WEIRD FICTION
Polar Bear Paw
The time I slipped into candy vertigo
The inside of the candy shop was white and antiseptic. The candies jumped at me like a school of hungry sharks, and the chocolates lined up in perfect rows of delicious soldiers.
Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, nuts, chews, brittles, and toffees—along with fudge and truffles.
Although a polished pane of glass separated the candies, you could still smell the intoxicating aroma, making you light-headed.
“Don’t inhale too much,” the lady behind the counter warned, “or you’ll slip into a Candy Vertigo.”
I was already too far gone, moving in and out of consciousness. It felt like somewhere between heaven and Charlie’s Chocolate Factory, and I still hadn’t made a selection.
How could I decide?
There were too many choices: chocolate cream-filled truffle, Kona mocha, California crunch, white chocolate cashew brittle, maple walnut, or butterscotch mallow. The list was overwhelming, making my head spin and my knees weaken.
I could feel the checkered floor swaying when the smiling lady at the counter offered me the store favorite — the Polar Bear Paw.
