I’m sharing a short story from a prompt at my last writer’s circle meeting. The prompt was write a scene, or story that includes a piece of candy. Let me know what you think.

The Sweetest Story

I gazed at the store window with its jars and boxes of candy. Every colour and shape imaginable. My mouth watered as I imagined picking a different candy one after the other. The store door opened and a mother and two young boys came out. Each boy held a small brown bag, glee on their faces. Their mother turned them toward her and said.

“Remember only two pieces of candy now, Tommy, Philip. Then give me the bags until after supper.”

Both boys groaned, but peered into the crinkling paper bags deciding on which treat to eat first. As her sons choose, the mother gave me a cursory glance, then put a hand on each boys shoulder, steering them away from me.

I didn’t blame her, my face was grimy, my clothes creased and dirty and noticeably too small. The store door opened again a deep toned voice said.

“Off with you girl.”

I shrunk and shuffled my way up the street. My dreams of a piece of candy, just that – a dream. There is no money for treats in our home, in fact not much of anything. I swiped a tear away and shuffled up the hill to the trailer park, cutting through the hedge to avoid the Taylor boys, who take delight in bullying me, every chance they get.

Mum was standing at the stove stirring a big pot – the endless pot as we call it. It contains any food she can find, or steal from the restaurants garbage. The lumpy liquid is always a murky grey brown. But it is all we have to eat, so I swallow it down to stop the hunger that grips my stomach constantly.

The next day, I kept to one side of the store window hoping to avoid the owner’s eye. I never dare enter the store. I know what the outcome would be as surely as I know my shoes are two sizes too small.

An older teenager dressed in baggy pants and a hoodie walked past me, but then turned and looked at me.

“Oi you, what you doing?”

I scream, turn and run; his footsteps pound the pavement behind me. I’m so sacred, is he going to hit me? He shouts for me to stop. Then I feel his strong hands on my shoulders. Fear explodes through my body.

“Oi, stop I won’t hurt you.”

His arms cage me against a garbage bin. I look up at his face, my eyes wide with fear.

“Heh, look sorry I don’t mean to frighten you.” He stepped back.

My mind raced can I get away from him? He’s so much bigger, so much taller.

He crouches down. “Look I’ve been hungry like you. I know how that feels. I can buy you some candy if you want.”

My mother’s warnings not to talk to strangers passed through my mind, but the image of a bag full of candy was too much. I nodded. Hoping I get the candy and this man doesn’t hurt me.

“My name is Keith. What’s yours?”

“Amber.”

“Hello, Amber. Let’s walk back to the store and you can pick as much candy as you want okay?”

I walk slightly behind him to one side looking for escape routes just in case. Is he luring me in with treats just like mom says these men do? He smiles at me.

“Look, I’m just buying you candy nothing else, okay? Once you have a bag full I’ll leave you alone. As I said I know hunger and the lure of candy.”

At the store he pushes open the door. The smell is like nothing I’ve known before, such sweetness. The shelves are full of large jars, the glass counter loaded with deliciousness. I can feel my eyes widen with awe at the amount of candy around me.

“Wow!”

A familiar deep toned voice filled the room. “Out you get.” The owner stepped toward me but Keith stopped him in his tracks.

“She’s with me. I’m paying. Leave her alone. Whatever, Amber wants she can have.”

The owner looked at Keith then me and back again.

“Well hurry up, I don’t want that dirty thing in here, God knows what…”

Before he can finish his sentence, Keith moved in front of the owner and straightens his shoulders.

“Before you say something you regret, back off old man. I said I’m paying. Now leave her alone.”

Keith handed me a large brown bag, it was much larger than the ones I saw the two boys had yesterday.

“Fill it up, Amber, take whatever you want.”

He stood facing the owner staring straight at his face and not moving. The owner backed off and went back around the counter, muttering under his breath.

I fill the bag with candies in every colour and shape just as I’d imagined then hand the bag to Keith.

“Is this all you want, Amber? You can take more.”

“That’s all, thank you.”

Keith gave the bag to the owner, who weighs the bag and announced the price. Keith hands over the money then turns and gives me the bag.

“Enjoy your candy, Amber. Just remember to keep it hidden, okay? See you around.”

With that we walk out of the store. I tense at the doorway, unsure of there will be a price to pay, but Keith turns away to strut down the hill giving me a quick wave.

I’ve never had anyone be kind to me other than Mom before, so I watch him until he turns a corner. I pick out a strawberry candy and pop it into my mouth, then put the bag under my tattered hoodie.

That bag of candy lasted me a whole two months. I never saw Keith again, but he will always be my candy hero.