Gummy Plight (16) : During the Star Festival, seasonal pop-up shops are everywhere. StarSweets is a new candy shop that touts a variety of ‘healthy’ sweets in addition to old classics and new favorites. Their reviews are great, and for good reason! Except, when you go, something’s wrong with your order. As you chew, it suddenly gets gummy, and then it gets tacky, and then you can’t chew at all. It’s so sticky that you can’t open your mouth. The only consolation is that the flavor stays fresh and delicious the entire time. Maybe it takes a few minutes, or a few hours; you can try whatever remedy you want, but if you wait it out it will eventually soften and you can free yourself. Overall it’s harmless, just massively inconvenient, and maybe a bit embarrassing.
Sabrina had been out shopping for her mother. The hotel had run out of supplies and sadly the delivery truck wouldn't be here for two days. As a result, she was sent on an errand to pick them up. It wasn't much just some rice, meat, and other food supplies. Sabrina had only been to the store a few times before and was a bit overwhelmed. She quickly gathered the supplies and hurried back to the hotel. She was proud of completing her task and relieved to know that the hotel would have the supplies it needed. She didn't mind at all since helping her mother and the hotel made her happy. She wanted to lend a hand in anyway she could. Once she finished her mother handed her some money and told her to go out and enjoy some time for herself. Sabrina thanked her mother and went out for a stroll. She enjoyed the fresh air and the feeling of being able to help. She knew that everything she did for the hotel was making a difference and that felt amazing.
While she was out on a stroll, she noticed that Star Fest had set up some seasonal pop-up shops. They all looked so colorful and bright that her attention was immediately drawn to them. She was captivated by the festive atmosphere of the shops, with their vibrant colors and cheerful decorations. She could tell that the merchants had put a lot of effort into making their shops stand out from the crowd. She decided to take a closer look and was amazed at the variety of products they offered. She even found some unique items that she hadn't seen before. She felt a wave of joy wash over her as she browsed the shops, feeling the happy energy in the air.
Just when she thought she had browsed them all she noticed something special. It was called StarSweets, an upcoming candy shop that touts a variety of ‘healthy’ sweets in addition to old classics and new-ish favorites. She was intrigued and decided to take a closer look. She stepped inside and was immediately overwhelmed by the vast array of colorful and unique treats. They had almost every color you could imagine, and she knew she had found the place where she wanted to spend her money from her mother. She quickly picked out some candies with spiders, bats, and pumpkins on them. She knew not many probably wanted them at this time of year, but for her they were perfect! She was drawn in by the variety of colors and shapes of the candies and the decorations on them seemed to fit her Halloween theme perfectly. She was also excited to find something that was unique and that not many people would be likely to pick up. She happily paid for her treats and left the store with a smile on her face. She could not wait to try out her unique finds. She was already imagining the fun she would have with them.
Not wanting to wait she found a nearby bench, and cracked open her purchase. She chose to try the spider candy first, and quickly plopped it into her mouth. Everything was all doing perfectly and tasted wonderful until bam! She was chewing when it suddenly became gummy, and then it got tacky, and then she couldn't chew at all. Her mouth quickly became filled with sticky, gummy spider candy that could not be chewed.
"What is happening?" she screamed in her head. You could see on her face she was in a state of pure panic. She tried to spit it out but it wouldn't come off her tongue. She started to gag, and the gummy spider candy was stuck to the roof of her mouth. She could feel the panic rising in her throat.
Just as the panic reached its height, she ran over to the trash can and spit it out as soon as she could. Then she raced over to the nearest soda machine, quickly inserted her change, and pressed the cola button. She let out a sigh of relief as she felt the cool liquid running down her throat. She had finally managed to soothe her nerves. She took a few deep breaths and walked back to the bench to sit down. She knew she needed a few moments to calm down.
"That was the weirdest thing ever," she said aloud as she leaned her head back on the bench with her eyes closed. Taking a few moments to relax and reflect, she opened her eyes and whispered to no one in particular, "What an incredibly bizarre experience." She thought about what had just happened and wondered if she had just imagined it. She opened her eyes and looked around, but everything seemed to be back to normal. Her mouth was finally feeling a bit better after the cola. She was so very thankful that it was over, and she really did not want to ever relive that event. She shook her head and decided to put the experience behind her and move on.
So she stood up from the bench, and promptly looked for the nearest trashcan. Once she found it see pulled out her candy bag, and threw it away. "Goodbye cute candy," she said quietly. Part of her was sad to throw out the cute treats but another side of her never wanted to have her mouth feel that way again. She knew that the only way to protect herself from temptation was to get rid of the candy entirely. With a heavy heart, she turned away and walked back towards the festival. She felt a sense of relief wash over her. She was proud of herself for making the right choice. With a lighter heart, she continued to explore the festival and enjoy the rest of her day. She had so many places to explore and never enough time. She refused to let that bad experience hold her back from all the joy she could find at the festival.
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