In July 1969, the U.S. landed astronauts on the moon, and my family settled in for the month in an ancient château in a remote corner of France. While much of the world was riveted by NASA’s astonishing feat of engineering, my family was tearing itself apart over the life and death of a singularly delicious chocolate mousse.

Naturally, I felt compelled to write about these events, and I’m very grateful to the Smoky Blue Literary and Arts Magazine for publishing “The Chocolate Mousse” in their spring 2026 edition. To read this story, click here. Then click on the cover and go to page 111. As the story makes its way out into the wider world, I’d like to dedicate it to Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, and my late brother Howard, without whom none of this domestic drama ever would have happened.

Bon appétit!

Ann

Below, from right: my brother Howard, instigator of the chocolate mousse affair; my mother, Sally; and two random French guys they played tennis with in July 1969, in La Cluse, France.