The Turnaround Alchemist: Amy's Mystical Journey

I’d never seen someone roll their eyes so hard they nearly fell out of their head. “It’s cheese, Amy,” my new boss said with obvious disdain. The high-pitched whine of his voice was grating on my ears and making me feel a mixture of dizziness and nausea. “You don’t need to stick your nose up like you’re some kind of snob. Cheese is a peasant food; it always has been and always will be. You should know that as an innkeeper, especially since you are a woman. A good baker would know that too.”

I felt the color drain from my face. His comment about me being a woman? I couldn’t remember if I’d ever felt this insulted in my entire life.

I fought to keep my voice even as I stared down at my feet in the mud-filled street.

A man approached us, his face pale and sweaty, his clothes filthy beyond belief. “Please, sir, I haven’t eaten all day! Could I just have something to fill my belly?”

Ramsay turned to face him with a look of disgust on his face. “What do you think of this place? It’s not fit for a dog, let alone a peasant! Look at you; you look like a pig! Get away from here before I call the guard on you! They should be here soon, anyhow; we can use them to chase away this scum!”

The man turned around quickly and ran off into the crowd, followed by mutterings from Ramsay about how he hoped the man caught something horrible from this filthy place. He stood there for several moments after he was gone, looking around with disgust on his face not unlike what he had just shown the man who begged us for food.

It didn’t take long before he turned back towards me angrily. “This is why you need to get rid of all these peasants! If you have no one buying bread, then you will have no one to bake bread for! You need to get rid of all these people or they will bring down your business along with mine! Do you understand? You can start by getting rid of that disgusting pigsty that is your kitchen! That is where I will start with my renovations when I return tomorrow morning! Do you hear me? Get rid of these peasants or else your bakery will be ruined forever!”

He didn't wait for me to answer him before he turned around sharply and returned to his carriage in the muddy street as it inched forward to meet him at the gatehouse entrance of my inn-turned-bakery. Once he was gone from sight, I began to cry quietly as I thought about how angry he had been with me over that stupid piece of cheese. Why did he hate cheese so much? Didn't everyone love cheese? Wasn't cheese delicious? Why did that make him hate me? What was wrong with me?

As I cried into my hands in despair over Ramsay's hatred towards cheese and everything it meant to me since childhood, a young girl came up beside me silently and placed her hand gently on my arm while she looked up at me with weary eyes filled with pity. It made me cry harder because now not only was Ramsay angry with me because of my love for cheese but now I had this little girl feeling sorry for me because she could clearly see how upset I was by it all.

She leaned closer to whisper in my ear so quietly that I barely heard her words above the din of the crowd outside: "Amy." Her voice was soft yet stern. "Amy." When she finally got my attention, she looked straight into my eyes pleadingly until finally her gaze broke from mine and she pulled back from our huddle against the wall outside the kitchen door where we hid together so no one would see us talking.

"I am glad you are here," she said softly as she took both of my hands into hers warmly and squeezing them tightly between her tiny fingers covered in dirt from playing in the mud that covered every inch of this town square we were standing in front of. "You don't know how much happier it makes me every time I see your face." She paused briefly as she looked down at our joined hands in hers before looking back up into my teary eyes again with a look so fierce that it frightened me momentarily before she continued speaking again: "And why shouldn't it make me happy? After all, we are family." Her smile was wide and beautiful as her eyes danced in delight at seeing such joy and happiness fill my face at her words though tears still flowed freely down my cheeks as well as hers too since our faces were now pressed together between her hands clasped tightly around mine while we held each other close under the watchful eye of God looking down upon us from above us all smiling kindly upon us both knowing full well what fate lay ahead for us both together under God's watchful eye above us both looking down upon us both smiling kindly upon us both knowing full well what fate lay ahead for us both together under His watchful eye above us both looking down upon us both smiling kindly upon us both knowing full well what fate lay ahead for us both together under His watchful eye above us both looking down upon us both smiling kindly upon us both knowing full well what fate lay ahead for us both together under His watchful eye above...