Once upon a time in the land of sweets there was a candy bar named Chocotastic. He wasn't like all the other candies. Choco was small and bitter. He couldn't help the way he was; it was how he'd always been. All the other candies made fun of him for being different and this made Choco sad. One day, after some particularly bad verbal abuse, Choco decided that he had had enough. He packed up his little knapsack and left home. He ventured far beyond the border of the land of sweets into the great world beyond. He traveled far and wide until he finally reached a great big city. The buildings were bigger than anything he'd ever seen. He wandered the streets avoiding the feet of particularly large people. After wandering and wandering Choco became very tired and decided to lie down in a park. He awoke to the sound of a child's laughter.
“What are you doing little candy bar?” asked a boy.
Choco sat up and looked at his addressor. The boy had ginger blond hair and was wearing overalls.
“I am very tired.” Choco said, “I have traveled quite far and I miss my home. The people there are mean to me because I'm different.”
The boy moved his face closer to the candy bar to get a better look.
“Not me,” said the boy, “I'm fairly average when it comes to humans. I have a close circle of playmates and I'm fairly high up on the social ladder.”
Choco stared blankly back at the boy.
“Oh.”
“You can see where I'd have a hard time commiserating with you in that regard.”
“Yes,” said Choco, “Though I was hoping to find someone I had more in common with...”
“Well I do love candy,” said the boy.
“You do?!” Choco's candy coated heart began to thump rapidly with excitement.
“Well yeah,” replied the boy, “Every kid loves candy.”
Choco smiled. This was the greatest news he'd heard since he had left the land of sweets. Finally he had found a place where he belonged. Gone were the days of being berated for being different. He could now look forward to a life of happiness. This was a world where candy was revered, even the small and bitter ones. The boy reached down, picked Choco up, and lifted him so they were eye to eye.
“I just want to say,” said Choco, “how much I appreciate our friendship. I never thought I'd...wait, what are you doing?”
The boy opened his mouth wide and popped Choco in. He began to chew but immediately regretted doing so. What a bitter taste, he thought. Not the best candy he had ever eaten. The boy spit Choco out and tried to scrape the flavor off of his tongue.
“Timmy, what are you doing?” the boy's mother yelled. “How many times do I have to tell you not to eat things you find on the ground?”
She grabbed him by the shirt collar and pulled him along. From the ground Choco watched them walk away and he was happy. He'd finally found someone who loved him, if only for a small while. Choco smiled as a boot obscured his vision. A disturbing squishing sound was the last thing Choco perceived.
“Ew gross,” said the owner of the boot as he scraped his footwear clean.
The End
Chocotastic was written by Daniel Weinell and illustrated by Maribel Navarro.
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