Chapter 7: The Cherry Punch Blizzard
Candy Cane Alley
"What else can you tell us about Chuck?" asked Grace, trying to hide her shame with her innocence hoping that no one would suspect that she was not with them.
"Well you see miss, the farmer who owns this garden had mentioned a few times that he doesn't like any of us roaming on his property or being disturbed; so he believed a great big moose would be a much more dependable guard than a dog. And he was right. One time, several gingerbread children snuck in through the fence taking everything they could until Chuck appeared from behind the stalks and chased them away with his antlers. Ever since then, nobody has ever tried to sneak in there; unless they want to come face to face with the mighty moose.
"A moose here in Candy Land?" Mrs. Calloway snorted in disbelief.
"A giant chocolate moose ma'am," answered Rudolph, "a real moose couldn't take living in this environment even if he wanted to."
"But then why doesn't the farmer just put up a NO TRESSPASSING sign to keep people out of there?" Grace asked, still struggling to not give herself away.
"I don't know to tell you the truth. I tried talking him into putting up more than one sign up, but he just kept yelling at anyone who came near his house to be chased away by Chuck."
"Well if you ask me, it seems somebody's been getting up on the wrong side of the bed every morning," said Maggie in her usual sarcastic tone, staring at every stalk in the field. So far, she saw no sign of Chuck anywhere. "Does he only appear when…?"
BBBBUUUURRRPPP!! The sound of an enormous belch broke before Maggie could finish her question. Grace looked up toward the sky whistling a tune softly pretending she didn't hear a thing. Mrs. Calloway did not yet notice this as she gave Maggie a suspicious glare furrowing her brow.
"Don't look at me, I didn't do it," Maggie shook her head. "I was just trying to ask a simple question to Rudolph."
"But if you didn't do it, then who did?" Mrs. Calloway now became filled with concern looking around for who did release that rude belch. Rudolph and Maggie gave each other puzzled glares. The one thing that surprised Mrs. Calloway was that Grace still held her head high up staring at the sky with nervous sweat pouring down the side of her face. But another thing was that she had minimal stains of chocolate across her lips. With Mrs. Calloway frowning suspiciously, Grace had just forgotten that she was supposed to have cleaned her face before rejoining the group and now it was too late to do so. "Grace, did you go over the fence to eat more candy?" she stuck out her lower lip.
"Uh-uh…BBUURRPP!" Grace shook her head nervously, but then let out a soft belch that blew in Mrs. Calloway's face. Then she fainted on the road clutching her stomach groaning painfully as if someone had recently kicked her there. Mrs. Calloway watched the blond heifer roll out her pink tongue still moaning. Lowering her head closer to her mouth, she sniffed hesitantly and stared down at Grace with a disappointing frown.
"Hmm, chocolate I presume," she muttered, "well what do you have to say for yourself?"
"OOHH, my stomach hurts," Grace moaned lying on her side clutching her stomach.
"Well I'd moan too if I had ever eaten that many sweets," Maggie added in, "what else have you been up to?"
"Nothing," Grace lied, but the two were not buying it.
"You know Grace…," Mrs. Calloway now sounded like she knew her little secret, "…if I didn't know any better, I'd say you snuck off into that candy field, swiped some of those treats, and didn't stop until the you were caught, is that true?" Grace finally gave in knowing that lying was not going to get her anywhere at this moment.
"Yes Mrs. C," she answered weakly because of the ache in her stomach. "I'm really sorry; it won't happen again." At this point, she was feeling too sick to care about giving herself away.
"Well that might explain all the snorting and bellowing we've been hearing lately," said Maggie sarcastically.
"Alright, I believe you," Mrs. Calloway saw no point in scolding her any further. "But no more candy from now on." Grace nodded in agreement. She had enough tasty sweets for now. "We better move on," But of course, Grace had refused to sit up believing that her stomachache might only increase from all the tossing and turning.
"Oh now what do we do?" Maggie muttered. With her and Mrs. Calloway feeling a little frustrated with not knowing how to help, Rudolph walked slowly to Grace and lowered his head toward her.
"You shouldn't have wandered off like that by yourself," he said gently to her, "because even in this realm, there are many unknown dangers for us to watch out for." The other two watched as Rudolph offered Grace a sugar-free rainbow colored antidote he had tucked inside his collar the whole time (like a pouch.) "Here take this, it will make you feel better faster. They worked on Donner and Blitzen before," Lifting her head up; Grace chewed until she was able to swallow it down her throat. A few moments afterward, her stomachache decreased entirely. Grace was now able to sit up off the ground and stretch out her legs.
"Thanks," she said, "but what was that you gave me?"
"A rainbow drop to cure all forms of stomachaches," answered Rudolph, "I always carry them with me just in case."
"So now where do we go?" Grace was now ready for the next magical tour.
"To the Gingerbread Kingdom."
