We had a contest at the church luncheon to see which of the guys could bring the best food. There really wasn't any tension, but it makes the story sound more interesting. I hope I have spelled Spirilini right.....

The Onion

'Beep beep beep', the alarm clock blazed in my ears, as if it was angry that it wasn't getting any attention. 'Beep Beep' I reached out from under the covers, silencing that menace for now. Snooze buttons are very tempting in the early morning. A pale pre-dawn twilight came through the vertical blinds draping the fixtures with contrasting stripes of grey.

I sat up and leant on one arm and peered through the window to see the smoke from the neighborhood’s smoldering fireplaces becoming part of the atmosphere. 5:12 – time to get up.

The butter sizzled on the hot stove as the onions were added. Softened onions have a weird smell that I would do a disservice if I tried to describe. Actually, come to think of it, there weren’t any onions in this recipe.........

The coil glowed with an inner radiance, heating the pot containing their magnum opus – their Grande Finale - Baked Tuna Spirilini. With careful precision, we prepared our entry.

With coffee in hand, I retreated to my bedroom to watch the sun rise. When I awoke, it was time to hasten to church to await the outcome of the contest.

In an effort to avoid opening up old scars, I will keep this brief, but this tale must be told or all this might have happened in vain.

After church, as the entries were rolled out, a vague sense of apprehension fell on the gathered throng. Maybe it was when Simon’s exquisite creation was unveiled, or when the aroma from Jason’s delightfuliscious entry wafted from the kitchen, maybe it was just the sobering shriek of the zip boiling – wailing like a Nazgúl, whatever the cause, a foreboding felling was felt even by the judges. And then it hit me like the old dog hits the hard road – there were no judges.

It’s been one week since the contest, but it feels like only a few hours. The tension is still palatable, though the exhibits have been long digested. At least they all went to a worthy cause. There were four of us entering – foolhardy and arrogant, easy to say in hindsight, but no one could have foreseen the consequences that this competition would bring.