The Meeting The Surprise In The Gingerbread Plum Forest The Meeting of Mr. Mint Odd and Yummy Things...

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1 1 P a g e

2 Preface Out of the dark mist came a man staggering under the load of a heavy carved oak door. He walked through the white picket gate of a pretty summerhouse to an opening in one of the outside walls. Setting down the door, his mind began to go back many years, when he was just a small boy; chasing a rabbit through the woods by his parent s house, and then going through two curiously arched trees to another world. As he hug the magnificent door on its hinges he began to think of the many strange creatures in that other world and of a special door given to him by a great lion that would be one of few passage ways there. He remembered the wagon given to him to carry it. He also remembered the evil creatures lurking all around that kept trying to take the door for their own use, the tiring battles and skirmishes over it, and the feeling of giving up on bringing the door back to his own world. The man was glad that he payed the price to keep the door and began to talk quietly to himself. I m glad I chose to hang this door myself. I wouldn t be able to trust anybody else to hang it. Boy, will Elizabeth and the children be surprised to see the special house I made for them. Right after the war. That s when I ll tell them. Yes. And boy, will they be pleased. Unfortunately, that man was never able to tell his dear wife and children, for he didn t survive the war.. 2 P a g e

3 Table of Contents The Meeting... 8 The Surprise In The Gingerbread Plum Forest The Meeting of Mr. Mint Odd and Yummy Things In the Peanut Brittle House Helpful Girls and Other Happenings Ice Cream Seas and Gingerbread A Very Messy Creature In Lord Licorice s Castle Danger and the Great Honey Beast The Finding of King Kandy and the Restoration of the Kingdom P a g e

4 Through the Door Crash! Down went the tower of blocks as they rolled in all directions. A ten year old boy, by the name of Roger Burnhart, was making block towers with his sister Clara in the town of Newhaven, Connecticut. He was not exactly playing with them because he liked them, but because he knew his sister liked them. They lived in a cozy, small cottage that had daisies under every window. The living room was small, but relatively comfy. It had a big couch and a desk on one side and by the other side was another couch and a warm, large, wood burning stove. Roger s father was by the blazing, roaring fire reading a large tome, when he suddenly said, Roger, please get some wood for the fire. Yes sir. Roger answered. As the little boy left to carry in wood, his little sister said, Please come back soon. as she looked pleadingly into his eyes, for she truly looked up to him. When he came back, she asked him if he wanted to play with the blocks in The Castle, as they called it. The Castle was a rundown, dirty, old, forgotten, summerhouse that had been abandoned since eighteen-thirty-five. The Burnhart children played in that summerhouse quite a lot. They went through the great wooden doors and came into a large room with a magnificent vaulted ceiling. You might be surprised to know that even though The Castle was long forgotten, it still never became what you might think of as a haunted house. The room Roger and Clara entered had some spider webs, but was relatively free of them. The whole house was filled with amazing sunlight streaming through the marvelous windows. When Roger and Clara went through one of the five doors on the left, they saw a very calm and dusty hallway that they had not noticed before. Oh, look at this! Let's play in here! exclaimed the little girl. As they played, a single beautifully carved wooden door stood behind them. This door was different from any of the others. It had carvings of lollipops and gumdrops, of candy canes and gingerbread men. Roger did not observe it until he turned around to check his back. He was so interested in the door that he did not notice that he had knocked over his blocks. 4 P a g e

5 Let's look in there! he exclaimed; but then they heard the supper bell, jumped up, and ran back home. We'll be back later, door! whispered the boy as he ran. We'll be back! After they had a delicious supper of firm, buttery, green beans, soft, white bread and salty, vegetable soup that smelled like something so wonderful that not even candy could compare to it, they romped back to The Castle laughing all the way. Once they reached the hall where they left their blocks, Roger said, Clara, let's go through that door! Okay! Why not? But what a strange door. It has pictures of lots of candies on it. Yes. Let s open it. So Roger opened the door cautiously, when suddenly, a cry for help came from the other side! Help! Roger didn't know what to do. He quickly closed the door with a frightened look and stared at Clara with a questioning look. Go ahead. Open the door. You wouldn t want someone to be afraid of helping you would you? Clara exclaimed. Okay. Roger opened the door again. They looked around and found themselves in a beautiful rolling countryside with green grass everywhere. Roger and Clara didn't have much time to enjoy the scene because they suddenly saw a little old man the color of brown toffee running towards them. Help! The Too Sweet Monster is ruining my factory! Roger turned to Clara, shrugged, and rushed to the rescue down a small green hilltop to the factory. Inside, Roger saw all sorts of pipes and tubes running to different vats of sweet smelling liquid. As Roger turned around, he saw the ugliest monster he had ever seen. He was big and furry with muddled colors so dazzling that they looked like a bright computer screen. The wicked monster looked like he could ruin any party. Evilly, he was stirring 500 pounds of sugar into a vat of candy. What are you doing in here?! You are the rudest thing I have ever seen! Roger rebuked. 5 P a g e

