To Apply as a Baker's Apprentice

Murry’s Bakery, where there’s a little magic in every bite. It’s because of this bakery that I decided to become a baker. Back when I was a four-year-old, my parents took me to Murray’s to pick out a cake for my birthday. Stepping inside I felt I was sent to a heaven made entirely of sweets. Cake, pie, cookies, my childlike mind wanted to figure how I could put all of the sugary gems into my pockets. That imaginative state of mind was cut short when my mom called my name and asked which cake would I like.

Pressing my face against the glass to be closer to the pastries, I looked over the treats to find which would be the most satisfying for my developing taste buds. On the other side of the glass came a smiling bearded face. I jumped from fright and hid behind my dad’s legs. The man stood up with a light chuckle.

“Sorry about that little man.” He said “Didn’t mean to scare you. The name’s Murry, and welcome to Murry’s Bakery. What can I do you folks today?”

“Well, tomorrow is our son Devon’s fifth birthday.” My mom answered.

“And we thought, why not bring him here to pick out his cake.” My dad said as he gently pushed me from my sanctuary and placed me in front of him with his hands on my shoulders. Murry looks down with an amused eye-brow raised up.

“Is it true? Your birthday’s tomorrow?” He asked. I shyly nodded my head to confirm his suspicion. “Well, in that case, you should go for my world-famous chocolate cake.” He then walked over to a chocolate cake that was on display in a clear-glass stand, pulled out a blue cake server with stars painted on it and used it to cut a small piece from the cake. He placed it in on a plate, pulled out a fork and walked back to us.

“Here, try it out.” He said handing the sample to my mom. She got down to my level and showed me the cake.

“Here you go, sweetie.” She said as she gave me the fork. I took the fork and looked back at my mother and she nodded with a toothy grin, I looked up at my dad and he pointed his head up to tell me to go on. I then turned my attention to the cake and stick the fork in it, tearing off a piece from the sample. Brought it to my mouth and preceded to put it in, and that’s when the cake hit me with its taste. It was like the chocolate was coated with frosting and brilliance. The smoothness of the frosting, the softness of its puffy being, and the sugar. Somehow, I picked up the taste of the cake’s sugar, at the time it tasted like someone took a star and crushed it into a glistening yet edible substance.

After she saw my reaction she asked.

“Is this the cake you want?” I nodded my head like my little life depended on it.

“We’ll take it.” My dad said. Murry knelt down to pull out a chocolate cake from the display and ringed it up. Dad paid for it and took the cake, and we then began to exit the bakery.

“Feel free to come back anytime.” Murry called out to us. I looked back and nodded my head to let him know I’ll take him up on that. Thus, brings us back to now, with me being sixteen I can now apply for any job, and the only job I want is to work in Murry’s Bakery.

Taking a breath in and out, I walk inside and find that it hasn’t changed a lot. Still the same place that captured my interest in baking. I look over to the counter and find Murry coming out of the back with a pie. He still wears his powder-cover brown apron and his brown beard is starting to turn white, like a mixture of brown and white sugar.

“Here you go ma’am, one cherry pie fresh from the oven.” He says in his still existent cheeriness.

“Thank you, Murry.” The lady says as she exits out. Murry then spots me standing next to the door.

“You there, how can I help you? Looking for something to ease your sweet-tooth’s cravings? Well, we got a variety of goods right here.”

“Uh, actually, I’m hoping that I can apply here.” I say to him.

“Really?” Murry says with his amused look.

“Yes, sir.” I walk over to him and pull out my resume. I give it to him and he takes it to look it over. “I’ve been baking since I was a kid, got an A in my cooking class.” Murry looks up from my resume with a skeptical look. “B+?” He still keeps his skepticism. “Okay C, I’m only able to make pastries, anything else I try to cook just ends up being pieces of coal.”

“Honesty, I can appreciate that.” Murry says “So, you wanting to be a baker?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What made you want to do that?”

“Well, it’s mainly because of you.”

“Oh?”

“You probably don’t remember me, but when I was kid I came here to pick out a birthday cake. You suggested that I should go for the chocolate one and gave me a sample. It was from that cake sample that I decided to become a baker.” Murry looks at me as though he’s deciding to hire me or not.

“What did it taste like?” Murry asks me. The question throws me off a bit, I’m not quite sure if it’s a trick question or not.

“What?” I ask him.

“The cake, what did it taste like to you?” He asks again.

“Oh uh, you might funny it a little silly.”

“Try me.” Should I tell him? It might cause me my dream job, and ultimately my dream career. With a shrug, I decide to tell him.

“Just to let you know, this is coming from when I was four, but beside the typical chocolate from a chocolate cake I thought I could taste the sugar. It was like someone took a star from the sky and crushed it to make sugar out of it.” I expect Murry to either start laughing at me or tell me that he has to many employees already, but instead he says to me.

“You’re hired.”

“I am?”

“Yep, come on back.” He turns around and heads to the kitchen. I stood still mainly from the surprise of getting the job so easily. He turns his head and sees me. “Well don’t stand there like a statue, come on.” Not wanting to keep him waiting I follow him to where I assume is the kitchen, did find it odd that a couple of blue, star-studded curtains covering the doorway, but that thought went out of my mind quick when I enter the kitchen.

It’s like a regular bakery kitchen, but on the counters and cupboards are vials and bottles are different colored powders and sand like substances. At the far end of the area there were six other sets of curtains with the star pattern covering six doorways. There are six stone-topped kneading tables each with a baker either kneading bread dough, making crusts and filling it with fruits or creams, and directing cakes with… wands?

“Uh, did I hit my head on something?” I say asking Murry.

“Nope, it’s all real.” He says disproving my head injury theory.

“But this can’t be real, it’s like I stepped into a fairytale.”

“Well, you’re half-right.”

“Wait, let me get this straight, are you some kind of baking wizard?” “It’s a little corny I know, but hey my place’s motto isn’t ‘where there’s a little magic in every bite’ for nothing.” “So when you asked me how the cake tasted?”

“It was a test, to see if you can actually work here as one of my new apprentices. You see, not a whole lot of folks have a scene of wonder and magic like you do, so I baked a test to find just the right people who’ll want to be part of spreading happiness to all. By using some stardust sugar in the cake, it helps determine who can work for me.”

“And I passed for picking up the sugar?”

“With flying colors.”

“Woah!” My excitement with this new-found discovery increases my desire to make sweets, yet just as increases, it also deceases from doubt. Murry must’ve picked up on that when he says.

“What’s wrong kid? Having second thoughts?”

“I. Well.” I begin to say trying to say my reservations. “It’s just, I always wanted to work here, but now seeing it’s like this, I’m not quite sure if-”

“You want it like this?” Murry says finishing my thought. I nod my head, hoping he doesn’t get disappointed by me. “I understand, some want to be normal bakers, because it’s safe and familiar to them. It’s your choice to go down that route as well, but know that once you go through the curtains, there’s a spell that’ll make you forget you saw any of this, or you can be the special kind of baker. A baker who goes the extra mile to bring smiles to all. Again, it’s your choice, you make the call.” I look at the other apprentice bakers and there’s just something about them.

It’s like the whole magical kitchen thing didn’t bother them. They just seem content with baking their goods and doing their jobs. I look to my left and see the baker at the end of the line making a chocolate cake, and adding gray-colored sugar to it. The same cake that brought a smile to my face, the kind of cake that I hope could bring smiles to others. Coming to my decision I turn to Murry and say.

“When can I start?”