It was a sunny spring morning in the village of the cat people. Most of the villagers were sleeping in. The wedding reception the night before had gone late and everyone was tired.

Callie was the first one up in her house. She tiptoed down the stairs as quietly as she could. Her parents were still asleep and would be grumpy if she woke them up.

In the kitchen Callie pulled out her favorite mixing bowl. It was a big blue ceramic bowl with a butterfly painted on the side. She went to the pantry to get the ingredients for her favorite cookies: walnut cookies.

She carefully stoked the fire in the big iron stove. It grumbled and smoked a little before roaring to life.

Callie knew the old stove well. It would be hot when she finished mixing her dough. She would bank the fire and let the dough rest for a little while. Just long enough for a nice cup of tea. Then it would be the right temperature for baking.

Callie hummed to herself as she mixed the dough. A line of song repeated in her head as she chopped the walnuts. She scooped the dough onto the cookie sheets and remembered the bride and groom dancing at the wedding the night before.

She banked the fire and took her cup of tea outside. There was a little stump in the yard that was just right for sitting with a cup of tea. She sat on the stump and sipped.

Rays of sun warmed her black, white, and orange fur. The tea was hot and sweet, with a nice kick of caffeine. But she kept thinking about the wedding.

The bride and groom were the last two cat people of her age in the village to get married. The last except for her.

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Her brothers and sisters had all grown up and married and moved into their own homes. She was the last one left at home with Mama and Papa.

She liked her life. Her home. Her parents. Her baking. But she felt that somehow she had missed something.

With a start, Callie realized her tea had gotten cold. She hurried back into the house to check the iron stove. It was still hot enough, but she might have to give the cookies an extra minute to bake.

She slid the cookie sheets into the oven. The kitchen was already tidy. Callie liked to tidy away each ingredient and utensil when she finished using it. But she found a cloth and wiped down each surface while she waited for the cookies to bake.

As she cleaned, she thought more about the wedding. There were happy smiles on every face as the bride and groom had their first dance. Callie was happy for them too. But nagging worries persisted in her mind. Why had she never found anyone she might like to marry? What was she going to do with her life? How long would her parents let her stay with them instead of going out on her own?

The delicious smell of caramelization let her know that the cookies were nearly done. She peeked into the oven. Just another minute or two and the walnut cookies would be ready.

There was noise overhead. A soft thump was followed by a giggle and then footsteps. Her parents were awake.

Callie took out three plates and stacked them on the kitchen table. She readied the cooling racks for the cookies and refreshed the pot of tea.

Her parents footsteps sounded on the stairs as Callie pulled the cookie sheets out of the oven.

"Good morning Mama. Good morning Papa. I'll pour you a cup of tea."

Her parents sat at the kitchen table. Callie glanced at them as she poured the tea. They were holding hands and exchanging uneasy looks. She brought them their tea and the milk and sugar.

She took a minute to slide each cookie onto the cooling racks and watched her parents. Something was wrong.

Callie poured herself another cup of tea and joined them at the table.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked.

They exchanged another look. Callie's stomach clenched. What could be wrong? Was one of them sick?

This called for cookies. She got up and went back to the counter where the walnut cookies were cooling. She piled a few cookies on a plate, even though they should have cooled another minute.

She brought the plate to the table and sat down again.

"Is something wrong?"