it in her mouth. Then she spat into her palm and gave Penny a fresh glare. “What’s wrong with you? How much salt did you put into this glop you made?”
“Just…just two scoops, like you said,” Penny faltered. “And then half a scoop of sugar.”
“That ‘ent what I said!” May’bell bellowed, her face getting almost as purple as the dough. “I said half a scoop of salt and two scoops of sugar!”
“Well, it’s not like you wrote it down for me!” Penny flared back. There was only so much she could take and she felt she had reached her limit. “I was doing my best!”
“Well, your best is slop!” May’bell shouted.
“May’bell, maybe we could still save it if we divided it among some of the rest of us and waited for the butter to melt. We could add some more flour and work it up proper-like,” the woman who had told on Penny in the first place offered timidly. “I mean, I know Head Baker doesn’t like us to waste ingredients…”
“No, she don’t,” May’bell said shortly. She looked doubtfully at the dough again. “I s’pose it could work, as long as she’s added the right amount of yeast. But why isn’t it bubbling any if she did?” She looked at Penny. “You did add the yeast, didn’t you? Like I told you—a cake and a bit.”
Penny felt her heart sink. That had been the other ingredient—the one she’d forgotten.
How could I be so stupid as to forget the yeast of all things? she asked herself despairingly. It was, in fact, the same mistake she’d made back home when she’d attempted to make a loaf of homemade bread. Which was the reason it had come out like lead.
“Um…” She cleared her throat, not quite sure how to admit her latest transgression. “Possibly I didn’t add quite enough,” she said hesitantly.
“Well, how much did you add?” May’bell demanded, putting her fists on her meaty hips.
“Um…none?” Penny winced as she admitted it. “I’m really sorry, but I’ve never made this kind of bread before and I—”
“No more excuses!” May’bell held up a hand to shut Penny up. “Head Baker Goone said to give you one chance—which I did—and you made such a mess as I’ve never seen! I’m sending you over to the Head Butcher—let him deal with you.”
“Oh please don’t!” Penny clasped her hands under her chin in a pleading gesture. “There’s a butcher over there that has it in for me. I mean, he wants to hurt me. Please don’t send me over to him! There must be something I can do to help around here that doesn’t have anything to do with actually making the dough!”
May’bell pursed her lips.
“I’d put you on oven duty, ‘cept you’d probably burn the loaves. And it’s clear you ‘ent strong enough to deliver the flour bags to the tables.” She nodded at the spilled flour all over the floor.
“We don’t got a bread girl out front ever since Talula got recycled,” the other woman suggested. “Somebody’s always having to stop their duties to go out and serve whenever customers come by.”
“Well, that’s so.” May’bell nodded as though she was considering it.
“Oh please, please let me be the bread girl!” Penny begged. “I’m a great saleswoman! I can sell bread to anyone and everyone, I swear I can!”
May’bell gave her a funny look.
“It ‘ent like you have to convince folks to buy our bread, y’know,” she pointed out. “We’re the only bakery in the whole Compound. All you got to do is take their food coupons and hand them a loaf of bread.”
“I can do that!” Penny said eagerly. “And then none of you will ever be bothered with customers again—I’ll take care of all of them!” Her heart was beating against her ribs as she made her plea. If only the other woman would listen!
“Well…” May’bell nodded grudgingly at last. “I s’pose we can use another bread girl.” She shook her head. “Go on then. But you’d best stay out front and don’t come back in the bakery. Head Baker Goone ‘ent gonna be too happy when she sees what a mess you made.”
“Thank you! Thank you, thank you!” Penny gabbled. She left the bakery as fast as she could and ran back out into the open porch-like store front filled with the dusky purple loaves…
And ran headfirst into Skrug.
She bounced off the butcher’s broad chest and fell back on her rump on the flour-dusted floor.
“What…who…?” She looked up uncertainly and saw the lipless,