The Gingerbread Man Runs Again

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<img src="https://xmas-2019.parez.info/images/charles_flake_01.jpg" class="passage-start"></img> The day is finally here. The family comes to the Schanz house to make Christmas cookies. It's time to make gingerbread cookies. One little gingerbread boy, freshly decorated with a sprinkle smile and blue eyes unexpectedly jumped off the tray and sprung off a chair. He flew on to the floor and screamed, "Bet you can't catch me!" You have to think quickly. The gingerbread boy is getting away! [[Chase alone]] [[Sister team]] [[Choose a Helper<-Ask someone else for help]] (set: $gumdrop to 0)

the gingerbread boy runs down the hallway. Without a partner to trap him,he jumps out the window to find your grandma's dog,Yoshi and eats that little beast.

You decide that you and your sister are better off together. You know you and her can catch that gingerbread boy! But your sister is making this difficult. "Fine. I'll help you. But I'm grabbing something that we can eat along the way." [["Ugh, grab a few Hershey's kisses"|SnackKisses]] [["Fine, grab some gumdrops"|SnackGumdrop]] [["Oh come on sis! We're going to have cookies and lemon merengue pie later anyways!"|SnackNothing]] (set: $helper to "Carina")

(set: $helper to "Mom") <img src="https://xmas-2019.parez.info/images/charles_flake_02b.jpg" class="passage-start"></img> You have chosen $helper as your helper! "Let's go get 'em, honey!" [[Start the Chase]] [[Choose a Helper<-Change your mind...]]

(set: $helper to "Dad") You have chosen $helper as your helper! "I'm tired!" [[But Daaad!]] [[Choose a Helper<-Go find someone nice to help you...]]

(set: $helper to "Carla") <img src="https://xmas-2019.parez.info/images/charles_flake_03.jpg" class="passage-start"></img> You have chosen $helper as your helper! "Let's go get 'em, honey!" [[Start the Chase]] [[Choose a Helper<-Change your mind...]]

(set: $helper to "Angie") <img src="https://xmas-2019.parez.info/images/charles_flake_04b.jpg" class="passage-start"></img> You have chosen $helper as your helper! "Let's go get 'em, honey!" [[Start the Chase]] [[Choose a Helper<-Change your mind...]]

(set: $helper to "Jason") <img src="https://xmas-2019.parez.info/images/charles_flake_05.jpg" class="passage-start"></img> You have chosen $helper as your helper! "We could lure 'm with candy..." [[Lure with candy]] [[Choose a Helper<-Change your mind...]]

The naughty gingerbread boy skipped into the dining room. He spun around and glared at you and $helper. "Watch this!" he screamed and knocked over Grandma Schanz's nice China bowls and flower pot. The mess went everywhere. "Oh no, Grandma is going to be so mad!" you scream. [[CallArgo<-"I'll bet the dog can get him. ARGO, COME HERE BOY!"]] [[CleanDiningRoomMess<-"We better clean up this mess. You grab a broom and a mop and I'll grab a trash bag."]]

You and Uncle Jason find some candy. Your options are... [[Gumdrops]] [[Hersheys kisses]] [[jelly beans]]

"Yummy, do you want to eat *all* 😈 of this chocolate? I LOVE CHOCOLATE!" 😍😛💝 [[Start the Chase]]

"Ok here, do you want one?" "No thanks, maybe later. Why don't we put those in our purse and save them for the chase! But... I'll take a purple one right now." (set: $gumdrop to 1) [[Start the Chase]]

"You're the worst," Carina complains, "but I'll still help you because I love you." [[Start the Chase]]

Argo skitters into the room, unaware of the broken China. He scrapes his paw pad on the sharp shards. Blood flies everywhere. Argo, still excited, begins to eat the fallen flowers and dirt. "Argo, NO!" you scream. But it's too late. The bloody dog now begins to puke. At the sight of this, you and $helper start to puke as well. Hours later, you and the entire family sit in the emergency vet waiting room, covered in dried vomit and several thousand dollars in debt. The gingerbread boy has ruined Christmas.😷😭👿💔

"We best clean this mess up," you mutter. "Go get the broom and sweep up the china," you hiss angerily. "I'll get trash bags and a mop for the flower pots." "We'll deal with Mr. Gingerbread later." [[give up]] [[continue chase]]

YES!!! it worked!!! you and uncle Jason have caught the little rascal and traped him in the oven! Plan:succeeded

Oh No! the gingerbread boy has no interest in chocolete! Plan:failed.

"Mmm Jelly beans!" hollers your 6 yr.old sister,Carina she wasn't being careful and knocked all of the jelly beans out of uncle Jason's hand. Plan: Failed.

