Chapter 6
The Chase Begins
Furious and flustered, Mother grabs a stick, ready to scold Nora. Nora, startled but perhaps a little amused by the turn of events, quickly tries to evade her mother's playful pursuit.
Mother stood there, her mouth hanging open like a forgotten cupboard door. The plate, piled high with what looked suspiciously like shredded cereal boxes and bits of old newspaper, sat on the counter. Nora, her little face beaming with pride, pointed a sticky finger at the creation. "Cardboard rice, Mommy! Just like you asked!"
A strangled noise, somewhere between a gasp and a snort, escaped Mother. Her eyes, which had been wide with disbelief, narrowed. She looked at the cardboard, then at Nora, then back at the cardboard. It wasn't even cooked cardboard. It was just… cardboard. Chopped. And arranged. On a plate.
"Cardboard rice?" Mother repeated, her voice dangerously low. It was the kind of low that usually preceded a hurricane of exasperation. "Nora, I asked for fried rice. F-R-I-E-D. Rice. The kind you eat. The kind that comes from a bag. The kind that doesn't smell faintly of yesterday's mail."
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