Gingerbread

By Victor A. Davis

(SHORT STORY) When Edgar challenges his friend Arainy to sneak into the candy factory and steal sweets, she resists, even though she desperately wants to prove herself. She knows the risks. She knows the Candy Man has caught Eddie before, but intrigue gets the better of her. This is not a children's bedtime story. It is a dark retelling of Peter Rabbit.

Note from the author: For years I've been keeping a dream journal. First, I've heard that writing down your dreams encourages them to come more clearly and frequently. Second, I've always hoped that out of all the nonsense, an occasional gem can be found. On January 2nd, 2012, I woke up and scribbled a disturbing dream down in my journal. Months later, it formed the basis for this short story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Victor A. Davis
• Release date: Dec 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310726439

Victor A. Davis

Victor A. Davis has always loved reading and writing short stories. He is an avid hiker and even when away from the world of laptops and wifi, keeps a pocket paperback and a handwritten journal to keep him company on trail. He is the author of one short story collection, Grains of Sand, and is publishing a second book, The Gingerbread Collection, in the spring of 2016.

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Copyright © Dec 2012 by Victor A. Davis

All rights reserved.

This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, Dec 2012

ISBN 978-1-31-072643-9

www.mediascover.com

Gingerbread

Chicken, are ya?

Arainy crossed her arms in frustration. She couldn’t let this one go. It’s just a silly kids’ thing. Why do we have to do it?

Edgar couldn’t help but betray the gleam in his eye. He had her. She just needed a little pushing. Don’t call me a silly kid. I’m brave enough to do it, and you’re not. You want to be safe, but you know you’ll be jealous.

She smirked. "Alright, smarty pants, how would you do it? You’ve been caught three times."

He gulped. Why did she have to be so smart? Have not! It was true, of course. "Okay, he may have seen me, or thought he saw me, but he didn’t catch me. I’m quick as a jackrabbit."

It was a lie. The Candy Man had caught him. Three times. It was the number that had him off guard. Had she accused him of being careless, he might have used bravado as an excuse. Had she simply claimed he’d been caught, denial was an obvious route. But she said three. She knew the truth. Maybe she’d seen the bruises, or perhaps just knew the look in his eye—that wounded rabbit look of a boy whose hand had been smashed in the cookie jar. It occurred to him later that she may have just bluffed and guessed right, but it was too late now. She stared him dead in the eye, and his shock gave it away. A confession. Why did she have to be so smart?

He thought quickly, eyes narrowed. He leaned in, spoke low, and to his pleasure, she leaned in to meet him. There’s a window. It’s in the back over a sewer. I was caught twice trying to sneak in the back door, but it was always unlocked. He was always there. But the window… I was only caught the one time when I came in that way. All the rest of the times it worked.

Arainy quickly did the math and continued to prod. And how did you know he wasn’t there?

The question annoyed Edgar. He’d confided in her. He’d confessed. He’d let her in on the secret. Now she was just needling him. She wanted to go. She would go. Why did she have to pretend? Why did she have to run him around and make him feel low?

Who cares if he was there or not? The window was locked, but the latch is broken and it’s up high, behind big stacks of boxes. He couldn’t have known that’s how I got in. It’s safe.

She looked at him hard, lip curled, eyes squinted. She had half a mind to turn her back, give him an I just don’t know, Eddie, and let him beg some more. But she could see he was at