www.scalarini.it

 
The mother had brought home a nice box, tied in a pink ribbon. Her three children ran and clung on to her: some wanted to know what was inside, how and why; some waNted to know how much it cost; the good lady answered everyone: wait for me to undress and I’ll show you what’s inside. When she opened the box she released a wonderful smell of chocolate all around, with unison exclamations of: Ah! Oh! Uh! The baby-blue satin lined box was full of rows of chocolates that were wrapped in golden and silver paper. The children held their arms out and opened their pockets, waiting for a cascade of chocolates to fall from the box, but instead they only got one each.
Only one, - said the mother - because I bought it for Father’s Day.
Give us another one, that’s all.
Take one, but remember that the box mustn’t’ be opened until that day. Shame on you if you open it! I won’t hide it, because I trust you, you are good children, and when Mum tells you not to do something you obey. Anyway, I counted them; if I find one missing, just one, I will punish all three of you, to be sure.
Mum, rest assured that we wouldn’t touch them. But on Father’s Day you’ll give us quite a bit, right?
That day I’ll let you eat as many as you want.
Good! Give us another one, and that’s all.
Here, this is the last one I’m giving you.
The mother put the box on the cupboard, and the children left, licking their fingers and mouth. Despite is seeing that the mother had great trust in her children, every morning she took a peek in the box. You never know!
Trust him, he was a good man; but don’t –you- trust him in being better than them. The chocolates were always there, lined up like soldiers. Ah, what good children! But a bad morning the mother found the box empty on the floor.
Ah, these rascals!
When the three children came back from school, the mother had a frowned face.
Who stole the chocolates?
What? Someone stole the chocolates?
Come on, don’t play dumb: you know better than I do. Here’s the empty box. Who did it?
Mum, we swear we didn’t eat them.
So who was it?
Not us, for sure.
Come on! There are no more chocolates; who could have taken them except for you?
Mum, we swear we haven’t touched them.
Who then? How silly was I by not hiding the box!
The mother looked in all pockets, under clothes, she emptied folders, opened drawers, searched the beds; but she found no trace of the chocolates; not even a small piece of their wrapping paper! The father, the mother, and the grandmother established a court, the mother was the public prosecutor, and the grandmother the defence lawyer. The three children were on the courtroom dock. I keep you readers from all the complaints, condolences, charges, defences, and the “only you could have eaten them” and “we didn’t eat them.” The mother didn’t want to hear any reasoning and asked for them to be immediately condemned to a month with no fruit and no cinematographer. The grandmother said a few words in the children’s defence, saying there was no proof of them emptying the box, and that, because of this, they had to be absolved. The father got up to pronounce the verdict. While he was saying: -Who ate the chocolates? – a furious cackle came from the kitchen: -Cluck! Cluck! Cluck! It was the voice of the guilty.