by Crystal A. Moore
Chocolate. From the time Chip Munk woke up, he chomped it and chugged it. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate. He was sweet on them all.
So one day, while Chip was at home, slurping and burping, his friends came over to give him a big, whopping piece of their minds.
“You’re a chocoholic,” said Bunny.
Buck nodded. “A real cocoa nut.”
Chip’s mouth swung open. No words came out but a glazed chocolate doughnut went in.
“Instead of hanging out with us, you stay in with chocolate,” said Buck.
“You even missed our birthdays,” said Bunny.
Chip gulped. Gulped a gallon of chocolate milk.
“Starting tomorrow,” said Bunny, “we’re all gonna do stuff together again.”
“Right,” said Buck.
Chip tried telling them Tasteful TV was airing a week-long marathon of chocolate-themed cooking shows but his cheeks were as stuffed as a chocolate cannoli.
“Okay,” said Bunny. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
As the day melted like a chocolate bar in the sun, Chip indulged in a little food for thought. Could he really cut back on wolfing down chocolate mousse and pigging out on chocolate turtles? Could he really limit his trips to Boston for cream pies and his travels to Mississippi for mud pies? Could he really listen to his best buds instead of his taste buds?
The next day, Buck and Bunny took Chip to the carnival.
As they spiraled and spun, twirled and whirled, Chip glimpsed a snack booth. Once the ride stopped, his mouth started watering as they neared the stand… and its chocolate-covered bananas.
Chip charged toward the booth. “Oh, boy,” he said.
“Oh, fudge,” said Buck and Bunny.
The next day, Buck and Bunny took Chip to the park for a picnic but left the chocolate at home.
As they chewed and champed, munched and crunched, Chip heard an ice cream truck approaching. Chip gaped at the truck… and its painted-on chocolate pop.
Chip charged at the truck. “Oh, boy,” he said.
“Oh, fudge,” said Buck and Bunny.
The next day, Buck and Bunny took Chip to the recreation center.
As they skittered and scurried, clopped and hopped, Chip detected a warm, sweet scent beckoning to them. They followed the trail of smell all the way down the hall to a cooking class… and chocolate desserts.
Chip charged into the room to sign up for the next class. “Oh, boy,” he said.
“Oh, fudge,” said Buck and Bunny.
After that, Chip saw neither hide nor hair of Buck or Bunny. He chewed that over during class one day and then realized there was only one thing to do. So out came the chocolate.
Later that day, he invited Buck and Bunny over to his house.
“What’s under there?” asked Bunny, pointing to a domed food platter. “Something you learned to cook up in that class?”
“Probably cocoa bean burritos,” said Buck.
Chip replied by whisking the lid off the platter.
Buck and Bunny froze like bricks of chocolate ice cream as they beheld a cake seven layers high and frosted with deep, dark chocolate. Their eyes went back for seconds when they saw what was on top. Written in icing were the words, “Happy Belated Birthday to My Friends.”
And so it went. With the help of Buck and Bunny, Chip learned to fill his time instead of his belly. But, every once in a while, they would all head down to the bakery for a little something… chocolate.
the end.
Question Time
1. What did Chip love more than anything in the whole world?
2. Why were his friends upset with him?
3. What finally made Chip decide he had to change?
4. Which chocolate dessert sounded yummiest to you?
