Sweet Lies, Bitter Truth
Ice cream taste that can make you lie or tell the truth
Felix loves his new ice cream! It’s so sweet, he can’t stop licking it.
His mother has had enough. She’s tired of buying him all this ice cream. So, she decides to stop giving it to him.
“But Mom,” he whines.
“But nothing,” she snaps. “No more ice cream. It’s full of too much sugar. You need something healthier instead.” So, she goes into the kitchen to make some broccoli soup.
~
Later, Felix’s mother tells him to clean his room after she leaves for errands. When she returns, she sees her son playing his PlayStation.
“Felix, did you clean your room?”
“Yes, Mom,” he says.
She goes to his room to check. And surprise, surprise, it’s not cleaned.
“Felix!” she yells. “Why did you lie to me?”
“But Mom,” Felix springs off the couch, “I did clean my room.”
“Then why is it still dirty?”
“Because…” He tries to come up with an excuse, but his mother cuts him off.
“Clean it up! Now!”
~
The next day at school, Felix talks with his friend about what happened last night.
“Don’t worry, bro,” his friend says after Felix tells him about the ice cream. “I’ll make sure you get that ice cream. Here.” He hands them five dollars.
“Seriously, dude?” Felix asks.
“Yeah.” He steps in closer with a lower voice. “But don’t tell anybody.”
“Got it,” Felix whispers back with a wink.
~
Felix goes to Sweets, a popular outdoors ice cream shop where everyone flocks to in the early afternoons.
“Hey, Felix!” Hugo the owner greets. “How ya doin’, little man? What can I get for ya?”
“Just the Chocolate Banana Split with extra chocolate sauce, please..”
“You got it! Say, where’s your mom?”
Felix sweats a bit. “She’s at work.” Another lie. Normally, she’s at work when he gets off school, but he knows she’s off today.
“Oh, okay. Five bucks, kiddo!”
When Felix receives his dessert, he licks it and licks it until there’s no more. His tongue is now numb to the sweetness, but he loves it.
When he returns to his home a few minutes later, he faces his mother.
“Felix, where were you? You were supposed to be home twenty minutes ago.”
“I had to stay after.”
“Then, why didn’t I get notified by your school?” She examines him and found a few stains on his shirt. “What’s on your shirt? Is that the ice cream I forbid you not to eat?”
“No.”
“Yes, it is! Where did you get it?”
“Hugo gave it to me for free.”
“I don’t believe that! Go to your room.”
He stomps his foot and does as told.
A few minutes later, Felix’s mother marches right to the ice cream shop. “Hugo, do not give my son any more of your ice cream. It’s too much sugar. And I think it’s making him tell lies.”
“Hey, Linda,” he said with a smile. “I thought you were at work.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’m off today.”
“Oh, well your little boy said otherwise.”
Linda was tired of the lying. She had to do something about this.”
After warning Hugo about the ice cream one last time, she started walking away until something else caught her eye. Something across from her.
“Get ice cream from True Desserts. It’s low-fat, sugar free and makes you feel good,” the sign reads.
Linda goes over to the ice cream stand.
“Hello, ma’am,” a lady says. “Would you like to try one of our ice cream flavors? They’re all low sugar. Which one would you like?”
“I’ll try the citrus please,” she says.
“Coming up!”
~
“Felix!” she calls out as soon as she enters the house.
Felix comes out.
“I got something for you.” She shows him the ice cream.
He just blinks at it. “I thought I couldn’t have ice cream.”
“You can’t have Sweets ice cream, but I have something even better. Try it! It’s sugar free.”
He shakes his head.
“Just try it, Felix,” she snaps. “Please.”
“Okay.” He grabs the treat and tastes it. “Ugh! I don’t like it! It’s so bitter.”
“But it’s good for you. Now finish it.” She drops her purse onto the couch. “Did you start on your homework?”
“No, Mom.”
Linda snaps her head at him. She’s used to him lying to her about his homework. Or anything at all. But this time he’s telling the truth.
Instead of saying anything else, she says, “Then do it”, then goes to her room.
~
Felix did not like this one bit. He didn’t like that he couldn’t lie anymore. What was happening to him? Was it the ice cream? No way! Ice cream can’t make you tell the truth. Can it?
Every time his mother asks him something, Felix tries to lie, but tells the truth instead. When she asks if he did the dishes, he says no. When she asks if he finished his dinner, he says no.
After all of the truth telling, his mother became impressed, but still angry with Felix’s disobedience. So, she grounded him once more.
~
Linda decides to try the ice cream herself. She had been trying to lose weight, so maybe this newfound dessert will help her more with that.
The bitter taste makes her want to gag, but she pulls through.
~
The next day at her job, while Linda is working on a paper for a client, her boss, Ms. Montgomery, approaches her.
“Linda, did you complete the paperwork like I asked?”
She didn’t. She had forgotten all about it. So, she prepares to lie.
“No, ma’am.” Linda gasps to herself. Why would I say that?!
Ms. Montgomery glares at her. “Then, get it done.” She returns to her office.
Linda goes back to her computer with a huff. What is going on with me?
It had to have been the ice cream, she thought. What else?
~
After Linda returns home, she tells Felix what happened at work. Then, she says, “Please promise me, with or without ice cream, you will always tell the truth, okay?”
“Okay, Mom,” Felix says with real remorse in his tone. “I promise.”
They embrace each other.
“I love you, Mom,” Felix says.
“I love you too, sweetie!”
This is a writing prompt for Promptly Written. I hope you enjoyed!
Ravyne Hawke is one of the editors for the publication.
Prompt for this week: https://medium.com/promptly-written/prompt-yourself-weekly-prompts-january-22-28-43c1cd721f1d