Cherry Punch Lagoon
"What's it like over at the Gingerbread Kingdom?" Grace asked Rudolph feeling better enough to turn back to excitement. The group had now entered a strange lagoon territory with sweet cherry punch for streams and waterfalls instead of water.
"Well you're going to love it. There's a dancing ballroom, a magnificent theatre, and a kind princess named Maple; I've met her before, she's a kind ruler."
The moonlight sparkled on the beautiful lake heavenly as the waterfall created a few small ripples. The stars up in the night sky twinkled as the cows watched them from down below the stone bridge where they stood to cross over the lake.
"This is the Cherry Punch Lagoon," said Rudolph, "in this place; it is always quiet and peaceful. Although there is nothing more to talk about in this territory, it is still a radiant sight to view, especially at night," The cows were enchanted by the beauty of the moonlight still shining upon the lagoon. Even more beautiful than any other pond back at home. Of course, there were never that many radiant lakes or streams to witness around their farm.
"Come on, there is another boat by the Cherry Sea that can take us to the Gingerbread Kingdom." The cows followed him across the bridge until the end of it reached a magnificent kind of garden covered with the most spectacular trees where red shining apples hung from the branches. The light from the moon created a sparkle on the outside.
"Apple trees?" said Mrs. Calloway surprisingly. "I thought there'd be no apples in this place."
"Those are candy apples actually," replied Rudolph, "sweet on the outside, juicy on the inside. And sometimes the clouds rain down punch." That was when a small thunder rumbled in the sky. The clouds grew from white to magenta creating a brief shower of reddish droplets down on them. To make sure, Maggie rolled out her tongue to have a taste. After a few drops, she curled her lips in her mouth from the sourness of the punch. Then her eyes bulged.
"WOW!" she hollered making the others jump in surprise. "This is even better than the Lemonade Fountain. Now where's the rest of the stream?" Maggie, who was now in a dream dazed state, turned back to cross over the bridge.
"Oh no here we go again," Mrs. Calloway sighed, rolling her eyes. The group chased after her. To their surprise, Maggie had somehow reached to the top of the cliff over the waterfall and was now preparing to make a jump inside the lagoon. "Oh now she's lost it this time," she scowled. "Get down from there right now!" But instead of climbing down, Maggie crouched lower and sprinted off the cliff to dive into the lagoon with a large splash that showered over the group. "Humph, that girl sure has a talent for showing off at a time like this," She narrowed her eyes sarcastically whilst squeezing the juice out of her scarf and purple hat.
"Let's help her out of there," Rudolph replied shaking himself. He could only giggle at what he witnessed on the cliff. Maggie was now becoming addicted to Cherry Punch as she did with the pink lemonade. And once they start with the drinking, it would be hard to put a stop to it.
Nervously Grace peered down into the cherry lagoon to check for any sign of Maggie. She herself was not used to being jumped out of her hide.
"Maggie?" she said. "Maggie? Are you still in…?" Suddenly she was pulled in by the shoulder blades headfirst into the lagoon. After a brief moment, Grace bobbed up gasping and coughing for air. At first she was shocked by that surprise, but then she licked her lips to have a taste of the punch. It wasn't any sweeter than the pink lemonade, but it sent a satisfying sensation throughout her body. Soon the two were back to where they started upon entering through the entrance of Candy Land as they were with the Lemonade Fountain.
Shrugging her shoulders, Mrs. Calloway marched straight to the lagoon to force Maggie out by her tail. Despite hearing Maggie's resistance to taste some more along with her being heavy, the proper cow kept on dragging her until they were beyond reach. She had been disappointed (not angry) with Maggie for breaking her promise about drinking so much. As much as she hated to do this to her, it was for her own good. Rudolph was able to help Grace out of the punch without force before the heifer realized that her friends were beyond the end of the stone bridge. Jumping out, the two followed behind.
Little did the adventurers know that the familiar form of a great black-haired lady had been spying on them from somewhere in the forest of candy apples watching their every move. When they were gone out of sight, Crystal stepped out from behind a candy apple tree throwing away the core of a candy apple which she had been eating. The sweet juice on the inside made a horrid stain over her mouth.
"Yes, hurry over to the Gingerbread Kingdom, my soon-to-be servants," she sneered crossing her arms. "Wouldn't want to miss out on Christmas now wouldn't we?" Brushing back her hair, she just remembered that tomorrow was Christmas Eve and she still needed to figure out a plan to lure those cows to her. Wiping her mouth, an evil smirk drew across her blue lips. "Hmm, if I can't get anyone to accept my word, than I will whisk one of them away to my castle and use her as bait to catch the rest." The sinister Crystal clapped her hands together rubbing them softly in delight. "Now who can reject that?"
