Cursed Confection

It started with a drop on her nose that rapidly evolved into a deluge. Running along the side of the road, she aimed for the overpass she knew would provide shelter. The pelting of rain became a roar loud enough to drown out the sound of the river flowing beneath the bridge.

Thunder cracked and Caitlin yelped, tripping over a root. She barely caught herself. Stumbling, still running. Lightning split the night sky above. The thunder that followed was instantaneous. It sounded like the world might crack in two.

She sat on the dry dirt beneath the overpass, shivering. Pulling her threadbare jacket around her, she knew she would freeze in this storm if she didn't find better shelter. She wrapped her arms around her legs, pulling her knobby knees up to her chest. So hungry.

Panhandling had not gone well today. She'd gotten a juice box, five dollars, and a granola bar. The lady who had given her the granola bar had a face so full of concern for Caitlin that she felt her heart clench thinking back on it. She'd asked her where her parents were. Caitlin lied and said they were picking her up at sunset.

She was eight years old and had decided she could make her own way in the world. It was better than spending another day with her foster family. With her foster father. Whose hands lingered too long on her, roamed too freely. His nighttime visits she'd shut out of her mind behind a locked door.

She would live in the forest, taking handouts from passing cars. Become friends with the squirrels. She would be fine.

Except, the last few days have been nothing like she'd dreamed being on her own would be. She hadn't felt this famished even with her foster family. One of seven fighting over the meager meal placed on the table every night.

Tears pricked her eyes, blurring her vision. She couldn't go back, but this wasn't working either.

A flash of white moved in her periphery. She stared after it. It had disappeared around the bend of the bridge. She nearly turned her attention back to the river when she spotted it again. Appearing behind a bush, fur shining like the moon.

"Hello?" she called, her voice quavering with cold or fear. She wasn't sure which.

It slowly came out, nose twitching as it tried to scent her. It was only a few yards away, and with the headlights from the cars driving on the overpass above, she could just make it out.

It was a white fox with pointy ears and a bushy tail. What struck her as odd was the dots of bright color all over its fur. Her eyes widened as she realized the creature was somehow staying dry as it stood in the downpour.

"How are you doing that?" she asked, fear melting away as she stood, cold forgotten.

It came out from behind the bush. It sat on its haunches, tail curled around its paws, staring at her with bright blue eyes.

She took a few tentative steps forward, shoes squelching out water as she stepped.

The bright spots of color on the fox weren't its fur, she realized as she drew near. It was candy! Various suckers, tootsie rolls, gumballs, sweets Caitlin hadn't even seen before. "Oh," she breathed, nearly running to the fox now.

She paused just inside the bridge, looking up into the stormy sky. lightning sliced through it once more. As the thunder rumbled, she stepped out into the rain and...nothing. She held up her hands, but no drops struck her palms. She laughed gleefully and spun in a circle, arms out, the rain avoiding her as if she were in a protective bubble.

She turned to beam at the fox and frowned. It was gone. She looked around. Blue eyes stared back at her in the distance. As she moved towards it, it turned and began to make its way through the trees.

"Wait, let me help you!" she called. It couldn't be comfortable having sticky candy stuck all over its fur. She began to jog, laughing once more at the joy of being in the rain and staying dry.

The fox wended through the thickening forest. Caitlin glanced behind her, momentarily worried that she might get lost, when she spotted a gumball on the ground. It was blue, and wet, its color staining the dirt.

That's when she realized she could see, despite how dark it had been earlier. She looked back at the fox. It emanated a white light. It was so subtle, she hadn't noticed it before, but its radius stretched far enough to encompass her. She squinted past the threshold of light and spotted a sucker on the ground in the distance. A rainbow swirl against the dark green foliage.

She could just follow the candy back if she got lost. With this thought, she began to skip as she followed the fox deeper into the forest.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed. All she knew was that she was warm, the rain had stopped, and the fox had to be going someplace magical.

She was just beginning to grow tired when, through the trees, a soft light glimmered ahead. She pushed back a leafy branch and gasped. At the edge of a clearing stood a cottage. But not just any old cottage, one made entirely of candy!

She ran, squealing and laughing, nearly falling with her sudden burst of speed. She approached the mailbox propped out front. It was a miniature version of the cottage, the hinged roof propped open to reveal a pile of small sweets inside.

She grabbed a handful, tearing into chocolate bars, gummies, licorice, and every type of treat she could dream of. They were all tinier than what she was normally used to, so she hadn't noticed how much she'd eaten until her stomach began to hurt. Her belly was full, and her teeth ached, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and turned back towards the cottage.

