Page 42 of Witch You Would
We all clapped, and the judges stepped forward to examine the piano. They asked a lot of technical questions about the recipe,the methodologies used to create it, and so on. I hadn’t expected them to be so rigorous—or at least, I had assumed Hugh might,and Fabienne, but even Doris had some observations that didn’t fit her nice abuela persona.
Eventually they ran out of questions and Hugh said, “We’re ready for recorded comments.”
The two extra camera people took up their positions, and spotlights pointed at the judges so they’d be visible in the dimroom.
Fabienne went first. “This is a lovely spell, Amy and Jaya. Theflexibility that allows it to work with any played music is impressive. That said, the piano design itself could be more polished.”
Doris smiled. “I think the entire thing is charming, quite sweet. Very easy to imagine it at a variety of parties, perhapswith different-colored light options to match the decor.”
All of us held our breaths when it was Hugh’s turn. I didn’t understand why viewers liked hisI’m a giant assholeapproach. If I did that with students, I’d be fired.
“It’s a decent concept,” Hugh said. “Fairly marketable in theory. I think it’s a bit too dim to be truly functional, and thebase model is flimsy. Paper may hold the enchantment once, but you’d have to take extra steps to make it durable.”
Ouch. Well, could have been worse.
“Thank you, judges,” Jaya said, and Amy repeated the words. They carried their spell back to their station.
Next to me, Penelope leaned forward to give Amy a thumbs-up. Amy smiled back and looked away shyly.
Dylan and Zeke were up next. They brought out a tiered glass platter covered in a couple dozen disco balls, each as big asa softball. The one on top was larger, maybe soccer ball–size. They put the platter on the table and stepped away, both crossingtheir arms over broad chests.
“For our spell, we made individual disco lights for people to carry around,” Dylan explained.
“How do they light up?” Fabienne asked.
“You gotta touch them or pick them up,” Zeke said.
Hugh raised an eyebrow, stepped forward, and grabbed a disco ball. As promised, it started to glow, rainbow-colored lightsshooting out in every direction. Fabienne and Doris each picked up one as well, and they glowed the same way.
“Is that it?” Hugh asked.
“Naw, that ain’t it,” Zeke said. “Take a bite.”
Dylan grinned, a flash of white teeth in the dark.
Maintaining eye contact with Dylan, Hugh bit into the disco ball in his hand. The interior of the ball glowed neon in allthe same colors. Hugh chewed, turning the ball to examine it from different angles. Fabienne and Doris took bites, too.
Hugh finished chewing first. “It’s delicious. Is that lemon?”
“Limoncello and mascarpone,” Dylan said.
“Truly excellent,” Doris said. “The exterior is brittle like candy, but the cake inside is fresh and, dare I say, light?”She chuckled at her own joke.
Fabienne smiled and took another bite.
They handed their disco balls to a PA, wiped their hands with napkins, and then the round of questions started. Eventuallythe judges stepped back for final comments.
“Edible lighting is certainly novel,” Fabienne said. “Making the pieces individual and portable is interesting, and this couldeasily be scaled up for a larger crowd. In this case, it’s good they weren’t too bright, or one would be blinded trying toeat them.”
Doris smiled broadly. “These lights of yours are simply scrumptious. I’d happily serve them at my next party, especially ifthey could be ordered in different flavors.”
“They were indisputably delicious,” Hugh said. “However, if they only activate when picked up, that makes their utility asa lighting fixture somewhat limited. And once you’ve eaten them, the light is gone, and we’re all left in the dark.”
Bro wouldn’t know fun if it bit him in the face.
“Thank you, judges,” Dylan said. Zeke stuck out his chin. They started to carry the tray back to their area.
“Hey, what about us?” I asked.
