Competition Twenty Shortlisted: O that my tongue were in the thunder’s mouth by Chris Cottom
Dawn breaks at last and I utter not a word as Ethan packs a bag and drives off. Then I start baking. I chop home-candied peel, measure earth-mother oatmeal, pour slow black treacle. This is one Thor Cake I will not be sharing with him.
I grind a blade of mace to a feather-soft powder, add half to the mix and snort the rest. I count to three and sneeze gloriously, speckling our wedding photo with a snowstorm of snot. I try it again and gob Ethan in the eye. I grease my tin, level the surface, close the oven door.
While I wait, I take a hammer to Ethan’s precious road bike, shred his first editions, glug his wine collection down the sink. Upstairs, I treat his boxers with a dusting of ginger, a note in the fly of the final pair, ‘Hope she likes it hot.’
I divide my still-warm Thor Cake into eight springy squares, dark and moist. Years ago I’d tease Ethan crumb by crumb, making him linger over the spices before letting him bite. I parcel my slices in silver, lace my seven-league boots, and head for the hills.
Thor’s Cave stands above the valley, a throat in the cliff face. It’s a wet winter Wednesday and I’ve not seen a soul. I stuff my mouth with sweet ginger heaven but I’m panting from the climb and can’t finish it. I arrange its sisters on an ice-smooth ledge, as offerings to Thor.
High above the canopy of oak and ash, I stand in the cavemouth as clouds boil and lightning flickers closer, and wait for the first crash. When it comes, I raise my arms, throw back my head, and roar my rage to the God of Thunder.
Chris Cottom lives near Macclesfield. His stories have been published by Cosmic Daffodil, Ellipsis Zine, Flash 500, Hysteria, Leicester Writes, NFFD NZ, NFFD UK, On The Premises, One Wild Ride, Oxford Flash Fiction, Retreat West, Shooter Flash, The Centifictionist, The Hooghly Review, The Phare, The Storms, Witcraft, and others.
Photo by Chris Cottom, Thor Cake by Annick Cottom
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Great piece, Chris. Baking of the cake and taking it up the mountain a lovely structure. Loved the snorting of mace and subsequent revenge! I laughed out loud.