6 As he was blurting out his rebuke, Roger began regretting his outburst, thinking, What am I doing rebuking a monster?! I have no idea what this monster has done or will do! The monster, who was a coward at heart, freaked out and fled down a path into the direction of a mire. All of a sudden, Roger saw him plummet into the mire and he was never seen or heard of again. When Roger turned around, he saw the feeble old man. He was on his knees, thanking Roger for saving the factory from the Too Sweet Monster. Oh, it's all right. Roger said. The man invited Roger and Clara to dinner, to which they heartily agreed. So how is it that you and your sister came into Candyland? Roger explained to him all that happened and the ancient man was stunned. You just walked through a door and came here? Yes, that s just what happened, answered Roger. It wouldn't be right to just let you stay here; I must inform The Candy Counsel about you. They might be able to accommodate you as a member of the Counsel. It is the most respectable political group from the Western Mountains to the far, far northern sea. Would you like that? said the gracious man. Oh, yes. That would be wonderful, but we don't even know if we can go back to our own world! Maybe we should go to the door and see if we can get back? Come on! Let's go! and Roger rushed out of the old man s house with Clara and The Toffee Man (for that is what he was called) running to catch up. Where is the door? Roger asked. I can't see it! The Great Honey Beast must have wanted you to stay. declared The Toffee Man. Who is the Great Honey Beast? inquired a bewildered Roger. WHO IS THE GREAT HONEY BEAST!? HAVEN'T YOU HEARD ABOUT HIM?! Oh, I'm sorry, The Great Honey Beast is the creature that takes care of every world as if it was his only son and is the son of the first and foremost, great emperor beyond the Western Mountains. Oh, but how are we going to get back?! There is no other way back! said Roger with a very sad countenance. I'm sure the Justifiable He, will make the door appear again when you should go back. reassured the man. 6 P a g e

7 But what will we do until then?! Roger asked anxiously. The Toffee Man answered, Maybe you can become a member of The Candy Counsel like I mentioned before. They have arranged a meeting the day after tomorrow. And there is still enough time to notify the leaders about newly proposed members. And so began Roger and Clara's adventure into Candyland. 7 P a g e

8 The Meeting The next day, in a sparkling clean hall, in the middle of the city of Jawbreak, members of the Candy Counsel bustled around like pursued beetles with Roger and Clara confused in the middle. The Candy Counsel thus met to discuss the possibility of having Roger and Clara as members. There was a platform in front with three large, red, cushioned, chairs in which sat the renowned Chief Justice Caramel, the proficient Judge Marzipan, and the precise Judge Fudge (who is quite a round man, but to call him that would be quite reprehensible). Then, from the midst of all the hustle and bustle, Chief Justice Caramel announced that the meeting was to begin. "Friends, Jawbreakers, Countrymen, lend me your thoughts. We have come hither to discuss many important subjects; but the most relevant subject is if we should bestow a membership into this eminent counsel to Roger and Clara Burnhart who have killed The Too Sweet Monster, and were whisked away to this serene countryside by the impeccable Honey Beast, trusting the credible Toffee Man's assumption to be true. Our volunteers will now distribute the voting materials around while we dwell on our decision concerning this controversial subject. After an intense five minutes of voting and counting the votes, Judge Caramel spoke again. "According to this harmonious counsel, the votes were unanimous in the decision to Here he stopped for what seemed to Roger ages, and then he concluded his proclamation. To receive Roger and Clara Burnhart into the counsel. Congratulations, Roger and Clara! Please come up to the platform to receive the membership and sign the terms of service. Then whole hall echoed with the clapping of the members of the counsel. After the children received the membership, Judge Caramel went on to other matters. "Now that we are finished with that subject, we will now go to another relevant topic. The tyrannical, cynical, and devious Lord Licorice has once again tried to take over Mr. Mint's forest and plant licorice trees. We know he will not succeed in that venture because Mr. Mint is too strong. What concerns my fellow 8 P a g e

9 judges and I is how we should maintain all the other candy makers, growers, and keepers. we need to take aggressive action. Since the prudent King Kandy, The Imperial Head Bonbon and Grand Jujube of Candyland and his castle went missing, everything has been going wrong; Plumpy the Plumpa Troll has been eating way more gingerbread plums than are good for him, Jolly has reported that his gumdrops have been losing their glitter, and Mr. Mint's flutes are getting out of tune. Something must be done! However, we have received letters from many prominent candy people claiming to have seen King Kandy. My fellow Judges and I have arranged a private meeting between us next week to discuss who should go down The Rainbow Trail, gather information about King Kandy's disappearance, and to find the honorable King Kandy. Meeting dismissed." And everyone left as loud as they came. 9 P a g e

10 The Surprise Back at the Toffee Man's house, Roger and Clara spent eight days helping The Toffee Man with his yummy work. Boy, did they have fun. After the eighth day, Judge Fudge came to call and Roger answered the door. "Oh, hello. Come in, come in. Why have you come? "Well, you know that the gracious King Kandy has been missing." Judge Fudge replied. "Yes." answered Roger. Judge Fudge continued, "My colleagues and I met yesterday to discuss who would travel The Rainbow Trail to find him." "Uh, huh." "Well, we have chosen you and your sister to find King Kandy." Roger exclaimed, "Us!? Why us? This is absurd. We're not Joan of Arc and Napoleon Bonaparte! Why us?" "Who is Napoleon Bonaparte? Might he be available to search for our king?" "Oh, he was a great conqueror who died many years ago, but that doesn't matter. What matters is why you want us to find King Kandy." Why? Because you have shown great courage and vigor in defeating the Too Sweet Monster." Judge Fudge explained. "But all I did was scream at him and besides, even if we did go, just two people would really be at the mercy of Lord Licorice." Judge Fudge was getting desperate. "But, the intrepid Gingerbread Patrol will help and accompany you on your journey. Please, please go." Judge Fudge begged. "Okay." Roger accepted. "When should we leave?" "You should leave at 7:00 tomorrow morning." "Wow! Tomorrow morning?! That soon?! Are you sure?" Roger questioned. "I'm sorry, but that is the way it has to be. We will need King Kandy for the next annual Counsel of Candyland meeting. I'm sorry we couldn't have made the departure date later." "Well, if I'm going on a journey I'll need to pack some provisions" Roger reasoned. "That's right. Well, I better be going! See you tomorrow!" 10 P a g e

