Published: 01/07/2025
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Welcome to Storytime with Dad! Today, we will be reading Pizza Monster Part 2 – The Connoli Calamity.
The town of Crustville had never been busier. Ever since Pizza Day became an annual tradition, people from all over the state flocked to Frank and Stein’s Pizza. Inspired by their fame, Frank and his loyal partner, Stein, decided to expand their business.
“We’ll open ten new locations across the state!” Frank declared one day, pointing to a map dotted with pins. “Everyone deserves a taste of Crustville’s finest.”
At first, the townsfolk were thrilled. Frank and Stein’s Pizza was a hit in every new city, with long lines and rave reviews. But as the business grew, cracks began to show.
“Frank, we can’t keep up!” Stein said one evening, surrounded by stacks of invoices and help-wanted signs. “We don’t have enough chefs, delivery drivers, or even dough mixers! We’re stretching ourselves too thin.”
Frank rubbed his flour-dusted chin. “We’ll figure it out. We just need… more something!”
One day, as Frank brainstormed ways to manage the chaos, Stein approached with an idea. “We need to do something to ease the workload. What if we focus on pre-made desserts? Cannoli are popular, and if we make them in batches ahead of time, we can save time during rush hours. It’ll lighten the load for the staff without adding too much difficulty.”
Frank’s eyes lit up. “Brilliant! If we prepare the cannoli in advance and make them extra special, it’ll be a hit while giving our team some breathing room.”
They worked tirelessly to perfect their creation: a colossal cannoli filled with creamy ricotta and topped with sprinkles, chocolate chips, and powdered sugar. The first batch was a hit. However, in their excitement, Frank and Stein decided to automate the process to produce even larger batches, leading to unforeseen complications in the kitchen.
“We need to bake faster,” Frank said. “Let’s hook up the Mega Mixer and speed up production.”
But in their haste, something went terribly wrong. The mixer’s motor sputtered, sparks flew, and a stray bolt of electricity from a nearby power surge zapped the Mega Mixer. Suddenly, the cannoli dough began to expand—and expand—and expand! The batter spilled over the edges, flowing like a sugary river.
Then, just like the Pizza Monster, the Mega Cannoli began to move. It grew arms of dough, eyes of chocolate chips, and a gaping, powdered-sugar mouth.
“CANNOLIIIIIIIIIIIII!” it bellowed, storming out of the kitchen and onto the street.
“Oh no! We’ve done it again!” cried Frank.
The people of Crustville froze in terror.
Max, now a little older and still the town’s unofficial problem solver, ran to the scene. “Not again,” he groaned.
The Mega Cannoli rampaged through town, leaving trails of sticky cream and powdered sugar in its wake. People scrambled to get out of its way as it knocked over carts, climbed streetlights, and even tried to consume a fire hydrant, which sprayed water everywhere.
Max quickly assessed the situation. “Last time, we ate the problem away. But this thing’s too sweet for anyone to stomach that much. We need another solution!”
As the townspeople gathered, Max climbed onto a bench to get everyone’s attention. “Listen! Frank and Stein’s Pizza expanded too fast, and now we’ve got a Mega Cannoli on the loose. We’ve got to work together to slow it down and clean this up — and maybe learn a lesson about not overdoing things.”
The townsfolk nodded, rallying together. Some grabbed hoses to wash away the sugary mess, while others built barriers to contain the monster. Frank and Stein worked with Max to gather bags of ice from every freezer in town. They set up industrial fans, directing icy air toward the rampaging cannoli, creating a makeshift freezer to chill it into submission.
Meanwhile, Max had an idea. “We need to distract it!” he said, grabbing a megaphone. “Hey, Mega Cannoli! Over here!” He waved a giant spoon covered in whipped cream to lure it toward the icy trap.
The Mega Cannoli roared and lumbered after him, its doughy arms flailing. As it stepped into the icy zone, the cold air began to work its magic. Slowly but surely, the Mega Cannoli’s movements became sluggish. Then Max had another idea. “If it’s frozen solid, maybe we can shatter it!”
Frank and Stein quickly brought out a large wooden pizza peel, the kind they used for their biggest pies. With the townspeople cheering them on, they and Max lifted the peel and swung it like a battering ram against the frozen Mega Cannoli.
With a loud CRACK, the frozen dessert fractured into harmless chunks of dough and cream, scattering harmlessly around the icy zone. The crowd erupted into cheers as the last piece of the monster collapsed.
Later, as the sun set, Frank addressed the town. “We got carried away with success and didn’t think about what we could actually handle. From now on, we’ll focus on quality over quantity. And no more monster desserts… at least for a while.”
The townspeople laughed and cheered, grateful for another lesson learned and another disaster averted. They even decided to turn the frozen Mega Cannoli into a sculpture centerpiece for the upcoming Crustville Festival.
That night, Max’s parents tucked him into bed once more.
“You’re becoming quite the hero,” his dad said.
Max grinned. “All in a day’s work. But maybe next time, we can have an adventure that doesn’t involve food trying to eat us.”
They all laughed, and Max drifted off to sleep, dreaming of what might come next.
The End.
Holy cannoli that was crazy! I’m glad the townspeople were able to survive another day of Frank and Stein’s big ideas. I hope those two don’t create a mess again in the future!
Now It’s been a while since Pizza Monster was first published, but you all loved it! However, I gotta say that dibs goes to my listener Brynsen on this one. He asked for part 2, so here you go friend, this one was for you. Thanks for being a part of our storytime circle!
My big takeaway from this episode is that you can have too much of a good thing. Whether you’re Frank and Stein, expanding your operations because you’re so popular, or if you’re a town with way too much cannoli to eat, you can try to take on too much.
If you don’t know what a cannoli is, it’s an italian dessert. It’s like a sweet crunchy shell filled with vanilla cream. Sometimes it even has chocolate on the top. Sounds great, right? But, even the most experienced dessert eater can be overwhelmed by it! So the next time you order pizza, get it from an italian restaurant and order a connoli to see for yourself. You may not be able to finish the whole thing in one sitting!
Life is funny like this though. As you grow up, you’re going to learn what you can do, and where your own limits are. Being an adult is about learning these boundaries and also how to extend them. Things that you can’t do today, you might be able to do later with a little practice or training! That’s a pretty cool thing about being human, we can grow and learn and get better. So the next time you find a limmitation of your own, remember it! Then you can choose to either let it go and be happy where you’re at, or practice hard and move past your own limit.
Please, send me an email and let me know what new things you’re going to teach yourself this year!
Thank you for listening and I’ll see you again next time.
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