The Grim Reaper’s Mate

The Talent

I went back into the kitchen feeling baffled. What just happened? I picked up the bag of chocolate melts that I had decided I would try again with and tossed it into the trash. I suddenly had an idea. Instead of working with premade chocolate and trying to mold it to my will, I'll start with fresh chocolate that no one else has packaged and sold.

I pulled out a mixing bowl and dumped in milk, cocoa powder, and sugar and began stirring vigorously. I poured it into my double broiler and kept stirring at it.

"Food dyes. I need dyes. And edible baking dust. And, ooh! I'll make some caramel..." I mumbled as my brain moved at hyper speed planning the chocolates I would make. I could see them laid out in all kinds of beautiful shapes and colors. Elegant and beautiful and smooth to the taste. I poured half the melted chocolate into a mold and set it to the side while I quickly got to work mixing milk and sugar for some smooth, creamy caramel. Once I got that right I poured more chocolate into different molds and spooned caramel into it, finishing it by filling up the rest of the mold.

"Please turn out," I begged them. They smelled good, that's for sure.

"What is smelling so good down here?" A friendly voice called from the stairs. David is up. Good. He'll taste them for me. He's been a good sport about tasting my failed experiments over this past month. I hope he's still up to it.

"I just made chocolate a different way," I answered. He froze in the doorway, and his smile vanished.

"How different?" He asked, eyeing the cookware suspiciously.

"I tried from scratch instead of using these little melt things. I don't like them," I said flippantly. David gave them a pained look. He didn't like them either. At least not the way I made them.

"Today's chocolates don't smell bad," David said, giving the molds a tentative sniff.

"No. They don't," I agreed. Should I tell him about that strange visitor? Probably not. I don't want him worrying about it. Besides, how do I explain the bizarre instance of the shop door opening twice while it was still locked? He'd think I'm crazy!

"Are any of the chocolates ready to try?" He asked, glancing at the molds. I can't blame his trepidation, but I feel like these chocolates will be a pleasant surprise for him. Maybe today is finally the day that the children get chocolates from the candy man!

"Not yet. They need to set. I'll put these in the refrigerator to harden. Ooh! Do we have any fresh strawberries or cherries?" I grabbed the molds and opened the refrigerator doors, excited about all the inspiration flowing in my head. I didn't see either of the red fruits, but I did spot some oranges.

"Hmm...chocolate orange..." I mused. David made a gagging sound behind me.

"Chocolate oranges? That sounds absolutely disgusting!" He choked.

"Well, we don't have anything else I can make a syrup out of. Make a list, please, David. I want nuts: hazelnuts and almonds. I want fruits: strawberries, cherries, bananas, raspberries, and coconuts," I was ticking off things on my fingers as I called them out. David was standing and gawking at me.

"Um, all of that is all well and good, but those ingredients are expensive and will have to be imported. There's no way I can afford them. Nuts especially. You haven't made a decent solid chocolate yet. Why don't you try that before importing a bunch of expensive ingredients?" He asked cautiously. I narrowed my eyes, suddenly feeling stifled and angry. My creativity was flowing from me, and here he is trying to derail me already. He looked me up and down.

"Did something happen since last night? You were ready to give up when you went to bed, and now you're suddenly wanting to order a bunch of expensive ingredients? What is going on, Chris...uh, Angel?" He asked suspiciously.

"I figured out that chocolate is better made from scratch. I've found my recipe, and I want to make all kinds of amazing goodies for the people in this area! That's all," I shrugged, trying not to show my irritation. He dares to question my newly discovered talent? Or should I tell him what happened with that man who I believe gifted me this talent? No. That would sound even crazier than me simply finding a recipe that works. A strange, cold man coming in and out of a locked door and imparting a talent for making chocolate through a kiss to my hand? Yeah. David will have me committed to the asylum if I tell him any of that.

"I see. I'll look forward to trying them when they're done," David nodded, eyeing the empty bowl of still-warm chocolate. "Or I could try a lick of your bowl instead?"

I laughed. He sounds like a child, not a trained killer. "Sure. You can lick the spoon."

He grabbed the spoon out and sniffed it before gingerly sticking out his tongue and giving it a small taste. His eyes widened, and he took a bigger taste before sticking the whole spoon in his mouth.

"Mff's gooh," he said around the spoon. I smiled. Those children are finally going to leave the shop happy today. It's been killing me that I've been disappointing them.

I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and starting writing down all the things I would need to make the best chocolates in Divenia. It's still the perfect cover. Who would ever expect the dead daughter of a mob boss to resurrect as an accomplished chocolatier in the middle district? Nobody.

I got an idea and turned the paper over and began to sketch. It's perfect. Yes. This is perfect. We can make a section of this shop into a chocolate area. I need to buy more molds and things to decorate the chocolates with. Maybe I can even create some new ways to decorate chocolates. The possibilities are endless, and I suddenly feel like the doors to my future have been flung wide open.

"I'll use my own money to order what I need to get started. We'll need to create an area in the shop just for my chocolates, and here's what we'll call it," I held up the back of the paper where I had made a decorative picture with my new business name:

Angel's Heavenly Chocolates