Timed Free Write: Comfort food

5 minutes to write towards a flash fiction piece. You can see the details on TikTok.

There was nothing in the world Pel loved more than his mother's soup. She made it every day: fish soup with stock made from the bones, and not a vegetable in sight. It was perfect for a growing penguin.

One day, Pel went to the market with his father to get the day's fish. It was his first time - his father said he was finally old enough. There were so many sights, sounds, and... smells. Something delicious drifted towards him from a stall down the main row. "I'll be right back, Father," he said. His father made no reply, and Pel didn't wait to get an answer. He followed his nose to the delicious smell.

It came from a vendor under a tattered old canape. His stall held curious items, dried things, wet things - only one or two he recognized. The old penguin noticed Pel staring in amazement, and told him, "That's ginger. It comes from up north."