The Ice Cream Gang
J.T. Jefferson
Welcome to
Freezer Town, a wonderful community where family and friends live as neighbors
who help each other become better citizens every day. In the middle of the town
is the community center, where townsfood comes together for celebrations and to
solve problems. On the eastside of the community center is the home of the ice
cream family. They live in an ice cream box. The popsicles, the ice cream
family’s next-door neighbors, live just to the south. On the westside of the
community center are two more families: the vegetable sisters and their
cousins, the frozen fruit.
In the ice
cream family are four siblings: three brothers and one sister. There is Lil
Fudge, a brown ice cream bar who wears glasses and has braces on his teeth. Lil
Fudge is very creative, so other residents of Freezer Town often come to him
for fun ideas for games and holiday activities. One of his brothers, Lil Pop,
is also an ice cream bar. Lil Pop is green, and he always has a nervous look on
his face. He is always the first one to ask, “Is it safe?” before trying
anything new. Lil Fudge’s other brother is an ice cream cone. Lil Cone’s cone
is the color of a waffle, and his head is a scoop of blueberry ice cream. Lil
Cone smiles all the time, and everyone in town becomes happier when they see
him. Their sister is also a cone. Lil Berry has the same cone as Lil Cone, but
her ice cream scoop is strawberry. Lil Berry has thick, cherry-red lips and
enjoys dolls, putting on makeup, and playing dress-up.
In the open
space next to the ice cream family’s home live the popsicle triplets. They are
each shaped like a rocket made with red, white, and blue ice. Cherry Pop has a
pointy red head and a white and blue body. Lime Pop has a pointy white head
with a blue and red body, and Blue-Raspberry Pop has a pointy blue head with a
red and white body. The popsicles are known in Freezer Town as the life of the
party. They are always the first to arrive and the last to leave any
celebration.
Across town from the ice cream and
popsicle families live the vegetable sisters. Sweet Corn, Crookneck Squash, and
Climbing Bean are always seen together. Sweet Corn sports a coat of green
leaves, and only her yellow head, filled with kernels, peeks out over her coat.
Like Lil Cone, Sweet Corn is always happy. Crookneck Squash is the tallest
citizen in town. Her long neck is supported by a plump, yellow, squash-shaped
body. She is very shy and does not speak much, preferring to spend her days
helping her sisters in their garden. Climbing Bean is the smallest member of
Freezer Town. Her skinny green bean body makes it easy for her to climb, so she
is often found in high places looking down at her much taller sisters.
Living next door to the vegetable
sisters are the Frozen Fruit. Granny Smith Apple, Banana Split, and Peach Fuzz
share a container home. Granny Smith, a green apple, never leaves the
container, but the other townsfolk visit her when they need motherly advice to
help them with life’s challenges. Banana Split, a ripe, yellow banana, is
rarely seen. Some in town believe he is dating Crookneck Squash, but since
Crookneck Squash doesn't speak much, and Banana Split is hard to find, no one
really knows. Lastly, Peach Fuzz, a red and yellow peach who usually needs a
shave, is the sheriff of Freezer Town. He works closely with Mayor Baking Soda.
The mayor’s orange, boxy body was raised at the right side of her head, and the
space where her head was raised was covered in white powder. The powder always
smelled fresh, so the citizens of Freezer Town had elected her mayor to keep
the town smelling pleasant.
***
The ice cream box is new to Freezer Town. Before the ice cream bars and
cones were placed in this community, they lived in a place where they were
surrounded only by other boxes of ice cream. Popsicles, vegetables, and fruit
came from foreign lands that ice cream had never visited. To welcome the newly
arrived ice cream family to their town, the popsicles of Freezer Town surprised
them with fireworks.
Firecrackers began exploding outside
of the ice cream box. Lil Fudge opened the top of the box from the inside to
see what was making those loud noises. In the space next to their home, Lil
Fudge saw three popsicles dancing around a circle of rockets that were
launching into the air one by one before bursting into brilliant colors.
