Late at night when the humans in the house are asleep…the food in the refrigerator comes alive. One by one…(they) have a chat. Their conversations are mostly about the ways to outsmart the dog so they can safely escape the refrigerator to gallivant around the house. One night, they notice there is no barking…they pool their stamina and begin pushing against the inside of the refrigerator door.
Pick a number and turn the page. This is the food item (and its personality trait) whose voice you will adopt and from whose point of view you will tell the story of what happens next.
(From Take Ten for Writers, Bonnie Neubauer)
The bowl of cookie dough moved forward. The refrigerator light didn’t go on – yet – and all the rest of the food waited apprehensively for the light. Light equals dog.
“All right, you, scallions, you go first.”
“Why us?”
“Because you’re thin enough to get out without setting the light off.”
The bunch of scallions protested, “But he’ll eat us first.”
“So?” ordered the bowl of cookie dough, rising out of the bowl.
“I think you should go because you’re thin enough to get out of anything.”
The bowl wanted to say, “But he’ll eat me first!” so struggled to find something that could get him out of it. “There are more of you than there are of any of us here,” the bowl of cookie dough finally said.
The scallions looked around. It was true; they were the only multiples in the fridge. “Who goes,” asked one scallion to the other.
“Shortest goes first,” said the bowl, looking down at them from his perch on the second shelf. “You there.”
“Me?” squealed one.
“You. Now go, get out there, let’s see what you got.”
One scallion undid the tie, and the small one weaseled out of the packed group of scallions. His top was tall and strong, as he was young, and he walked on the roots, scuttling to the edge of the door.
Yelled the cookie dough, “One, two…HEAVE!”
All the food that could shoved against the refrigerator door and opened it a crack. The scallion jumped through and they heard the thud of him landing on the floor.
They held the door and waited.
The scallion disappeared for a while, and came back, its leaves pulling it up. “There is no dog out there.”
“No dog?” gasped some of the good, and shoved open the fridge.
“Wait!” yelled the bowl of cookie dough. “Wait, you’ll all be –”
The door shut on him.
“Stuck out there…”
Words: 317.
Note, this is a fun and crazy book. Get it. It’ll make you think.