Meanwhile, the girls were soon back at the pet store. It seemed to be a normal day until they saw Otis talking with a ranger.
"Well, well, well," The ranger greeted them. "How long have ya known Mr. Otis here?"
"Not so long, I guess?" Opal replied.
"So I reckon y'all know Gertrude too?" The ranger then asked.
"Yes? Why is there a problem?" Darla asked.
"Winn-Dixie!" Gertrude squawked.
"Yet somehow you don't know Miss Gertrude?" The ranger asked.
The girls shook their heads to that.
"Nor why she'd leave her shop in the hands of a drifter." The ranger continued.
"Look, I told you that we're cousins." Otis replied.
"You ain't no cousin I know about, there, Smiley." The ranger said to him.
Darla, Amber, and Annabelle didn't seem to like this ranger and neither did Patch as he went and whispered something to Winn-Dixie. Winn-Dixie looked to him. Patch just nodded once to show that he was sure about this. The ranger soon wanted to talk with the girls outside, alone as this sounded serious. Darla frowned as she knew this ranger would possibly bring up Opal's father.
"Now, y'all don't know so much 'bout that fella in there, do ya?" The ranger asked them.
"We know he can sing near anything." Opal replied.
"Oh, yeah, he can sing, all right, like a bird in a cage," The ranger stated. "He tell you he was locked up in jail for a while?"
Patch began to get the front door open.
"The preacher know you're workin' here?" The ranger asked. "I didn't think so. Ya just better watch out-"
Winn-Dixie then led a goat outside who then went towards the police car and butt his head against it.
"Sir, I think that goat likes your car." Darla smirked.
"Hey! Hey, Goat, get away from there!" The ranger glared.
A goose soon came out next and bit on the ranger's pant leg as he tried to grab the goat. Opal and the other girls began to giggle at his misfortune.
"Yeah, that's what you get!" Patch smirked at the ranger.
The ranger's eyes widened and he soon yelled out since Patch was talking. Otis even seemed to laugh from inside the pet shop. The ranger soon got in his car and drove away and yelled out once he saw that the goose was in his car with him which was hilarious to the girls. Later on, they soon went off together after Patch and Winn-Dixie shared a high-paw.
"You're such a goody-goody," Stevie scoffed as he came with his brother. "Shouldn't the preacher's daughter be at home studying the Bible?"
Opal did her best to ignore them as she rode off with Darla, Amber, and Annabelle while the dogs walked on the road. The twins then seemed to block the girls' path.
"Out of the way." Darla said.
"You're so busted," Stevie continued. "That pet shop man is a retarded criminal."
"You don't know anything!" Opal frowned firmly.
"I know Preacher wouldn't like you hanging around with criminals." Stevie smirked.
"Lay off them, Stevie." Dunlap soon said.
'Did he just tell his brother to lay off us which means to stop it?' Darla thought to herself.
The others looked surprised that Dunlap stood up for them, but Opal was still annoyed with the twins.
"I don't care what you guys say," Opal glared. "Go pick your lice, you booger-eaters!"
"And just leave us alone." Darla added.
They soon rode off while Opal looked quite annoyed.
"Let's go see Gloria," Amber suggested. "She reminds me of Nanny whenever Aunt Anita and Uncle Roger go out and she stays behind to babysit. She makes me tea and cookies."
"Yeah, let's see Gloria." Annabelle smiled.
They soon went to see the kind, legally blind woman.
"Baby girl, how 'bout tellin' me a story?" Gloria smiled.
"Once upon a time, I hated the Dewberry boys. The End." Opal crossed her arms.
"Oh, come on, Opal." Amber said.
"Oh, stop that nonsense." Gloria added.
"I do hate 'em! They're ignorant!" Opal replied. "They think you're a witch."
"Oh, they're just trying to get your attention," Gloria chuckled. "I'll bet they like you."
Darla began to think about when she first met Urchin who seemed to tease her during her first time in Atlantica. "I think you're right." she then said.
"Gloria... Do ya know Otis?" Opal soon asked.
"No, I don't know Otis, but I do know what you told me about him." Gloria shook her head.
