A Trio of Anomalies - The Quest for Paradise

CHAPTER 8 - THE JUDGE AND HIS SENTENCES

Snowy Dawn woke up at dawn, wishing that the hunger she suppressed while she slept wouldn't come back as soon as she was on her feet. She flattened her hair as best as she could without a comb, using the fizzy river as a mirror.

"Alright then," Goose Blahblah shared her rations with the princess, offering a pinch to Oscar when he asked. "I believe the gingerbread people are at least halfway up the mountain now, so we should get going if we want to reach the castle before them."

The Dragon flew towards the peak of Cookies and Cream Mountain, and they're surprised to find the lump of ice cream as rigid as the fruitcake they stood on a moment before. It was near zero at the top, not only keeping the shape of the mountain but the chocolate roofs of the castle as well. There was no sign of the crowd of gingerbread people escorting Boils or the two boys, and after picking up another crystal key the HF Club made their way carefully to the honey moat of the castle.

"Halt!" They were met with a row of gingerbread guards, "Who are you and what do you want?"

"I'm Goose Blahblah of Sweetwater Lake, and this is Oscar the Roach and Snowy Dawn of the Kingdom of Ice. We've come to act as witnesses to the oncoming trial."

"Hmm ..." pondered the guard with a dark chocolate wig, "Witnesses ... They sound important!"

"Indeed sir," replied Oscar, "They allow the Judge to make a fairer decision, for they are able to give another perspective of the incident without twisting their words or making up lies."

The guard brightened up, "I see! What a highly educated individual ; I don't believe you are with the rotten chameleon at all! Welcome to the castle, and since our accused individuals are not here yet, you are hereby permitted to entertain yourselves in the hallways of the palace. Smallrant, one of our palace butlers, shall guide you around the castle."

He gave a signal, and the the chocolate drawbridge lowered itself across the honey moat, and the HF Club walked meekly through the entrance held up with peppermint pillars, before being received by a gingerbread person identical to the guards outside, save for a smaller currant used for his right eye. Snowy Dawn pointed at a shiny object sinking into the think orange liquid, and with the help of Goose Blahblah's long parasol she retrieved the crystal key just before the others spotted her.

Chocolate Castle was built on a granola base from the honey moat, its walls were of huge blocks of gingerbread stuck together with icing. Its towers and turrets were built of cylindrical rice crackers, with their conical roofs made of brightly dyed chocolate. The main roof over the compound however, was tiled with candied oranges, not to mention gumdrops and fruit candies were used for the arches of the entrance and as splotches of colours here and there. The HF-Club walked on a dark chocolate carpet through a long hallway, past a few licorice doors in the corners. The walls on the inside were painted with more dark chocolate, giving the place a dark but majestic look. Chocolate draperies hung from the high orange ceiling, and white pillars with thin black stripes divided the stained glass windows made with boiled sugar and covered with a dark chocolate frame.

They reached the end of the long hallway, into a courtyard branching off into two more hallways to the left and right. The pale sunlight filtered through the candied orange, casting an orange glow onto a fountain unusually made of crackers. Pink syrup spurted from the middle and fell into a seemingly waterproof basin, and upon closer inspection they found another crystal key among chocolate coins wrapped in golden foil.