Chocolat by Kylie Goodison

For my New Lit Re-write I decided to take the film not the novel Chocolat and put it in the viewpoint of Josephine Muscat. I decided to take out any mention of names to give the story the feeling as if it was internal monologue from the characters point of view.

Chocolat from the eyes of Josephine Muscat

Before that fateful winter wind blew through our church that day I lived a very sheltered and quiet life in the village of Lansquenet. In a town that had lived by the same rules for over one hundred years, I did what every good wife did in the eyes of God. I cooked and cleaned for my husband. Took everything he gave to me, as if it were a privilege not a right. I turned a blind eye to all of his cruelty, his beatings and his anger, because that is what you did in this village. At least it was, until that winter wind brought her here.

At first she did not seem so dangerous. She took in an old apartment and shrouded it in secrecy, creating chatter amongst every man woman and child. I occasionally saw her outside the store, painting or putting up a sign, but I dared not approach her, even when she greeted me with smiles.

When the shop finally opened it was not greeted with open arms. A highly religious town did not welcome a chocolaterie at a time of great fasting. Yet there were those who entered with great curiosity, and came out not only with a smile on their face but a new lease on life. Women who had been desperate for love were given what seemed like magic beans that revitalized their marriage while others were introduced to their favorite chocolate they never knew. I too became curious of the magic that seemed to emanate from her and her chocolate.

I waited till she was not around to enter the chocolaterie. The shop itself was amazing, full of colour and life. The walls were decorated with ornaments, from what looked like a time long lost. Little glass cabinet’s homed treasures and chocolate. The smell of cocoa was inescapable. I understood now why everyone called her a temptress. It was then my bad habits kicked in, and I took from her store one of its finest treasures. A small box. She must have seen me because at that moment she walked out from where she hid and offered me the very same chocolate. I fled not knowing what to say, and tried to pretend my venture into that store never occurred.
But then something unexpected happened, something I never thought could ever happen. She sought me out. She came to my home, walked up to my husband and braved what no other woman would. She then for a second time offered me the chocolates from before. I was confused as to why she would go out of her way to show me kindness, when I had shown her none of my own and stolen from her. I took her offer for a moment but then withdrew. I could not take it without the fear of being beaten by my husband, whom saw the chocolaterie as a sinner’s paradise.

As time passed and rumors of my time with her spread,tThe ladies around town tried to convince me that she was evil. They thought her a witch trying to bewitch the people of their narrow minded village to change their view on life and how it all should be. But they were wrong. She saw all the faults of a town that ran on one hundred year old rules. How bitter and cowardice it made them. She saw the way my husband treated me. How he took his anger out on me like I was some kind of punching bag. She shared with me her wisdoms and took me in as a friend when nobody else would.

When I could no longer take my husbands beatings, she was the first person I thought of. I knew that if I went to her she would welcome me in. She made me part of her family, she protected me from my demons, from the man who claimed he loved me. For the first time in my life I was finally free to be whom I wanted to be, not what others thought I should be.

In time, she taught me how to craft those wonderful chocolates. She taught me all her secrets, and invited me to work in her store to earn my keep. At first I was worried I wouldn’t be worthy of her hospitality. I thought I would go back to my old habits and eventually return to the man that had given me nothing but misery. But she never lost faith in me.

She showed me a different side of life, a better side. She gave me the strength to break away from the rules that society imposed to empower those who hid behind religion. She taught me that there is good in everyone. That people should not be judged because of where they come from, or their beliefs. But in their actions and how they treat others.

And it was not just my life she had changed but the life of many amongst the town. With her sweet chocolate and her words of wisdom, I watched as she changed the lives of those who never thought their lives would be good again. She made people smile. Gave them a reason to wake up in the morning.

Of course there were those who still saw her as the evil temptress. The mayor of the town being one of them. When he saw that I had taken refuge here, he lay down the laws of this town demanding I return to my husband. It was only when she stood in and revealed to him what my husband had done to me, how he had beat me, that he stood down. But he did not give up. He was determined to prove that she was still a sinner and that he could make things right. He tried to restore my husband by teaching him how to be a good husband. He made him go back to square one and taught him the rules of proper etiquette. He made him pay for his sins, and for a moment I thought he might have changed. But when I rejected him after he came back to me, he returned to his old ways. He broke into her house one night and vandalized the Chocolaterie. Then in a fit of rage he tried to hurt the woman who had empowered me. He was persistent, as we tried to hold him back. But his strength proved to be greater than ours as he made his way into the room. It was at that very moment, when I saw her danger that I changed for the better. I took all that I could find, a skillet and brought it down on him, saving my friend and defeating my demons all at the same time. I never thought that o could do that, and I knew it was because of her that I could.

After that the townsfolk no longer saw me for the shy and timid woman who I had been. But the brave woman who stood up to her husband and challenged the rights of every wife who had been mistreated by the man that was supposed to love them. Those who often looked down on me grew to respect me. I had been transformed, and I had her to thank for it.

