The smells of the various drink stalls and fuddling tents became too much for Effie to continue to ignore anymore. She simply had to go and explore what they had to offer. She was mostly interested in all of the sweets that the vendors were selling, and so she found herself venturing closer to the baked goods. Stall upon stall seemed to all have made gingerbread. It reminded Effie of her mother, who would bake gingerbread whenever it became cold enough outside to warrant it. Days spending helping her figure out the right equation to cook it, always messing it up, were what clogged Effie’s memories. And she made a point to forget about when her father would return home, to destroy it all. No, that is not what she wanted to remember about the smell of gingerbread wafting through the air.
She came up to the one of the stalls and asked for gingerbread, but the vendor seemed insistent on handing her something to drink. Despite how much she shook her head and said that she did not want it, the vendor did not seem to care. Instead of accepting her discouragement, the vendor handed her the drink and insisted that she try it. Effie, not wanting to cause an issue, took a sip. She pulled a sour face and shook her head--the drink was horrid! She had no idea what it was, but she didn’t like it. Looking around feverishly, she waited until the vendor wasn’t looking before she placed the drink somewhere inconspicuous--or at least, in her eyes it was. Hoping no one noticed, she looked around to see if anyone did.
