The Fall of Candy Corn

by Debbie Viguié

  Players streamed through the maze, screaming at the top of their lungs and stampeding at every turn. Candace gave them the best show that she could. After all, that was what Scare was all about.

  20

  The first rays of the sun swept the horizon and shone their light on the park. The darkness fled before it, and the monsters crept out of their mazes and into the light. Candace could hear several giving thanks that the night was over. She had never been so tired in her entire life, and it felt good.

  They all moved together toward the center of the park where they gathered in small clusters, exchanging stories, comparing bruises.

  Candace looked at her friends. Most of them looked as tired as she felt. Roger had blood smeared on his chin, and Candace was pretty sure it was real. Sue’s mummy bandages were unraveling, and a four-foot train fluttered behind her like she was some kind of demented mummy bride. Josh was completely white despite the fact that his makeup had worn off hours before. Becca was asleep perched on Gib’s back. Gib himself was swaying on his feet as though he was going to fall over at any moment.

  “I survived the Inquisition!” a ragged-looking ref said.

  Pete grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. “Pull yourself together, man. That’s at Knott’s Berry Farm!”

  Candace wanted to smile, but she was too tired. Of all of them only Josh was still smiling. Candace noticed, though, that when the others weren’t looking he winced in pain and he was not putting much weight on his right foot.

  John Hanson appeared in the middle of the crowd, a bullhorn in hand. “I want to thank you all for a great night! Thanks to your hard work this has been the most successful Scare of all time!”

  A weak cheer went up from those assembled.

  “I appreciate the way you all pulled through. I’ve never seen a finer example of teamwork either on field or off.”

  The cheers were a little louder.

  “And to thank you all, it’s time to head on over to the Party Zone for a catered breakfast!”

  The cheers were deafening.

  The owner of the park led the way, his followers trailing behind. Candace smiled as she wondered if the Israelites had looked like such a ragged group as they followed Moses out of Egypt and toward the Promised Land.

  Josh fell into step next to Candace, and she could definitely ascertain that he was limping. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  He smiled. “Nothing an ice pack and a day of sleep couldn’t fix,” he said.

  “I hear that.”

  “What’d you think of your first Scare?” he asked.

  She pondered briefly how to answer that. It had been terrible and wonderful. It had stretched the limits of what she thought she could endure and tested her courage and fortitude. It had brought her to the depths and sent her to the heights. Excitement and fear, anger and peace, joy and sorrow had all come in their time. To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. And this is my fall.

  To Josh she summed it up the only way she could. “It was life changing.”

  He nodded as though he understood the meaning more fully than even she did. “You’re not the first to say that,” he said.

  “And I’m sure I won’t be the last,” she finished.

  “True.”

  They made it to the Party Zone to find heaping platters of steaming pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit, cereal, coffee, juice, and a minature replica of the Muffin Mansion built entirely out of muffins.

  Exhausted as she was, there was one thing that Candace wanted more than sleep . . . and that was food. She filled her plate until she was afraid things were going to start sliding off the top and then sat at a table with old friends and new.

  Across from her, Reggie lowered her hood, and Candace was surprised to find that Reggie was a girl roughly the same age as she was. Next to her, Ray also removed his hood, and Candace saw a kindly old man that looked a lot more like Santa Claus than a psycho killer.

  She just started laughing. It was the magic that was Halloween at The Zone. Nobody was truly what they appeared to be. Yet young and old, high school students and grandparents — they could all join together for a few special nights to scare the daylights out of their fellow men.

  Josh lifted his glass of juice into the air. “A toast to Scare and to Halloween. Praise God they only come once a year!”

  “Hear! Hear!”

  Candace raised her own glass of juice in salute. She could definitely drink to that. As awesome as it had been, as good as she felt, she was pretty sure she’d need about a year to recover.

  When breakfast was over, Candace hobbled toward the Locker Room to collect her things. Sue walked beside her. Around them other referees moved just as slowly.

  “The lists are out for the people who’ve made it through the first round of the scholarship competition!” someone in the crowd yelled.

  “What?” Candace asked.

  “You know, the competition where you submit a ride drawing and the winner gets a full ride to Florida Coast,” Sue said. “If I’d had any talent for that kind of thing, I would have totally entered.”

  “I think Josh mentioned something about that over the summer,” Candace said.

  “Come on, let’s go see the list,” Sue said.

  A few minutes later Sue and Candace were standing in front of the list.

  “Martin from janitorial, good for him!” Sue said. “I saw his drawing and it looked pretty cool. I don’t know a couple of these people. Oh, look, Rick from the front gate. Wow!”

  Candace could only see one name on the list. She blinked several times. It was impossible. There was no way she could be reading it right. And then Sue saw the name too.

  “Candace, that’s you!” she shrieked. “You didn’t tell me you entered.”

  “I didn’t,” Candace said, dazed. “There must be some sort of mistake.”

  “No mistake,” a familiar voice said behind her. “I entered you in the contest.”

  Candace turned around and stared at Josh. “How on earth did you manage that?” she asked.