As the time of feasting grew closer to an end, the village was visited again by a new group of strangers. A wandering tribe of nomads, who took up temporary residence on our shores. As expected, the town took to them as they had to her when she first arrived. At first people were ok, but as soon as those in power saw these new strangers as a threat, a ban was enforced. They used this to try and drive them away, some shops refusing to offer them hospitality. But not her, she refused. Once again she showed her kindness, shared her magical chocolate and was determined to make them as at home as she had become. This was not a popular view point to many of the villagers, but they came to expect it from her.
I then began to see another side of her, as the nomad’s captain began his frequent visits. She was determined to find his favorite chocolate, but with every attempt she was off. He was a new mystery for her. A challenge. With every new visit she would try again, but alas she was always wrong. I watched from a distance as a great love grew between them. Their passion for each other so obvious yet they did not see it.

Until the night of the party. A night I would never forget. The party, which had been kept secret from those who still saw her as a sinner, went off without any problems. It started behind the chocolaterie, where the main course was dished out. We then moved to where the nomad’s had taken refuge, on the banks of the river. That’s where the real party started. There was music, dancing, and more chocolate. People were having fun. I was having fun.

I saw the sparkle in her eyes when she spoke to the captain. When they shared a dance, I saw how he felt through the way he moved. Then as the night grew darker and the party died down, I saw them leave together. I was happy for them, she who had done so much for the village and its people deserved more than she asked for.
However in an act of pure rage and cruelty, the man whom had force love on me, tried to punish my friend. In pure spite he took the act of God into his own hand and tried to purge the village of the Nomad’s and their vessel. He set the lake on fire and brought the town nothing but shame. He turned a night that was meant to be special, into a nightmare, and proved to me what she had said all along. It is in the actions that one should be judged.
After that night, I felt a change in her. She became distant, as if lost in thought. I was worried that because of the actions of one, she might choose to leave us behind and travel to another town to spread her magic. I wouldn’t have blamed her for doing so, after all the beliefs of Lansquenet barely made room for someone as free as her.

Then the day came when the Nomads took their leave. Giving her more reason to want to leave town. I could see a great sadness in her as they said their good byes as if they knew they would probably never see each other again.
With these concerns gnawing at my mind I found it hard to focus of the next big challenge. Easter. It was a time of great celebration for the town and a Sunday market had been organized to celebrate it. This was another great controversy for such a town with strong religious beliefs. Having an event such as this took away from the time people spent at church and this cause uproar amongst the villagers. While those who had been enlightened by the magic of her chocolate, saw this as a refreshing change of pace. The mayor and members close to the church saw it as a great threat.

The next hurdle was then her absence. As I had suspected, she was very adamant on leaving, and no amount of convincing was encouraging her to stay. But I was determined to not let her time spent on me go to waste, I wanted to find a way to make her stay without the market suffering. So I took on her role as leader that night. For the first time I showed her that what she had done for me had changed me for the better. I taught those around me what she had taught me. The art of chocolate. I gave guidance to those who had once seen me as nothing more than a petty thief and a weak minded woman. When she saw that, and the way she had changed the view point of so many in Lansquenet, it seemed she had changed her mind about leaving us.

I could see that she was proud of me, and I once again stood down for her to take back her role as the master chief.
With all the preparations for the big day complete, I took rest, knowing I had done something good for the woman who had done so much for me and everyone else.
Then, that bitter old man, the Mayor decided in a moment to do exactly what my husband had done the night after I had rejected him. He refused to let her have her happiness and tried to destroy all the hard work she had done. However, just a tiny piece of chocolate fell into his mouth and changed his view of the woman he had called a sinner and temptress. He became a convert within seconds and consumed more chocolate in one night than some had in their life time. He had broken the rule of fasting and shown a side of him only she could have brought out. When we woke up the next day we found him unconscious in the window of the store. If it had been me, I may have acted differently, punished him for his actions and forced him to pay for the damages he had done. Bust she did not see his actions as wrong or evil, instead she forgave him, and showed him the same kindness she had shown everyone in this town.

For the first time in years the people of this town were excited about Easter Sunday. Not because the fasting was over, but because they had something to look forward to.

As time went on the shop became populated by many of the town’s folk. Those who had stayed away because of the fear of being seduced by the temptation of chocolate, lowered their guard and enjoyed the sweet aroma and joy it brought them. After one hundred years of strict religion, and rules that made a village of people miserable. A woman and her chocolate arrived and changed everyone’s lives for the better.
Then after a while the captain returned to her, his passion for her obviously to strong to keep him away from her for too long. I could see the way he looked at her and knew that this time, he would stay for good too. She offered him a Hot Chocolate, which turned out to be his favorite, and they began to talk of their times spent apart. I could tell that it would not take long for their love to grow into something more than passion.

As for me, I continued to work at the Chocolateire, I was her right hand woman. The one whom she he had given a new chance at life, who she never doubted could change for the better. I honestly don’t believe that anyone in this town could have made this change on their own. It took a very special kind of magic and a little bit of chocolate.