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Aunt Clara lived with the Kuryakins already for a couple of months and Illya didn't really know why. She was very cheerful and talkative, but a bit too keen and loud, so Illya tried to stay away from her usually, it always felt like she could drop something at him any momemt. But today he hardly could stay away, because his parents left to visit his granny and aunt Clara was left to sit with him. It also meant that his piano and French lessons with mum were cancelled.
"You know what? I'll teach you how to cook soufflé, my darling!" aunt Clara said when parents left.
"Soufflé?.." Illya frowned. It sounded too French for his 'day off.'
"Yes, soufflé! Have you ever tried it?"
"Do you mean... to breath?"
"No, it's a kind of sweet pastry!"
"Ah... No, I suppose, I dunno."
"You don't? How is that possible? Well, fine, let's now fix this youthful indiscretion of yours! Well then, first of all, we need some eggs. Come on, to the kitchen!"
And aunt Clara took off to the kitchen. Illya followed her walking.
As soon as he entered, aunt Clara threw an egg at him. He managed to catch it without breaking it.
"Oh, what a golden boy you are! Come here, I'll teach you how to break them properly."
***
"The most difficult thing is... slowly... to separate yolks from whites... Like this! See?"
Illya saw.
"Now it's your turn! Oh! No! Wait, the yolk is broken now. We'll have to do it all again. Okay, let me do the both at once, okay?"
***
"Why don't you play Shave and a Haircut for me while we're waiting?"
***
"Oh, can you back me up? Ах, Одесса, жемчужина у моря!.."
***
"It's burnt... As always..."
Illya nodded. The soufflé was black.
Aunt Clara determinately put it into the bin.
"I'm so sorry, I really wanted you to try it!"
"Well... let's make another one...
"We're out of eggs! Let's go to the market and buy some more!"
***
As they were returning back home with a basket of eggs, Illya was thinking about how he wasn't really intrigued what that soufflé tasted like. But maybe when they finish cooking it, aunt Clara will let him go out to play and...
"Wait! Parents are already back!"
Illya looked where she was pointing and saw them by the entrance with his grandmother.
"Will she be living with us too?" Illya asked.
"No, it's a mess..." said aunt Clara.
***
He had to quickly collect everything he needed. Illya banked a bunch of books into the sack. He also needed shoes, shirts... He decided not to take his second trousers.
***
Evacuation was a total chaos. Illya could barely keep up with his parents. When they all happily ended up in the train, Illya realised that someone was missing.
"Where is aunt Clara?"
"She stays," said father.
"She'll live at our place," reassured mum with a smile.
"But... Germans..."
Illya anxiously looked at the carriage window. Many people stayed.
He thought that when the train took off and left the station, he saw aunt Clara who ran to help some spindling man who was laying on the ground. But later he decided it wasn't her.
"At least she has the eggs for soufflé," thought Illya imagining how she'll finally be able to make it now that nobody will be distracting her.