“What is it?” Lil Pop asked. He was
shaking in his bed, worried about the sounds coming from outside.
“Fireworks,” Lil Fudge said with a
smile.
“I wanna see, too,” Lil Cone
pleaded. “Please, please, please?”
Lil Fudge looked down from the top
of the box at Lil Cone. Lil Cone smiled up at him excitedly. Lil Fudge then
looked over to their sister’s bed. Lil Berry was still sleeping. She can sleep through anything, Lil
Fudge thought.
“Wake Lil Berry,” Lil Fudge said to
Lil Cone. “We’ll all go outside to watch the fireworks together.”
“No, no, no,” Lil Pop protested.
“I’m not going outside.”
“You’ll miss the fun!” Lil Cone
said. He was standing next to Lil Berry, who was still blinking the sleep from
her eyes.
“What fun?” Lil Berry asked.
“The fireworks!” Lil Fudge and Lil
Cone said in unison.
“Oh, goodie,” said Lil Berry. “I
need to put on my lipstick first.”
“Why don’t you want to join us?” Lil
Fudge asked Lil Pop.
“I have never met popsicles before.
What if they’re dangerous?” Lil Pop responded.
“They’re just dancing and having
fun,” Lil Fudge said. He was trying to help Lil Pop feel more comfortable.
“Nope, you guys go ahead. I’ll stay
right here,” Lil Pop insisted.
“I’m ready. Let’s go,” Lil Berry
urged. She was anxious to get out of their box.
***
The popsicles stopped dancing when they saw
the three ice creams standing nearby and watching them. They went over to
introduce themselves. Cherry Pop looked first at Lil Fudge, then at Lil Cone
and Lil Berry, who were right beside him.
“Hi. My name is Cherry Pop, and
these are my brothers, Lime Pop and Blue-Raspberry Pop,” she said, nodding
toward her siblings.
“Hello. My name is Lil Fudge, and
this is my brother, Lil Cone, and my sister, Lil Berry,” said Lil Fudge.
“Welcome to Freezer Town!” the
popsicle triplets said in unison.
“Thank you,” the ice cream siblings
responded.
“I thought there were four of you,”
Cherry Pop said to Lil Fudge.
“Our brother, Lil Pop, is afrai-”
Lil Berry began.
“He’s not ready to come outside,”
Lil Fudge interrupted.
The last firecracker went off behind
the popsicles, and the popsicles and ice creams looked in the direction of its
popping sound. Coming toward them was the town sheriff, Peach Fuzz.
“Who’s setting off firecrackers?”
Sheriff Peach Fuzz asked the group of popsicles and ice creams.
“We’re celebrating the arrival of
our new neighbors,” said Cherry Pop.
“You need permission from Mayor
Baking Soda to use fireworks,” Sheriff Peach Fuzz explained.
“Will do, Sheriff,” Cherry Pop
promised.
Lil Fudge then turned and asked the
sheriff, “Sheriff, can I speak with you in private?”
“Sure,” Sheriff Peach Fuzz agreed.
Lil Fudge and Sheriff Peach Fuzz
moved away from the group.
“Can you speak with my brother Lil
Pop? He’s afraid to leave the ice cream box for fear of popsicles,” Lil Fudge
explained.
“The popsicles are fun-loving
triplets,” said Sheriff Peach Fuzz. “I think Granny Smith Apple can help your
brother overcome his fear.”
“Where can I find her?” Lil Fudge
asked. He was eager to help his brother.
“She lives with me in the container
across town. I’ll tell her to expect you,” Sheriff Peach Fuzz replied.
This made Lil Fudge feel a bit
better.
“Thank you, Sheriff.”
***
Lil Pop peeked outside of the ice
cream box when the fireworks stopped. He saw the popsicles, and a peach,
walking away from his siblings. Lil Pop cautiously left the box to find out
what happened.
“Is everything okay?” Lil Pop asked
Lil Fudge.
“Come with me,” Lil Fudge urged.
“Where are we going?” Lil Pop asked.
He looked around nervously as he and his brother approached the container on
the other side of Freezer Town.