11 "Yes, see you tomorrow! Goodbye! Roger exclaimed. And just like that, Judge Fudge disappeared down the hill to Jawbreak. Then Roger rushed in to tell Clara and The Toffee Man the news. The next morning, the Burnhart kids and The Toffee Man met the Gingerbread Patrol and the judges at beginning of The Rainbow Trail. The Rainbow Trail was a path that was built at the beginning of that world. It stretched all the way across the whole of Candyland. The place where they met was a happy, reliable sort of place. There were birds singing in the immense Laffy Taffy trees and there was a bright sun up above. Roger and Clara were then introduced to the Gingerbread Patrol. There was Colonel Nutmeg, Lieutenant Cinnamon, Sergeant Ginger, and Private Clove. After introducing themselves, Roger received a going away present of a gumball from The Toffee Man (for Roger loved gumballs) and the little band set off down the road clad only with the knowledge that King Kandy was down that road somewhere. 11 P a g e

12 In The Gingerbread Plum Forest Roger had assumed all along that all the talking things in Candyland were either human or gingerbread men. However, when the search party reached their first stop, as according to the Judges orders, that notion was driven away; for sleepily sitting under a Gingerbread Plum tree in a calm forest of green leaves, with the smell of ginger dangling in the air, sat the roundest thing Roger had ever seen. The thing was even rounder than Judge Fudge. It was all green with a huge dangling mustache and a medallion that had a ripe plum on it. It was Plumpy the Plumpa Troll. He was snoring as loudly as a steam engine rolling down a track. Private Clove just hand to snicker because it looked so funny, and that snicker ended in a sneeze; but even that sneeze did not wake up Old Green Thing, as Lieutenant Cinnamon called him. Finally, waken by Colonel Nutmeg s Ahem, Old Green Thing s locomotive skidded to a stop. As the plumpa troll sat up, he groaned, Arrg! When will I stop eating those ludicrous plums!? Here Colonel Nutmeg stepped in, Well I suppose you could talk to us while your stomach calms down. What? Oh, hello! What do you want? Colonel Nutmeg replied, We were sent from The Candy Counsel to ask you about you re seeing the honorable King Kandy. Oh, him? Well, I was just tending the gingerbread plum trees and I saw the Great Honey Beast. Boy, a sight was He. He was just walking through the forest when He said to me, Go and visit Gramma Nut and remember the letters E and N. Well I knew that whatever he says goes and right after I was done pruning that tree right over there, I went to see Gramma Nut. On the way, I saw King Kandy off in the distance, up on Candy Corn Hill and he was in his royal outfit and everything. I didn t notice anything suspicious so I didn t think about it until a report went out that King Kandy was missing. I sent a letter to Chief Justice Caramel and you know the rest. Do you want to see the forest? Of course I do! said the kind Clara. As The Candy Band, which Roger, Clara and the Gingerbread Patrol began to call themselves, followed Plumpy, he explained the story of the plumpa trolls. When I was just a young lad, there was a village of plumpa trolls and they were all in charge of the Gingerbread Plum Forest. We would work from dawn till 12 P a g e

13 dusk picking gingerbread plums off the fragrant trees, watering the trees carefully, and pruning their swaying green branches. It was a joy to us because we knew we were doing what King Kandy and Great Honey Beast wanted us to do. The days passed quickly and soon the Great Honey Beast started calling plumpa trolls to his wonderful land filled with the greenest trees and the most scrumptious candy. The Great Honey Beast soon called almost every plumpa troll up to his land. He clearly wanted to retire the plumpa trolls from their job. He thought that it was time to give them a rest, for they had done a good job at keeping the Gingerbread Plum Forest. Then one day, King Kandy came to the Great Honey Beast and asked him if he could keep just one of them in Candyland as a reminder of the plumpa trolls; and the Great Honey Beast chose me. I was just a little boy then so the kind Lord Kettle Corn and the loving Lady Caramel Corn raised me. They taught me the value of honesty and standing by the Great Honey Beast no matter what everybody else does. They also taught the value of hard work, and I must admit that I do not do a good job at that one, but the Great Honey Beast forgives me and I am working on my diligence. Lord and Lady Corn gave me this medallion to wear to help me remember my duties as the last of the plumpa trolls. I have been keeping these trees for over 10 years and I have never gotten tired of pruning the lovely branches and picking the ripe Gingerbread Plums. I shall never stop keeping these wonderful trees until the Great Honey Beast calls me too; and what a joy that will be, to wander with the Great Honey Beast through green branches that never get too long and are always the greenest green you've ever seen. Oh, what a joy, oh what a joy! Oh, here is the tree my great, great, great grandfather used to eat from, and what wonderful plums they give too. Care to try one?" here, everybody stopped and looked at everybody else wondering what to do. Suddenly Clara reached up and grabbed a ripe Gingerbread Plum, which dropped into her hands as lightly as a feather. With a happy smile, she bit into it. The juice practically pouring from the plum, she tasted a slight spiciness from the ginger and sweetness like none other. Once she tasted one of the plums, everyone grabbed aone from the tree and munched away. "Isn't it good?" Plumpy said with a smile on his face. "Mmm, yum!" everybody answered. Suddenly, Plumpy looked up at the sky. It was getting dark. "I'm sorry but you better go! Too bad, I couldn't tell you the story about Grandfather's battle 13 P a g e

14 against the Cough Syrup Monsters. Maybe later!" Plumpy said. The Candy Band all agreed, thanked Plumpy for his time, and started back on the road again. 14 P a g e

