Stop #34: Crawfordsville (#653)

On August 12, Emily and I squeezed in a stop at the Steak 'n' Shake in Crawfordsville.

We'd just had a fun girls' afternoon and evening -- I'd had to go to my final dress fitting, then we went shopping for wedding-related stuff, and finally came back to Emily's house for an alternate dress fitting. Meanwhile, the boys were out having Fiancé's bachelor party, camping in somewhere-that-wasn't here. With strippers. Because no bachelor party is complete without strippers.

Once we got to Steak 'n' Shake, Emily began working on some potential beading patterns for one of her many projects.

Meanwhile, I decided to write a story for our waiter, Cole.

Unfortunately, I suffered a bout of writer's block.


I ended up ordering food, in hopes that it would help.

Thankfully, the dress fitting I'd had hours earlier
shamed me into this slightly healthier version of dinner.

And miracle of miracles, it did!


Unfortunately, I began to run out of steam, and had to get something more. In the form of a cookie sundae, which I had till that day not tried.

Sense of shame? Looks like she ate it.
What will she eat next? The menu? The table?

And voila! More story!


As my story developed, I drafted Emily to help by crafting a "Magic Hat" as described in the story.

Of course, by "described", I mean "mentioned in passing, as I really was unsure as to how to describe a Magic Hat."

While she worked, I finished out the tale of Cole.


And, of course, tried on the Magic Hat, to make sure it would work. And I would have to say it did, as when I pointed my pen-wand and cried "Transcribicus storius!", it was transcribed here, in the Quest Blog.


Once upon a time, there was a Steak 'n' Shake server named Cole. He was a dedicated server, bringing all of his customers their food promptly and refilling drinks as necessary.
One day, he was visited by two girls, one of whom was on a quest -- a quest to visit every Steak 'n' Shake in Hoosierlandia. But Cole was unaware of her quest, and so treated her the same way he would anyone else -- with prompt food and quick refills.
Impressed, the girl called to him.
"Oh wise Cole!" she said. "Truly, you are a wise man, named Cole!" (Hey, I never said she was eloquent.)
Cole was stunned by her outburst and gave her a confused look.
"Because you have been so wise, oh Cole, I have a gift for you." She beamed as she handed something that looked vaguely familiar to him.
Cole's heart sank. "This? This is my gift for being the wise Cole?" He shook his head in disbelief. "This is a Steak 'n' Shake hat."
"But Cole!" she cried, aghast. "This is not just ANY Steak 'n' Shake hat! This is a MAGIC hat!"
"Magic, eh?" Cole said, for it turns out Cole was Canadian in a previous life. He tugged it over his head, pointed his pen at the light, and cried, "Avada Kedavra!"
The girl giggled. "Oh wise Cole, don't be silly! You can't kill the lights!"
Cole's face fell. "But Britney told me to."
Indeed, Britney Spears' voice was blaring through the speakers of the Steak 'n' Shake dining room, over a pounding dance beat.
The girl on the quest sighed and pointed at the hat.
"Yes, but you see, the Magic Hat is of Sword and the Stone ancestry. It is powerless when coupled with Harry Potter curses."
"And besides," added the other girl, who till now had sat silently, observing, "the Magic Hat must only be used for good, and never evil."
"She would know," the first girl said. "She created it."
Cole adjusted the hat on his head. "By the power vested in me," he said, for it turns out Cole was a Canadian preacher in a previous life, "I vow to never again attempt to use the Magic Hat for evil. Or split my infinitives."
"Huzzah!" the girls cheered, and there was great rejoicing in all Hoosierlandia.
From thence forward, the girl on the quest spread the story of the wise Cole and his triumph over evil. And split infinitives.

Once I finished the story, Emily and I got around to leave, and stopped just to take our group picture.

Unfortunately, sometimes self-timer doesn't so much work out.


Fortunately, sometimes the Steak 'n' Shake manager who is standing at the counter notices your failed attempts with the self-timer, and points out that he could take the picture for you, especially given the fact that he was a professional photographer before he worked at the Steak 'n' Shake.

Of course, I have to wonder why he's working at a Steak 'n' Shake now ....