“We’re going to visit Granny Smith
Apple. She can help you feel better about living in this town,” answered Lil
Fudge.
When Granny Smith Apple saw Lil
Fudge and Lil Pop approaching her home, she opened the lid of her container to
let them in. Cold air whirled around the stem on her head as she looked toward
her neighbors’ garden. Before closing the lid, she saw the vegetable sisters
working in their garden.
“Good day, youngsters. Peach Fuzz
told me to expect you,” Granny Smith Apple said as Lil Fudge and Lil Pop took a
seat on a couple of ice cubes.
“Good afternoon, Granny Smith
Apple,” Lil Fudge replied.
Lil Pop was feeling too nervous to
greet Granny Smith Apple. He didn’t make eye contact, and he tried to hide
behind Lil Fudge.
“Peach Fuzz said that you’re afraid
of the popsicles. Is that true?” Granny Smith Apple asked Lil Pop.
“It’s not just the popsicles,” Lil
Pop admitted. “Everyone in Freezer Town is so different. In the town we left,
everyone was an ice cream. Here, there are popsicles, fruit, and even mixed
vegetables living right next to us.”
“Why does that frighten you?” Granny
Smith Apple asked.
“Well, maybe they’ll hurt me, or
worse, maybe they won’t like me,” Lil Pop responded.
“Being different doesn’t make them
dangerous, Lil Pop. In fact, it might mean that they have new and wonderful
things to share,” Granny Smith Apple explained.
“Really?” Lil Pop asked. He had
never thought about what strangers might have to share.
“Yes. When I was a small apple still
holding on to my mother’s branch, I had dozens of siblings who looked just like
me. We were all the same, and as we grew, there was little for us to learn from
each other. Then, something wonderful happened.”
Granny Smith Apple paused.
“What was it?” Lil Fudge asked.
“What happened?” Lil Pop echoed.
“A garden town was planted right
next to my mother. There were families of rosemary, chives, oregano, basil, and
more. They created miracles together,” Granny Smith Apple said, joy glowing in
her eyes.
“What do you mean by miracles?” Lil
Pop asked.
“When garden town citizens got
together, they made one plus one equal four. They were more than twice as good
together than when they were apart,” explained Granny Smith Apple.
“So together is better,” Lil Pop
whispered.
“You got it!” Granny Smith Apple
responded.
***
Lil Pop was no longer afraid of the
different citizens in Freezer Town. Granny Smith Apple had told him to love
himself first if he wanted others to like him. This advice gave Lil Pop the
confidence to make new friends, so he asked Lil Fudge to join him for a visit
with the vegetable sisters. Before they arrived at the sisters’ gate, their
siblings, Lil Berry and Lil Cone, joined them.
“Who lives here?” Lil Berry asked.
“The vegetable sisters,” Lil Pop
replied. “We’re visiting them to make new friends.”
“Yippie!” Lil Cone shouted with
glee.
The gate to the vegetable sisters’
home opened before Lil Fudge could knock on it. Now, standing in front of the
ice cream family was Sweet Corn. Behind her, in a patch of dirt, were her two
sisters. Crookneck Squash was planting seeds at the bottom of a stick, and
sitting on the top of that stick was Climbing Bean.
“Oh, what do we have here?” Sweet
Corn asked Lil Fudge, the closest ice cream to her.
“We’re the ice cream family. I’m Lil
Fudge, and these are my brothers and sister,” Lil Fudge said, grinning toward
his siblings. “We’re new in town, and we want to meet new friends.”
“Well, welcome,” Sweet Corn said as
she opened the gate to her home even wider. “Come on in.”
The ice creams walked over to the
patch of dirt where Crookneck Squash and Climbing Bean were working. Sweet Corn
joined them, and everyone introduced themselves. Lil Cone marveled at how tall
Crookneck Squash was, and his staring at her appeared to make her feel uneasy,
as she turned away from them. Lil Fudge reminded Lil Cone that staring at
others who looked different was not polite.