15 The Meeting of Mr. Mint As The Candy Band walked along, cracking jokes along the way, the sun descended until it was just a little strip on the horizon. Gradually, everyone started to get tired until they all got off the road and fell asleep right on the soft grass. It wasn't like Roger and Clara's beds at home, but it was good enough. The next morning, Colonel Nutmeg was up bright and early, waking his troops. After a short breakfast of candied pears, peaches and apples from one of the knapsacks, The Candy Band was on to their next stop: The Peppermint Forest. As they walked along, the air seemed so fresh and cold and they observed mounds of snow all around the neatly groomed pathway. A chopping sound came to their ears followed by a crash once in a while. Soon they reached their destination: a forest very different from the one they had recently seen. It was all stalks of striped red and white wood that had no branches and draped in a blanket of bright snow. The forest smelled strongly of peppermint and the trees stretched for miles around. Out of the swaying trees came one of the tallest men Roger had ever seen. He was clad with red and white striped clothing that made him look even taller that he was. The man was holding a red and white striped ax, and had on an effectively merry face. It was clear he had been working hard. Colonel Nutmeg introduced himself and his friends to Mr. Mint (as he was called) and then explained the reason for their coming. "The Candy Counsel understands that you have seen the honorable King Kandy. Would you please tell us your account of the happening?" Mr. Mint replied, "Sure! I was just working on cutting down some trees at the far end of the forest when I saw King Kandy walk through. He looked very melancholy and downcast so I went over to see him. He didn't tell me anything except to remember the letter D. What that means, I have no idea. When I heard that King Kandy was missing, I sent a letter to Chief Justice Caramel and you know the rest. Would you like to see how I make my flutes and whistles?" So off went The Candy Band with a tall, friendly, lumberjack as a guide. After cutting down a small peppermint tree, Mr. Mint and The Candy Band carried the pieces of peppermint tree to the lumber machine which was just nearby. The pieces were so light that even Clara could carry ten. Roger really enjoyed walking through those fragrant woods because the air was so fresh and minty. There were 15 P a g e

16 no birds, but the aroma seemed to have a type of music in it. Once they reached the lumber machine, Roger had thoroughly fallen in love with the place. Mr. Mint then showed The Candy Band how he made whistles. Everyone was astonished at the skill Mr. Mint had with the lumber machine. He could turn a tulip into a rose or a duck into a swan in a twist of a knob or crank of a lever. Once he was finished with all the whistles, he had gained everyone s respect, even Colonel Nutmeg s. Mr. Mint created the most amazing whistles Roger had ever seen. Everyone was very happy with them and said really sincere thank you's. But as always, they couldn't stay there forever and so soon the Candy Band was back on the Rainbow Trail, telling stories all the way. Roger was amazed at how fast the time had passed since leaving the Peppermint Forest, because it was supposed to be ten miles to the next major landmark and they had come to it. They had come to a city. According to Colonel Nutmeg s map, it was named Dessert. It was a beautiful city. Stately buildings all plastered with taffy lined the pop rock paved streets. There were people everywhere. As they strolled down a street named Delicious, they came to a cute little sugar and truffle shop. It had a small sign that was perpendicular to the street. It said, "Sweet" and underneath, Selling sugar, truffles, and Mr. Mint's famous whistles. Clara just could not resist going in it. It was an especially cozy, inviting, genial, type of place. The store welcomed them with the sweetness and mintyness you smell when you open a new bag of chocolate chips or candy canes. A few soft chairs rested in the back left corner. In one of them, sat a man in green suspenders reading a travel book. At the counter in front sat a pretty young lady. On the left side sat an exceptionally large bookshelf made of peppermint bark. It had The Adventures of Bing Taffy, Around Candyland in Eighty Days, The Merry Adventures of Almond Hood by Howard Pie, and many other excellent works. Opposite the bookshelf was a pretty display cabinet made from the same ingredients. It was full of every type of truffle you could imagine. The little shop was very quaint. The Candy Band stayed in the shop for about two hours, reading, looking at the displays, and chatting with the cashier and other costumers about the latest news. Clara could have stayed in there forever, but soon they had to go back onto The Rainbow Trail. They left the city with its cute little stores and happy people and came out on the other end happier and brighter than they had before. 16 P a g e

17 Odd and Yummy Things The funny thing about Roger s adventure is that he never knew what would be waiting for him at their next stop. When they arrived at the dirt road that would lead them to their third stop, Roger met the oddest thing his eyes had ever be held. Relaxing in a lawn chair on the grass by the Rainbow Trail, sat a rotund, portly creature that was all purple and had a chubby face with a round, dark purple nose like a clown. The creature had very large, thick rimmed glasses on and three antennas on the top of his bald head. He was wearing a pink and blue spotted blouse with a large white ruffled collar with red curvy lines on it. Roger soon found out that this creature s name was Jolly and that Jolly was the one they were looking for. While Jolly greeted everybody with a very enthusiastic smile, Private Clove just had to chuckle to himself because Jolly looked so funny. Soon Jolly said, You all must be hungry from your travels, would you like some tea? I just put a kettle of my famous gumdrop tea on the stove. As The Candy Band left The Rainbow Trail and went up a road to Jolly s house, they noticed that the countryside was all mountains and foothills and on these hills were hundreds of gumdrops all dotting the hills. Each gumdrop was covered with a sort of glittery frosting. This scene stretched for miles around as far as the eye could see. It was amazingly beautiful. It was magnificent. It shined. Soon they reached Jolly s house, which Roger was surprised to see, was a giant gumdrop. Jolly opened the hard frosting door and stepped into the sweetest smelling house in the world. The sweet smell was so enticing, that for a minute The Candy Band stood still, just enjoying the smell. Then Jolly spoke, Welcome to my contrite home. Please sit down and enjoy a cup of Gumdrop tea made from my own gumdrops I mined from these surrounding mountains. Colonel Nutmeg asked Jolly if he would share with them his account of seeing King Kandy. Well, it was a day just like this one when I went up on Mount Scrumptious to gather gumdrops that I had mined from it. When I reached the mount, I saw that someone had rearranged some of gumdrops I had left up there into an the shape of an O. It was quite odd, but the thing odder still was that I saw King Kandy coming down the mountain in his full attire. I knew he had to be on the mountain for a good reason so I didn t bother him, but it still bothered me. Then I sent a 17 P a g e

