Of all the things I expected to find in my tomato soup, this wasn’t one of them. A few seeds so small they’d slipped through the strainer unnoticed? Perhaps. A bit of chopped onion that had stuck to the pot and avoided being puréed by the processor’s whirring blade? That I could understand. A pinch of pepper flakes secretly snatched, sprinkled, and stirred into the mixture by some sly son-of-a-snicker-doodle when I turned to rinse my hands of a splash of garlic oil that stuck to my fingers was even a likely find. But this? No.
THIS was something you’d find in a scene they cut from The Godfather.
A swirl of sour cream resembling a Rorschach test camouflaged the half of it. One edge of a sweet basil sprig hugged the rest like a blanket tucked under a two-month-old. Once the waiter showered a constellation of parmesan cheese over the bowl, only a shrunken Navy Seal could have raised it to the surface. And like a remote-controlled submarine it out-smarted every stir, dip, and scoop of my spoon until it floundered at the bottom of the bowl exposed for all to see…
This lil’ vignette (as opposed to the suggested short story) is in response to novelist, screenwriter, and game designer Chuck Wendig’s flash fiction challenge for this week. There were ten jump off lines to choose from that his blog readers submitted in a former challenge. My choice is attributed to Stella Wood.
As a peace-offering for not completely following Chuck’s directions or delivering something more Corleone worthy like a gold ringed severed finger, a dead fish, or a mangled rat’s tail, here are a few Godfather inspired recipes.
Homemade Blood-Red Beet Pasta and
Clemenza’s Pasta Sauce with Herbed Meatballs
BUON APPETITO!
Donna Gwinnell Lambo-Weidner 
Is this truth or fiction? Regardless, some delicious phrases here that make me very hungry indeedy like this one – the waiter showered a constellation of parmesan cheese. This one – A pinch of pepper flakes secretly snatched, sprinkled, and stirred into the mixture by some sly son-of-a-snicker-doodle – makes me both hungry AND giggly.
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It’s fiction…except for the ketchup slathered fortune photo 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend Susanne!
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LOL I’ve heard of “son-of-a-Seska,” but not son-of-a-snicker-doodle. This gives a whole new meaning to fortune cookie. You could make a fortune (no pun intended) here you know, with a whole line of “soup soothsayings” or “veal vaticinations” or perhaps “halibut harbingers” 🙂
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You are a riot, Lyn. If the writing gig doesn’t work out, maybe soup sayings is the way to go ❤ Honestly, though, I don't even know where snickerdoodle came from. I had son of a gun at first, but thought that might be outdated.
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It’s always good to have a second string to your bow 😉
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Compelling and believable.
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Thank you 🙂 and thanks for following too.
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