A Stroke of
Karma
by Salini
Vineeth
Helen placed
the heels of her hands on the dough and put her
body weight onto it. She kneaded it with all her
might. Still, the dough remained stony and
adamant—like Scrooge, the miser.
“40
minutes to go!” Chef George’s voice
startled Helen. She glanced at the clock in the
MasterChef kitchen. It was ticking away joyously.
Helen’s future was in the hands of that
clock. She tried to concentrate on her pastry
dough, trying to salvage it, but she couldn’t.
It was her
fourth week in the MasterChef kitchen. She was a
gourmet cook. She cooked elaborate meals for her
family and often threw parties for their friends.
When the MasterChef audition came to her town,
everyone urged Helen to participate. Suddenly,
Helen’s life had a new aim, a direction. The
competition was every bit tough, as she had
assumed. She struggled with the world cuisine
– tacos, pasta, cakes, pies, noodles, and
macrons. Still, she managed to stay on.
Finally, it
had come down to the puffy pastry. For untrained
eyes, the puff pastry was simple. But making it
was tricky, especially in a one-on-one contest. A
single misstep during the 120-minute cook meant
elimination. His contender Mathew was a timid yet
good chef. Helen glanced at Mathew’s table.
His pastry dough looked light and soft. It had an
elusive yellow tint and a shiny texture. Helen
put all her efforts into her dough, but it
remained a big, tough lump.
“30
minutes to go. Helen, get your pastry into the
oven.”
Mathew had
already placed his dough in the oven. Helen
rushed towards her assigned oven. She peeped into
the oven next to hers and saw Mathew’s
beautiful pastry. Devil poked her brain. Helen
took a deep breath. Her nimble fingers reached
for Mathew’s oven door.
“Ok, it’s
time for tasting!” After a nail-biting
thirty minutes, chef George announced. Helen
glanced at Mathew, who was standing in front of
his station, a little confused. He had pulled his
pastry out of the oven a few minutes ago.
Neglecting her pounding heart, Helen pulled out
and started plating her beautiful pastry.
“Two, One,
and that’s it.” Chef George announced
in his chirpy voice. Helen’s eyes followed
Mathew as he took his pastry to the judges.
“Your
pastry is a bit dense, but it’s flavourful.”
The judges told Mathew. Mathew seemed to force a
smile.
“Next up,
Helen,”
The judges
tasted her pastry and grimaced.
“Your
pasty is fluffy and crunchy, but it’s way
too salty. It’s inedible.” Chef George
spat out the pastry into the garbage bin.
The selection
seemed easy for the judges.
“Mathew,
your pastry was dense, but it was definitely
edible. So, you are safe. Helen, your pastry was
way too salty, and that’s why you are going
home. I am sorry.” George passed the verdict.
Helen walked
away from the MasterChef kitchen, holding her
tears back. Mathew stood in front of his station
with a smug smile plastered onto his face. He had
seen Helen switching his pastry with hers. But,
his dough was extremely salty, and he decided to
push his luck. Luck favoured him. It was a
brilliant stroke of karma.
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