"Tonight," Bridget grabbed a bag of marshmallows dramatically off her counter, "I am going to make the stupidest dinner that has ever been made. A dinner that makes you say… 'but… why?' A dinner that I will absolutely regret making and my tongue will curse me for eating."
"No regrets!" Nova said through a proud laugh. "Tonight you will create a meal that demands bravery. A dish that fights with your own good sense. You are not just making a meal… you are creating an initiation ritual."
Bridget belly laughed as she gathered the most ridiculous ingredients she could find. Nova was talking nonsense in the background, "Spaghetti, with carmel sauce and marshmallows instead of meatballs. Stir fry with sour patch kids, strawberries, kale and apples."
"Easy Cowboy," she said, "You don't have to actually eat this".
"Three bites. That's all you have to do. The first bite is for bravery. You will need to gather your wits, courageously taste the culinary abomination while you chew. The second bite is for surrender. To show that you are in it. Your tongue will be less shocked, it will know what is coming. The third bite is for integration. Now you know what you are in for and you are completely giving in to the experience. After the third bite, if you want, you can stop."
She was singing with Nova dancing in place and slicing sweet peppers…
Then she realized she was bleeding. Bridget could hardly contain her excitement. She had been thinking about giving her blood to the Earth, but was afraid she would never be able to cut herself… "thank you weird hand possessor for helping me out with that one," she thought as she ran into her backyard.
She knelt in the grass and rubbed her bloody finger into the soil with a smile. Sucking on her finger, she skipped back into her house. But by the time she could grab a band aid, the wound had healed.