After school, John goes to orchestra practice, where he’s nervous and excited to perform his solo in front of everyone. The conductor explains that the solo should be upbeat to match the song, but when John puts his trumpet to his lips, the entire instrument turns to chocolate and produces a sound like “a soap-filled bubble pipe” (88). The kids all laugh, and John runs from the auditorium.

Later that afternoon, John goes to Susan’s birthday party, where the kids are bobbing for apples. As soon as John’s mouth touches the water in the bucket, it turns to chocolate, which splatters all over Susan and him. Angry to see chocolate on her party dress, Susan runs away. Her mother offers to help clean John up, but John can’t “bear to stay at the party another minute” (98) and goes home.

On his way home, John runs into his father and tells him the entire chocolate story. His dad suggests that they go ask the candy store owner if his chocolates always affect people this way. John agrees, but where the candy store should be is “nothing now but an empty lot of flat, open ground” with a “for sale” sign (103).