18 letter to the eminent Chief Justice Caramel. Isn t that an odd story? I really wonder at the O in my gumdrops. Yes, it is odd, because all of the others that we have interviewed, mentioned letters too. Roger imputed. Boy, is it getting dark. If you must leave, I do not want to intrude. inquired Jolly. So The Candy Band left the Gumdrop Mountains and set off down the road toward their next adventure. 18 P a g e

19 In the Peanut Brittle House As the merry group trudged down the path, the evil Lord Licorice, brother to Lord Kettle Corn and The Imperial Head Bonbon and Grand Jujube of Candy Land, King Kandy, was at his castle in the gloomy Warhead Valley. It was definitely not a nice place to live. The whole valley around Lord Licorice s castle was dark almost all the time from the clouds that settled there and was studded with warheads of all shapes and sizes. It was destitute of any happiness. The castle wasn t a very nice place to be either. Thoroughly covered with cobwebs, it looked like a perfect haunted house. The surrounding valley was covered in old withered trees and devil s food bats flittered around at their enjoyment. Lord Licorice was sitting in the basement of his castle, which he had turned into a laboratory. He was trying to make a robot that would allow him to turn Candyland into licorice with the help of his bitter dark chocolate dwarfs. Aha! I know a way to stop Roger and Clara from finding my insolent brother King Kandy who is trying to stop my plans. It will work just perfect!" Lord Licorice announced while he rubbed his hands together in glee. Back with The Candy Band on The Rainbow Trail, Sergeant Ginger was telling Knock Knock Jokes. "Knock Knock." "Who's there?" Clara answered. "Candy." "Candy who?" "Candy cow jump over de moon?" Clara laughed. Sergeant Ginger did another one. "Knock Knock." "Who's there?" Clara answered. "Candy." "Candy who?" "Can Dee, come out and play?" Clara laughed again. "Now I have one." Colonel Nutmeg said. Everybody listened. "Knock Knock." "Who's there?" Sergeant Ginger answered. "Candy." 19 P a g e

20 "Candy who?" "Candy knock knock jokes stop now?" With all that laughing and joking The Candy Band was soon to close to their next stop. Down the path, they saw a cute, cozy house made of peanut brittle. As they neared it, a little old lady came out from the garden and greeted them. She had on a blue petticoat and bonnet and was holding a large basket of peanuts. Frizzled red hair exploded out of her bonnet and a big blue bow sat under her chin. She greeted them with a cheery smile and it was truly a warm welcome. Roger learned that her name was Gramma Nut and her house was called the Peanut Brittle House. "Oh, look how tired you are! I'll go get some tea on the kettle. Why don't you come in and rest yourself by the fire " she said. As they entered her cozy home, the smell of peanut brittle filled their noses. It was a small house with a roaring fire in the pot bellied stove to the right of the front door and Gramma Nut's kitchen and dining room to the left. Right in front of the Candy Band was a staircase winding up and up and up. After warming themselves by the fire, they sat down with Gramma Nut to have some tea. Colonel Nutmeg decided that this was a good time to ask Gramma Nut about her account of seeing King Kandy. "Well," Gramma Nut said, "it started when I was headed to the gingerbread forest to give Plumpy some nuts. You see, he doesn't have any nuts and he always likes nuts with his Gingerbread Plums. So, I was walking down the road when I met Queen Frostine. She was returning from the wedding of Sweets Galore and Delicious Cake and said it was an amazing wedding. It had streaming banners and the loveliest sweets you have ever tasted. Sweets Galore was in a wonderful suit with a black band in the middle. Delicious Cake was dressed in a lovely gown of the lightest and softest cotton candy I had ever seen. The Galore family has always been friends with the Cake family. The first time they met was at the royal wedding in which King Kandy and Queen Frostine were married. The Galores and the Cakes happened to sit at the same table for the reception and they started talking. They talked all about different flavors of jawbreakers and the political implications of the bill proposing a ban on orange flavored cotton candy. Oh, and I am glad it did pass because orange flavored cotton candy is an absolute disgrace to the community. There was another almost forgotten bill to create bananaflavored taffy. That one did not pass. You know, the funny thing about banana 20 P a g e

