The other mother took the bacon from under the grill and put it on a plate. Then she slipped the cheese omelette from the pan onto the plate, flipping it as she did so, letting it fold itself into a perfect omelette shape.
She placed the breakfast plate in front of Coraline, along with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a mug of frothy hot chocolate.
“Yes,” she said. “I think I like this game. But what kind of game shall it be? A riddle game? A test of knowledge or of skill?
“An exploring game,” suggested Coraline. “A finding-things game.”
“And what is it you think you should be finding in this hide-and-go-seek game, Coraline Jones?”
Coraline hesitated. Then, “My parents,” said Coraline. “And the souls of the children behind the mirror.”
The other mother smiled at this, triumphantly, and Coraline wondered if she had made the right choice. Still, it was too late to change her mind now.
“A deal,” said the other mother. “Now eat up your breakfast, my sweet. Don’t worry-it won’t hurt you.”
Coraline stared at the breakfast, hating herself for giving in so easily, but she was starving.
“How do I know you’ll keep your word?” asked Coraline.
“I swear it,” said the other mother. “I swear it on my own mother’s grave.”
“Does she have a grave?” asked Coraline.
“Oh yes,” said the other mother. “I put her in there myself. And when I found her trying to crawl out, I put her back.”
“Swear on something else. So I can trust you to keep your word.”
“My right hand,” said the other mother, holding it up. She waggled the long fingers slowly, displaying the clawlike nails. “I swear on that.”
Coraline shrugged. “Okay,” she said. “It’s a deal.” She ate the breakfast, trying not to wolf it down. She was hungrier than she had thought.
As she ate, her other mother stared at her. It was hard to read expressions into those black button eyes, but Coraline thought that her other mother looked hungry, too.
She drank the orange juice, but even though she knew she would like it she could not bring herself to taste the hot chocolate.
The Coraline Collection.
ShalimarGirl –
This is a beautiful, rich chocolate perfume that I just love. It doesn’t have a lot of sillage but it has pretty good staying power on my skin. It’s a pretty straightforward cocoa scent, though I do notice a distinct hazelnut note at the top and beautiful rich honey as it dries down. I accidentally on purpose mixed it with Alice (one on each arm) and I love the two of them together. I have a long discontinued perfume from France that claimed to be based on the “scientific fact” that the fragrances of chocolate, rose, vanilla, citrus and something else (maybe musc?) were known to have a positive effect on the mood of the wearer, and The Other Hot Chocolate + Alice remind me of that. It doesn’t have the citrus, but the rose and chocolate together with the milky vanilla each possess is magical to me. This is obviously a gourmand, but it’s very wearable on its own and lovely to mix with other scents if that’s your thing.
Hellokoi –
Clings close to the skin, but lasts all day and smells delicious. Like fudgy, underbaked brownies and hot cocoa and then settles into buttery, slightly salty, rice krispies treats marshmallows. Sweet, creamy and perfect.
dementia_divine –
This is the most wonderful, rich, creamy hot chocolate (made with milk, and any marshmallows or mounds of whipped cream have turned into a frothy foam near the top of the cup).
I wouldn’t say that it has great throw — it has medium throw for the first few hours. After a few hours, it stays rather close to the skin. It’s lighter, it’s creamier, and there’s less chocolate.
But damn, it is GLORIOUS, and so realistic! This scent will be really comforting in the winter.