Once upon a time, there was a baker. This baker made everything: cakes pies, muffins, you name it. But when you stepped into his bakery, all you could smell was his gingerbread. The scent of his warm spicy gingerbread wafted out his door throughout the kingdom. The Christmas season was upon them. This was, of course, a busy season for the baker, what with all of the orders of fruit cakes, gingerbread, and the like. But on the eve of Christmas, the king had a demand unlike all the others.
The king wished to impress his wife with a gingerbread house exceeding any he's made before. One big enough to live in, and so delicious that it couldn't be lived in for long. One with a chocolate roof and a candy cane chimney. In return for this gingerbread castle, the king would make the baker rich beyond belief. He would make sure that the baker and his family would live in comfort and luxury for the rest of their lives. And the baker would be the official kingdom baker for years to come. But if the queen was not pleased with the gingerbread castle, he would be condemned to the dungeons for eternity.
Since the baker was used to a modest life with times of financial struggle to support his wife and children, he eagerly agreed to the terms of the delicious endeavor. So he began construction of this luscious palace. Hundreds of pounds of gingerbread dough formed the walls. The chocolate roof had to be lowered on by a crane; made of the richest chocolate available. The windows were lined in pretzel and red licorice smothered in frosting held together the gingerbread bricks. It was the grandest palace the world had ever seen.
The baker worked through the night, fastening the chocolate turrets and furnishing the entire castle with white chocolate furniture and even a full set of white chocolate orchestral instruments for the royalty to enjoy. He was just putting on the finishing touches when the king officially summoned the baker to his private living quarters. The baker was led to a grand dining room and sat on one end of a table set for at least eighty. The king and queen seated next to each other on the opposite end.
The king's voice echoes through the tall room, "the time has come. Please escort my queen and myself to my grand gift." So the baker stood and brought the royal couple out to his masterpiece. He unveiled it with more pride than any other treasure he had baked. The queen looked the palace up and down. She crossed the chocolate moat and entered through the gumdrop lined doorway. She analyzed every inch of the castle, tasting bits and pieces here and there, letting no emotion seep through her face.
When she was done, she faced the baker and uttered one simple work: "denied". And with that, two large guards grabbed the weak baker by each of his arms and dragged him to the deep dark dungeons. At first, the baker simply didn't understand. He had created a masterpiece, used the finest ingredients, he put his heart and soul into the gingerbread wonder. But the queen was a selfish and unyielding woman, unwilling to compensate the baker for his work. When the baker's family was informed of their father's imprisonment,, they were distraught. What were they to do?
So they did the only thing they could think of. They hoped and prayed to the spirit of Christmas. "Please!" they begged, "Please let our beloved baker return to us!" The next day, in the depths of winter, the sun shone brighter than ever before. It glared and cast brilliant warmth over the entire kingdom. The greedy king and queen were enjoying their gingerbread castle, lounging on the white chocolate couch with marshmallow cushions, when all of a sudden, the king felt a drop atop his forehead.
At first he thought rain might be seeping through the roof. He wiped his forehead and looked at the single drop. Alas, it was some of the richest chocolate in all the land. Then, all of a sudden, the drops fell harder, harder, and harder. The king exclaimed and the queen shrieked. It all happened so quick, there was no time to escape. The rich decadent chocolate roof collapsed, and the entire palace fell to the ground.
The king and queen were no more, and everyone was now free of their oppressive rule. The baker was liberated and the kingdom rejoiced for a full seven days and seven nights. He returned to his family, and was given what was promised to him. A life of quiet luxury, surrounded by his family, friends, and his bakery.
The End
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