“Your coat is pretty,” Lil Berry
said to Sweet Corn.
“Thank you,” Sweet Corn replied. “I
like your long eyelashes.”
Lil Berry giggled and blushed at
Sweet Corn’s compliment. Before her giggles faded away, Crookneck Squash ran
through the open gate and toward the container shared by Granny Smith Apple,
Banana Split, and Sheriff Peach Fuzz. The ice creams were confused. They
thought it might have been something they did that had scared Crookneck Squash
away, but their minds were set at ease when they saw Crookneck Squash smiling
as she stood next to Banana Split in front of the container.
“She must really like that banana,”
Lil Cone said.
“They’re in love,” Climbing Bean
informed them.
“It’s okay for vegetables and fruit
to be together?” Lil Berry asked.
“Love is love,” replied Sweet Corn.
“It wouldn’t be right to tell them not to care for each other.”
***
The popsicle triplets were at the
center of the town square surrounding Mayor Baking Soda.
“So you want permission to have a
festival to welcome the new ice cream family, is that right?” Mayor Baking Soda
asked Cherry Pop.
“Yes, Mayor,” Cherry Pop said. She
was beaming with excitement.
“I can be the D.J. and play music,”
Lime Pop offered.
“And I’ll bring more fireworks,”
Blue-Raspberry Pop chimed in, jumping up and down.
“Alright,” Mayor Baking Soda agreed.
“Tell everyone in the community that it’s party time.”
“Hip hip hooray!” the popsicles
cheered.
***
During the welcoming festival,
Sheriff Peach Fuzz made sure that Blue-Raspberry Pop handled the fireworks
safely. Banana Split and Crookneck Squash danced together in front of the music
speakers that Lime Pop had setup for the occasion. Granny Smith Apple watched
the celebration from the window of her container.
Sweet Corn added sprinkles to Lil
Berry’s strawberry scoop to make her look even prettier during the party.
Looking down from an icicle high above the town were Climbing Bean and her new
friend Lil Cone. Lil Pop was no longer afraid of his many new unique neighbors.
As Cherry Pop and Lil Fudge thanked Mayor Baking Soda for allowing everyone to
get together, Lil Pop could not help but wonder what he had ever been afraid
of. Granny Smith Apple was right;
different foods have much to share, and we are better together.
2
Who
took a bite out of Lil Fudge?
Resting snuggly in his bed in the
ice cream box, Lil Fudge dreamed about the fun he would be having the next day.
Maybe he would make frosties with the popsicles next door, or play hide and
seek with Lil Cone and Climbing Bean. Mayor Baking Soda might have a cleaning
job he can volunteer for, or Sheriff Peach Fuzz may need help finding Banana
Split. Whatever tomorrow would bring, Lil Fudge slept soundly knowing that
everyday in Freezer Town promised a new adventure.
All of a sudden, Lil Fudge was
shocked awake by a rush of warm air. He stared in amazement as the top of the
ice cream box was lifted open. Lil Pop began to cry, Lil Cone did not
understand what was happening, and Lil Berry stayed fast asleep. A pudgy hand
as large as Lil Fudge’s whole body lifted him out of the box and carried him
all the way out of Freezer Town.
After the box top closed shut, Lil
Pop shouted, “What was that?”
“A monster?” Lil Cone guessed.
Still frightened, Lil Pop moved his
bed to the space between Lil Pop and Lil Berry. There, he shook and hoped that
Lil Fudge would be returned. He also hoped that Lil Berry would continue
sleeping through this terrible event.
The warm air that Lil Fudge had felt
became even warmer as he was pulled into the bright light that now filled
Freezer Town. From within the light, he could feel his brown coating starting
to soften. But before his thoughts could focus on the awful possibility of
melting, voices that boomed as if from megaphones could be heard.
“Amir, put that back. You’re going
to spoil your dinner,” a woman’s voice ordered.
“Please, Mommy. I’ll still eat all
of my dinner,” a child’s voice pleaded in response.
The heat was unbearable. He could
not survive outside of Freezer Town much longer.