  He shrugged. “You gave me your Balloon Races sketch. The rest of the information I needed wasn’t too hard to get.”

  She wasn’t sure how to feel. Part of her felt violated. There was another part, though, that was excited. Someone liked her sketch. She had a chance of winning a full scholarship because of it.

  “Well, are you going to hit me or hug me?” he asked finally.

  “I’m still trying to decide,” she said.

  “Fair enough.”

  “What happens now?” she asked.

  “Now everyone who works for The Zone has the opportunity to submit recommendations for people on the list. The top candidates after that are interviewed and the final selection made.”

  “That sketch was nothing,” she said.

  “I disagree. And clearly, so do the judges,” he said. “To have made it this far means that several Game Masters looked over your design, liked it, and thought it was viable.”

  “What happens if it wins?”

  “You get a full scholarship, and they build your ride.”

  For just a moment she imagined what it would be like to be on a ride she had created. That tipped the scales and made her decision easy. She hugged Josh. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said.

  She felt tears sting her eyes. Just a few weeks ago she had been told she had no ambition, and she herself had admitted to having no focus, no path. Somehow, though, Josh had a different view of her. He had seen promise where she herself hadn’t been able to. Suddenly she wanted very much to win.

  “What’s wrong?” Josh asked.

  She pulled away. Both he and Sue looked worried. She dashed the tears away. “It’s just that Tamara was right. For someone who says she doesn’t like the spotlight, I seem to find it an awful lot.”

  Sue smiled and Josh laughed. Candace hugged Sue and then Josh again. It was good to have friends
.

  Candace walked into her guidance counselor’s office on Monday afternoon with a piece of paper clutched in her hand. She sat down across from him and looked him in the eye.

  “Good morning, Candace. How can I help you?” he asked.

  “I don’t think our last meeting went very well. You didn’t have a complete picture of what I bring to the table as far as college applications,” she said.

  “Really?” he asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

  “Yes,” she said, handing him the piece of paper.

  He took it and began to read it over. “You’re involved with your youth group and are going to be leading a new Bible study starting this month. You’re involved with the drama class. You worked the Scare event, and you helped organize and run the Sugar Shock for The Zone this year.”

  He paused and looked up at her. “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “I took my kids to that, and they went crazy.”

  “In a good way?” she asked cautiously.

  “Yeah, they loved it. It was much better than last year.”

  “Thank you.”

  He looked back down at the paper. “It says you’re also a semifinalist for The Zone Game Master scholarship.”

  “Yes. I just found that out yesterday,” Candace said.

  “Wow. I think you’re right. You do have a lot more to bring to the table than I initially thought. I’m impressed.”

  “Thank you.”

  “So, refresh my memory. The Game Master scholarship is for Florida Coast, correct?”

  She nodded. “That’s correct.”

  “So, have you always been interested in theme park design?” he asked.

  “To be honest, I never thought about it until a good friend suggested that I give it some thought. Then it turned out my ride sketch, which was really more of a doodle, got me to the semifinals of the scholarship competition. I think at this point I’d be crazy not to at least consider it as an option.”

  “Certainly. I mean, if you have a talent for that, it would be a shame to waste it.”

  “Mr. Anderson, I believe you are a Zone fan,” Candace said.

  “Season ticket holder,” he admitted.

  She smiled and leaned back in her chair. “Let’s discuss my other college options,” she said, smiling.

  An hour later Candace left Mr. Anderson’s office feeling positive about the future. School was already out. She called Tamara to pick her up and then listened to a message from Josh. She called him back.

  “Hey, how’d your meeting with the guidance counselor go?” he asked.

  “Really well,” she said. “He seems a lot more positive about my future, and so do I.”

  “That’s awesome! I want to hear all about it. I also wanted to help you think about some of your short-term goals.”

  “Uh-huh. Why do I sense that there’s more work coming my way?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Come on, I think you’d be great as one of Santa’s elves.”

  “Doesn’t he bring his own with him from the North Pole?” she asked.

  “Nah, they’re too busy making toys. We provide him with temporary elf help while he’s visiting.”

  “I see,” Candace said. “And just what would I have to do?”

  “It’s a no-brainer,” he teased.

  “Oh, no.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Don’t tell me.”

  “Yup.”

  “Oh come on.”

  “You guessed it. You’d be passing out candy canes.” Of course she would.

  Read chapter 1 of The Winter of Candy Canes, Book 3 in Sweet Seasons.

  1

  Candace Thompson was once again eye-to-eye with Lloyd Peterson, hiring manager for The Zone theme park. This time, though, she felt far more confident. She had already spent her summer working as a cotton candy vendor, and she had worked one of the mazes for the annual Halloween event. She had even saved the park from saboteurs.

  Now she was back, and this time she was interviewing for a job working the Christmas events at the park. Surely after everything she had done for the Scare event, she had nothing to worry about. She tucked a strand of red hair back behind her ear as she gazed intently at the man across from her.

  “So you want to work Holly Daze?” he asked.

