Ebner's Tale

The dreams of a chocolate maker.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EBNER’S  TALE

 

Ebner should have been called sweet. He was sweet in everything he did. From his physique to his voice, Ebner was all sweetness, even in business. Ebner was a confectioner, and the exterior of his shop reflected all this and more. The walls were more like a sponge cake and the window frames were meringues, or so they appeared. Anyone seeing the shop for the first time would have no doubt as to what it was. On opening the door, which was antique and with many little window panes of glass, a smell of burnt sugar, chocolate, and other aromas hit noses. For anyone whose childhood was a distant memory those smells made them feel nostalgic. For children and young people, Ebner’s shop was where to buy the best sweets and chocolates.

If Ebner had a selection of sweets and chocolates of many different varieties, he also had numerous ways of wrapping them up. There were dolls whose heads could be removed and the body filled with sweets. There were ceramic boxes and jars, also porcelain and glass ones, which were also carriers of sweets.

It was all a great seduction for the customers. The enormous glass jars leaning on one side with their labels: raspberry, apricot, hazelnut, orange, lemon, and mint, filling. Wrapped in cellophane and silver paper in bright colours, the sweets took on the image of a great temptation, it was an invitation to fall into the sweet world that Ebner had created.

The chocolates were out of the ordinary. Dark shades of an almost black chocolate, which still had a tropical air; even the milk chocolate, which everyone loved - including those with the most delicate tastes. Loved. The layers of chocolate held a secret, it could be a hazelnut, walnut, truffle, mint, liquor, glazed fruits, and creams of different tastes. The smell of chocolate dominated the shop, and Ebner was not able to remove it from his clothes or his own skin.

When anyone entered the shop Ebner was not easily seen among all those precious things. He formed part of it, he had created it and he more than enjoyed himself when he saw the expressions on the faces of the newly arrived change. When at last they were able to make out Ebner’s face, perhaps sweeter than any of his products, people felt as if they had entered a magic place. The light inside the shop was pink, like that of Cinderella’s castle.

While all the world was sleeping, Ebner was working in the manufacture of new chocolates. Among the glass containers, small cooking pots, moulds, aromas, and colourings, just as if he were a scientist, Ebner created and created. Mixing countless powders, liquids, and jellies, Ebner was creating his own sweet world. With every sweet and chocolate he should have written ‘With love, Ebner’. Just thinking about the happiness of the receiver of his work was sufficient for him. The love of creative art was so strong in him that at times he thought he was creating something for a particular person.

Yvonne was Ebner’s flirt. When they exchanged money and packages there was something deeper than a simple business relationship. Many times Yvonne had said to him, “Ebner you’re the sweetest man I know. I don’t understand why you’re not married.” And Ebner with his sweet smile shrugged his shoulders without saying a word. Ebner made chocolates for Yvonne with orange and strawberry fillings. They were the ones she liked most. For her part, Yvonne was grateful and appreciated everything Ebner did for her.

Ebner would have liked everyone to be sweeter in all the senses of the word. As a manufacturer of chocolates he thought it was his responsibility to do something about this.

Gustav was one of his favourite customers. He just simply loved truffles and presented boxes of them to everyone he knew. In exchange, he gave Ebner advice where he could invest his money. Thanks to these pieces of advice Ebner had accumulated some savings. Once in a while Gustav gave one of his employees one of the dolls full of sweets or chocolates. On such occasions Ebner put himself out a bit more and made the gift more lavish, by placing a flower or a heart on the top to make the unknown receiver of the gift happier.

This was Ebner’s mission, to make the world sweeter. Every night when he had shut up for the day, he went to his work place, hidden from the inquisitive eyes of the public. It wasn’t enough to have Yvonne and Gustav as good customers, he needed something to make the sweetness of all that he made to spread to more and more people, until everyone knew about his chocolates.

With books of ancient recipes, Ebner invented new sweets and chocolates. The ingredients were strange and the flavours were not always pleasant. One day, Ebner found some magic recipes in one of his old books. He couldn’t find all the ingredients but he managed with others. The first experiment was a complete disaster. His cooking pots were cleaned and he tried again. The final mixture was not only repugnant in appearance but in smell too, and Ebner thought of throwing it away and forgetting all about magic. However, he shared out the new mixture in several different moulds and when it was finished he went to bed.

The next morning Ebner tried one of the new chocolates, then another, and another. That was no way to carry on, so he placed them in the shop window.

Later on, the same morning, Ebner put one of the new ones inside every purchase. Yvonne, Gustav, and some young girls who were always laughing at Ebner received some, too. At the end of the day there were none left.

The result was incredible. Ebner was inundated with enormous orders for the new chocolates, he was so busy with them that he had no time for other matters.

Groups began to arrive at his shop to buy Ebner’s chocolates. People were friendlier to each other and there were always enough chocolates for everyone. Ebner’s dream had come true. But, like all dreams it had to come to an end, and Ebner was rudely awoken.

 

One day, a stranger entered Ebner’s shop. Hearing the door open, Ebner went out to greet the man, “Good morning, how can I help you?”

The stranger got out a badge, and said, “Yes, Sir. Are you Ebner Brown?”

Without blinking, Ebner said, “Yes, I am.”

“Would you accompany me to the police station, please. We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

Ebner put the chocolates away, switched off the lights, closed the door, and left.

 

He was given five years for using prohibited substances in his chocolates. He’s still in prison. Ebner is forbidden to enter the prison kitchen.

The psychiatrist says of him, “He’s a very sweet man.”

And Ebner says, “I just don’t understand. I only wanted to sweeten up the world.”

Reviews

[Brittany]

Hohoho. Tsk. Tsk. A 'delicious' story. Well done. Loved the twist at the end.