“Do as I say,” the woman ordered.
“Yes, Mom,” Amir responded.
However, the child decided to take a
small bite of the fudge ice cream bar before placing it back in the box.
Lil Fudge saw a giant mouth open in
front of him. Two rows of teeth wrapped in metal loomed over his head, getting
closer. When the rows of teeth separated, an enormous pink tongue licked his
face. Lil Fudge then felt pressure on the left side of his head, and a piece of
him disappeared into that gargantuan mouth.
Moments later, Lil Fudge was back in
the ice cream box, surrounded by his worried brothers and sister. They stared
at him in disbelief. The left side of his head had been bitten open, but it had
frozen up again the second he returned to Freezer Town.
“What happened to you?” Lil Berry
asked. The racket her brothers were making had finally woken her up.
Looking up at the top of their ice
cream box. Lil Fudge answered, “I think something named Amir tried to eat me.”
10/10/20
When Broccoli came to town…
Broccoli Sprout appeared in town
square while the other townsfood were sleeping.
His body was a short, thick, light green stalk, and his
large flowering head was covered by small, dark green leaves. Everyone in
Freezer Town would have strong opinions about Broccoli, but they would all
learn that the community was healthier with him around.
The next
morning, Lil Fudge was the first one awake in the ice cream box. He heard
voices coming from town square, so he opened the box top to see who was out and
about. Mayor Baking Soda was smiling broadly as she greeted a broccoli.
Lil Fudge closed the box top and
turned to where his siblings were sleeping.
“Hey guys,” Lil Fudge said loud
enough to wake them. “There’s a visitor in town.”
Lil Cone, who was only pretending to
still be asleep, sprang from his bed.
“Really?” Lil Cone said excitedly. “Is
it a flower or a grape?”
“No,” Lil Fudge chuckled. “It's
broccoli.”
“Oh no,” said Lil Pop. “Doesn't
broccoli smell funny?”
“They sure look funny,” Lil Berry
added.
Lil Fudge shook his head. He was a
bit disappointed with Lil Pop and Lil Berry for judging a food they hadn’t met.
“Why don’t we go find out?” Lil
Fudge suggested.
“Cool,” said Lil Cone. He was
already opening the box top ready to go.
In the yard next to the ice cream
box, the popsicles were running around happily. They were hoping that the broccoli
they saw speaking with the mayor would be a cause for celebration.
Blue-Raspberry Pop stopped abruptly, and his sister and brother collided into
him.
“What’s wrong?” Cherry Pop asked.
“Is a warm light coming?” Lime Pop
asked while his eyes searched the air.
“Aren’t we supposed to run away from
broccoli?” Blue-Raspberry Pop said with a puzzled look on his face.
At that moment, the popsicle
triplets saw Lil Fudge and Lil Cone heading toward town square.
“I guess not,” said Cherry Pop.
Granny Smith Apple watched from her
container as Lil Fudge and Lil Cone approached Mayor Baking Soda and a
broccoli. She was hopeful that the broccoli would visit members of the
community who were not feeling well. Broccoli was known to be able to help
reduce swelling, improve vision, and make townsfood live longer and stronger.
Sheriff Peach Fuzz was about to
leave the container to begin his work when Granny Smith Apple said, “Make sure
you meet that broccoli the mayor is speaking to.”
“Why?” the sheriff asked.
“It may give you a leaf to help with
your bruised belly,” said Granny Smith Apple.
“Bring me a leaf too,” said Banana
Split who had just stood up in his corner of the container. “Maybe it will keep
my skin nice and yellow.”
“That it will,” Granny Smith Apple
confirmed.
Mayor Baking Soda saw two of the ice
cream brothers approaching, and smiled toward them.
“Come meet our special guest,” the
mayor said to the ice creams.
“Good day, Mayor,” Lil Fudge greeted
her.
“Good day,” Lil Cone repeated with a
grin.
“This is Broccoli Sprout,” the mayor
said while leaning toward the broccoli.
