Short Story, Theme Prompt, Writing Challenge, Writing Prompts

The Old Country

Nancy's Notes 🖊️♬

Written for Muse On Monday. David asks
us to write a story where a mistake ends up
being beneficial. Here’s where the prompt took me.

© Pinterest

Zeke had watched exactly one bread-making video on TikTok before deciding he had what it took to be a master baker.

“It’s just flour and water,” he told his wife, Pam, with the confidence of a man who had never once made bread.

He mixed his starter, left it on the counter, and forgot about it for more than a week. When he finally lifted the lid, something looked back at him. Not literally, but almost. The starter had developed a grey liquid layer on top and smelled like an ancient civilization.

He fed it anyway. It bubbled aggressively, almost angrily.

Three days later, Zeke baked a loaf. It emerged from the oven flat, dense, and shaped vaguely like a Birkenstock sandal. Pam poked it without leaving a dent.

“Might make a good doorstop,” she offered.

Zeke, undeterred, sliced it. They chewed in silence for a very long time.

But that evening, their neighbor, JeanMichel …. a man of few words and strong opinions …. stopped by, tried a slice, and froze mid-chew.

“This tastes like Poilâne, the bread my grandmother made in Paris,” he said quietly.

Turns out Zeke’s aggressive neglect had accidentally produced a hyper-fermented sourdough in exactly the old-world style. Jean-Michel asked for the recipe.

Zeke wrote it down with great authority, omitting the part where he simply forgot it existed.

He now sells twelve loaves a week at the farmer’s market.

NAR©2026

This is “Song Of A Baker” by Small Faces

Muse on Monday – May 25, 2026

Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.

34 thoughts on “The Old Country”

      1. Actually I’m fairly good cook. I was the chief chef at home for 30 years and now while I’m by myself for 14 years, but nothing too special while I’m by myself 🥰🤗😀

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