Susannah's Valentine contest

   A cranky character in a story no more than 214 words...quite a challenge! Thanks, Susannah Leonard Hill!  Here's mine:

The Heart-Shaped Cake (208 words)

By Deborah Holt Williams

      Charlie slammed the cupboard shut.  “I can’t believe we don’t have one!” he grumped.  “Have what?” asked his mother.  “A heart-shaped pan!” retorted Charlie.  “We’re all supposed to bring heart-shaped treats to class, and I signed up to bake a cake.”  He cracked the eggs and beat the batter so hard he nearly broke the bowl.

      Charlie’s mom checked the cupboard.  “We have a round pan and a square pan,” she said.  “Maybe you can do something with those.”

     Charlie stared at the pans, then he moved them around on the counter, then he shouted “YES!”  He filled them with batter and popped them in the oven.  When they came out, he cut the round cake in half.  “OK, two half circles!  Now…”  He turned the square cake so that it looked more like a diamond.  He put one half-circle cake on one top edge of the diamond and one on the other top edge.  When frosting covered the cake, it was a perfect heart!

      “Sorry I was cranky, Mom,” said Charlie.  “Now that you’ve calmed down,” said Mom, “I have a Valentine poem for you.  Your face got all red, but then you got smart.  A circle and square, and you made a heart!”