“Nice to meet you,” Broccoli Sprout
said to the ice creams.
“Welcome to Freezer Town,” said Lil
Fudge.
“Are you here to play?” Lil Cone
asked.
“I’m here to help,” Broccoli Sprout
responded.
“Help how?” Lil Fudge was curious.
“Broccoli Sprout visits townsfood to
make them feel better,” said Mayor Baking Soda. “He’s going to start by
visiting the vegetable sisters.”
On his way to the garden of the
vegetable sisters, Broccoli Sprout met Sheriff Peach Fuzz. He gave the sheriff
two of his dark green leaves: one for the sheriff, and the other for Banana
Split. At the gate of the vegetable sisters’ garden, Sweet Corn let Broccoli
Sprout in.
Sweet Corn shared with Broccoli
Sprout that Crookneck Squash had been having problems with her eyes. Broccoli
Sprout went over to Crookneck Squash, who was watering plants in the garden,
and offered her one of his leaves. He told her that the Vitamin A and
Beta-Carotene in the leaf would improve her vision.
Climbing Bean, who was securing a
vine high up on a fence post, asked Broccoli Sprout, “What’s Beta-Carotene?”
Broccoli Sprout was surprised to
hear Climbing Bean’s voice coming from so high up. He looked up at her and
said, “Beta-Carotene is the red-orange coat that some fruits and vegetables
wear. When it’s inside of us, it becomes Vitamin A.”
Climbing Bean nodded her head, and
said, “I see, and Vitamin A is good for the eyes.”
The popsicle triplets, Lil Pop, and
Lil Berry waited outside of the ice cream box when Lil Fudge and Lil Cone
returned from the town square. They were anxious to learn about broccoli.
When Lil Fudge reached them, Lil Pop
asked, “Did the broccoli smell?”
Lil Berry asked, “Was he scary
looking?”
“Are we going to have a welcoming
party?” Lime Pop wondered. “I can play Hip Hop music!”
Lil Fudge giggled. “You’re all so
silly,” he said between bouts of laughter. “The broccoli’s name is Broccoli
Sprout. He’s only visiting, and his job is to help townsfood to grow healthy.”
Chocolate Strawberry
Chocolate Strawberry’s reflection in
the ice made him feel uncomfortable. It wasn’t because he thought the image of
himself was not handsome, it was because he believed it was too pretty.
Everyone saw the light green skirt that covered the bottom of his red,
strawberry-shaped body, and they complimented his chocolate-brown face. They
saw Chocolate Strawberry as a girl. The girl who occasionally visited Freezer
Town to play with her best friend, Lil Berry.
Back in the strawberry patch where
he lived, Chocolate Strawberry’s mother-plant dressed him in a skirt that he
never wanted to wear. She saw him as one of her beautiful daughters, and
thought that someday she would enjoy pretty dresses. Chocolate Strawberry found
it hard to explain to his family that he was a male strawberry born into the
body of a female strawberry. He was hopeful that he could convince Lil Berry
about his true identity.
Lil Berry was outside of her home dressing up an ice cream sundae doll
with an assortment of candies when Chocolate Strawberry arrived.
In a cheery sing-song voice, Lil
Berry said, “Hi, Chocolate Strawberry, do you want to play dress up with me?”
Before Chocolate Strawberry could
answer her, he saw Lil Fudge and Lil Pop heading over to the popsicles’ place
with hockey sticks. They enjoyed playing ice hockey with Lime Pop and
Blue-Raspberry Pop. What Chocolate Strawberry really wanted to do was join the
boys, but they saw him as a little girl, and did not want a girl to get hurt by
their rough play.
Chocolate Strawberry said, “Okay,
Lil Berry, I’ll play dress up with you.”
Lil Berry smiled with delight, and
handed him a vanilla sundae doll to dress with candies.
While placing mints on the sundae
doll, tears began to run down Chocolate Strawberry’s face. Seeing this, Lil Berry
began to worry about her friend.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Lil
Berry asked.
