Chapter 1: The Forgotten Dessert

Long before he was Strawbrawler, he was just another slice waiting to be discarded.

It was late afternoon in Pastrypolis, and the food truck known as The Whisk & Dash rattled over cobblestone streets, its tires thumping like an anxious heartbeat. Inside the humming fridge cabinet, past rows of bright lemon tarts and smug frosted brownies, sat a half-forgotten mini cheesecake.

He was small — maybe too small. His crust was uneven. His top was cracked. And worst of all, his strawberry drizzle had slumped to one side, like it had given up midway through trying to look fancy.

The other desserts barely noticed him anymore. The éclairs were too busy gossiping about who had been sold first. A pair of smug tiramisu squares were singing softly to themselves in plastic ramekins.

He didn’t have a name.

Just a little clear lid.

And a sticker that read “Oops. Slightly Imperfect – $0.75”.

He stared out the plastic case window at the city rushing by — glittering towers of sugar cubes, pretzel-stick street signs, cotton candy clouds on the horizon. Somewhere out there, desserts were chosen. Celebrated. Served with pride.

But not him.

He shifted slightly on his soggy cardboard tray, trying not to slump further. The truck jerked to a stop.

From the open hatch above, a customer leaned in, pointing at the desserts. “Ooh, I’ll take that brownie. And one of those cream puffs. Oh — and not that thing,” they added, laughing. “It looks like it’s been stepped on.”

The tray jostled again.

Someone reached in.

And then — the lid was peeled away.

The little cheesecake felt the cool air hit his glaze. His heart — or whatever a cheesecake has — thumped.

But instead of being lifted with care, he was plucked up by the edge of his tin like an afterthought. The vendor muttered, “Sorry, buddy,” and gently dropped him into a small paper bag labeled: “Waste.”

Darkness.

A jostling. A tumble.

The last thing he heard before the lid closed was the customer’s laugh:

“Some desserts just aren’t meant for the spotlight.”

#Strawbrawler #CheesecakeChronicles