"How can there be no chocolate chips in an ice cream shop?" Minty wondered to herself. "I mean really. It's not right," she harrumphed making her way to the top of the tower of waffle cones to have a think inside the tippy-toppiest one.
The only part of Minty that could be seen were her two minty green ears above the edge of the sweet and crunchy cone.
It wasn't long before her thinking turned to dreams. The only sounds to be heard being her subtle mews of sleep.
MEANWHILE...
"Wouldya look at that... don't mind if I do..." came a raspy voice from another cat who'd managed to find one more chocolate chip behind the bottle of caramel drizzle. He popped the chip into his mouth and patted his full belly.
A belly, one could only imagine, that was filled to the brim with chocolate chips.
"That about does it!" he exclaimed, licking his paw to clean the remnant chocolate flicks from his mouth. "My sweet-o-meter is full."
He rolled himself over to an overturned ice cream cup laying on the counter and pulled the cup over himself.
"The perfect spot for a catnap..." the cat said just before he fell fast asleep with a belly happily full of chocolate chips. It wasn't long before the only sounds that could be heard through the Yummi Cats Ice Cream Shop were the sweet snores of a happy belly.
MINTY'S EYES OPENED...
She stretched atop her waffle cone tower and made her way back down.
"What a purr-fect dream," she said with a toothy yawn. "All the chocolate chips I could eat. Mountains of them! Time to search again," and Minty set off to find the missing chocolate chips.
Minty sniffed the air around her, and beside the usual sweet smells of ice cream, there was another... could it be the subtle whiff of chocolate? Minty stepped left and the smell of chocolate faded. She paused, flipped back around, and walked the other direction.
The chocolatey scent grew stronger. With each step, Minty could tell, she was close to finding the missing chocolate chips!
She reached the toppings area, and noted that the container where the chips were supposed to be, still sat empty next to the other full containers of toppings with fruits, gummy candies, cookie bits and chopped nuts.
It was odd to see one completely empty while the others were practically overflowing, ready for the next days customers to enjoy. One thing was clear to Minty, the chips were missing and she was determined to find out who or what had taken them.
UNCOVERED
The sweet smells of chocolate grew and grew around Minty as she walked along counter after counter, looking behind cups and cones, ice cream tubs and stores of toppings. She hadn't found a single chocolate chip, yet the smell of chocolate in the air was rich.
"I must be close," Minty decided.
She noted an overturned ice cream cup on the counter that was a bit out of place being a ways away from the other neatly stacked cups. Minty walked up beside it, circling around its outer edges. The smells of chocolate were at a delicious peak. It was at that point Minty heard a sound.
A rumbling sort of sound. She pressed her ear to the paper cup and the rumbling grew louder along with another noise that sounded an awful lot like purring. A smile spread across Minty's face.
She wiggled her booty and backed up before launching herself toward the cup, knocking it over with a perfect pounce.
"Caught you!" Minty said turning to see what or who she had uncovered. A very round cat, lay on its back still fast asleep. Minty walked over and put her nose to his and inhaled.
"CHOCOLATE CHIP THIEF!" she cried, the overwhelming odor of the missing chocolate chips was coming from the other cat's open mouth.
With a snort, the sleepy cat opened his eyes staring straight into Minty's and launched himself to the top of the ice cream case above. "Who, who are you?"
"Name's Minty, what's yours?" she asked jumping up beside him.
"Dough."
"As in cookie dough?" Minty said.
"The very same," Dough agreed.
"Well, Dough, if you don't mind, wouldya please leave some chocolate chips for the rest of us? You ate them all!" Minty said in all manner of seriousness.
Dough bowed his head embarrassed, "Sorry about that. Was just trying to fill up my sweet-o-meter and it was a bit on empty. Oh, hang on..." Dough said, hopping back down.
He pulled from behind the neatly stacked cups two uneaten chocolate chips and made his way back to Minty. He held them out to her, "Was saving these for breakfast," he said, his cheeks turning cherry red.
She took them both with a smile, "Thanks, Dough!" Minty took her first nibble on one chocolate chip and her eyes lit up. The flavor had to be the best thing she'd ever tasted!
Dough watched her while she gobbled up the first chocolate chip and his belly rumbled.
Minty held out the other chocolate chip back to Dough. "I'll give this to you if you play some hide-and-seek with me?"
Dough's eyes lit up. "I love hide-and-seek! Almost as much as I love finding chocolate chips."
He gobbled up the other chocolate chip with a happy grin and their game began.
It was just the beginning of a beautiful, Yummi Cats friendship.
