Story 51: Is a Thousand Scoops Too Many?

It was a very hot day and Izzy wanted ice cream.

She listened for the sound of the ice cream man’s cart.

“One scoop of Doubled-Dunked Chocolate Chunk,” she said when the ice cream man pushed his cart down her street.

As she stuck out her tongue to lick the first lick, she heard a small voice. “You really must add a scoop of Triple-Dipped Chocolate Chip,” said the scoop.

This sounded like a good idea to Izzy, so she asked the ice cream man to add a scoop of Triple-Dipped Chocolate Chip.

“Wait!” cried the Triple-Dipped Chocolate Chip the moment Izzy was about to dive in. “Try the Twice-Drizzled Cake Swizzle.”

Izzy had never even heard of such a flavor, but it sounded undeniably delicious.

With three scoops stacked on top of her cone, Izzy’s eyes were big as saucers. Just when she was about to take her first taste, the ice cream scoops started to sing.

Double-Dunked Chocolate Chunk needs Triple-Dipped Chocolate Chip

Twice-Drizzled Cake Swizzle is better with Espresso Bean Whip

Peanut Butter Cup and Peanut Butter Cream

Peanut Butter Cookie and Peanut Butter Extreme

Crazy Caramel, Maple Madness, and Balloon Berry Truffle

Golden Mango, Tiger Stripes, and Buttermilk Bubble

Each new flavor plopped on top of the one before. The scoops on Izzy’s cone were suddenly stacked over her head and every one looked more scrumptious than the last. And the scoops kept singing.

Coconut, Pistachio, and Soda-Pop Supersweet Fizzle 

Lavender Honey and Sweet Brittle Ripple

Pineapple Peppermint and Blueberry Brickle

Jalapeno and Olive and Frozen Dill Pickle

Cake Batter Cookie Dough and Fresh Candy Cane

Lemon-on-Lemon and Vanilla-So-Plain

Soon, the scoops on Izzy’s cone stretched taller than the trees. And the scoops kept singing.

Toffee and Tea and Pink Cotton Candy

Coffee and Brie and Dandelion Dandy

Pink Bubble Gum and Great Golden Grape

Banana and Basil and Yummy-Yum Crepe

Baked Apple Pie and Heavenly Cherry

Baked Rhubarb Strudel and Very Strawberry

Now Izzy’s cone was piled so high that birds and planes had to fly around the ice cream tower, piercing the clouds. And the scoops kept singing.

Pepper and Custard and Sweettooth Green Guava

Cheddar and Mustard and Baklava Lava

Sweet Mashed Potato and Raspberry Raisin

Spicy Minced Tomato and Red Cajun Bacon

Huckleberry and Honeycomb and Horseradish too

Birthday Cake Cookie Crumb and Licorice Cashew

The scoops had broken through the atmosphere. Izzy could not even see the flavors at the top of her cone, but she noticed that the scoops at the bottom were beginning to mush and melt. Only now did she realize she couldn’t eat her scoop of Double-Dunked Chocolate Chunk without eating every other scoop first. The thought made her sad because she knew it was impossible to eat all the thousand ice cream scoops.

When people came from all over town to see the incredible ice cream tower, they were amazed…until they saw Izzy’s tears.

“What’s the matter, Izzy?” the townspeople asked.

“I wanted ice cream,” she sobbed. “But now I see a thousand scoops is far too many for me.”

The townspeople were sad with Izzy, whose hands were now sticky with melting ice cream, whose arms hurt from holding the heavy cone, and whose cheeks were red with embarrassment. 

Just then, when Izzy felt the saddest, an idea struck her. Or perhaps the Double-Dunked Chocolate Chunk whispered it in her ear before it disappeared under the weight of all the other scoops. She told all the townspeople to stand in a line that stretched far as the eye could see. She told them to hold out cones and cups, plates and palms, or just their plain open mouths. “Are you hungry?” she asked. “Because here it comes!”

Izzy tipped the tower of ice cream over on its side so every scoop fell to a townsperson. “A thousand scoops is too much for any one girl,” she said. “But it’s just right for all of us.”

The townspeople cheered and started into their ice cream. Izzy smiled as she turned to eat her little scoop of Double-Dunked Chocolate Chunk, still resting there in the cone. The scoop looked up at her and sang.

Ice cream is best when it comes without end

Because ice cream is best when it’s shared with a friend

Izzy looked once more at the thousand friends enjoying the ice cream feast. Then she open-mouth grinned at the Double-Dunk Chocolate Chunk–and gobbled it up.