[SCARY] Sweet As Candy

Some people NEED their sweet treat

[BEWARE: This story may offend you if you like candy. Reader discretion is advised.]

The sun was setting in Olive, California, and Priscilla Orozco was tired of walking. Porch lights were turning on, driveways were filling, and Priscilla probably wasn’t going to sell any more candy that night. Once dinner started, people were less receptive to the little brown girl peddling stuff.

The king-sized bars were Lenny’s idea, after the magazine subscriptions went nowhere. “Just remember guys,” he had said to Priscilla’s group. “If they aren’t buying, a donation is always appreciated.”

She’d been doing it for about six months, and although Lenny was a creep, she needed the money. Her knock-off Airpods had fizzled out just in time for her 16th birthday, and she hoped to buy the real thing this time.

Priscilla chose the Yellow House as her last stop before waiting for the bus. They didn’t always buy, but if the husband was home he might shell out two bucks for a Snickers. And since the green Honda was there, he was too.

She knocked on the door, then counted to four before knocking again. Just as she was about to leave, it swung open. A tall woman answered. Wet hair dripped over her designer hoodie.

“Hi would you like to buy some candy bars to fund my school field trip?” Priscilla lifted the top of her box, presenting four rows of brightly wrapped product.

The woman feigned a smile, then stepped out of the door. “You’ve come around here a few times before, haven’t you?”

Priscilla recognized the fake candor in her tone. “Yeah I have,” she said, closing the box of candy.

“Well I don’t appreciate you coming on my property and knocking on my door,” the woman growled. “And if you ever talk to my husband again, I’ll call the police for stalking. Do you hear me?”

Priscilla fought the urge to roll her eyes. Accusations of “trespassing” were pretty common in this neighborhood, and accusations of jailbait were common everywhere. “So you don’t want a candy bar?” she finally asked.

Hellfire raged in the woman's eyes. “Get out of here!”

Priscilla shrugged and tucked the box under her arm, making sure to walk on the house’s wonderfully green lawn as she left.

The orange in the sky was dwindling, and it would be dark soon. The later it got, the more risky the journey home was, but Priscilla had time. So long as she was at the bus stop in 10 minutes, there was nothing to worry about.

Hardly any cars drove through the neighborhood anyway. Priscilla looked at each house as she strolled, comparing their paint jobs and lawn maintenance.

One of them, far down the street, had a figure standing at the edge of the lawn. Priscilla squinted to see exactly what it was. As she walked closer, it was clear that a little boy stood near the curb.

He couldn’t have been older than eight. Soft brown hair curled around his forehead. Hazel eyes sunk into his pale face. He didn’t smile or frown- his face was completely neutral as he watched Priscilla walk along the road.

She stopped right across from him, on the other side of the street. The boy was wearing brown shorts and a lime green t-shirt. She wondered if he was getting cold.

“Hey are you okay?” she asked, looking for signs of his parents. There was no movement in the house behind him. “Where are your parents?”

The boy said nothing. He only blinked when the wind got too strong.

Priscilla opened her box of candy bars and took out a 100 Grand. Lenny said she was allowed to eat one (“One!”) bar when she was selling, if only to make it look like someone else had bought one. It sounded great until she realized he had taken it out of her pay. But tonight, this kid looked like he needed a candy bar.

She slowly raised the candy in the air. “You want one?”

The boy shook his head, No.

“It’s alright, you can just have it. Nobody buys these anyway.”

Priscilla looked both ways then jogged across the street. The boy timidly stepped back when she got close, but stopped when he looked at the candy bar.

“Here, take it. I’ve got extra.” She held the bar out, urging him to grab it.

The boy looked at Priscilla, then at the candy bar, then at Priscilla again. He was gentle when he took it. He nodded, Yes, but made no other expression.

She nodded back. “You’re welcome,” she said, and started walking again. She felt his eyes on her as she left, lingering the way they do when kids are curious. She looked back and waved to no response, before turning the corner.

The bus stop was on the other side of Rosecrans Avenue, a five-lane monstrosity that ran straight through Olive. Priscilla walked to the end of the sidewalk. Usually the island on this intersection had a street vendor, selling peanuts or flowers. They could be nice sometimes, and once Priscilla managed to trade some candy bars for a bag of oranges. But nobody was there today.

“Hey, you go to school here?”

Priscilla missed the question the first time, thanks to the roar of passing cars. When the guy repeated himself, she saw him standing on the sidewalk. He was about her age, maybe a bit older. A blue and yellow varsity jersey hung off his shoulders, and black skinny jeans hugged his calves.

“Do you go to the high school here?”

“No,” she lied. Priscilla faced the street again. The traffic was more dense now, but she thought someone was standing on the street.

“Where do you go?” Varsity Guy asked, stepping a little closer.

“Did you see something there?” Priscilla pointed to the island.

“Nope.”

When the last car passed, she saw it clearly. The little boy, still holding his candy bar, was standing in the middle of the street.

“Hey- Hey kid! Get out of there!” Priscilla screamed. A new wave of cars was fast approaching, and the boy was just standing there.

“What’re you doing-? Woah!” Varsity Guy jumped when he saw the kid. “What’s he doing there?”

“Get the hell out of the road! Come here!”

The child said nothing. His face was becoming brighter as the first car approached, and he was washed in white until it drove through him.

“Oh my God!”

The car sped away, and suddenly the boy was across the street. He sat on the bus bench without a single injury. Not a hair on his head was displaced.

“He was just in the middle of the street right?” Priscilla asked Varsity Guy.

“I, uh...” Guy’s bottom lip bubbled, trying to make a word. “I gotta go.” He was booking it before she could say anything.

