Not So Sweet Candyland

XXI: Jelly Jelly

"Now arriving to Jelly Town."

The train halted at a sudden and the doors flew open. Pair by pair, people started to go off of the train and soon enough, Chase and Berry got off of the train as well.

"This is Jelly Town, the other half of Peanut Butter Town and Jelly Town. These cities are connected through "long distance" relationships. Which, in reality, it's literally 8 miles, but most people who live in cities and towns never really venture out far."

"Nice."

While Peanut Butter Town has shades of light brown on buildings, around town, and the smell of peanut butter wafting through your nose, Jelly Town had colors of purples, reds, pinks, oranges, greens, yellows, and even some blue. Wherever that you were, there was always  the smell of fresh fruit and the town was always vibrant and full of life.

"Wait, did we have to give the conductors the train tickets?" Chase thought about them at a sudden.

"Nope. You want to know why? Like I said, money does not exist in Candyland, and when you do those snapping, I believe that it means that they know that you are going on an adventure and they have copies upon copies of clues."

"So, what is the purpose of some towns? And, with travelers? How do they know who is a traveler and who is not?"

"Travelers here look like people who backpack through states. We have our backpack and most places are generally welcome with travelers. Because, A. Money for them and their town and B. Most of these places normally get the same people, and having a few new faces makes their day or even weeks at times, especially in the desperate and desolate areas of Candyland. Some people haven't even seen another person in YEARS."

"Not even their own families?"

"Like I said about my father, he did not want his people moving to the other lands, so he destroyed the bridges so that our world is isolated."

"But why?"

"I don't know, but whatever my dad was thinking about was clearly not executed right. And cut off all communication with other areas unless it's by plane which in this world, planes are nearly impossible to make and find. When have you ever seen a plane fly by here? The only way that you can travel is by boat, but once again, only official business can have quote on quote "premium transportation." Nope, it's just my dad being selfish as usual."

"So, if there was somebody who was dying on the street, your father would still have a hissy fit because greasy hands touched him?"

"Yep. All of the time."

Berry pulled out her map and she noted something.

"We need to find the jelly jelly blocks."

"The what?"

"It's a little tower called jelly jelly blocks. Little blocks of jelly that can be stacked and/or eaten. They help us develop a sense for our next place that we will visit in the coming months. And before you ask, how do you find them? Easy. A sponsorship is holding a Best Couple's Contest that they do daily at the Octagon Pavillion near here. All we need to do is pretend to be a couple, have some cliche lines ready for us, and go out and wing it."

Berry grabbed Chase's arm.

"You ready, partner?" She winked at him.

"Let's get this thing over with."

Berry ran with him to the pavilion to where about a hundred or so couples were all standing there, getting instructions on what to do, how to win and get points, and many more things.

"Fuck the rules." Berry whispered to Chase. "We're just going to wing this shit. Come on, the weirder it looks, the more genuine it seems."

"If you say so."

"FIRST ROUND! THE BALLROOM DANCE TURNABOUT."

"The what?" Chase asked.

"Just follow my lead and shut your mouth." Berry started the dance as everybody else started as well.

"And 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3. 1, ow. You dumbass, you stepped on my foot."

"I never ballroom danced before."

"I can tell. You dance like a sloppy fish that's waiting to be cut in half."

"You're calling me useless?"

"What else would I call you, idiot."

"You can't just call me an idiot for the rest of the adventure."

"Oh, but trust me, I can do this."

Berry leaned into Chase and kissed him on the lips for a while. They stopped what they were doing and it was just them, the warmth of each other sent a shiver down the other's spines.

everybody was staring at them and that's when Berry and Chase finally stopped kissing.

"God, that was messy." Berry wiped her face with her arm.

"I never kissed anybody like that before."

"Coming from somebody who's relationship with a girl is too safe, too boring, and too platonic. You need some action, drama, and maybe a sprinkle of comedy in your life. And, I will be the girl to change your life. Don't tell me that you had more interesting events happen in the last month or two than for a year at home."

"Well."

"Would your girlfriend even miss you? Or, would she be cheating on you with another guy, girl, or gay?"

"Probably cheating."

"And why do you think that?"

"She rotates from boy to boy depending on what she wants. The nerds and the quiet guys give the best dick, but she would only be with me because of my looks."

"She sounds like a bitch, forget about her."

Chase looked around.

"Why is everybody staring at us?"

And that's when everybody clapped.

"Congratulations! On top of being the best couple of the day, we have a reward for you two lovey dovey lovebirds! A jelly jelly tower for the two of you! Eat them, stack them, do what you want with them, as long as we see your affection of love, that warms our heart."

Two towers of jelly came floating out of the sky.

"Wait, Berry. What you were saying, we're you serious?"

Berry giggled.

"I don't know, but you'll learn."