21 flavored things is that they never seem to be as popular as other fruit flavors like cherry, apple, or strawberry." Here, Private Clove looked at Roger and shrugged his shoulders, for Gramma Nut kept on talking and couldn't seem to stop. "My particular favorite fruit flavor is strawberry because it's just the most lighthearted." Gramma Nut continued. "Speaking of lighthearted, my neighbor, Mr. Jelly Belly is very lighthearted on the subject of flavors. He has so many obscure flavors that you do not know if he is even sane!" "Oh, excuse me Gramma Nut," Colonel Nutmeg said, "But could you finish telling your account of seeing King Kandy?" "Why, yes! Okay, where was I Humm Oh, yes! I was going to give Plumpy some nuts, when I met Queen Frostine on the road to Plumpy s place and we talked for a while until I saw my watch and knew I needed to get to Plumpy's before dark. So, I walked further until I saw King Kandy walking up the path towards me and he kept reciting the phrases, F, F, remember the F and T, T remember the T. He kept walking down the road and did not seem to even notice that I was there. When I heard that King Kandy and his castle were missing, I sent a detailed message saying I had seen him. Am I any help?" "Oh, yes you sure are." Colonel Nutmeg said. Suddenly, Sergeant Ginger yawned a large, sleepy yawn and grunted sleepily. Gramma Nut looked at the clock. "Wow! It is late. I must be going to bed. I have made beds for you up in the attic." As she led Roger, Clara, Colonel Nutmeg, Lieutenant Cinnamon, Sergeant Ginger, and Private Clove up the stairs to the attic, Roger reviewed all that he had heard and seen. It was quite an amazing venture he was on. As he climbed into a soft, warm, cozy bed, he remembered that it had been two days since he had slept in bed. The Candy Band slept so soundly that at ten in the morning they woke up to smell hot peanut brittle pancakes on the pan and hear the teapot bubbling loudly, which persuaded them to get up. They all climbed out of bed and headed downstairs to the dining room. After a wonderful breakfast and sincere "thank you's" to Gramma Nut, The Candy Band set off down The Rainbow Trail toward their next destination. 21 P a g e

22 Helpful Girls and Other Happenings As The Candy Band walked down The Rainbow Trail, everybody wondered what adventure he or she might encounter next on this long, and so far prosperous, journey. The place they were strolling through was very wooded and a symphony of birds called out through the branches of the trees. "Where are we going now?" Roger asked Colonel Nutmeg. "According to my orders it says that we should see Princess Lolly next." Colonel Nutmeg answered. Soon the path became lined with lollipop trees clustered amazingly close together. The place smelled sweet with the fruity candy and Clara was in the place of her dreams, for her favorite candy of all time was the lollipop. Down the path, the road vanished like a streak of lightning. "The path! It vanished!" Roger exclaimed. However, what they did not know was that the path had been covered with broken pieces of lollipop for years and years and no one had ever cared to clear it. Suddenly, they were lost. They were immersed in this tightly packed wood of lollipops with no sense of direction. The Candy Band decided to keep on going straight until they came out on the other side of the woods. However, they walked on and on but never reached the end of the forest. What they didn't know was that lollipop forest was so large that it would take three days just to get from one side to the other, and by this time it was getting dark. They had been lost all day! Knowing that they were not getting anywhere, Roger, Clara, and The Gingerbread Patrol all lay down wherever they could on the hard ground and slept. It was very hard for Roger to go to sleep because he kept thinking about what would happen if they never got out of this forest and his imagination went wild. He analyzed The Candy Band's situation and knew that it was quite likely that they would be lost in this immense lollipop forest for a few more days. By that time, Lord Licorice might have already done something horrendous before they could find King Kandy! Roger fell asleep thinking and dreaming about finding the end of the forest. When The Candy Band woke up, they found that the forest was as silent as an astonished crowd. No birds, no living thing but them. They walked forwards, always forwards, looking at the tall lollipop trees. No living thing was in the magnificent trees. They walked on and on until they came to a single, seated, 22 P a g e

23 solitary figure, sitting sweetly on a stump. Can you guess who it was? It was Princess Lolly. She was a happy little girl who had on an orange dress with red, orange, and green lollipops on it and a crown of orange lollipops. Her hair was as purple as a plum and it curled all around her face. The princess was barefoot and had pretty blue eyes. At the sight of the weary travelers, she jumped up and curtsied in the most beautiful style. "Good day, travelers! What can I do for you?" Princess Lolly exclaimed. You can imagine the joy on everyone's faces to see someone other than their weary band. "Good day to you too." Colonel Nutmeg said. "We have come from the city of Jawbreak to hear your account of seeing your father, King Kandy." "Oh, I understand. You all look so tired. Please come into my family's summer residence and warm yourself. There I will tell you my account of seeing my father." So, as the weary band followed the skipping princess, she began to explain why her mother would not be at the small mansion they owned by the lake. "You see, my mother was going to go to the sea for a few days and I wanted to stay here. So, she left my nurse with me and my puppy, Brulee. She is going on some errands right now. When they reached the mansion, they all went to the fireplace, which had a big stone hearth and warmed themselves as Princess Lolly explained her story. "I was out walking through the trees of the forest when I saw my father sitting on an old stump reading a book. And when I asked him what he was doing, he quickly said; "Just reading!" and closed the book. However, before he was able to close it, I saw that the name of the book was Disappearances and Other Foolery. I thought no more of it and went back to walking. A few days later, as I was walking through the trees again, I saw The Great Honey Beast coming toward me. He told me to remember the letter H and the letter E. I don't know why he told me that, but he did and I have remembered those letters. A fortnight after Father went up to the mountains alone to see The Great Honey Beast, I heard that he and Candelia, our families mobile-castle, had not returned to Jawbreak where there was a meeting he needed to attend to, so I reported to The Candy Counsel." "Huh." Colonel Nutmeg mumbled. "That is bewildering. Every report we have heard has given one or two letters. I wonder what it all means." 23 P a g e

24 "Have you tried putting them together? They might spell something." Princess Lolly answered. "What a great idea! I'll do that right now." and Colonel Nutmeg pulled out his notebook and wrote down all the letters in order. There was Plumpy's E and N, Mr. Mint's D, Jolly's 0, Gramma Nut's F and T, and Princess Lolly's H and E. "Oh, look!" Colonel Nutmeg said. "If I put all the letters together they make the phrase END OF THE and then it stops. Whatever could it mean?" "Well, are we done with our assigned visits? If we are not then there might be some more letters to add on." Roger inputted. "That's right!" Colonel Nutmeg said. "Sorry to be rude Princess Lolly, but we have to go. Would you please show us the way out of the forest and to The Rainbow Trail?" Colonel Nutmeg asked. "Why certainly." Princess Lolly answered. Soon they were back on the path again; Roger, Clara, Colonel Nutmeg, Lieutenant Cinnamon, Sergeant Ginger, and Private Clove. 24 P a g e

