The Wink

The auburn curls of Anne Ridley bounced up and down like rabbits as she frolicked around the Southaven County Fair in her home state of Mississippi. This wasn’t just any old county fair, this year would be the very best one ever. Working 364 days on her best apple pie recipe, she had finally perfected her craft and was ready to snag that shiny blue ribbon which would show everyone she was #1. This would be the most satisfying for her parents, as they had become sick of consuming apple pie every day.

As Anne looked around at her competition, she noticed something peculiar. No not something, but someone, the town punching bag, Bobby Bigs. Unfortunately for Bobby his last name also described his physique, something no bully could ignore. He was short and stout just like the teapot, and always wore the same worn-down jean overalls. Of course, today was no different as he stood behind his pie in those same overalls with a new brown stain on the knees, presumably from being tripped. But his eyes gleamed like stars and his smile was unwavering. He shouldn’t be so pleased however, as his apple pie turned out to be quite the monster.

Anne had never seen a pie such as this in her life, and she would thank her lucky stars that she would never see anything like it again. The crust caved in on the left side, and the right side was oozing out its filling. If you looked closely enough, you could see bits of black hair, left most likely by Bobby’s cat, Rocky. If you had been hungry before laying your eyes upon such a pie, you would no longer wish for food. Perhaps what you would wish for most would be a bath.

Nevertheless, Bobby stood tall with that wide grin plastered on his face, revealing the chocolate smothered all over his teeth. And of course, his face wouldn’t be complete without the signature chocolate crumbs surrounding his lips. As Anne studied the boy’s face, a glint of gold shimmered in the sunlight and caught her eye. She realized the sun had taken hold of the chocolate bar peeking out of Bobby’s back pocket with a ten-dollar bill hidden behind it. With Bobby noticing Anne’s gaze, he quickly shoved the items deeper into his pocket. His smile was now gone and replaced instead with a look Anne didn’t understand. Perhaps it was a devious look.

With the blow of a whistle, the judging had begun! The judge stepped out of his tent, looking as though last night had not been kind. Anne doubted if he had even wanted to judge this year. He then pulled up his pants and yawned, then started judging. Upon getting to Bobby’s pie, he shuddered greatly, almost too afraid to try a bite. The audience watched carefully here, wondering just how bad the reaction would be. Finally taking a bite, he gagged. Doing his best not to hurt Bobby’s feelings, he keeps it down and pats him on the head.

“Well, Bobby, you certainly don’t taste apple pies like that very often,” he said with a faint smile.

Bobby remained smiling. Anne quickly stood up straight as the judge stopped at her table next. He smiled with relief as he looked down at the normal looking pie. He took a bite and closed his eyes as he chewed. After digging in for seconds, he laughs and leans in close to Anne.

“Now that was pie was amazing,” he whispers in Anne’s ear. This basically guaranteed her win this year, and she gave a thumbs up to her parents in the crowd.

~~

The judging was now complete, with the judge deciding the winner in his tent. The children waited patiently for the results, but Anne realized Bobby was nowhere to be found. Perhaps everyone assumed Bobby had run away out of shame before the winner would be announced. But to everyone’s surprise, he strolled over casually to his pie. Anne wondered where he could have gone off to, and noticed he had come from the direction of the judge’s tent. As she stared at Bobby, she also noticed his back pocket. It was empty.

The judge then came around the corner, looking quite pleased. He had that blue ribbon in his hand and Anne was waiting for it to be placed upon her pie. But to everyone’s surprise, it wasn’t. The judge walked right past Anne and straight to Bobby. He placed the bow down onto Bobby’s pie, declaring him the winner. The audience and contestants gasped in confusion, but Anne had figured out the truth. For the judge had those same chocolate crumbs around his lips, and as she turned to look at Bobby, he winked.