In the sweetest display case in the entire city, where every day smelled of vanilla, chocolate, and fresh fruit, lived two friends who were constantly teasing each other.
The first was Miss Meringue. She was slender, light as air, and immensely proud of her snow-white color and crispiness. "Do you hear that? This is what perfection sounds like!" she would rustle whenever she moved just a little.
The second was Mr. Cream Puff. He was round, puffy like a little cloud, and filled with delicious vanilla cream. "Crunching is nice, but I'm soft as a hug," he would laugh and gently sway until the cream in his belly trembled.
Their days flowed by in friendly teasing. "I am elegant and delicate!" declared Meringue. "And I am full of sweet surprises!" replied Cream Puff.
One day, however, their attention turned elsewhere. The baker, a big man with kind eyes and flour on his nose, brought a shiny metal pot to his work counter. Beside it, he placed a large bag containing something white and glittering.
"What is he going to do?" whispered Cream Puff. His round face wrinkled with curiosity. "I don't know, but it looks suspicious," answered Meringue and rustled nervously. "I've never seen him with such a pot before."
The baker poured white crystals into the pot. They were tiny and gleamed like winter snow. Then he placed the pot on the burner and turned it on.
Meringue and Cream Puff fell silent and with eyes glued to the pot, watched what would happen. For a while, nothing happened. But then miracles began to occur. The white crystals at the bottom of the pot started to melt. They transformed into a clear, thick liquid, as if snow were turning into water.
"Look! They're disappearing!" gasped Cream Puff. "They're transforming!"
Soon the entire pile of white crystals had transformed into clear syrup. Then the syrup began to bubble gently. First small bubbles, then larger ones. It looked like a small boiling lake.
"That must be some kind of magic," said Meringue with respect in her voice.
And the magic continued. The clear liquid began to change color. First it took on a gentle hint of sunbeam. Then it was golden like summer honey. And finally it turned the color of amber. From the pot began to spread a wonderful, sweet, and warm aroma unlike anything they had ever smelled.
"That smell! Do you smell it?" asked Cream Puff and took a deep breath. "I smell it," nodded Meringue. "It's sweeter than sugar and warmer than sunshine. But still, it seems dangerous to me. It's so hot and bubbling."
Just then the baker turned off the burner. The golden-brown mass in the pot stopped bubbling and was smooth as a mirror. Carefully he took the hot pot and headed toward the display case.
Meringue and Cream Puff's blood ran cold. Well, if they had any. Cream Puff stopped swaying and Meringue didn't even rustle.
"He's coming this way!" Cream Puff cried quietly. "What if he wants to drown us in that?" "Don't scare me!" scolded Meringue, though her white surface had also paled a little with fear.
The display case doors opened. The baker's hand reached inside and without hesitation lifted up... Cream Puff!
"Farewell, friend! It was an honor to argue with you!" Cream Puff managed to cry out before he vanished from the display case.
Meringue held her breath. She waited for a scream, crying, or some terrible sound. Instead, she watched as the baker gently and slowly poured that mysterious golden liquid over her friend. It flowed onto his little cap and created a shiny, smooth surface on it. Then the baker placed him on a rack for the coating to harden, and in a moment returned him to the display case.
Cream Puff stood in his place, quiet and motionless. On his head he had a magnificent, gleaming amber cap. He looked different. He looked... more distinguished.
"Cream Puff? Are you all right?" Meringue asked cautiously.
Cream Puff didn't answer. He just opened his eyes slightly and looked at the glossy layer that covered him. Then very, very carefully he moved his head. A gentle, crunchy cracking sound rang out. It was completely different cracking from Meringue's rustling.
With timid curiosity he stuck out his little tongue and licked a piece of the new coating. His eyes widened with surprise. "Yum!" burst out of him. "That's... that's amazing!"
"How does it taste?" asked Meringue, who had already forgotten her fear.
"It's sweet, but different from sugar. And when it hardened, it became hard and crunchy! Just like you, Meringue! I crunch!" he exclaimed enthusiastically and crunched his new caramel cap again.
Meringue smiled. "So that bubbling thing wasn't dangerous?"
"Not at all! It made me even better! I'm soft and crunchy at the same time!" Cream Puff rejoiced. "Those white crystals were ordinary sugar. And the baker just heated it until it melted and turned brown. He made caramel from it!"
In that moment they both understood. What they had feared so much, that terrifying, hot and bubbling transformation, was actually just a path to something new and delicious.
From that day on, Cream Puff and Meringue never argued again about which of them was better. They discovered that each was wonderful in their own way. And sometimes, when things change a little, they can be even better.
"You know, Cream Puff," said Meringue after a while, "I really like that caramel cap of yours." "Thank you, Meringue," replied Cream Puff with a smile. "And I think your crunching is the most elegant sound in the world."
And there, in the sweetest display case in the whole city, they sat side by side, content and happy. They knew the secret that even the most ordinary things, like sugar, can transform into little miracles. All it takes is a little warmth and the courage to accept change.