Cloud swung the roasting pan out of the brick oven, while Ash leaned across to close the heavy iron door. She set the perfectly browned turkey with the other four on the work table before turning back to the oven and re-opened the door Ash had just closed. “Got a ham this time,” said Cloud, pulling the ham out. “Okay, that’s five turkeys and six hams, I think we need some bread and biscuits now,” replied Ash, closing the door to the oven. “Three…two…one…” Ash re-opened the oven door and reached in to pull out a pan of biscuits. “We’ll need more biscuits, and some butter. I’ll check the pantry.” “I could get used to this kitchen,” said Cloud, checking the three cast iron cauldrons hanging in the big open hearth fireplace next to the oven. “We have corn and the cob, mashed potatoes, and green beans ready, but we still need gravy.” Cloud grabbed an empty cast iron pot, put the lid on it, and hung it in the fireplace. “Three… two… one…” Cloud lifted the lid and steaming hot gravy now filled the pot. She used a metal rod with a hook on it to lift the gravy pot over to the big oak worktable with all the other food. She liked this kitchen, and though it was as far from a modern kitchen as one could get, it was the most comfortable kitchen she had ever been in. The worktable occupied the center of the big brick room, with hooks for pans hanging from the ceiling above it. Herbs and spices also hung from the ceiling, filling the kitchen with the most wonderful scents. Bags of potatoes, ears of corn, rice, and beans were stacked against the wall next to a door that led down to an ice cellar containing stored smoked hams, turkeys, and other perishable items. Ash returned from pantry and nearly tripped over a barrel with a handle sticking out of it. “Where did this come from?” Cloud looked at the device. “I don’t know, but I don’t know where anything in here comes from, it wasn’t there a moment ago.” “Well, there’s no butter in the pantry, maybe it’s down in the ice cellar,” said Ash. “Hold on, the house has been giving us what we need as we ask for it, so that thing must be important,” said Cloud. “What’s inside?” Ash wiggled the handle until the top came off. “I think it's butter,” she said as she stuck a finger inside and pulled out a glob of the white, creamy stuff. She smelled the substance, then tasted it. Her eyes widen. “Oh my goodness. Cloud, you have to taste this,” said Ash. Cloud scooped out a small sample and tasted the white creamy contents. Her face lit up. “Ohhh… this is good, but I’ve never seen white butter.” “Neither have I,” said Ash with a shrug. “I was just a kid when I arrived in the Crystal Universe. I had no idea how food was made, and my group has never figured out how to make butter.” “A few years ago my group used to buy butter from a farm near our camp, but I never knew how it was made,” said Cloud. “I wonder how this device makes the butter.” Clay stuck his head through the doorway. “You ladies doing okay in here?” Cloud looked up. “Hey Clay, do you know anything about butter?” “It’s yellow, tastes good on biscuits,” said Clay with a grin. “Oh no, this butter is white, maybe it’s bad,” said Ash. Clay’s eyes fell on all the food sitting on the worktable, then pushed through the door. “You two have only been in here for twenty minutes, how’d you make so much food?” “We didn’t make any of it,” said Cloud. “It’s a magic kitchen, you ask for what you want and it shows up.” “Yeah, we asked for butter, but then this thing appeared,” said Ash. “I hope it’s not bad because we both tasted it.” Clay looked down at the butter. “No harm, but it’s not ready yet. You still have to wash and squeeze the butter, then salt it.” Clay glanced around the kitchen. “There must be some butter paddles here somewhere.” Clay went to one of the shelves and started poking through wooden boxes full of cooking utensils. “Why’s the butter white?” asked Ash. “It just means the cow was corn fed instead of open grazed in a field,” said Clay. “Up until twenty minutes ago this was a corn farm with very little grazing fields for the cows. Ah, here we go.” Clay held up two small paddles. “These are butter paddles. You two grab some helpers to start carrying food out to the table while I finish getting the butter ready.” The next ten minutes was a steady line of volunteers carrying food out to the dining