  She nodded. Christmas at The Zone was a big deal, and the park began its official celebrations the day after Thanksgiving.

  “You keep hiring on for short bursts of time and then leaving. Do you have some sort of problem committing to things?” he asked, staring hard at her.

  She was stunned, but answered, “I don’t have any problem with commitment. I signed on to do specific things, and the jobs ended. That’s not my fault. I didn’t quit.”

  “So, you plan on making a habit of this?” he demanded. “Are you going to show up here again in a couple of months expecting me to give you some kind of job for spring break?”

  “No, I — ”

  “I know your type,” he said, standing up abruptly. “You’re just a party girl. No commitments . . . no cares . . . just grab some quick cash and get out. You think you can handle Holly Daze? Well, you can’t! You’re weak and a quitter. You’re going to bail on me as soon as your school vacation starts, and then what? Well, let me tell you, missy. You aren’t wanted here. So just pack your bags and get out!”

  By the end of his tirade, he was shouting, eyes bulging behind his glasses and tie swinging wildly as he shook his finger under her nose. Candace recoiled, sure that he had finally flipped out. I’m going to end up as a headline: Girl Murdered by Stressed-Out Recruiter, she thought wildly. Well, I’m not going down without a fight! She jumped to her feet and put some distance between her and the wildly wagging finger.

  “You need to calm down!” she said, projecting her voice like her drama teacher had taught her. Her voice seemed to boom in the tiny office. “Pull yourself together. You’re a representative of this theme park, and there is no call to insult me. Furthermore, I’m not a quitter. I’ll work for the entire Christmas season. Then the next time I come in here, I’ll expect you to treat me with some respect. Do you even realize what I’ve done for this park so far? Seriously. Take a chill pill.”

  She stopped speaking when she realized that he had gone completely quiet. She held her breath, wondering when the next explosion was going to come. Instead, he sat down abruptly and waved her back to her chair.

  “Very good. You passed the test,” he said, picking up a pen.

  “What test?” she asked, edging her way back into the chair.

  “The ultimate test. You’re going to be one of Santa’s elves.”

  “Doesn’t Santa, you know, have his own elves?” she asked, still not sure that he was completely in charge of his senses.

  “Of course Santa has his own elves. However, when he’s here at The Zone we supply him with courtesy elves so that they can continue making toys at the North Pole,” Mr. Peterson told her.

  “So, I’m going to be a courtesy elf?” she asked.

  He nodded and handed her a single sheet of paper. “Sign this.”

  She took it. “What? Just one thing to sign?” She had expected another huge stack of forms that would leave her hand cramped for hours afterward.

  He nodded curtly. “You’re now in our system as a regular seasonal employee. All of your other paperwork transfers.”

  “Regular seasonal” sounded like some kind of contradiction to her, but she was still not entirely convinced his outburst had been a test. She scanned it, signed her name, and then handed it back to him.

  “Good. Report to wardrobe on Saturday for your costume fitting,” he said.

  “Okay, thank you,” she said, standing up and backing toward the door.

  “Welcome back, Candy,” he said, smiling faintly.

  “Thanks,” she said, before bolting out the door.

  As soon as she was outside the building, she whipped out her cell phone and called he
r friend Josh, a fellow employee of The Zone.

  “Well?” he asked when he picked up.

  “I think Mr. Peterson has seriously lost it,” she said. “He totally flipped out on me.”

  Josh laughed. “Let me guess. You’re going to be an elf.”

  “So he was serious? That was some whacked-out test?”

  “Yeah. Elves are considered a class-one stress position, and it can get pretty intense.”

  “How hard can it be to be an elf?” she asked.

  She was rewarded by a burst of laughter on the other end.

  “Josh, what is it you’re not telling me?”

  He just kept laughing.

  “Okay, seriously. You were the one who convinced me to work Holly Daze. I think it’s only fair you tell me whatever it is I need to know.”

  “Sorry!” he gasped. She wasn’t sure if he was apologizing or refusing to tell her.

  A girl bounced around the corner and slammed into Candace.

  “Josh, I’ll call you later,” she said, hanging up.

  “Sorry,” Becca apologized.

  Becca was one of Candace’s other friends from the park, one who had some sort of bizarre allergy to sugar that made her uncontrollably hyper. Candace looked suspiciously at Becca. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were glistening, and she was hopping from one foot to the other.

  “You didn’t have sugar, did you?” Candace asked, fear ripping through her.

  “No! Promise,” Becca said.

  “Then what gives?”

  “Roger made me laugh really hard,” Becca explained.

  Roger had a crush on Becca and had wanted to ask her out since Halloween. It hadn’t happened yet.

  “Oh,” was all Candace could think to say.

  “So, are you working Holly Daze?” Becca asked.

  “Yeah. I’m going to be an elf.”

  Suddenly, Becca went completely still, and the smile left her face. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Why?” Candace asked.

  Becca just shook her head. “I’ve gotta get back to the Muffin Mansion. I’ll catch you later.”

  She hurried off, and Candace watched her go. Okay, now I know there’s something people aren’t telling me.