Twisted Hearts

October Writing Prompts- Pinterest List by ZellyKatArt

October 4th- Eating Candy

Cindy sat at the diner’s counter, swinging in the seat around as she waited for her chocolate strawberry shake. She chewed on her bubble gum as she flipped her honey blonde hair behind her shoulder and looked around Pete’s Diner. She had been going there for years and it never got old. The locals always said hi to everyone and even to the tourists. The tourists were always shocked at how nice the locals were and voiced it every time. She giggled when she heard a family saying that to an elderly couple in the booth behind her.

Cindy turned and faced Angelica. Angelica grinned, her gunmetal blue eyes watching the family leave. She sat Cindy’s shake down, then left to refill coffees. Since it was close to Valentine’s Day, Angelica had placed two cherry lollipops in the shape of hearts. They were red and white hearts with the two colors twisted together. Cindy put the lollipops to the side on a napkin and leaned forward, drinking the shake.

“Yum. It’s perfect as always, Angelica.” Cindy grinned at the waitress and drank more.

“Glad you like it, Cindy,” Angelica said as she leaned against the counter in front of the teen. “You are the only one who appreciates me, Cindy.” She looked around at the other people, then looked at Cindy, staring in to the girl’s chartreuse eyes. “I appreciate you, too, Cindy.”

Cindy grinned around her straw, then grabbed a lollipop. She sat back and looked at it. “You always make the coolest candy. I can’t wait to eat these.” She put them back down and pointed at the cup. “After the amazing shake, of course.”

Angelica made a face and picked up the lollipops. “These aren’t the ones I wanted to give you. I thought they were. Hang on.” She disappeared into the back, then returned with bright red and sweet pink lollipops. “These are the ones I wanted to give you.”

Cindy gasped and took them. “They are even prettier than the other ones.” She squealed and popped one in her mouth. “Oh wow, sweet, tangy, a little sour. These are perfect, Angelica.” She finished her shake, then sat back and enjoyed the first lollipop.

Angelica grinned at her young friend and looked around to see others were eating the candy she had given to them. Angelica went into the back and retrieved more candy to have on hand for the new customers. She sat the bowl of candy by the cash register, some lollipops falling out. Angelica scooped them up and put them back. Cindy paid and left, sucking on the second lollipop. She hugged Angelica on the way out and skipped down the sidewalk. Cindy heard someone scream and turned to look around.

She followed the sound and turned the corner as the family from before fell to the ground in pain. Their bodies were beyond twisted and mangled. They lay with their eyes wide open but not a breath in them. Cindy dropped her lollipop when she saw they had been eating the lollipops Angelica had given them. She turned and ran, screaming for help. She barely escaped when a car swerved and nearly ran her over. It slammed into the wall and the man behind the wheel jumped out of the car. He reached for Cindy as his body twisted. Cindy could hear his bones crunch as they twisted under his flesh.

Cindy ran away just as the man took his last breath. Again, the heart lollipop Angelica had made lay on the ground, half-eaten next to the man’s body. Cindy ran into the diner and looked at the twisted bodies on the tables and on the ground. Angelica was cleaning with a mop when Cindy ran inside and nearly slipped on the blood.

Angelica turned and caught Cindy since she was close enough, dropping the mop. She laughed and helped the scared teen to her feet. “Careful, Cindy. It’s quite the mess in here.” Angelica smiled and picked up the mop. She got back to work cleaning up the mess, humming.

Cindy sat down in disbelief as she numbly watched Angelica clean. “Why?”

Angelica smiled over her shoulder at the teen. “Because I was tired of the low tips, the sneers, getting yelled at even though it’s not my fault, and being the butt of the jokes.” She went silent as she mopped up the blood. Angelica stopped and rinsed the blood off in a bucket. “Don’t worry. You’re safe, Cindy. I didn’t give you the special twisted heart lollipops. I took those back. You don’t deserve what these people do.” Angelica walked into the back to put away the mop.

Cindy looked around, then saw the lollipops on the counter by the cash register. She had to get Angelica to eat one, but how? She remembered the one she had been given, but it had dropped on the ground. She snapped her fingers. “Angelica?”

Angelica stuck her head out from the back room. “Yes, Cindy?”

Cindy pouted and picked up a lollipop. “I dropped your special lollipop for me and I loved it.”

Angelica ran over and took the lollipop out of her hand. “I’ll get you another one. I promise.”

Cindy pointed at the one in her hand. “How do those work?”

Angelica placed it on the counter and went into the back. When she returned, she handed it to Cindy. “Oh, there is a magical spell on the twisted hearts. Once eaten, they twist the one who had eaten, starting with their bones and end with their heart.”

Cindy looked at the lollipop and picked up the other one. “So, the cursed ones are white and light pink, while the non-cursed ones are red and pink.” She looked at Angelica and held up the two. “That’s how you know which one to give me?”

“Exactly!” Angelica took the cursed lollipop out of Cindy’s hand.

Cindy grinned and looked at the one she had, then at the one Angelica had. “What does the spelled one taste like?”

Angelica grunted. She didn’t like how Cindy kept talking about the cursed lollipops. “I don’t know because I haven’t tasted them. I made the ones for you taste sweet, tangy, and sour, just the way you like them.”

Cindy smiled. “Thank you for that, Angelica.” She stuck the safe lollipop in her mouth and sighed. “You need to have one, too. Join me in a victory lollipop.”

Angelica laughed, forgetting she had a cursed lollipop in her hand. Cindy took hers out of her mouth and gently tapped it against the stick Angelica held. She put her lollipop back into her mouth and smiled. Angelica laughed and slipped the lollipop she held into her mouth and sucked on it. Her eyes widened when she didn’t taste anything tangy or sour or sweet. All she tasted was sweet, incredibly sweet, that tastes too good to stop sucking.

Angelica shook her head as Cindy backed away and watched in horror as Angelica kept sucking on it. Angelica clutched at her chest as she felt the curse take a hold of her. She threw the lollipop out of her mouth, but it was too late. She felt her bones twist this way and that until they broke into several pieces, causing her to fall. Blood seeped out of her ripped flesh and she felt her heart twisting in her chest.

Cindy waited until she knew Angelica was dead. She then found all the cursed and non-cursed lollipops and disposed of them. She glanced back at Angelica’s body and sighed. “I really liked you, too, Angelica.” She turned and walked out of the diner as sirens filled the air.