Odd Prompts: Turkey Soup

A fitting relic of Thanksgiving, and sight of yet to come... this is a piece of flash fiction. Enjoy! 

Turkey Soup

The first game after Thanksgiving was always a slow one. Too much turkey, too much pie, after nearly 40 years of playing together, they all had it down to a routine. This time was no different, except the rotation had the game played at Paul's house. The entire group had agreed in conversation while they were not at a game, and sans their wizard, that Paul took the whole role-playing it just scotch too far. Tall, thin, dressed in robes… At least for gaming. They had seen him off events, just like a normal human being. Well, at least as normal as one of them could be. No, it wasn't even the robes he wore while gaming. It was the tall pointed hat he insisted on wearing. The basement ceiling was not really tall enough to accommodate it and since it had never had a drop ceiling put in, there were places he could wear the hat and stand up, and then there were pipes that would suddenly snatch the hat from his head and send it fluttering toward the floor. The group trickled in, post holiday slowness showing in their varied arrival times, and Paul stood on the overhanging deck waving to each one as they pulled up the long driveway. At least one of them had a sudden stunning thought that perhaps called Paul practiced skyclad when the group wasn't there and he shuddered and blanched as he put the truck in park before hopping out to wave cheerfully back at his friend. The house smelled appetizing as they came inside and each of them sniffed at the fragrant air appreciatively. Paul might be an odder duck  than most, but the man knew how to cook. They put up with his insistence that he was a real wizard, not just played one in the game, if he'd feed them like he did when it was his turn to house the game. There were rumors he cooked for three days prior to a gaming session and having seen the spread he put out on occasion, they could believe it. Sometimes, not always. More often than not it was the usual selection of finger foods. You don't get pizza like that on delivery, not with that sourdough crust so light and airy but also strong enough to hold a full load of toppings.  The group convened in the basement around the long felt covered table, and the serious work began. Taking breaks for meals was not really a scheduled thing, so it was a couple of hours later when they all trailed upstairs to discover to their dismay in the open kitchen fireplace a real-life cauldron simmering gently. Chunks of meat, potatoes, and vegetables appeared at the surface only to duck away again mysteriously in the depths of the rich warm brown broth. Paul came up last, having been engaged in tidying up a spill. "Turkey soup gentleman! And sourdough rolls" Paul crowed, throwing out his arms wide - which made the sleeves of his robe flutter in a most alarming fashion so near the fire. "After too many heavy meals, this is just what we need. Rejuvenating, refreshing, and invigorating."  The gaming group collectively exchanged a speaking glance of ‘Paul's being weird again.’ But they didn't argue and indeed they did all agree as they headed back down to finish up the game that the turkey soup had been most excellent. They approached the latter half of the game with much more vim and verve than they had shown towards it at the beginning, when they weren't expecting to do much more than manage to stay awake over the table. Paul pressed containers of soup on them as they left, urging them to take it home and share with the family.

***

A couple of days later I looked in the mirror, and pushed at my cheek. None of us were getting any younger. The group and I had been playing since Gary Gygax was a lad, and my cheeks had grown wrinkled and sunken. Now though… I leaned closer to the mirror stroking my cheek and looking at what had been crows-feet next to my eyes. Maybe Paul hadn't been joking about his wizardry. There must have been something in that turkey soup...  **** This week's prompt came to me from Becky Jones, as "The turkey soup was wonderful. Everybody said they felt energized and rejuvenated after they had a bowl. A couple of days later you look in the mirror, and you DO look younger."  I prompted Leigh Kimmel with: "The advent calendar was filled with the most improbable things…"  For more prompt responses, or to take part in the Odd Prompts challenge yourself (there are a few weeks left!) head on over to More Odds Than Ends.