She frowned then, realizing momentarily where she was. In the middle of a dark forest, alone, drunk on sugar. She took an involuntary step back just as the door creaked open.

"Hello child," cooed a woman, holding the fox in her arms as she stepped outside. "Are you lost?"

Caitlin quickly wiped her mouth once more, cheeks turning red. "I'm sorry, I was hungry and-"

"Oh, you can help yourself to my candy seeds. That's what they're there for," laughed the woman. Her hair was a mass of golden curls that spilled over her shoulders. Her eyes were as bright of a blue as the fox's. Her dress was imprinted with lollipops.

"He led me here," said Caitlin, pointing at the fox.

The woman smiled kindly, her eyes sparkling with warmth. "Come inside, dear. You must be exhausted and in need of shelter." She gestured for Caitlin to follow her into the candy cottage.

Caitlin hesitated for a moment, her eyes darting around the forest, but the familiar sight of the candy-covered path reassured her. She followed the woman inside, her senses overwhelmed by the sweet scent that filled the air.

The interior of the cottage was just as magical as its exterior. The walls were made of gingerbread, the furniture was crafted from candy canes, and the windows were spun sugar. As Caitlin entered, her eyes widened in amazement, and her worries seemed to melt away.

The woman placed the fox on the floor, and it scampered off to a corner, curling up for a nap. "My name is Elara," she said, "and this is my little friend, Pippin." She gestured towards the fox. "Now, what's your name, dear?"

Caitlin hesitated for a moment, considering whether to trust this seemingly kind stranger. But the memory of her cold, wet, and hungry self on the bridge overcame her caution. "I'm Caitlin."

Elara smiled and nodded. "Caitlin, you are welcome here. You're safe, and you'll never be hungry again. In fact, this forest is full of wonders, and you can stay here as long as you'd like."

Caitlin's eyes filled with gratitude as she realized that her dream of escaping the world of foster homes might just come true. She could stay here with her new friend Elara and the fox Pippin. She had found a family, and it was far more enchanting than she could have ever imagined.

"Are you hungry?" asked Elara as she gestured at the puffy marshmallow couch for Cailtin to sit.

"No," said Caitlin with a sheepish grin as she sat. She noticed then, stuck to her arm, was a sucker. She laughed and tried to pull it off, then frowned as it stuck as if it had been super glued there. She pulled harder, wincing as her flesh stretched. Her eyes stung as she tugged and wiggled it, trying to get it free.

"We will no longer require Pippin's services," said Elara, opening the door. The fox bolted out and Elara shut the door quickly

As Caitline tugged at the sucker, pain blossomed on the back of her hand as her skin split and red welled up from the cut. At first, she thought it was blood, but whatever it was was solid, and sticky. As it sprung out from her arm, she felt bile rise as she realized it was a stick of licorice.

"What's happening?" she cried.

"Well candy doesn't grow on trees," laughed Elara. "That nosy fox had made his way into my candy seeds just like you did. And now that he led you here, you can take his place."

"Take his place?" screeched Caitlin as a wrapped tootsie roll burst from her forearm, and pain lanced through her.

"Growing my candy of course!"

"No!" she cried, as she ripped a puff of cotton candy from the side of her head. She felt bumps form all over her legs and push at her skin like tiny pinpricks. Yanking up her pants, multicolored nerds dotted from every pore and fell to the floor, tinkling like rain.

The licorice followed the large sucker as well, dropping to the floor. She ran from the cottage, screaming into the night. Elara's laughter trailed after her. "Yes find me another! I don't care as long as I get my sweets."

The light followed her now, and she could see clearly as she ran. Branches snagged on her clothes as tears spilled down her cheeks as more candy sprouted from her skin and shed from her as she ran.

When she'd run herself ragged, her breath ripping from her throat, she finally staggered to a stop. The white fox was there, at the edge of her sphere of light. Its white fur gleamed, no longer sprouting candy. Its eyes looked sad.

"YOU!" snarled Caitlin. "This is all your fault! You led me here, you..." she trailed off, remembering what Elara had said. 'Find her another.' She laughed then, ripping a sprout of licorice from her neck. That was it, she just had to find someone to take her place!

And she knew exactly who her victim would be.

A sneer plastered on her face, she turned and made her way back towards the cottage. Back towards the trail of candy left by the fox, towards the bridge, and the home of her foster family.