25 Ice Cream Seas and Gingerbread On The Rainbow Trail, The Candy Band began to stroll. They talked about many things. They chatted about the people they met, their recent history, and other subjects. The Gingerbread Patrol began to discuss their family tree and soon Roger and Clara were begging Colonel Nutmeg to tell them the story of the origin of the gingerbread man. Colonel Nutmeg conceded. Well, one day, there was an old lady by the name of Mrs. Scrumptious and an old man by the name of Mr. Scrumptious. It happened that Mr. Scrumptious wanted something to eat, so he asked Mrs. Scrumptious if she could bake some gingerbread. So Mrs. Scrumptious stirred and poured and kneaded until she had the gingerbread dough. Then she thought that maybe she could make something new for Mr. Scrumptious, so she shaped and cut and shaped and cut until she had a gingerbread cookie in the shape of a man. She set it in the oven to cook and when the gingerbread man was done, Mrs. Scrumptious opened the oven and the gingerbread man jumped out! For so you see, Mrs. Scrumptious had put too much flour in her gingerbread and it made the gingerbread man come to life. The gingerbread man jumped out the door of the cottage and ran down the road. Poor Mrs. Scrumptious had nothing to do but to run after that speedy little man. So she ran to catch him and as he was running, he said, Run, run, run, as fast as you can, you can t catch me I m the Gingerbread Man! Soon they passed a farmer who saw the gingerbread man and thought how hungry he was, so he jumped up and ran towards the gingerbread man. When the gingerbread man saw the farmer, he said, Run, run, run, as fast as you can, you can t catch me I m the Gingerbread Man! As the farmer and Mrs. Scrumptious were chasing the gingerbread man, they passed a cow who looked at the gingerbread man and started chasing him too because the cow also wanted to eat him. When the gingerbread man saw the cow, he called out, Run, run, run, as fast as you can, you can t catch me I m the Gingerbread Man! Suddenly the gingerbread man came to a river. When he saw the river, he asked a wolf who was standing by to carry him across, to which the wolf heartily agreed; for the wolf planned to eat the gingerbread man in the middle of the river. So the gingerbread man jumped on the wolf s back and they started off down the river. The wolf asked the gingerbread man if he could get on his nose because the water was getting deep, but contrary to popular belief, the 25 P a g e

26 gingerbread man was not only fast, but also smart. He didn t want to get swallowed by a wolf, so he stayed on the wolf s back. Also contrary to popular belief, the wolf wasn t smart enough to sink deeper into the river, so when the wolf reached the other side of the river, the gingerbread man jumped off and ran like mad down the hill to the valley below. Soon the gingerbread man found a mate and they had children and their children had children and so on and so forth. And that is how the gingerbread man came about. What a great story! I never knew the origin of the Gingerbread Man was so interesting. commented Clara. Yes, how fascinating. agreed Roger. As it always seems when you are engrossed in something, much more time had passed than they had realized and The Candy Band had almost reached their next stop, the Ice Cream Sea. The path and everything around it smelled of sweet, creamy, cold, vanilla ice cream. The trees all around were of only one type: Sprinkle. Sprinkles of all colors hung down from majestic towering trees like pine needles on a Christmas tree. The mixture of the creamy sweet smell with the colors of the Sprinkle trees all around, was truly a scene to mystify anybody. As they walked along, the path suddenly came parallel to a wide stretch of clean pop rock sand along an ice cream smelling sea. What was odd about this beach was that it was not a warm beach nor a freezing cold beach, but just a cool, calming beach. All over the sea, Roger could see lumps and mounds of ice cream floating across the water like sleeping swans with their heads tucked to their sides. Walking along the shore, The Candy Band came to a magnificent houseboat made of the brilliant white hard frosting. It was adorned with Christmas lights of almost every color. The amazing structure was tied to a stately peppermint dock. Sitting on a chair on the deck of the houseboat was the lovely Queen Frostine. She wore a fancy dress of blue and white satin and a gorgeous crown of blue jewels adorned her long, wavy, sky blue, hair. She had an angelic face that seemed to cheer everyone up. Greeting the band warmly, Queen Frostine introduced herself. Colonel Nutmeg introduced everyone and the Queen invited them into the houseboat. I have been expecting you. I received a letter from Chief Justice Caramel three days ago. This is the royal houseboat called The Topping. As Queen Frostine led The Candy Band into The Topping and to the living room, Roger suddenly remembered how long it had been since he had seen his 26 P a g e

27 mother and father. He missed them and he wondered what they would think of him when he and Clara returned from Candyland (if they ever went back). Interrupting Roger s thoughts, Colonel Nutmeg spoke, Your Gracious Highness, do you think you could tell me your account of your seeing your husband, the Honorable Imperial Head Bonbon and Grand Jujube of Candy Land, King Kandy? There must have been a miscommunication. I just wanted to see you to give you some important advice. Ah, I see. What is it? Colonel Nutmeg asked. I wanted to let you know to keep a careful watch out for Lord Licorice. I know that he ll do anything to stop you from finding my husband. Thank you. We will keep that in mind. replied Colonel Nutmeg. The Candy Band and Queen Frostine talked for a long while about many different things until suddenly, Roger yawned. Oh, dear me. Queen Frostine exclaimed as she glanced at the living room clock. It is already ten! I must go to bed if I am to leave early in the morning for our summer residence where my daughter is. If you would like, you can sleep on the guest room beds. I m sorry I don t have any other conveniences. Have a good night s sleep. Good night! and Queen Frostine went to bed. All of The Candy Band figured that if she was going to bed, they would as well, so the weary adventurers climbed into nice, warm beds and fell sound asleep. Very early in the morning, the not so weary adventurers left The Topping to stroll down the path again. 27 P a g e

