“Looks like a heavy snow.” Derek Smith said to his wife.
“Ay.” replied Mrs Smith. “Ya best be put’in out da sign.”
“Pity.” he replied. “I was hoping for some customers before the winter set in.”
“It’s nay all bad news.” she said. “We kan still be storing da rats in da barn.”
“With eight feet of snow we could freeze an elephant.”
“Ay. Well nay time fir dilly dallying.”
“Right, I’ll get the sign up, you see to supper.” They each left on their respective tasks. Mrs Smith walked to the barn. Half of it was now filled with snow. She dug into it and pulled out a few frozen rats and a couple of bats. She thought about putting the rats back, but on second thought decided to try rat and bat pie. When the people of Barock had heard that she was back in town they had sent out everyone on a collection, luckily there had been a piper in town. Before you can sing ‘ring a ring a rosy’ she had her wagon full and had to borrow a trailer.
Derek took the sign from his office. It said that the pass was closed and that anyone who decided to take it would have to settle their debts in full, make out a will and should probably have their head examined. He walked out into the snow and found the hole in the ground. It was on a small out crop of rock that the snow never seemed to cover. His ancestors had drilled a hole so that the sign would fit perfectly. He put the sign in and surveyed the area. It was not a pretty sight. He walked back to the inn, the smells of pie leading the way. He knew the smells of his wife’s cooking, but this was something new. He licked his lips in anticipation, then wished he hadn’t as they froze together. It took him a few minutes to unfreeze them in front of the fire.
They ate the pie, Derek said it was her best yet, in front of the fire and then did what they planned to do for the rest of the winter. Mrs Smith might be a well-known cook, but she was even better at other things, some say she could have been trained by Sister Betty herself.