The Last Muffin

The last muffin was missing. The crumbs encircled an empty spot on the counter. Frib stood there, staring at the white circle in astonishment. Certainly it hadn't been Scrum? No, Scrum hated muffins without chocolate-chips- he had adamantly repeated this every time a non-chocolate-chip muffin had been offered him. Maybe Scrum's girlfriend? Frib's tentacles twisted about frantically, but finding nothing to shove into his mouth he wandered into the living room. The newspaper still lay on the coffee table exactly the same as the night before. There was no lingering of perfume, no rumples in the sofa throw to indicate the girlfriend was the fiend. Frib sighed and went about the rest of his morning routine.

Upon returning from work Frib threw his overcoat in the general direction of the closet and dumped his keys onto the kitchen counter. There it was, the empty muffin space, still untouched and taunting him. Scrum didn't seem to have been home during the day - usually he left a mess everywhere in a seeming attempt to give his room-mate a nervous breakdown. Frib got the sponge to clean the crumbs when he suddenly noticed - a tiny fibre in the center of that white moon of crumbs. Frib recognized the blazing neon blue strand - how could he not- the lovely Terndl was the only one who had that precise color hair. Then Frib remembered overhearing her mention to Scrum at the girlfriend's party last week that they were cousins. If Scrum had violated that sweet turnip he'd pay, thought Frib, when the door sprung open.

Frib startled to see Scrum tentacled together with girlfriend and Terndl right behind them! "Great news, buddy!" Scrum announced as he thrust the engagement diamond into Frib's face. "Guess you'll have to find a new apartment--" Girlfriend snidely oozed. "That's okay," coyed Terndl, "He can always stay with me, if he wants..."

Frib couldn't believe his luck, until he saw it - how could she, when did she, he thought he'd flip until she handed Frib a white ribboned box.

"Here Frib, I got these for you. Last night you were out when the engagement happened and I realized I'd eaten your last muffin."

The last muffin...thought Frib...it was the muffin before that had been his last muffin alone, and he hoped to never eat the last muffin with Terndl. Frib was much too interested in focusing on the first muffin - the first muffin from Terndl.