Shanti Hates Spinach

One fine evening, Sinbad, Cinderella, Shanti, Elroy Jetson, Timmy Turner, and Pinocchio were having dinner at a fancy restaurant.

The waiter placed their meals in front of them - steak with rum sauce, broccoli, and mashed potatoes for Sinbad, escarole bean soup for Cinderella, a spinach salad for Shanti, grilled cheese sandwiches for Elroy, burgers and hot dogs for Timmy, and grilled chicken for Pinocchio. "Mmmmm!" Sinbad said, looks good!"

Shanti was ready to dig into her supper. But before she could, she picked out a few things she did not like. Then she took out a raw green spinach leaf from her salad. "Hey, this isn't lettuce!" she yelled, "What kind of a salad is it?"

"Uh-oh, she's gonna pop!" Elroy said, looking worried.

"This is spinach!" Shanti said.

"Oh dear, Jenny was gonna be mad." Pinocchio said.

"Yeah Pinocchio. I told her she was." Timmy said.

As the waiter was refilling Shanti's glass, he looked at her. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"This is spinach." Shanti said. Then she shouted, "And I HATE SPINACH!!!!!"

And on "spinach", Shanti threw her fist on the plate, causing the salad bowl to fly off her plate and land right on the waiter's head! Everyone stared at the whole Liddell family in shock. The waiter was humiliated and very angry to have salad on his head.

"Uh-oh." Shanti gulped.

Cinderella, Elroy, Timmy, and Pinocchio felt embarrassed. But Sinbad was very, very angry at Shanti.

"I'm so embarrassed!" Cinderella said to herself.

"Shanti BIndi Liddell!" Sinbad scolded through gritted teeth. Shanti hung her head in guilt.

Sinbad, Cinderella, Shanti, Elroy, Timmy, and Pinocchio went home. Sinbad was still angry. Gadget Hackwrench, Tammy, and Foxglove were babysitting Alice and her boyfriend, Gideon.

"Back so soon?" Gadget asked.

"Did you have a good time?" Tammy asked.

"How did it turn out?" asked Foxglove.

Alice began telling the Gadget, Tammy, and Foxglove what had happened. "My sister punched her salad, and it exploded!" Sinbad and Cinderella glared at Alice as she finished the story. "All over the waiter, and everyone was staring at us."

"They were not," Shanti yelled. She folded her arms, pouting. "Everyone's making this into such a big deal!"

"No more honeymoons with Mowgli for you Shanti." Sinbad told Shanti. "You need to behave and learn to eat. Now go to your room!"

Shanti became very angry. She glared angrily at Sinbad and told him, "You are as evil as Shere Khan!!" She then went to her bedroom crying and sobbing, where her brother, Ranjan, was waiting for her.

"Father, can we go to Aunt Gadget, Aunt Tammy, and Aunt Foxglove's birthday party at the Once Upon a Buffet and Grill tomorrow? And i could come with Elroy, Timmy, GIdeon, and Pinocchio?" Alice asked.

"Yes Alice." Sinbad said. "I am afraid that Shanti would not be joining us."