For as many successes as Goliath had in the kitchen, there were also failures.

He never wanted to see another citrus fruit for as long as he lived.

Such an innocent fruit that could be used to its full potential in a variety of sweet and savory dishes.

The humble lemon.

If it had potential as a biological contaminant, he had succeeded.

Sasha’s eye twitched.

The loaves were pale and sunken- and had a delightful odor reminiscent of paint thinner.

Goliath thought it smelled weird while it was baking, but upon opening the oven door he realized the true weight of what he’d done. Truthfully, he had known before he put the batter in the pans. But let’s bake it anyway, he thought. How bad could it be?

Sasha’s nostrils flared and she remained silent. Her eyes conveyed every panicked thought.

“I think something curdled.” Goliath said.

~

“Are we going to try this recipe again?” Sasha asked.

“No. I still haven’t recovered.” Goliath answered, shuddering. “But it’s not the first- or the last time this will happen.”

“I have my own share of horror stories. One time I made a chocolate cake, but it was so dense I could have used it as a doorstop. Sky gave me so much grief.” Sasha said, sliding the container of flour back into the cupboard.

Goliath smiled.

“And another time I made blueberry muffins. Totally forgot to put the blueberries in. Don’t know where I left my brain for that one.” She continued.

“So they were just muffins?”

“Just muffins. At least they were still tasty.”

Unlike another baked good that was currently mocking them from the cooling rack. Sasha wrinkled her nose at the offending loaves.

“…should we taste it or…?”

She slowly approached the lemon loaves like they might leap up and bite her.

Brace yourself.

Goliath picked out a tiny chunk with a claw.

He sniffed it and promptly wanted to puke.

Sasha stared at the piece in his claws like one might watch a venomous snake about to strike.

Her eyes widened further when he popped it into his mouth.

He chewed exactly one time before gagging and spitting it out.

“Let’s leave it outside for the raccoons. They’ll eat anything.” He said.

“Trying to poison the local wildlife? I don’t think anyone will touch that- whether they’re accustomed to eating garbage or not.”

But Sasha tossed the loaves off the side of the mountain. It was out of their hands now.

The next day, when Goliath went for a walk, he could still follow the rancid scent which led him to the fallen loaves in the bushes.

Completely untouched.