The Cherry Sea
With the rain of punch still raining down from above, a boat colored and shaped like a wooden toy boat was tossed by the small waves thrusting it forward. This whole experience had been new to the cows since they had never been that used to traveling across the open sea. During that time, it was Maggie's turn to feel sick as she leaned against the boats rail with her eyes rolling in different directions and her face pale. So Rudolph had to offer her a rainbow drop antidote which made her feel better in no time. Maggie didn't think she would ever come across another area with substance as sweet as lemonade. She couldn't help herself; it was the best drink in all of Candy Land and yet drinking that entire amount made her sick. Maybe that would teach her to break promises. When Mrs. Calloway viewed her like that, she thought it would be best to just let her find out for herself instead of breaking into an endless argument. Grace on the other hand, had been facing the open Cherry Sea in amazement. With the gusty wind blowing through her face and rustling her pink scarf, she thought this ride was even more exciting than a train ride. A proud smile crossed her lips as she rushed about the deck to peer off toward the horizon. The rain drops had ceased, and the sky had been clear with the moon and stars twinkling.
Atop a rock that jutted out somewhere in the midst of the sea stood the Ice Empress clutching her fingers into fists. With the wind ruffling her black hair, Crystal gazed over at the boat heading toward the Gingerbread Kingdom at a distance.
"Let's see how they'll handle an extreme blizzard," she snickered. Taking a deep breath, the woman blew out a great gust of cold wind mixed with snow heading straight for the ship. "Have a nice chill, my servants!"
Nobody knew how it happened. One moment, they were feeling merry with Christmas cheer, and then next thing that happens is extreme coldness sending them shivering like leaves in the wind. Dark black clouds began to gather in the sky forming more gusts of strong snowy wind down upon them.
"What in tarnation is happening here?" hollered Maggie, clutching the edge of the boat. "You didn't tell us there'd be blizzards in this region."
"There are no real blizzards in Candy Land!" Rudolph called out among the pressuring snowstorm. "Crystal must have…WHOA!!" the force of the windstorm flung the reindeer high into the air and out of the cows' sight.
"Rudolph, come back!" Grace called out. But it was no use. The wind was too strong for the flying reindeer to handle and was blown aside until his red nose blinked out. The cherry waves continued to roll and toss the boat about while the cows watched the sea transform into a frozen ice lake trapping the boat halfway.
Grace had lost her grip on the edge and slid all the way down crossing over the frozen iced sea. She kept on sliding further and further away from the boat and finally slowed down to a stop. The blond heifer stared in bewilderment to find that she was within a mile away from the boat frozen in red ice. Grace struggled to stand up as she was now slipping and sliding back down falling flat on the side of her face.
"Oof, where did all this ice and snow come from?" Grace said to herself in a panic. Still on the ground, she could only move back slowly in fear of who may have been responsible for this raging, powerful blizzard. Then unexpectedly, she felt herself back into something else; but it didn't feel like ice. Grace turned her head around slowly and got a terrible shock to find the exact same woman she and her friends encountered in Christmas Tree Forest. Her jaw dropped as Crystal leaned down closer sneering into her face.
"From me, who else?" she blurted into fits of wicked laughter. "I can't believe you would repay me like this."
"What?" Grace asked nervously.
"Foolish cow; I had offered you and your friends the chance to live forever under my domain, yet you run out on me," she waved her arms madly in midair as if she were an average human being chased by bumblebees. "No matter now. Since neither any of you will agree with me, I'll be taking home the bait for now."
"Bait?" With her cold hands, Crystal seized Grace by the shoulder blades and scooped her up off the frozen sea. Soon she was staring eye to eye at the maddening face of the evil Ice Empress. Her hands were colder than ice sending her shivering on the inside and the tightness of her grip was so firm, it hurt.
"That's right dear," she hissed with a sharp glint in her eye. "You'll be the perfect bait to catch the rest of you altogether." Panic stricken, Grace struggled to break loose from her cold and painful grip, but to no avail. All the struggling made her tired.
"Let go of me, I don't want your offer!" she cried out in protest. But Crystal only chuckled at her outburst. Then Grace could feel the tip of her tail stop waving around and her shoulder blades become limp. Crystal's eyes flickered like candles, as she had been casting a spell allowing her to trap the heifer's body in ice. Grace stared down in shock to find that her hide was turning from blond to icy blue. "What's happening?"
"Nobody says to me!" she hissed as the ice spell over Grace continued to spread slowly from her shoulder blades to her hooves. "Be my servant now or spend eternity in my collection of ice statues." Grace gasped when she heard the last two words. So that's what was happening. She was in danger of becoming an ice statue and there was nothing she could do about it!
There was still no use struggling against the frosty ice that was overflowing her body. If she didn't think quickly, she'd be lost forever as a valuable collection to some enchantress. And she certainly didn't want that.
"Well my pet, what's it going to be?" Crystal was still waiting for an answer from her. The ice was rising covering all but Grace's head. She feared that Crystal would not stop the spell until she would say "yes." And she was running out of time.