Candy Cane

Written 54-E27 [2022-12-06], Edited 54-J03 [2023-04-01]

Image credit: Twitter Twemoji

It was that fleeing hour of day when the moon and sun are high and bright at the same time. Like many things in my life, these summer nights wouldn’t last much longer. I sat quietly on a bench in the park, thinking about how this was the worst possible time to be entering the candy cane business.

“The investors are going to think I’m joking,” I said aloud. “What was I even thinking?”

I held my masked head in my hands.

“There’s a global pandemic, an economic crisis, Halloween is probably cancelled, the competition is a million years old and here I am trying to break into the confectionary business. They’re gonna eat me alive like it’s Shark Tank.”

I closed my eyes tight and shook my head in frustration. My mind swirled with emotion like a hurricane, wrecking and flooding all rational thought. I was so distraught that I didn’t notice the footsteps of the only other person on the empty trail.

“You okay?” asked an old man, possibly in violation of self-quarantine. He was rather overweight and clad in a red tracksuit. His white beard was magnificent, larger even than his face. A red mask covered his nose and mouth, but his eyes shone with kindness.

“I spend my credit and life savings on a terrible business idea,” I told him.

“Oh, I’ve been there. Reindeer herding didn’t work out too well for me,” the old man said. “What business are you in?”

“Candy. Holiday-themed candy. I had a custom candy-cane colouring machine and everything. Could put the name of your kid or whatever on the cane.”

“A custom message in a candy cane for all the good boys, girls and nonbinary children?”

“Yeah, but nobody will ever buy it, who’d even want that?” I said.

“Ho-ho-ho,” said the old man. “Don’t lose hope just yet young man. I know some people who would find that device quite useful. Here, take my card.”

He handed me the card and jogged away. I stared at the card, first in desperation, then confusion. It had only a number, and the name

NICOLAS

Notes

The bolded sentences are from the “Complete the Story” writing prompt book. I tried combining those sentences with Joy of Writing’s prompt, “Candy Cane”.