The caramel didn’t harden.

Disappointing, but not the end of the world, because it was still delicious.

Goliath realized he’d never made caramel, only tasting the ones that came in a bag or the sauce in the bottles to pour on sundaes. What a travesty he’d made it this far in life to realize he’d been missing out.

He stared disapprovingly at the pan of caramel, which was still soft. Maybe he hadn’t cooked it to the right temperature. He tapped a claw on the counter, trying to think of a way to use it, if he couldn’t cut it into squares.

Dusk’s shortbread. That’s it.

He remembered seeing it in a cookbook. Luckily he remembered which book, not always an easy task when he had so many.

Goliath flipped through the pages. This one was fairly new. He loved the smell of new books and how the pages turned crisply.

Aha! Thumbprint cookies! He would fill them with caramel. And he would have enough left to make millionaire’s shortbread.

Maybe he should fail at making hard candy more often.

Now there were too many possibilities.

~

He would make the millionaire’s shortbread first since it needed to chill. He vigorously stirred the sugar and butter. Then the eggs, vanilla and flour. The good thing about being a dragon was that he had strength to spare when mixing dough.

He pressed the dough into the pan. While it was cooking, he melted the chocolate. The best part of this was licking the spoon and bowl afterward.

~

The caramel had been thick and difficult to spoon on the shortbread without dripping everywhere. But once he had wiped the tabletop so it was no longer sticky, Goliath neatly packed the cookies into a container.

The caramel was still quite gooey and getting everywhere, and the thumbprint cookies weren’t the most photogenic, but he had loved the taste. Especially with a sprinkle of sea salt on top.

And shortbread, caramel and chocolate were a dangerous combination.

They were so rich, Sky would love them.

He put the container in his bag and set off for Dusk’s store. It was much faster to fly, and now that evening was here, a cool breeze blew and the setting sun made the clouds turn pink. He could see a herd of unicorns grazing in the field beyond the trees.

This was his favorite time to fly. When the air was cool against his scales and the fading light cast deep shadows over the land.

He reached the store soon enough. A light attached to the front of the building illuminated the doorway. Moths fluttered around it.

Goliath entered, the hinges creaking as he shut the door. Dusk shuffled down the aisle.

“Hello again. I was just about to close up shop for the night.” He locked the door with a click and turned the OPEN sign in the window so it read CLOSED. “What can I help you with?”

“I brought your shortbread.”

“Oh!” Dusk exclaimed. “That was fast.”

“It’s a quick recipe. I tried something different this time, so if you don’t like it just tell me and I’ll make them plain again.”

Goliath set the container on the table. Dusk ambled behind the counter, head tilting curiously when he saw what was inside.

“Smells sweet.” He murmured.

“I made caramel thumbprints, and millionaire’s shortbread. It has chocolate on top.”

“Chocolate too? You’re spoiling me.”

“I do try to spoil my friends.” Goliath said.

Dusk plucked a bar out with long talons.

“And I do like chocolate.” The griffin said.

He couldn’t exactly chew with a beak, but he popped it into his mouth and swallowed it quickly like a bird with a worm. His feathers fluffed up.

“Mm. Quite sweet. But the chocolate is more bitter, and the shortbread is buttery. They balance each other.” He said as if this were an undisputed fact.

How he got all this information from swallowing it whole, Goliath didn’t know.

Dusk blinked slowly and picked a thumbprint. When he tried that one, he nodded approvingly.

“I like the salt.” He said matter-of-factly. “Look at me, eating dessert before supper.”

“I do that all the time. I’m glad you like them.” Goliath said, pleased.

“Yes. I’ll have to hide these from my grandchildren.”

That made them both chuckle. Those kids could smell sweets a mile away.

“I’ll let you finish closing up shop now. I’ll be back soon for more ingredients.”

“Hm. You are my best customer.”

“And your favorite customer too, right?”

“You do bring me sweets. I suppose that puts you higher on the list. But you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Of course.” Goliath said, grinning as he stepped out the door, being sure to shut it well.

The lock clicked into place again. The cool night air felt refreshing and the crickets chirped. The frogs in the nearby pond peeped.

Night flying was the best, and hardly a problem since Goliath could see in the dark.

Fireflies flitted through the trees and he took to the sky. The moon was shrouded by clouds, but the stars were twinkling in the dark sky. His scales blended in with the darkness.

He looped around the mountain a few times, breathing in the crisp air. He landed outside and sat in the doorway. The leaves rustled with the soft breeze and the fireflies flickered on their nightly travels. He sat like that a while before going inside.

The stone was cool to the touch now that the sun wasn’t shining on it. He cleared the entryway and lit the lantern hanging from the ceiling. Not that he needed it to see, but it did make the room feel more cozy. He hung his bag off the hook on the bookshelf.

Goliath heated some leftover stew and was content to sit in the doorway again. The spring peepers chirped and he lazed on the cool stone, content to enjoy his dinner in the peace of home.