A Slice of Chocolate Cake

It lay before her, almost afloat the marble on a raft of fine china. Her weapon of choice; a dainty, three-pronged trojan. It glinted and gleamed in her grasp. She paused a moment, contemplating dropping everything and wilfully leaving the room in search of less fattening ventures. She shooed the thought away as quickly as it had appeared. The temptation was far too great.

A fly on the wall would think her a curious sight. A bonny thing dressed in her favourite gingham and lace, squaring-off with a small pyramid of sponge and fondant. Despite having felt an innate desire to satisfy her pesky sweet tooth for what she could only describe as the greatest length of time, she was in no rush. Instead, she preferred to practice taking her time. Her cheeks grew warm, anticipation bubbling up inside of her. Almost giddy with excitement, she gave in.

She scooped up a forkful and carefully navigated the crumbling heap into her mouth. With eyes closed she relished in the sweetness, an exquisite and long-awaited reprieve. Unknowingly, she signed. It was a gentle sound. Already she mourned such a fugacious moment of bliss cut short by the inevitable swallow and yet, still anticipated the next like a frenzied hyena. It was then the words of Euripides ran through her mind, ‘short is the joy that guilty pleasure brings.’ Her mother repeated the saying to her many times over the years and it had stuck. It had a funny little ring to it and chose to rear its head anytime anything sparked joy in her life, reminding her that good things are precious and fleeting. That is how she had found them to be most of the time anyhow.

A single yellow candle flickered off to the side of the room closer to the window, for reasons more to do with aroma than for light she thought. It caught her attention. Entranced, she watched two amber flames dance on twin wicks. A warm halo glowed and cast a colourful reflection on the glass pane behind. The stone surface felt cool against the palm of her left hand, as she stretched it out in front of her and her attention snapped back to the dessert before her. She licked her lips and jabbed the cake a second time, slicing through the layers in one swift motion. An action she would repeat over and over, gleefully carving away until not a morsal was left.

A haze of contentment washed over her, having now suitably quenched her burning appetite. She delicately brushed any stray crumbs from the corners of her mouth and placed the silverware down with a clink. For the first time since she had returned from her afternoon wander round the gardens, she noticed the low hum of music playing from somewhere deep within the house. A smile hovered on her lips as she listened more carefully, tilting her head as she did so. Her curiosity got the better of her and with a purposeful stride she disappeared from the room, leaving nothing but the remnants of her sweet indulgence behind her.