"You know he's a criminal?" Opal continued. "He's been in jail."
"But I'm sure he's done his time." Darla said.
"Baby girls, come on," Gloria decided once she stood up. "I wanna show y'all somethin'."
"Okay." Amber said.
They soon left the porch and followed the woman to go and see something that she wanted to show them. Eventually, they came up to a rather unique looking tree.
"See this tree?" Gloria asked them.
"Yeah, it kind of looks like a Christmas tree with those bottles hanging on it like decorations." Darla said.
"Why are there bottles on that tree?" Annabelle asked Gloria.
"To keep the ghosts away." Gloria replied.
"Ghosts?" Annabelle asked out of confusion.
"Ghosts of all the things I'd done wrong." Gloria nodded.
"You did that many things wrong?" Opal asked out of surprise.
"Mm... More than that, baby girl." Gloria replied.
"So, then those are beer bottles?" Darla guessed.
"That's right... And Whiskey bottles..." Gloria nodded as they were alcoholic drinks. "I'm the one what drank what was in 'em, and I'm the one what put 'em up there."
"Whoa." Darla said.
"Oh, girls... You know a lot of folks have problems... With liquor and beer," Gloria told them. "Get to start drinkin', and can't get stopped."
Darla could only imagine how hard it was to stop.
"Are you one of these people?" Opal asked.
"Yes, I am," Gloria nodded. "But you know somethin'? These days, I don't drink nuthin' stronger than coffee."
"Did the whiskey and beer and wine... Did they make you do all those bad things that are ghosts now?" Annabelle soon asked.
"Some of 'em," Gloria replied. "Some of 'em I would've done anyway, with or without the liquor and the beer 'til I learned."
"That makes sense." Darla said.
"Um, what exactly did you learn?" Amber asked, curiously.
"'Til I learned what was the most important thing." Gloria replied.
"What's that?" Opal asked.
"Oh... It's different for everyone. Got to learn it on your own," Gloria advised. "But, you know, we should judge Otis by the pretty music that he makes, and how kind he is to all them animals, 'cuz that's all we know about him now... Right?"
"Right." Darla said.
"Yes, ma'am." The other girls added.
"All right then." Gloria smiled as the wind gently blew which made the bottles begin to clang.
Amber smiled because they made her think of her mother's wind-chimes.
"I wish I could do something for Gloria Dump." Opal said to the others.
"Same here." Darla said.
"But what?" Opal wondered.
"Maybe you could read her a story?" Annabelle suggested.
"Hmm..." Opal looked thoughtful about that option.
They soon went to see Miss Franny and the others looked at the various books while Opal would talk to the librarian, Annabelle found a book that looked interesting, though not about fairies, was about a little girl with special powers who was named Matilda Wormwood which she found to be rather interesting. Amber and Darla looked with Annabelle to hear the story about Matilda.
"Miss Franny, I've got this friend named Gloria Dump, and she really loves to read, only her eyes are bad, so she can't read anymore." Opal began to tell the librarian as she worked, but also listened.
"Yeah." Darla nodded while listening to the story of Matilda.
"So I was thinkin' maybe I could read her a story," Opal continued to Miss Franny. "Do you have any suggestions?"
"Of course I have suggestions," Miss Franny replied. "Hmm. What about... Gone with the Wind?"
"That sounds interesting." Amber smiled.
"What's that about?" Opal asked.
"Oh, it's a wonderful, exciting story about the Civil War." Miss Franny replied.
"The Civil War?" Opal raised an eyebrow before pausing in thought.
"Now, Opal, don't tell me you have never heard of the Civil War." Miss Franny said to her.
"Isn't that a huge fight?" Annabelle guessed.
"A bit more than that," Amber replied. "It was the war between the North and the South over slavery."
"That's right, girls," Miss Franny nodded to that. "My great-grandfather, Littmus W. Block, fought in that war."
"Really?" Darla asked.
"Oh, yes, it's quite the story." Miss Franny nodded as the older girl from church soon came in.
"I'm ready for another book." The older girl spoke up.