room. Jack, Jax, and Bran found common ground to end their bickering when they discovered the kitchen was magic. The three boys now stood in front of the oven and attempting to create the most disgusting dishes they could think up. “Yak goat brain and monkey ear pie,” said Jack. “No, no… Lizard toenail and slug slime cake,” said Bran. “You guys don’t know how to cook,” said Jax. “Sand Walker tongue and snake gut donuts.” Jack put a hand on the handle to the oven door. “Three… two… one…” Jack yanked the iron door open and a green horned snake with blazing red eyes slithered out with a hiss. The boys jumped back with a cry as the snake dropped to the ground. The boys took off at a run, with the snake in pursuit. The snake cut around the worktable and blocked their exit from the kitchen, then chased them towards the far wall. Ember came through the door from the dining room to get another plate of food to carry out. She saw the snake chasing the boys and flicked her hand – the snake turned to ash and was gone. “That was awesome! Let’s do it again!” shouted Bran. Ember rolled her eyes. “You three are idiots.” The oven didn’t give the boys another snake, or any new food at all. The House had obviously banned them from using the oven again. They gave up and grabbed the last three serving platters and carried them out to the dining room. Cloud followed the boys into the chaotic preparations taking place in the dining room. The table was large, sitting nine to a side, but that wasn’t large enough for a group their size. She had thought the House might do some more magic and make the table larger, but it didn’t. Warrior, in his efficient and organized manner, had pushed all the end-tables in the living room together to make a kids table. The younger Dreamers, Taku, Anat, Cole, Talon, Ronin, Bran, and Tarlock, had been assigned to the kids table. The problem was that Tarlock, though nine years old, was a very large reptilian and was having problems sitting at the smaller kids table. Jack volunteered to give Tarlock his seat at the grown-up table, and that seemed to solve the problem until everyone finally sat down and found Jack at the head of the grown-up table, and Lady Cael at the kids table. “Hey, it wasn’t my idea, Cael made me,” said Jack. To which Cael responded: “I don’t want to sit at the grown-up table, I want to be with the other kids.” To which Warrior responded: “Fine, but Jack doesn’t sit at the head of the table, that’s inappropriate.” Which then kicked off a round of musical chairs as the sitting arrangement at the grown-up table was re-worked. Dr. Kay ended up at the head of the grown-up table, which seemed to solve the problem until they realized they’d forgotten to assign Jon a seat. Jon was standing against the wall not knowing where he should sit. Dr. Kay tapped a spoon against her glass to settle everyone down. “Jon, you’ll sit with Lady Cael at the kids table.” “Whatever, I just want to eat, I’m starving,” replied Jon. The flip reply from Jon set Warrior’s teeth on edge and he started to stand; Jon had an attitude problem that needed nipped in the bud. “We can deal with that later,” Dr. Kay said to Warrior pointedly. Warrior sat back down, but his eyes said that Jon was going to pay for the attitude later. Jack wished he could have stayed at the kids table. Bran was waving a turkey drum in the air and leading the kids in a rousing festival day song; the kids table was having more fun. The adult table settled down and began passing platters of food around as conversations sparked around the table – Akot the Wise had a lively discussion about existentialism with Tarlock Sr., Warrior discussed trade routes with Clay, and Ash and Wolf exchanged ideas about forest cultivation. Towards the end of the meal it became obvious there would be left-overs. Ash went to the kitchen and returned with brown wrapping paper and twine. She made it her personal mission to make sure everyone had a wrapped and tied meal to take with them for later. Dr. Kay stood and rapped a spoon against her glass. “Can I have everyone’s attention, I’d like to discuss the plan for Lady Cael’s care.” Dr. Kay and Clay alternated speaking as they laid out a plan so grand and complex, it would change the Crystal Universe forever. The discussion that followed went long into the night as the details were worked out.