Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith Read Free Book Online

Chapter 1
    Meet Henry Green
    THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE who say that Henry Green wasn’t really born, but was hatched, fully grown, from a chocolate bean.
    Can you believe that?
    Anyway, this particular Henry Green we are speaking of was really born—not hatched—and had a wonderful mom and dad in the bargain. His father was tall and lean and wore eyeglasses, except when he was sleeping or in the shower. Mama Green, whose name was Enid, was a short, slim woman with blue-gray eyes and a tiny mouth that always seemed to be on the verge of a smile.

    They all lived in an apartment in the middle of the city, along with Henry’s older brother and sister. Mark Green was ten and tall and very good to Henry. Except when they would argue, which was often, and then he would hit Henry on the head with anything that was handy, which sometimes was hard. But mostly Mark was fun to be with and only got angry when Henry called him Marco Polo. Mark didn’t like that, and who could blame him?
    Henry’s sister was very, very old. Almost fourteen. She didn’t ever argue with Henry or Mark. In fact, she hardly talked to them at all because she was so old and wise and almost grown up. Her name was Elizabeth.
    The other morning, which was a schoolday at the end of the week called Friday, Henry, Mark, and Elizabeth were at the table in the dining room having breakfast. Mark was eating fried eggs. Elizabeth was quietly chewing on her usual breakfast of buttery toast and milk. And Henry was midway through his usual breakfast, too. Chocolate cake, a bowl of cocoa-crispy cereal and milk (with chocolate syrup in the milk to make it more chocolatey), washed down by a big glass of chocolate milk and five or six chocolate cookies. Sometimes, when it was left over from the night before, Henry would have chocolate pudding, too. And on Sunday mornings he usually had chocolate ice cream.
    The truth was that Henry was in love with chocolate. And chocolate seemed to love him.
    It didn’t make him fat. (He was a little on the thin side, in fact.)
    It didn’t hurt his teeth. (He’d never had a cavity in his life.)
    It didn’t stunt his growth. (He was just about average height, perhaps even a little tall for his age.)
    It didn’t harm his skin, which had always been clear and fair.
    But most of all, it never, never gave him a bellyache.
    And so his parents, perhaps being not as wise as they were kind, let Henry have as much chocolate as he liked.
    Can you imagine a boy having a chocolate-bar sandwich as an after-school snack? Well, Henry did, just about every day. And when he ate mashed potatoes, just a few drops of chocolate syrup swished through seemed to make them taste a lot better. Chocolate sprinkles sprinkled on top of plain buttered noodles were tasty, too. Not to mention a light dusting of cocoa on things like canned peaches, pears, and applesauce.
    In the Greens’ kitchen pantry there was always a giant supply of chocolate cookies, chocolate cakes, chocolate pies, and chocolate candies of every kind. There was ice cream, too. Chocolate, of course, and chocolate nut, chocolate fudge, chocolate marshmallow, chocolate swirl, and especially chocolate almond crunch. And all of it was just for Henry.
    If there was one thing you could say about Henry it was that he surely did love chocolate. “Probably more than any boy in the history of the world,” his mother said.
    “How does Henry like his chocolate?” Daddy Green would sometimes joke.
    “Why, he likes it bitter, sweet, light, dark, and daily.”
    And it was true. Up until the day we’re talking about right now.

Chapter 2
    A Strange Feeling
    “BETTER HURRY, KIDS,” Mama Green called from the kitchen, “it’s almost eight thirty.”
    “Let’s go, slowpoke,” Mark said to Henry, “we don’t want to be late.”
    “Just one more chocolate cookie,” said Henry. He popped it into his mouth and, still chewing, went to his room to get his books. On the way to the front door Henry went