"Well, Amanda, maybe you wouldn't mind waitin'," Miss Franny replied. "I was just telling India Opal, Darlene, Amber, and Annabelle a story about my great-grandfather."
"I sure would like to hear a story about your great-grandfather." Opal smiled hopefully.
"Same here." Amber added.
Miss Franny smiled, happy to hear them say that as they soon went outside to share the story. "Now, Littmus, only a boy of 14 went off to be a hero, but he soon found out the truth." she soon began.
"What truth?" Opal wondered.
"That war is Hell," Miss Franny replied. "Pure Hell."
Darla could already tell that was true because Atticus had been a war once himself.
"Hell is a cuss word!" Amanda complained.
"Well, war is a cuss word, too," Miss Franny replied. "I mean, neither of you can imagine..." she then began to explain. "Littmus was hungry all the time. He was covered with all manner of vermin. Fleas and lice. And he was constantly being shot at. He suffered in a way that no boy should ever have to suffer, and it changed him."
"Oh, my..." Darla frowned.
"He walked back home when the war was over," Miss Franny continued. "I mean, he walked from Virginia all the way to Georgia, but when he got there, his parents, his sisters, everything and everyone was gone."
"Goodness!" Amber frowned.
"But Miss Franny, what about his sisters?" Amanda asked. "What happened to them?"
"Dead," Miss Franny told her. "Dead from typhoid fever."
"And his mama?" Amanda then asked.
"Dead, too." Miss Franny replied.
"And his father?" Amanda asked.
"He died on the battlefield." Miss Franny sighed.
"Poor guy..." Annabelle frowned.
"So, Littmus was an orphan?" Opal asked.
Winn-Dixie and Patch even lowly whined as that sounded so awful.
"Yes. Poor Littmus was all alone in the world," Miss Franny sighed. "Well... When he finished crying, he... Had the s-strangest sensation. He wanted something sweet. He wanted a piece of candy. Yes, ma'am. Littmus W. Block figured that the world was a sorry affair and had enough ugly things in it. And what he was going to do was put something sweet in it."
"So, he decided to invent candy?" Darla guessed.
Patch glanced over from under the porch as he thought he heard other voices.
"Oh, yes, my dear," Miss Franny smiled and nodded before taking out a tin and opening it up to show them. "Would you care for a Littmus lozenge?"
"Sure." Darla said.
The others agreed as they took some candy to try it out.
'I'm sure this will be tasty.' Darla thought to herself.
They soon tried the candy which had a rather unique taste to it.
"Now, they're not made anymore," Miss Franny told them. "The world, it seems, lost its appetite for Littmus lozenges. Fortunately, I had the foresight to save a few. Do you like it?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Opal nodded.
"What about you, Amanda?" Miss Franny asked the older girl.
"Yes, ma'am, but it makes me feel sad." Amanda replied softly.
"There is a secret ingredient in there." Miss Franny told them all.
"Ooh." Amber smiled.
"What is it?" Opal wondered.
"Sorrow," Miss Franny said softly. "Not everybody can taste it."
"We can tell." Annabelle said.
"I taste it." Opal said.
"Me too." Amanda added.
Darla nodded as she could also, but she still liked the candy.
"Well, then... You've probably all had your share of sadness," Miss Franny said to them. "The world has changed so much. People in Naomi, t-they used to know each other's sadnesses. They used to rely on each other. This town just isn't the same without the candy factory."
"Candy factory?" Amber asked out of confusion.
"Where do you think the candy comes from, sweet pea?" Miss Franny replied.
"I didn't know this town had a candy factory." Amber said.
"A lot has changed since before you girls came along." Miss Franny replied.
"But how do you get sadness into a piece of candy?" Opal wondered.
"Yeah, how'd you get that taste in there?" Amanda added.
"That is the mystery. That's how Littmus made his fortune," Miss Franny informed. "By manufacturing a candy that tasted sweet and sad at the same time."
"Whoa." Annabelle said.
Eventually, they began to leave with Winn-Dixie and Patch.
"I had to move away from Watley, and leave all my friends behind. That's one sadness I've known. And my mama," Opal said to Amanda, attempting to socialize with her. "I don't know my mama. I only know a few things about her. And there's something the preacher won't tell me."
