Sweet
“My goodness Dorian, we’ve only been here for like 20 minutes. I’m almost done! Be patient, please.”
Dorian rolled his eyes at this undesirable and yet totally expected response. He looked around the store, seeing nothing but walls of clothes in every direction. The boy felt passionate contempt towards this place. He saw another kid down the aisle, watching as he played mindlessly on his iPad. Dorian would have been that boy today, if he hadn’t eaten his sister’s cookie earlier this morning. He glared at him, then returned his attention to his mother.
“Please? Can we go now?”
She appeared to not hear him, being too preoccupied browsing through various dresses while talking on the phone with his father. Dorian, exasperated beyond belief, felt his eyes and ears fuming. He couldn’t understand why she needed this new dress. He thought, why couldn’t they just blindly pick one and leave? For a moment, he contemplated the probability of successfully getting her attention if he were to throw a tantrum on the spot. However, this didn’t work at the doctor’s office earlier today either. Ultimately, he decided to sit on the floor, his arms crossed, pouting. Was he finally admitting defeat?
Just then, Dorian recalled the mysterious hallway cutting into the store to the left of the entrance, the gateway to the rest of the mall. He couldn’t remember the last time his family passed through there. Naturally, he wondered what lay ahead. Whatever it was, he got the impression that it was more interesting than staring at the tiles on the floor in some random retail store.
After approximately 10 seconds of “admitting defeat”, he stood up, looking at his mother. She had her back turned away from him. He had never tried something like this before. Should he? What if he gets in trouble? What if someone sees him?
After some not so intense pondering, Dorian made a choice. He will take a peek, then zoom right back. It’ll be fun. It’ll be revenge, even. He glanced at her one last time, and started walking and walking. Before he knew it, he found himself looking into that hall. It was like a portal into another galaxy, just like that one video game he played. He also noticed just how busy it was out there. Dorian couldn’t think of many other instances where he had seen so many people at once. This unfamiliarity evoked anxiety and yet excitement. Hesitating, he slowly took one step into the other side across the metallic line. Then, he took another.
“That was okay,” Dorian mumbled. He turned around, feeling a sense of pride. Why stop here?
The journey continued. Dorian wandered around, taking a short peek at the other stores. He heard laughter. To his surprise, he noticed a huge toy train in the distance, full of passengers gleefully riding along. He also noticed this strange jungle restaurant? How did they fit a train in here, let alone a forest?
One humble pastel colored shop in the distance, however, caught his attention. Dorian approached it, and his eyes immediately grew big. It was a candy shop! He took one step inside. His brittle mind was instantaneously bombarded with dynamic colors and vibrant scents coming from all directions. There was nothing in sight that wasn’t totally bejeweled with candy bars, gummies, lollipops, jelly beans, mints, jawbreakers, chocolates, caramels, sprinkles. The candies kindly greeted Dorian, twinkling at him. His huge eyes reciprocated, twinkling at them right back. Watching thousands of Oddly Satisfying ASMR DIY Unboxing Candy videos on YouTube was one thing, but this was wholly unprecedented. Dorian approached an aisle full of stacks of chocolates. He tried sounding out the text displayed at the bottom.
“Cho-cho-la-tea, chocolate.”
Lost in a daydream, the boy pondered about what he would do if he had a gazillion dollars. Surely, he would buy every last chocolate here, maybe even the whole store. Surely he’d keep it all to himself. Who needs anyone else, anyway? He took a look at the numerous jams and jellies sitting on a counter. Dorian again wondered to himself, when was the last time he has gone out on a grand adventure like this one? Who is stopping him from going on even more? And why does he let them? He dreamt about the paradise that life would be if his parents disappeared, if only for a few days.
“They never let me go anywhere,” he silently grumbled to himself. “And they like Ashley more.”
He recalled all the times that he wanted them to play with him, and all the times he needed help building this Lego tower or beating that difficult Mario level. He looked back on how neglected and spiteful he felt after being told that they were too busy caring for his sister, or that they were too exhausted. Was it always like this? Will it always be this way? It was apparent to him; Ashley and her uncompromising cries were taking over his life. Ashley was eating up all of what was once his. Ashley was ruining everything.
“They think I’m just a little kid. But I’m five. I know about these things.”
Just then, he noticed an elderly woman approach him. He froze.
“Hi honey, are you lost? Where is your mother?”
Turning around, he stood to face this lady. Her bright smile and demeanor were just about as sugary as the candies themselves. With her pastel clothing and short gray hair, she appeared to be beyond harmless. And yet, Dorian found himself terrified. After all, his parents would always tell him never to interact with strangers. A tense silence ensued.
“I’m not lost,” he finally murmured, involuntarily looking away.
“Oh, okay. Alright. It’s just that I’ve seen you walk around here by yourself for a few minutes now. Are you sure? Is everything okay?”
Another pause.
“For how long have you been lost? I can help you find her!” She said, as she got closer, reaching out to grab his arm.
“No, no! I’m fine!” he insisted, with a flaky voice.
Before she could say anything else, Dorian suddenly pulled away, dashing down the aisle and towards the exit.
“Hey, wait! Don’t be scared! My dear, come back!”
His heart racing, Dorian sprinted down the mall, refusing to look behind. Surely, the sight of this lady running after him would give this poor boy nightmares for weeks.
“Oh fudge, I don’t want her to take me away forever,” he mumbled to himself, panting. Running through this sea of people was almost disorienting. Gradually, he saw that familiar giant store logo grow larger and larger. He’s almost there! Without a second thought, he bolted through the entrance, returning to that same aisle that once kept him captive. He made it! Dorian looked around, grinning now. His glee eventually disappeared.
She’s not anywhere around here. She’s gone!
For what felt like an eternity, Dorian paced around every last corner, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, any glimpse. He fervently wished and begged for her return as he avoided eye contact with anyone who might want to approach him again. And yet, he found no one. His despair only continued to fuel as he walked past countless flashy mannequins wearing some of the store’s stylish new clothes. Dorian stopped at one, slowly looking up to face it. This mannequin had no care in the world. He quickly stepped away, feeling mocked by its doll-like facelessness. He continued on his increasingly impossible journey, eventually reaching a point when he couldn’t look straight ahead any longer. Dorian looked down to stare at the tiles. At that moment, he admitted it to himself. He couldn’t find her. He would never find her. He would never come home again. His life was over. And his ultimate fate? It’s to live inside the mall. Alone. Forever.
“Oh my god, Dorian! There you are!”
Dorian turned around, swiftly met with a deep embrace. That sense of accomplishment flooded his mind again. He escaped that evil old lady, got stranded in retail hell, and yet, he survived. His mother didn’t appear to be upset, either. For a moment, everything seemed perfect. Perhaps this little adventure was a success after all! Alas, Dorian noticed his mother’s smile morph into a stern look. She pulled away, and stood up.
“Dorian, please. Where have you been?”
He stared at her with a blank face.
“I. I don’t know.”
“You scared me so badly! I was looking everywhere for you! I was terrified, just so terrified. I just can’t believe that you left my side like that. That is very disrespectful. I’m disappointed.”
The boy glanced around in disbelief. He saw clothing for infant boys in the distance. Behind his mother were a couple of employees watching the scene with a mixture of relieved and offended expressions.
“This whole headache would have been avoided if you weren’t so easily distracted,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m grounding you from your iPad for a few more days.”
Dorian looked down, woefully.