28 A Very Messy Creature As Roger and his fellow adventurers were walking down the path, Roger questioned Colonel Nutmeg, Wasn t Queen Frostine supposed to be the last stop? Why, yes it was! What was I thinking? We have walked almost to where, um. as he fingered through his maps, a creature named Gloppy might live! Why don t we, while we re at it, just visit him? He might have a testimony that never reached Jawbreak in time to get into our assigned stops. Colonel Nutmeg replied. He told everyone else his idea, and they all agreed too. So the Candy Band continued down the road. While walking along, the travelers saw a shoelace lying by the trail; but this wasn t any ordinary shoelace. It was made of bitter chocolate. Roger looked at the shoelace and stared. It looked like a regular shoelace, but it was dark brown, shiny, and strange to say, it smelled like licorice. All the Gingerbread Patrol cringed at the smell of licorice, for it was the smell of evil. Colonel Nutmeg thought it foreboding, but Roger thought it was just very interesting and put the shoelace in his pocket. The Candy Band resumed their journey, but it was a different sort of walk. Everyone was silent and did not want to talk, which was different since they were used to talking on their travels. Soon, however, their gloom wore off as they came to a different countryside. This new scenery was very flat and you could see far to the western mountains. There were no trees, but only a swamp that stretched for miles. It was a dark sticky kind of swamp and the aroma of this plain was of molasses. The swamp was filled with what appeared to be cattails, except instead of the cattail, there were molasses pops. The strong smell of molasses filled the Candy Band s noses. According to Colonel Nutmeg s map, this was the Molasses Swamp. There was no life around The Molasses Swamp except for a few muddy storks. Quite slowly, a large mound began to lift itself out of the swamp toward The Candy Band. It looked like a mold of a big furry monster that had been dipped in thick, sticky, molasses. The thing had a white collar and a yellow tie spotted with large, round, brown dots that stayed surprisingly clean and crisp despite the messiness of all the molasses around it. This was Gloppy. Roger could not think of how that white collar and yellow tie stayed clean, but it did. 28 P a g e

29 Gloppy waddled to The Candy Band and said in a very slow rough voice, Welcome to The Molasses Swamp. I haven t had a visitor in so long. Where are you guys from? Colonel Nutmeg answered, We have come from the city of Jawbreak. We would like to ask you if you have seen King Kandy and if you have, we would like to hear all that you can tell us. Oh yes, I have seen him, and while I am talking, you can suck on one of these molasses pops. With that, he pulled six molasses pops out of the ground and gave one of them to every member of The Candy Band. As they were sucking, Gloppy told his story. I was just enjoying a molasses pop in the far right corner of the swamp when I heard a noise. It was a slurping noise and when I turned around I saw a stork sucking a pop, but this pop wasn t molasses, it was the flavor only royalty gets: Milk Chocolate. The pop was also crown shaped so I knew that the only one who could have had it before was King Kandy. I thought that was odd until I saw the word TRAIL painted on the stork s other side. Then I knew it was very odd. So to think it off, I took a walk around the swamp until I came to another stork that was sucking yet another pop, but this pop wasn t milk chocolate, it was LICORICE! At this point everyone s eyes opened wide in amazement. Very interesting. Um, when did you see the licorice pop? Colonel Nutmeg asked. Oh, about a day ago. Wow! Fascinating. I m glad we stopped by. Thank you for your time and these delicious pops. Well, we better get going! Colonel Nutmeg said. After many friendly goodbyes, The Candy Band got back on The Rainbow Trail. 29 P a g e

30 The Temptation and the Battle Once The Candy Band was on the road, Colonel Nutmeg exclaimed, That was the last of our stops! Let s see what the letters mean. With that, he grabbed his notebook and added the last word to the phrase. End of the, End of the trail! So that s what it meant. What could it mean? Maybe it s a clue to the whereabouts of King Kandy. Roger suggested. Why, yes it must be! Colonel Nutmeg replied. All cheery, The Candy Band set off down the road to reach the end of the trail. The trees were green and full of singing birds. The path was smooth and straight and jokes ringed throughout the air. The Candy Band walked through this place until something odd happened. The trees gradually started shriveling up and the bird left. They had come to a valley with shriveled trees and no life at all. It was dark and gloomy. It was not enjoyable. It was scary. Suddenly, Clara had a thought. Colonel Nutmeg, what about Lord Licorice, the shoelace, and the licorice pop? Colonel Nutmeg answered as The Candy Band came into a clearing. Oh, nothing to worry. Lord Licorice is just an overly skinny lizard. Suddenly, Lord Licorice stomped out of the trees. Wow, I didn t know Lord Licorice was a lizard. he sneered sarcastically. The Candy Band froze. Lord Licorice was wearing the tightest clothes you could imagine. He wore a full brimmed pitch-black hat, a red licorice cape, red sleeves and stockings, and a black suit. He also wore black shoes that had licorice strands in them and he held a sturdy licorice cane. He had the sharpest nose and ears you could ever imagine and he had red curly hair and a wide curled mustache. Well children, Lord Licorice said evilly, turning to the Burnhart kids. I have a little deal to share with you. I will give you five hundred pounds of gumballs, turning to Roger, and five hundred pounds of lollipops, turning to Clara, IF. you leave me and Candyland in peace. After all, you don t belong here, you live in another world. Why care about what happens in Candyland? This really isn t your home. But I like them and they like me here. Roger answered. 30 P a g e