The Sweetest Disaster in Neopia

     “Hmm, that pile is too small,” he muttered.

     He looked at another pile. “Well, that pile looks even smaller.” He said in frustration.

     Then he glanced at the copper mixing bowl in the back of the factory where warm chocolate was being stirred by a mechanical paddle. He had a bright idea.

     “What if we made it bigger?” He said.

     The other workers stopped what they were doing. “Made what bigger?” A Green Shoyru questioned while wrapping Chocolate-Coated Kreludan Milk Balls.

     “I was thinking we could make the fountain bigger!” Mike exclaimed, pointing toward the marketplace outside the factory windows. “Neopia has never seen anything like it. A chocolate fountain in the middle of the marketplace and not one of those little fountains you see at parties. I’m talking about a gigantic fountain that has chocolate pouring from the top, cascading down several levels and filling the whole marketplace with the smell of warm chocolate!”

     “And who do you think is going to clean that?” The Shoyru asked.

     “That’s where the community comes in!” Mike smiled.

     Within an hour, Mike had drawn up plans and made a list of supplies. By lunchtime, he had convinced himself that this was the greatest idea in the history of Neopia, but there was only one problem, and that was he couldn’t build it alone. So Mike did something he wasn’t particularly good at doing and asked for help.

     He began in the marketplace, approaching shopkeepers, bakers, and anyone else who happened to be passing by.

     “I’m building a giant chocolate fountain!” Mike told the shopkeepers.

     “Why?” A Red Kacheek asked as she was walking back to her shop.

     “Because it’s going to be amazing and produce a lot of chocolate!” Mike explained.

     Soon, the marketplace community became involved. The carpenters offered to build the wooden platform, and plumbers agreed to construct the pipes. The bakers offered mixing bowls. A Meridell Farmer volunteered to haul equipment, and even a pair of Blue Skeiths promised to help move the largest pieces. For the next several days, the marketplace was transformed into a construction site and the fountain was giant.

     At the very bottom was a circular basin. Above it were four smaller levels; each one was narrower than the last. At the very top was a giant chocolate bowl with a pipe running through the centre. The plan was simple. Chocolate would be heated inside a machine hidden beneath the fountain. A pump would send the melted chocolate to the top where it would spill over the first level, then the second, and lastly the third until it started flowing into the wide basin below. At least, that was how it was supposed to work.

     The grand opening arrived on a Saturday morning, and the entire marketplace gathered.

     Shopkeepers stood outside their stores. Children crowded around the fountain, and Neopets from all over Neopia had come to see what Mike had built. Mike stood proudly beside the control panel.

     “Is everyone ready?” Mike shouted.

     The crowd cheered, and he pushed the first lever, but nothing happened. He tried it again, and the machine gave a loud clunk. He tried pulling a different lever, and the machine made a terrible grinding sound.

     “Maybe that’s normal,” Mike muttered.

     The machine suddenly roared to life and chocolate rocketed upward. It didn’t spill from the top. It exploded, and a tremendous column of warm chocolate blasted into the air. It soared several feet above the fountain, and came raining down across the marketplace. Chocolate landed on stalls, carts, signs, benches, and several Neopets.

     “That’s… more pressure than we expected.” Mike said as he stared in horror.

     Another blast shot from the fountain.

      SPLAT!

     A fruit stall disappeared beneath a wave of chocolate. “My apples!” The shopkeeper cried.

     “Don’t worry! I’ll turn it off!” Mike shouted as he rushed to the control panel. He pulled one lever and nothing happened. He tried another, and the fountain grew louder.

     “That’s not the off switch!” He shouted in frustration.

     The chocolate began flowing faster and within minutes, the marketplace looked less like a shopping district and more like a giant dessert. Chocolate dripped from rooftops and covered the cobblestones. It even ran down the steps of the shops, and a group of children cheered and tried to scoop it into cups before their parents dragged them away.

     Mike scrambled beneath the fountain and found the problem. One of the pipes had become blocked, but the pump was still running, forcing more and more chocolate through the system.

     “I need someone to shut down the main machine!” Mike shouted.

     “I can do it!” A Yellow Aisha said, rushing over to help.

     She disappeared beneath the fountain, and a moment later, the machine made an enormous POP. The fountain finally stopped. Mike slowly climbed out from underneath the fountain. He was covered from head to toe in chocolate.

     “So… That didn’t go exactly as planned.” He said, looking around at the mess. “I’m sorry, everyone. I wanted to give the marketplace something wonderful, and instead I made a giant mess.”

     The fruit seller walked over and picked up one of his chocolate-covered apples and took a bite.

     “Actually… this isn’t bad.” He smiled.

     “I’ve seen worse.” The baker said as he picked up a chocolate-covered loaf.

     The Kacheek with the ruined hat looked at Mike and grinned. “You know, if we’re going to clean this up anyway, we might as well have some fun.”

     That was all it took. Everyone worked together to clean the chocolate from the shops and streets. The bakers turned the rescued chocolate into cakes and cookies. The fruit seller began selling his new “Chocolate Apples.” Children were given cups and allowed to collect chocolate from the fountain, and by sunset, the marketplace was almost back to normal. The fountain itself was dented and covered in chocolate. It was missing one of its decorative tiers. Mike sat beside it, exhausted from the chaos.

     “I ruined everything.” Mike said.

     “No, you didn’t.” The Yellow Aisha said as she sat beside him.

     “I flooded the marketplace with chocolate and covered everyone’s shops. I even destroyed half the fruit stall.” Mike frowned.

     From across the marketplace, the fruit seller called out, “And I’m making more money than I ever have!”

     Mike laughed, then he looked around. Everyone was smiling. The marketplace was covered in chocolate, but it was also filled with laughter. Neopets were sharing food, telling stories, and helping one another clean up.

     “I guess it wasn’t a complete disaster.” Mike smiled.

     “It wasn’t a disaster at all. You brought everyone together.” The Aisha grinned.

     Mike looked at the fountain. “Do you think we should fix it?”

     The crowd shouted, “YES!” So they did. Over the next week, the community helped Mike rebuild the fountain. The plumbers fixed the pipes, and carpenters repaired the platform. The bakers helped design a better chocolate basin, and the strongest Neopets helped reinforce the machine.

     This time, Mike listened to everyone’s advice. When the fountain was finally ready, he gathered everyone together.

     “Okay,” he announced. “Let’s try this again.” He pulled the lever and the machine hummed. Chocolate slowly rose through the centre pipe.

     As it reached the top, Mike held his breath.

     Then the chocolate spilt over the first tier, then the second and finally the third. Soon, a beautiful river of warm chocolate flowed down the fountain and into the basin below. Mike’s eyes filled with happiness.

     “We did it!” He shouted with joy.

     Everyone cheered as cups were passed around and Neopets gathered around the fountain. The giant chocolate fountain became a permanent part of the marketplace, and every weekend, Neopians gathered around it to share treats and enjoy each other’s company. Mike always remembered the first day and how his great idea went completely wrong. Because sometimes, the best things don’t happen when everything goes according to plan. Sometimes, they happen when everyone comes together to fix the mess.

     And from then on, whenever anyone asked Mike how he had managed to build Neopia’s greatest chocolate fountain, he smiled and said,

     “I didn’t build it alone. The community did.”

     The End.