Schokolade!

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"Maus Kacken! Maus Kacken! Maus Kacken!"

The distressed call came from table sixteen, at the far end of Kelli's section. All eyes turned in that direction and the dining room suddenly became very still. Kelli struggled to remain professionally calm as she put down the entrees on table eight, told the customers (who were very good tippers so she was eager to please them) to enjoy their meal, and began to make her way over to table sixteen to see what the problem was.

By this time The Mother, guest of honor and now nearly screaming "Maus Kacken!" had stood to put on her coat. Her adult children were scrambling to calm their mother. Kelli had no idea what the problem could be. The entire table had seemed quite content with the meal so far, chatting away in German the whole time.

Kelli had just given them their dessert. This was the house special dessert, a molten slab of housemade brioche bread pudding drizzled with rum sauce and accompanied by crunchy chocolate popcorn. This was the dish that had put the restaurant on the map. What on earth could be the problem?

The Mother had turned beet red by the time Kelli got there and started gagging in the aisle. A few of the other tables in the dining room had begun to ask for their checks - they must have known what the word "Maus Kacken" meant. Kelli, German heritage and all, did not.

But it wasn't hard to figure out when she got to the table. The Mother had placed a few pieces of dark brown bits that were always sprinkled on the famous dessert on the white table cloth next to her plate. The Eldest, reverting mostly to English, was trying to explain to The Mother what they were.

"Mom! MOM! They are chocolate bits! SCHOKOLADE! Not mouse poop!"

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This is my entry to @mariannewest's freewrite challenge https://steempeak.com/freewrite/@mariannewest/day-635-5-minute-freewrite-wednesday-prompt-mouse-droppings

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The image is mine. A dear friend of mine who is also a photographer was with me yesterday when I tried to take a picture of boulders (Boulder Monday inspired) and told me to turn off the flash. Eureka! This little trick has transformed my life.