It’s autumn. Summer has just left, only to leave behind a few dots of green here and there. And today is autumn at it roughest. Wind is blowing hard, leaves in all colors are shooting by, dark clouds as far as the eye can see, and rain that seems to never stop pouring. So it’s the perfect time to bake cookies.
‘Yay, we are going to bake some cookies!’ Kuzco cheered while wiggling his tail. He grabbed his apron and jumped up the chair in the kitchen. ‘Would you ty it round Joyce, I want to help.’
‘Off course, you will be my sous-chef. Let’s see, where are the recipes for your favorite cookies?’ Joyce looked through all the cookbooks, but couldn’t find the recipes. ‘O dear, now we can’t bake the cookies, I really need those recipes. Will you help me find them Kuzco, you are an excellent tracker.’
‘O indeed I am. I will find them for you, and maybe Jaap will help as well.’ He took off his apron and rushed to the hat rack to get his and Jaap’s hat and his pipe. ‘What are you doing Kuzco, it won’t be outside. If it’s lost, it will probably be inside.’
“I need to put this hat on, and Jaap as well, so we find what we are looking for. I have seen a great detective who always wore his hat while searching, and his friend as well. He always mastered the riddles.’
Joyce smiled when she put his hat on. ‘So actually you are my little Sherlock Kuzco then? And Jaap must be Dr. Sheepson. Well then, off you go, find my missing recipes.’
First they made a quick sweep around the house. Then room by room, sniffing on each and every thing, and again. ‘Wait my dear Sheepson. We need to do some deduction.’ ‘Deduction, what is that Kuzco?’ Jaap scratched his head underneath his hat. ‘It’s Sherlock for now Jaap, and it is a method of reasoning. You see, recipes for cookies are in a cookbook, right? And cookies are made in the kitchen, so the recipes must be in the kitchen!’ Kuzco sneezed all the smells he smelled out of his nose, so he would have a clean start when they entered the kitchen. ‘It really must be here, Sheepson. My nose is telling me.’ His tail was straight up, and so was his bum. His nose was stuck to the ground, and he was so concentrated that he even stood on his ears while tracking.
AAAAACHOOOOO!!!! Achoo! Achoo!
Kuzco couldn’t stop sneezing. ‘O it hurts! Sheepson, my nose is on fire. Achoo!’ His eyes were red and his nose was dripping. ‘O dear’, said Sheepson, ‘You sniffed at black pepper. There are grains of pepper on this piece of paper. But there is nothing written on it.’
‘What a foul play! Who-who-who-aaaachoooo! Did this?’ Through his watery eyes he saw some black hair between the pepper grains. ‘Oh, he didn’t!!!’
‘Do you know who did it Sherlock? How did you found out?’ Sheepson gave his handkerchief to Kuzco.
‘Indeed I know. It’s so elementary Sheepson. Don’t you hear him chuckle? It’s Benniarty! Well you just wait Benniarty, I will tell-tale to Joyce of your foul play!!’
Joyce dipped a wad of cotton wool in cold tea and squeezed it out on Kuzco’s nose. ‘Benjamin did whát you say?’
‘No, Benniarty. And he put the black pepper there for me to find. And I know for sure your recipes are there. He put it there, so he was sure that it was not to be found! He truly is my nemesis!!’ Kuzco said, with drops of tea pouring out of his nose. Sheepson just lay there beside him.
Joyce grabbed Benjamin in his neck. ‘Benjamin, eh Benniarty, you naughty boy! Why did you do that?’
Benjamin sobbed, ‘Because you were going to bake cookies for Kuzco, and not for me. I want cookies too! So if I can’t have cookies, Kuzco can’t as well.’
Joyce gave him a little kiss. ‘I’m still a little upset for what you did to Kuzco, you could have just said what you felt. And then I would have told you, you would get cookies too, and all would be good. So tell me where the recipes are, so I can bake cookies for you lot.
But only Kuzco will help me, you must sweep all the pepper grains. And when you are done, both of you and Jools can lick the cookie dough from the bowl.’
And so it was, that stormy, rainy autumn’s day, the whole house smelled like chicken liver and garlic.
