Chapter 10: Sweet Shop Lane

The candy streets

Grace had resisted being lead away from the grand ballroom and back on the road where they would be close to leaving Candy Land. Princess Maple had waved goodbye to them one last time at the front entrance before they would be on their way. Grace had enjoyed that experience too much to ever think about leaving, even if she knew that she had no other choice. There was a family back home expecting their return. And she certainly didn't want to think about what would happen if she chose to stay wanting more than what she could ever find at a normal farmhouse.

Two hours afterward, the group entered through the very last town in Candy Land, Sweet Shop Lane. The one town where the streets were lined with beautiful houses and shops that sold bonbons, cupcakes, muffins, cakes, cookies, and candy canes in boxes. Most of them could be seen from behind the windows inside. The group walked over the street being covered in an inch of white snow glittering in the brightness of the full moon. The window panes were painted in shining blue paint.

There were many gingerbread people, elves, gnomes, and dwarves walking about dressed in the finest holiday winter garments ever designed for venturing out into the snowy weather. And there were reindeer wearing collars with bells jingling softly from every step they took. Most of them looked at the cows when they realized that they were not of this realm, but then just went about their usual business. No one had spoken to them, not even to ask where they had come from. Many more shops had stood in the streets as Rudolph kept leading them through the crowd. Caramel swirled ice cream and packs of hot cocoa mix were offered for sale as well as toffees, pudding, and donuts of all sorts.

There seemed to be no other shops that didn't sell candy anywhere. Some of the reindeer walked about carrying wreaths and mistletoe in their mouths to hang on the front of doors or lampposts that burned like giant candle bras. Everyone was joyful, contended, and filled with Christmas cheer as some of the little people and reindeer gathered in the streets to go caroling or tell the best holiday stories to the little ones.

"You know Maggie," Mrs. Calloway whispered next to her. Rudolph was two feet away from them in front to notice her whispering. "Everyone here is rather nice, a little too nice to be exact."

"Well what do you expect?" Maggie whispered back to her. "Its Christmas country of course. A time for sharing and generosity."

"I'm not saying that I don't approve of Christmas, I still find it hard to believe that I am here wandering about in a land I've only heard in a storybook."

"So when was the last time you have ever believed in a fantasy?" Maggie asked with her brow furrowed.

"I was a six month old calf when I have often heard many tall tales from citizens down town. And yes, there were those of Santa Clause I listened to during the month of December. But I have never seen such a face or the ringing of sleigh bells. So after that, I stopped believing." Mrs. Calloway revealed a frown of disappointment.

"But we're here now," Maggie tried to convince her without being sarcastic. "Any moment we'll be at the North Pole to see the face of Santa Clause."

"Well, we'll see what happens."

As the two began whispering in discussion, nobody noticed Grace begin to sneak off into a back alley with a sign labeled: Story time and Caroling. This time, Grace was more interested in the stories of Christmas than she was about caroling or tasting treats. She was never really planning to step away from her friends to go out on her own, but her curiosity was still getting the better of her throughout this entire adventure.

"It all seems wonderful, but where are all the carolers and storytellers?" Grace looked around the deserted alley of houses and shops in confusion. There was not a sign of a gingerbread man, elf, gnome, dwarf, or reindeer walking about in this part of town. All the buildings were frosted with a few small icicles. And Grace and her friends were not used to wandering about in a deserted area as it made things seem spooky most of the times. "I don't like the looks of this place." Maybe wandering off on her own wasn't such a bright idea.

"All alone aren't we?" a sweet voice made Grace stop walking and slowly turns around.

"Uh…I…no not exactly," she stuttered nervously. It was an average cookie girl with curly black hair in a dark blue dress and ghastly blue eyes. She had been standing outside a shop labeled: Frozen Treats. Something else about this cookie girl made Grace quiver, but didn't understand why. "I was just wondering where all the good folks have gone. Do you know where they are?"

"Hmm, I do believe they are gathering in the very center of Pine Street for a special presentation of a Christmas play at the theatre," the girl answered with a strange sort of unpleasant smile on her face.

"Oh, that would explain all the closed up shops," Grace put her right arm over her chest and chuckled lightly. How silly of her to not even notice the CLOSED signs on the doors. "What do you sell here?"

"A little specialty I like to call frozen treats," the girl held out a small tray of what appeared to be strange, blue bonbons covered in blue frosting and blue sprinkles.

"Frozen treats?" Grace stared down in confusion at the tray of bonbons. Should she try them? "I'm afraid I don't…"

"…have any money?" the cookie girl finished without sounding angry. "That's alright, these frozen treats are free samples; meaning that you don't have to pay this time." Then she moved the tray upward to the heifer's face and smiled. "Try one while it's still cold…" Grace was taken aback by that word. "…I mean sweet, sweet I mean." Grace was still unsure of this. Then again, what harm could it do to try one at least?

"Well ok…but just one," Grace picked up one of the bonbons and shoved it inside her mouth to have a taste. Her head had perked up. The bonbon was sweeter than any other candy she had ever tasted. "Wow that is sweet. I think I'll take two more for my friends." Grace snatched two bonbons with her tail and turned to find her friends. "Thank you!"

"Drop by again anytime!" called the cookie girl as she waved her hand. With Grace sprinting off out of sight, she did not have a chance to notice the cookie girl transform into the scheming Ice Empress Crystal. "That's it my pet, take them to your friends. Little do you know that those treats will soon freeze their hearts as yours will be." In truth, Crystal had secretly stolen a box of bonbons from a shop and placed a nasty spell over them. And whenever anyone saw her, she had to freeze them and possibly the entire street side to prevent anymore watchful eyes. That is what really happened to the citizens in this part of town. They were trapped inside the buldings. It was a spell that turns a victim's heart and personality into cold, hard ice. One down, two to go!