Between sniffles, Chocolate
Strawberry said, “I hear the boys having so much fun next door, and I want to
play with them.”
With a confused look on her face,
Lil Berry said, “But you’re a girl.”
“No I’m not!” Chocolate Strawberry
shouted. “I’m a boy strawberry in a girl strawberry body.”
Lil Berry was surprised to hear
this, but she could see how much her friend wanted her to understand. She
thought about how Granny Smith Apple once helped Lil Pop feel comfortable
living in a new town with many different townsfood. Maybe Granny Smith Apple can help my friend, she thought.
“I believe you,” said Lil Berry. “I
think I know someone you can talk to.”
“Really? Who?” Chocolate Strawberry
asked. He had stopped crying. Lil Berry believing him, and offering to help,
made him feel happier.
“Granny Smith Apple,” Lil Berry
replied. “She lives in the container across town.
Lil Cone was sitting with Cherry Pop
watching their brothers play ice hockey when he saw Lil Berry and Chocolate
Strawberry walking toward town square.
“Good afternoon, Chocolate
Strawberry,” Lil Cone called out. He didn’t think it necessary to also say
hello to his sister.
Cherry Pop looked away from the
hockey game toward town square, and said, “Hi Lil Berry and Chocolate
Strawberry.” She then turned to Lil Cone, and said, “It’s great that they’re
such good friends.”
Lil Berry and Chocolate Strawberry
walked past town hall. There, the mayor and sheriff were discussing town
business. Mayor Baking Soda smiled at them, and Sheriff Peach Fuzz took a step
closer.
“Where are you girls headed?” the
sheriff asked.
Chocolate Strawberry felt uneasy
when the sheriff called him a girl.
Lil Berry replied to the sheriff,
“We’re going to visit Granny Smith Apple.”
“She’d love to have company,” the
sheriff responded.
Before reaching Granny Smith Apple’s
home, the two best friends saw the vegetable sisters dancing around a pole in
their garden. Sweet Corn, Crookneck Squash, and Climbing Bean were all singing,
“Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.” The sisters wanted the white fluffy
stuff to protect their seeds from the cold.
Upon reaching Granny Smith Apple’s
container, Lil Berry tapped on its lid. Chocolate Strawberry paced nervously.
He didn’t know exactly how Granny Smith Apple could help him. Banana Split
opened the lid.
“Well, hello ladies,” Banana Split
greeted them. “What brings you two tasty treats to our home?”
“We’re here to see Granny Smith
Apple,” Lil Berry said. “My friend needs to speak with her in private.”
“Come on in,” Banana Split beckoned.
When they entered the container, Lil
Berry stood with Banana Split while Chocolate Strawberry sat close to Granny Smith
Apple on the opposite side of the room.
“Hi, sweetie,” Granny Smith Apple
said to Chocolate Strawberry. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”
Chocolate Strawberry looked across
the room at Lil Berry. She nodded her head to let him know that it was okay to
share his feelings with Granny Smith Apple. He turned back to face Granny Smith
Apple, and started to explain his situation.
“I know it’s okay for boys to like
pretty things, and for girls to like getting dirty playing tough sports, but I
want everyone to know that I’m a boy. I want them to stop seeing me as a girl,
and calling me she or her. They should see me as a boy, and call me he or him.
That’s all I wish for,” Chocolate Strawberry sighed. He had been keeping these
thoughts to himself for a long time.
Granny Smith Apple thought carefully
about what she was just told. She knew some food would respect his wishes, and
others would not. The advice she offered needed to prepare Chocolate Strawberry
for both good and bad reactions.
“It would be easier for you to
continue to pretend to be someone you’re not, but you are showing a lot of
courage by telling the truth,” said Granny Smith Apple. “Your good friends and
family, like Lil Berry, will continue to love you anyway. Strangers might still
call you a girl, but you need to be patient with them. You are in the body of a
girl, and they probably don’t mean any harm.”
“You really believe I’m courageous?”
asked Chocolate Strawberry.
“Very,” said Granny Smith Apple.
“And so are those who accept you for who you are.”
