Part Eleven
A Time to Throw Away
Edmund's hand shook as he opened the tin. The small pieces of Turkish delight looked sweet but made Edmund feel sick to his stomach. He held the small candy tin in his hand, not sure what to do with the sweets inside.
The Turkish delight had been given to him by his roommate, whose mother had sent the candy earlier in the week. Michael, Edmund's roommate, made one face at the sweets and handed it to Edmund.
"Here, have some. I know it's your favorite," He said.
Edmund had politely taken the package and had forgotten about it for a few days. Edmund had just noticed the tin still sitting on his desk. The idea of disposing of the candy was tempting, but Edmund felt bad at the idea of just throwing it all away. He knew how much a tin of Turkish delight cost and how much of a treat it should be to have any at all.
He couldn't throw it away.
Edmund closed his eyes and a lifetime of images came rushing toward him. He felt the White Witch's warm coat against him and the taste of enchantment on his lips.
He opened his eyes to be greeted by the sight of that unwelcome dessert once more.
He couldn't throw the candy away. He sighed deeply as he picked up a piece and held it close to his mouth.
He couldn't throw the candy away, so he would throw away the power it held over him instead.
Slowly, he put the piece of Turkish delight in his mouth. While it may not have tasted as good as the enchanted pieces he had eaten so long ago, Edmund thought he had never tasted anything more delicious than this freedom.