The old recipe book lay open before her, its pages crinkled and sepia-toned and the list of ingredients for the best pumpkin pie was scrawled in elegant cursive.

One, pumpkin puree.

She reached for the pumpkin; its skins still warm from the oven. Evelyn scraped the orange flesh of freshly roasted pumpkins, soft and yielding under her knife. It was tough for her to find the right pumpkin and then roast it.

Two, brown sugar. The recipe insisted on the dark, molasses-rich variety. But when Evelyn reached for the glass jar, all she could find was the normal white one.

This has to do.

Three, eggs. Six whole, two whites. She even had to whisk those two whites separately whisked.
Evelyn cracked them one by one, the shells falling into the bowl on the side. She then went for another bowl, separating two whites into it and whisking that into a fluffy white cloud.

She hovered over the book again. Four, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Those spices sat side by side on the left uppermost shelf. Wiping her hands on her dirty mauve apron she put her right feet on the open drawer and pushed her body up. She balanced on the edge of the open drawer, pushing herself upward. Left toe on the cool kitchen slab, right hand gripping the shelf, she reached for the spices.

Oh, the vanilla extract is here.
The little bottle stood there, unassuming yet potent. Evelyn uncorked it, and the room bloomed with sweetness as she sprinkled a few drops into the mix.

Finally, a pinch of salt.
Salt was the alchemist's secret. It balanced the sweetness and teased out hidden depths. Evelyn's fingers trembled as she added just a hint.

She pulled out the pre-made crust, a shortcut, perhaps, but practicality had its magic. Evelyn poured the fragrant batter into its waiting embrace, watching it settle like a sigh.

350°F, the recipe demanded. The oven was waiting for her. Evelyn cradled her pumpkin-filled pie. The crust, golden and expectant, nestled in its tin. She placed it gently on the middle rack, the oven door closing with a soft thud.

All she had to do was wait for 90 minutes.

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