Maman's Cookie Dilemma

Antoine and Annabelle live with their mother in a village south of Paris. Antoine and Annabelle loved their Maman very much, but most of all they loved the magic chocolate cookies she baked every Sunday. They were wonderfully soft and yet crunchy, the burried chocolate would surface like a treasure and melt languidly in their mouths. The cookies never went bad and Maman would painstakingly bake as many as possible every Sunday and store it in a transparent cookie jar that was placed on the highest shelf in the kitchen. Maman would use the best ingredients and bake the cookies with love because she knew that these magic cookies would bring her children happiness now and also in the future.

Antoine and Annabelle only had the cookies on special occasions. Like when it was Antoine's birthday, or when Annabelle had been bruised by the bullies at school. When they got older, Maman would take the cookies out of the transparent cookie jar that was placed on the highest shelf in the kitchen and sell some to her neighbours. She would use the money to buy things for Antoine and Annabelle.

Antoine and Annabelle never saw the cookie jar but they knew it was there. Maman talked about the cookie jar constantly and also talked about what she might do with some cookies. Antoine and Annabelle never saw the cookie jar but they knew it was there. After all, where did all these cookies come from? They knew they could always count on the cookie jar to bring them happiness when they needed it. Maman would never begrude them cookies and always made sure she was fair to her two little children.

Clever little Annabelle soon realised that cookies were a precious commodity and tried her very best not to ask for a cookie. She didn't want to think of the day that the cookies ran out, or that Maman might stop baking them. Antoine, however, continued to stuff his pudgy face with the delicious cookies.

The day came. The day Maman decided to stop baking cookies. Maman, with her tired eyes and knowing smile, sat her quite grown up children down and said, 'I am too old to bake cookies now. There are quite a fair few cookies left, and I am leaving it all to Antoine for his use and safe-keeping". She then escorted Antoine into the kitchen and took the cookie jar off the impossibly high shelf and handed it to Antoine. She whispered to him, 'Because you need it, my love. And because Annabelle will find her cookies elsewhere'. Antoine clutched the cookie jar close to his chest and walked out of the house for the last time.
A confused Annabelle tried to wait patiently for her mother to explain all to her. When Maman finally returned from the kitchen, she asked her, 'Maman, why does Antoine get all the cookies?'. Maman looked at her with all the love one could possibly afford a little female and smiled a bright hopeful smile. 'Ppphhsh darling Annabelle! Fret not for Maman remembered to save one last cookie for you! Aren't you a lucky little girl?'.

Annabelle could stop thinking about the cookie jar. The cookie jar that she never saw and she will never get to see.