MELTING HONEY: A CHOCOLATE BOX FANFIC BY KATIE

Reader Katie loves the Chocolate Box Girls series... and knows the characters so well she enjoys writing fanfic stories about the sisters. Read her awesome wintry tale...

Suddenly, the spoon hits the ceiling. 'Clearly, we've got a bit of cabin fever,' Mum says as the row escalates, louder and faster than she can keep up with. She scurries to the side of the kitchen, hauls out the spare table, bench and camping chairs and stumbles down the snowy steps into the front garden. Whipping our dinner plates out from under us, she puts them on the outside table and steps back to admire her work. She adds lighting and blankets, then calls to us.

'This is where you'll be eating until you learn to sort yourselves out,' she says. My sisters rush out; within moments they are laughing and clutching each other to stay upright in the icy snow, as if they've never argued in their lives. I hang back. I wish I hadn't started the trouble. Sometimes, I just can't keep my mouth shut, and my sisters are paying the price while I skulk on the stairs, watching Mum and Paddy finish their meal. After a while, Paddy head through to the living room to bank up the fire while Mum stacks the dishwasher, and I decide to show my face.

'Sorry I caused all that,' I say.

'Oh, Honey!' Mum whirls round, accidentally flicking chocolate off a spatula she's holding. I put a finger to my nose, wipe off the chocolate splash and lick my finger. 'Mmm... honeycomb!' I exclaim, and the sombre atmosphere lifts a little as both Mum and I start to laugh.

'Seriously, Honey, I'll accept your apology if you promise not to wind your sisters up again,' Mum says. I roll my eyes. It's not a promise I can keep.

'But, Mum!' I argue. 'I'm a teenager! Teenagers don't make promises... and you know I can't help being moody sometimes!'

'Is that so?' Mum says. 'OK. I'll forgive you if you just... promise to love your sisters.' Her smile closes the negotiation, and I wonder if this is how she does the chocolate business deals too. My  mum is sweet - but very persuasive! Me, I'm more like a citrus dessert... sweet until proven otherwise! My icy frown cracks and I begin to smile.

'I will promise to love my sisters,' I concede. 'But maybe not Ch...'

'Including and especially Cherry,' Mum says.

'I promise to love all of my sisters, including my stepsister Cherry,' I sigh, and Mum laughs, looking out across the snowy Tanglewood lawn beyond the kitchen window.

'Now, go join the punishment,' she says. I go, crunching through the snow, to the sight of my sisters doing wild 'punishment laps' across the lawn, and Fred inspecting a very lopsided snowman. Despite the cold, my heart is warm. I really can feel it melting.

Cathy says:
Awww! I love this, Katie! A perfect Chocolate Box fanfic for a cold British winter's day! Could YOU write a CC fanfic? Keep an eye on the CC Facebook fanpage for more writing challenges... the best could appear on DREAMCATCHER! Remember to COMMENT BELOW to tell Katie what you think of the story!