Welcome to our story! Set in the home of our Grandma and Grandpa Schanz, we tell the familiar tale of a cookie gone bad. Only this story is special because **you** get to choose our fate. Alana & Carina Parez Are you ready? [[Yes|Introduction]] [[No|GreetingNo]]

Aw, come on! It'll be fun! [[Fine|Introduction]] [[I'll Pass|GreetingStillNo]]

Well, you must be fun at Christmas parties. Too bad. You're doing it. [[OK?|Introduction]]

Dad slowly rises from his spot on the couch. There's a dead look in his eye you've seen before. You're frozen in fear. Any sudden movement or noise may trigger the beast, so it's best to remain still. Carina coughs. (text-style: "rumble")["GROUNDED!"] he bellows, the sound echoing down throughout the house. The gingerbread boy has learned a new word, one he is keen to parrot down the driveway and down the road to safety. "Grounded! Grounded! Grounded!" he taunts, and it haunts your dreams for the rest of your life.

you and $helper fail miserably when you give up, and your dog Argo eats him.

Oh gees! the gingerbread boy ran into grandpa's work room and is hiding. [[work as a team to trap him]] [[scare him into another room]]

You and $helper run into the room serching for the gingerbread boy to trap him. He suddenly jumped out of nowhere and jumped out the window oh no! [[give up]] [[Jump after him]]

You and $helper start making a plan to scare the gingerbread boy into another room using... [[... a trick|Trick]] [[... a scary story|Scary Story]] [[... the computer|Drop Computer]]

$helper starts telling the story of the Evil Elf on the Shelf. "I once heard a rumor that this house is not like the other houses. It's old. See, there was an Elf on the Shelf that lived here once, but it never moved. It sat in a corner with it's head tilted to the side with it's **cold,dead** eyes. It sat in that corner all day long. On Christmas, apparently the letters never got sent to Santa. The Elf on the Shelf was probably sending bad news. But he wasn't. You set up cameras but the Elf of the Shelf didn't move. It sat there with it's deep blue eyes and stared. One day the Elf on the Shelf just disappeared. Nobody knows where he went. But my guess... is that he still roams this house at Christmastime. Hungry. Still watching and waiting for the perfect time to eat a young gingerbread cookie!!!" The gingerbread boy freaks out when he hears this and bounds into the sewing room. [[slam the door and trap him|work as a team to trap him]] [[chase him into the sewing room]]

ha ha! you and $helper have thought up the trickiest plan ever! "Hey! Gingerbread! I've had enough of your tricks!" you suddenly scream, "in fact,I'm going to drop the computer on you!" you wink at your sister. "yeah right." says the gingerbread boy enoyingly. "I'm not falling for that." "Girls, there is far more to do than try to out smart me. It's not going to happen." The gingerbread boy then walked out of the room and added,"besides I'm the gingerbread boy,you'll never catch me." You are so angry that you drop the computer and it shatters across the floor.

"Oh gingerbread boy!" you taunt. "You know maybe I don't want to hurt you. Maybe I want to eat you." "Do you like silverwear?" you ask him. "No. n- n- no no." he stammers. "Well maybe $helper is out there waiting and I'll chase you with it." "Oh please!" screamed the gingerbread boy. He ran into the vents and swore to get nibbled up by mice and haunt the house forever. Some silent nights on sleepovers at grandma's house you can still hear great granma Manke's fancy china crashing, and the gingerbread boy taunting "run run as fast as you can for you'll never catch me I'm the gingerbread **ghost!**"

"Jump!" you yell at $helper. For some reason, $helper decides to listen to you and jumps... through a window. Twenty minutes later, $helper wakes up in the hospital. Twenty days later, you go to juvie. The pizza there is horrible, but it's also rock hard. You use it to smash a window and try to jump to freedom. Twenty minutes later, you wake up in a hospital.

You decide that you've had enough of this gingerbread boy. He has made this Christmas awful! You grab one of grandma's sewing needles and chase him out of the room trying to stab him. Eventually you give up. But, you put the sewing needle in your pocket saying to $helper "we might use this later..." (if: $gumdrop is 1)[[Make a lure with your gumdrop]] (if: $gumdrop is 0)[[But first, we need a snack!]]

$helper gasps! "You have that sewing needle we picked up in the sewing room..." You gasp too! "That is genius! We could lure him into the oven using the gumdrop as bait..." "No! He's just a baby! We can't hurt him. Let's make a house for him and a sack out of fondant with candies inside and then label it "FOOD". The gingerbread boy sees this and says "A gumdrop! I love those!" and leeps for it. "Yes! It worked!" you both say. The gingerbread boy lives in a gingerbread house happily ever after. You and $helper are so proud of yourselves that you make a gingerbread boy every year. Of course, not one that breaks China.

OK, so what should we grab for a snack? [[Some Hersey's kisses?|SnackKisses]] [[Gumdrops?|SnackGumdrop]]