The Chocolate Story: Part 1

"It's all over the floor! Caleb needs a new pair of pants!"

Fearing the worst and with a confused look on her face, Rachel hung up the phone and hastily gathered the list of things her mom had asked her for. She wasn't sure what was going on; but from the sound in her mom's voice, she knew this was bad.

Did she get everything on the list? Yes, she had it all - carpet cleaner, rags, and a pair of pants.

In a flash, she was in the car, down the hill, and at her grandparents house. Her mind raced. Her feet hurried. She had a job to do, and she did it well.

Her feet flew - hardly touching the ground - as she walked through the cold night to the front door she had entered so many times. So many happy memories. But this time there was work to do.

On the scene, Rachel was met at the door by her flustered mother.

"What happened? Is everything ok?"

Flustered, her mom began the same way she had on the phone.

"It's all over the floor. Did you get Caleb some new pants?"

"Yah, but what happened?"

"Go in and see for yourself. He made such a mess of the place."

Then, it all began to make sense. As she entered the house, she saw the stain emerge - a trickle at first, growing, growing, growing. Then, at the entrance to the kitchen she saw the abandoned basket where there had once been a fresh chocolate pie. At the other end of the kitchen, with an embarrassed look on his face, stood the culprit.

She knew what it looked like. She knew what it sounded like. Now, she knew what had really happened.

Somehow, her little brother had managed to spill chocolate pie down the back of his pants and across the living room floor. Not just any living room floor. The brand new carpet her grandmother had begged for for years. Just months ago, they had replaced the gray shag carpet with the brilliant white version covered in globs of chocolate.

Caleb took the pants from his sister, knowing he couldn't hide the rosy embarrassment from his cheeks. He mumbled something to her about when his brothers found out. He knew it was too late.

That year Rachel learned that months of preparation go into Christmas, and a poorly balanced pie in the hands of a clumsy brother can almost ruin it all.

Today, the carpet is clean. The stain is barely visible. But she can still hear the words, not desperate but mocking...

"It's all over the floor! Caleb needs a new pair of pants!"