"Makes me think of Carson." Amanda replied as her voice seemed to break from sadness as the Dewberry boys soon came over.
"Who's Carson?" Amber asked.
"Hey, guys." Stevie said to the others.
"Bookworms! Where's your apples?" Dunlap huffed.
"I have to go." Amanda said, suddenly running off as she looked like she was going to cry.
"What's with her?" Dunlap scoffed.
"Like we would tell you." Darla said.
"Um... Do you guys know who Carson is?" Opal asked.
"Carson was Amanda's brother." Dunlap replied.
"Was...?" Opal tilted her head.
"He drowned last year," Dunlap explained. "I saw the whole thing."
Amber frowned as that sounded just terrible.
"Come on, Dunlap." Stevie told his brother.
Dunlap looked over and they soon biked away.
"I guess there's more to this town that we didn't know." Darla said.
"You can say that again." Opal agreed as she had a lot to think about.
"I wonder if Otis would like some candy?" Annabelle commented as she took out a leftover piece.
"Maybe." Amber said.
They soon decided to stop by the pet shop and let Otis try some candy.
"Hmm... Reminds me of being in jail..." Otis said after he took a taste.
Patch had a feeling it would.
"Otis... What were you in jail for?" Opal asked, curiously.
Otis glanced over, but shook his head.
"You don't have to tell us," Opal said as she pet Winn-Dixie. "I was just wonderin'."
"I never hurt anybody," Otis sighed as he played his guitar. "Never meant to, but I've been locked up. And I remember the day very well."
Darla frowned as she knew that day had to be horrible for the man.
"I was sitting in the park, playing a little music, and there were people walking their dogs, and children were laughing," Otis continued to tell his story. "It was a perfect day, so I felt like playing music. I put my... I put my hat out there, but I wasn't really playing for money. I just thought that maybe if someone was enjoying it, they might throw a little change in there. Or not. I just... Well, music is better if somebody's listening. Anyway, this... This policeman came up to me. He said I was disturbing the peace, and then he tried to take my guitar away from me, and I guess I got real angry at him, but I'm not a bad man. I'm just... Not a lucky man~..." he then added while singing to his own little tune.
"So this time, the police started it." Amber said.
"Anyway, they told me that I broke that policeman's nose, and they charged me with assault on a police officer, and no matter what I said, they wouldn't listen," Otis nodded as he continued to tell them his story. "No matter what I said, they wouldn't... They gave me three years."
"Whoa..." Annabelle frowned.
Opal swept the floor, though slowly because she wanted to keep Otis company as he had a very sad song about his past and didn't want him to feel lonely.
Eventually, they saw Sweetie Pie and let her have some candy, but she spit it out. "Yuck. That tastes bad," she then said to them. "It tastes like... Not havin' a dog."
"That's the taste of sadness you were tasting." Amber explained.
"Hm..." Sweetie Pie gave a small pout before sucking on her thumb again.
Patch had a theory before coming up to Sweetie Pie to test his theory. Sweetie Pie looked down to Patch as she sucked on her thumb like a baby. Patch began to nuzzle up to her, feeling her sadness.
Sweetie Pie soon used her free hand to reach out before looking to Darla. "Can I pet your dog?" she then asked.
"He's my brother's dog, but go ahead." Darla replied.
Sweetie Pie then began to pet the Dalmatian once she was given permission which allowed Patch to feel some happiness growing.
"I like his fur." Sweetie Pie said to Darla.
"He's no Pomeranian, but yeah." Darla smiled.
"I thought that was a fruit?" Sweetie Pie asked. "My mom has perfume that makes her smell like Pomeranian."
"That's Pomegranate," Darla corrected with a small giggle. "A Pomeranian is a small, fluffy dog."
"Ohh." Sweetie Pie smiled.
Opal gave a small smile as it seemed like she and Sweetie Pie were slowly becoming friends as Patch smiled up to the girl which was a good thing. Later that night, Opal was left with more to think about like a lot of other nights since she opened up thanks to Annabelle, Darla, and Amber.