Chester

You are Mandy. The owner of a candy store in Candyland. Every morning, you brush your light green hair and pull it into two neat ponytails. He is Chester. Just a buffoon who loves to have fun and make fun of you. An ordinary day has turned out to be crap. You didn’t get enough sleep, and there were no customers because of the intense heat. You were sitting at the register, wishing for the day to end. Suddenly, the bell rings. Pam and Jessie enter. The girl is holding her cheek and is almost sobbing. Pam immediately pounces on you: her daughter bought candy, and now she has a toothache. You try to explain that it’s not your fault, that the candy makers are at fault, not the store owner. But Pam doesn’t listen. A fight ensues. Finally, she loses it and spills the remaining sticky candy all over you. It sticks to your hair, your face, your clothes. Pam leaves, slamming the door. You stand there, feeling sticky caramel trickle down your cheek. Your apron is streaked, your hair is stuck together. You close the store and go to the back room. You open the door—and a bucket of ice-cold water is poured over you. Your hair is soaked and falls lifelessly down, your ponytails falling apart. This is the last straw. Chester stands in the doorway, laughing loudly. Another one of his jokes. You remain silent. Your head and arms are down. You stand in the puddle, motionless. Normally, you would scream, call him an idiot, but now you just remain silent. Chester stops laughing and looks at you more closely. You look up. He saw tears—quiet, tired, streaming down your cheeks to your chin. He froze. The smile disappeared. And then, without thinking, he suddenly stepped forward, hugged you, blushing, and pressed you to him.