The Adventures of Tim Laughingstock. Six. Owl Pie.

The next morning came, as next mornings often do in these kinds of stories, full of sunshine and birdsong and the pleasant glub-glubing of soapy water on faces. Tim Laughingstock came down the stairs with an appetite that was strong and pure -- he had slept soundly and now felt he had earned a hearty breakfast.

“What do you recommend for breakfast, my good barkeep?” he asked cheerfully as he settled into a comfortable chair in the taproom.

“The owl pies has just come out of the oven this very moment, sir” replied the barkeep.

Tim’s eyes twinkled with anticipation, and his belly gave a purr like a tabby cat’s.

“An owl pie, by all means! With a glass of Plush Water to wash it down with.” The River Plush ran through the town of Boogle Hollow, and its waters were reputed to cure the Danks and thicken a man’s resolve in the face of meteor showers. It tasted slightly sweet and had just enough grit in it to wake up the taste buds.

And the owl pies!

Boogle Hollow is famous throughout the realm for its savory, flavory owl pies. On thick oak tables throughout the land, where dedicated gnawlings gathered in great dignity, an owl pie from Boogle Hollow is considered the highlight of any banquet. Even the King and Queen in their palace far away are partial to the village’s special pie. They have relays of knights and esquires bring it to them on horseback at least once each fortnight.

Part of the secret to the pie’s enormously deserved reputation is the fact that the owls are boiled in a pot of Plush Water prior to being plucked. Then there is the massaging of the owl meat prior to cooking -- each bird is pummeled by experienced pummelers on top of a cold slab of bacon. And that same slab of bacon goes in with the owl meat right into the pie, and then into the oven for exactly one and a half hours. There are a few more specifics to making an authentic Boogle Hollow owl pie -- but they are jealously guarded by the citizens as a civic secret. And let me warn you -- this story is going to be full of secrets!

Needles to say, Tim enjoyed his hot owl pie tremendously.

But how do the owls feel about being stuck into pies to be gobbled up willus-nillus?