First Taste
© 2025 by Walter Reimer

Thumbnail art by  tegerio

Prompt: sip


A dark brown, almost black, cube maybe a centimeter and a half on a side dropped into a mug, bouncing once and coming to rest beside one similarly-sized white cube. The mug was then placed under a hot water dispenser. The golden palomino mare judged the amount of hot water by eye before removing the mug from the dispenser, sticking a spoon into the mug and stirring vigorously.

Meredith’s daughter Jinzi watched her mother before saying, “K’fee!”

The mare grinned. “Yes, Jinzi, coffee,” and she slowly pronounced the word, nuzzling the filly when she sounded it out correctly. Meredith finished stirring the brew, set the spoon aside, and took a sip after blowing gently across the dark surface.

“Want coffee?”

Her ears perked and she looked at Jinzi. “You want to try some coffee, Jinzi?”

A nod. “Uh-huh!”

“Okay.” Meredith picked up the spoon. “I’ll just give you a little, okay?” she said to the filly who looked up at her with bright, questioning eyes. She dipped the spoon in the liquid, blew on it to cool it slightly, and steered the spoonful toward Jinzi. “Here it comes.”

The filly opened her mouth and closed it over the spoon, letting the fluid spread over her tongue as Meredith pulled the spoon free. The two-year-old seemed to pause and think it over.

Before spitting it out. “Yuck.”

Meredith had already grabbed a napkin, mopping up the spillage before wiping Jinzi’s mouth. She chuckled and kissed Jinzi. “It’s a grown up thing, little one. You might like it when you get older.”