The boy stood up, and Priscilla felt dread in the air. He drifted to the crosswalk, then pressed on the button.

“Are you coming to me?” She asked, hoping the sound of his little-kid voice would calm her.

He said nothing. The traffic light had turned yellow, and Priscilla didn’t want to wait around for the next magic trick. She started walking up the street. I can just catch the next stop, she thought. Just don’t look back at him.

One hand clutched the candy box, while the other formed into a fist. Priscilla was careful not to walk too fast. Whether he was a ghost-monster or some kind of weird kid, she did not want to stoke his curiosity. The cooler she was, the less real he was.

Except that when she turned around, the kid was right behind her.

Priscilla sprinted back into the neighborhoods. She tried to secure the candy box under her arm, but that only caused it to slip, so she held it in front of her with both hands.

The air was much cooler now and she shivered as she passed familiar houses. Priscilla didn’t realize that she was running back toward the high school until she saw it in the distance.

She stopped after passing a man walking his dog. She went back and tried to tell him that she was being followed, but her wheezing made it impossible.

The man smiled politely, clearly not understanding her. “No thanks, I don’t eat candy.”

Priscilla groaned and tucked the box under her arm. “I’m being followed!”

The man crouched down to look Priscilla in the eye. “Are you okay? What happened?”

She struggled to think and breathe at the same time. “I was selling my candy... and then I saw this kid... and I gave him one so he started...”

Priscilla looked and saw the boy’s silhouette under a streetlight. “That’s him!” She exclaimed.

The man twisted around, then chuckled. “Oh he’s following you? Okay.” He walked toward the streetlight, and Priscilla stepped back.

“Hey buddy,” the man’s wave was friendly. “Is everything alright?”

The boy looked up, and said nothing. The man balanced himself on one knee, then put his hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“Do you need me to call your mom?” The man took a sharp breath before his hand trembled off the kid. “What did you...?” He moaned. He looked at his hand then began to gag, and dark vomit burst from his mouth.

The dog barked at the boy in terror as the man fell to both knees, stooping in a pool of black bile. Priscilla watched, horrified as the boy simply walked around the havoc.

Any fatigue disappeared as Priscilla ran again. The sun was gone now and the high school was just downhill. It was steep, but her legs were on autopilot, with long strides bouncing off the pavement.

She sensed she was losing control of the decline, but it was too late. Her foot hit something on the pavement and her ankle rolled over itself, making a distinct (pop) sound as she tumbled. The candy box just barely saved her elbows from shattering. She tried to stand but pain drilled through her left foot. Priscilla’s heart pounded as she pushed herself off the ground. It wasn’t so bad if she only used the tip of her foot for balance, but it hurt to take a full step.

There was no sign of the boy. She looked in every direction, even turning around to make sure he wasn't sneaking behind her. She turned so fast it hurt, but it was reassuring to see he wasn’t there.

Everything was still and quiet now, as if the world was mocking Priscilla for being afraid in the first place.

She considered leaving the candy, but figured showing Lenny the smashed box was her best option. Consequences were certain, but maybe there was credit for honesty.

“Yeah right,” she said to nobody. She picked the box up and limped forward, toward the high school. Her mom would be able to pick her up after work, and although there’d be hell to pay, it was better than being murdered by the vomit-ghost boy.

It was so quiet that all Priscilla heard was the sound of her shoe dragging along the concrete. She whined at the realization that her sneaker was permanently disfigured.

Despite the silence, Priscilla was not alone. She stopped when she saw him, standing between the next two street lights. The boy marched forward, and she saw the glimmer of a candy bar shining in the dark.

Priscilla hastily turned around, but she fell immediately. This time the pain was more intense, and she cried out as her ankle slammed on the ground. Candy bars tumbled around her. She tried to crawl away but her arms couldn’t save her from the growing leg pain.

It was no use anyway. When she looked up he was standing over her, peering down with his trademark gaze.

“H-h-help! Somebody help me!” Priscilla raised her arms and cowered as the boy leaned forward. She shut her eyes as tight as she could, shaking in fear of the torture to come.

Her eyes must have closed for a minute before she realized nothing was happening. He wasn’t doing anything.

Priscilla opened her eyes and saw a little boy’s palm sticking out. He shook it a few times, telling her to hurry up.

“Can I...” Her question was answered when his hand grabbed hers. She recoiled and tried to pull away, but realized that he was helping her up.

There wasn’t much strength in the boy’s pulling, but it did boost Priscilla’s pivot from the middle of the sidewalk. She sat on the curb and stuck her bad ankle out on the street.

She watched the boy unwrap the 100 Grand chocolate bar she’d given him. Without an ounce of intent on his face, he broke it in two. He handed one half to Priscilla.

She took the chocolate, and then looked at her melted chunk. A thread of caramel coiled out from the center, and rice puffs littered the chocolate shell. It looked disgusting. The boy took a bite and smiled at her with brown mush in his teeth. Priscilla smiled back, grossed out.

The boy gestured for her to take a bite. She slowly brought it to her mouth, but the sweetness was overwhelming. The rice puffs felt like rocks in her teeth, and she wanted to spit it out. But after letting it sit in her mouth for a few seconds, she swallowed it.

The boy then sat next to her, and she felt the warmth of his calf. He looked around at nothing in particular, and continued taking little bites from his treat.

She watched him for a few moments before taking another bite of the candy. It tasted better this time.

Priscilla and the kid sat in silence as they finished their chocolate. ⬤

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SWEET AS CANDY

Story and Cover by Eduardo Vaca

Read more short fiction by clicking here, and read excerpts from select Daily Egg zines here.

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