cake, really, not even when it was undercooked.

Lights filled the kitchen all around in colorful waves, the three sprites floating in the air as their bodies experienced a flow of true magic working something truly extraordinary.

...

...

...

Their eyes opened slowly, the view blurry and dark. They felt the floor beneath them, but something felt different; the space of the kitchen was tighter than before. A gentle voice filled their heads for a moment.

"Your wish was real and your mind was right, clear as day and true as night.
From now on, you may live as tatsukoi, and yet your sprite form, you can still enjoy.
But never reveal your secrets to a single soul, lest you lose this special grant and the magic lose its flow.
Go forth and live your dreams, may fortune smile upon your whims!"

Stunned would not even begin to describe how the three felt. Slowly but surely, they realized how their hands had grown, their bodies, ears, tails, everything had changed, and unbelievably, their wish was granted - they were tatsukoi.

"Ah!!! Ahahahaha aaaaaaaah I told you I told you!!! Didn't I tell you! What did I tell you! It was real, it is real!!" Surprise gave laps around the kitchen, her new legs working perfectly.

"Aaah, my tail is so pretty and fluffy and cute~" Cream hugged her own tail gently, happy to have such a fluffy, large appendage.

Liqueur looked at his own large hands in disbelief in shock. "I can't... I can't believe it... We truly-- we really did---"

"And you doubted me! You doubted me!!! I knew it, I knew it, I was right all along, you can never get on my case again like that haha! I wiin, I wiin, Surprise was right, owah owah!" She did a little victory dance, and accidentally hit a table with her now larger tail, making some noise in the process.

"Sush, you crazy sprite!" Liqueur had to put a hand over his throat - he didn't mean to sound so loud as he had.

"Hey, you don't need to scream at me just because you were wrong~!" she retorted, excited

"I'm not screaming at you, I didn't mean to--" he tried to keep his voice down while standing up for the first time and hitting his head on one of the pans of the pot rack. "Ow!!!"

Surprise finally realized what he meant by that, but she couldn't let it slide. "Shhhh, Liqueur, you're going to wake people up like that!!" She spoke in a more whispery voice while he looked back at her with an incredibly annoyed face.

"We haven't been tatsukoi for five minutes yet, and you are already getting on my nerves!"

"Well, you were getting on MY nerves first!"

"Guys." Cream interrupted

"What!" both looked at her.

"Haha... How are we going to get out now?"

They looked at the tiny backdoor window they had sneaked in.

Uh-oh.