6 YOU CAN’T BEAT HIS BATTER

CHAPTER SIX YOU CAN'T BEAT HIS BATTER The next morning, Igor and Franny were amazed at the platters full of gorgeous muffins, beautifully wrapped in cellophane with appealing little bows. Igor snatched one up and began unwrapping it, but Franny grabbed the muffin from him before he could take a bite. "No, Igor. These are for the bake sale. Remember?" She patted the Muffin Man on the back.

"Nice work," she said. "We'll take these to school and see how the kids like them. If they're popular, I may need you to make a few more." The Muffin Man smiled. He really hoped the kids would like them. This was what he was made to do.

At the end of the day, Franny took the muffins to the table where Mona and Vincent were having another unsuccessful bake sale. "Put these out," Franny said. "I think the kids will like them. We can give out some free samples to get them interested." Franny crumbled a couple muffins into bite-size chunks and offered them to people passing by the table. A first grader named Danny stopped and looked at the samples.

"Just take a taste," Franny said. "It's free." He picked up a piece and took a tiny, cautious nibble. His eyes opened wide and he trembled. Danny clapped his hand over his mouth. "What's wrong?" Franny said. "Is it awful?" Danny's voice fell to a serious whisper. "It's the most delicious thing I have ever tasted in my entire life," he said. Then he dug deep into his pocket for the money to buy one. The other kids saw Danny happily devouring his muffin and they were immediately curious. After trying a sample, they also bought as many muffins as they could afford. "This is our best sale ever!" Mona told Franny. "Thanks so much for the muffins!"

"You really are a hero," Vincent told her. "Do you think you could make some more?" "No problem," Franny said, and smiled. "Anything to help." Franny picked up the empty plate and headed for the door, but Danny stepped in front of her.

"Do you think there might be some muffin crumbs left on that plate?" he asked hopefully. "Could I have them?" Franny laughed. "Crumbs? Be serious, Danny. There will be more muffins here tomorrow." When Franny got home, the Muffin Man was sitting quietly at the kitchen table, waiting for her. "Well, they really loved your muffins," she told him. "I'd like you to make another batch, please." The fire inside his internal oven became brighter and he began arranging his mixing bowls and measuring spoons. "You better bake a dozen extra," Franny said. "If we're lucky, we might get a few more buyers tomorrow."