McCreary's Easter Treats

It's like a darker version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It's in a horror anthology called Twisted Easter Tails. IT'S LONG!

It was a nightmare. I expected something a little more ceremonious for the money I forked out. My son and myself waited with every other sucker in a painfully average waiting room. The walls were white and bland with only a dusty fake plant and an uninspired painting of a landscape to help spruce up the room. I looked down at my son who sat in a hard chair similar to mine, yet was gracious enough to wear a patient smile.

 

The long faced receptionist wasn't even looking at us. She just blew a giant pink bubble admiring the plain red paint on her nails. She was purposely ignoring us like the tension from all the eyes focused on her wasn't growing.

 

After what felt like an eternity, a ring came to her desk phone.

 

"Good morning, thank you for calling McCreary's Creamery and Candy Shop. This is Candice speaking, how may I help you?" She chirped into the phone. "Yup. Mmmm-hmmm. Okay, right away, sir." She put the phone down and looked at all of us. "We're almost set for the tour guys." She informed. Candice then pointed to a narrow hall behind her desk. "Head straight down here then take a left and head all the way down. There will be a door with a red light above it. Once the light goes green, it's all ready and you can head inside."

 

"Thank you," I said as our small group passed her desk as if this tour was some kind of privilege.

 

I had never personally been interested in taking the famous McCreary Candy Shop tour, even though its factory has been a part of our town since I was a small child. When I was young, it was like an unwritten rule that only the kids whose families had a lot of loot lying around got to take those tours, and I wasn't so lucky. I grew up into a similar situation raising a lower middle class family, so a McCreary grand tour had all but left my mind. That was until my boy Maddox asked if we could go.

 

With an outrageous price tag of five hundred dollars per person, I had no problem immediately telling him no. It broke his heart, but a thousand dollars could go a long way in my household. It was my wife who convinced me to surprise him with it. For almost a year we threw whatever extra cash we could save off to the side. Twenty bucks this week, fifty the next; before we knew it, we had saved a grand and booked Maddox and myself up for the Easter tour.

 

We all quietly lined up at the door with a bright red light above it. Ten sets of eyes fell on the light trying to remotely change it to green by will alone. After more than five minutes, it changed to green and the man leading the group headed inside.

 

Inside the room was pitch black, but judging on how our footsteps echoed, it was big. I held Maddox to me as we slowly and cautiously ventured inside. The last thing I needed was to lose him in a tour.

 

Once everyone was inside and more centered in the room, the door behind us slammed shut leaving no light whatsoever. Panic set in and I nearly screamed, but before I could, a spotlight popped on. The light was shining straight down from the ceiling set on a head on the floor. It appeared to be severed from its body and crusty old blood surrounded it on the floor. It was wearing a long violet top hat and wide multi-colored sunglasses. He also had long wavy black hair covering his face that always seemed moistened. Gasps filled the room as the group took a step back from the head. I even heard one of the ladies there say Oh my God.

 

"Well hello there folks." Shock paralyzed us all as the head peered up at the group and winked. "Gotcha!"

 

The man burst out of the floor as if he was launched out by some catapult or high speed hydraulic lift. He landed mere inches from us with his hands up high like a proud Olympic athlete who stuck their landing perfectly.

 

"Ta-da!"

 

"That was a horrible prank." One of the disgusted mothers scolded their carefree host.

 

"Oh come on," The strange prankster reasoned. "Everyone likes a little fun."

 

He was a scrawny man who wore an equally eccentric suit as his hat. His clothes were like that of a goofy butler in some colorful children's cartoon. He also wielded an oblong shaped wooden walking cane, although he didn't seem to need it. He was one of the most charged up characters I ever met.

 

He ranted at the group like a lively mad man pacing back and forth. "Hello one, hello all. I am your magical guide for this tour, Mr. McCreary, the head honcho here at McCreary's Creamery and Candy Shop. We have lots of fun in store for this group, but first thing's first."

 

McCreary slipped into the darkness and quickly came back with five clipboards. He handed one to me and all the other parental figures in the party. I looked down to an extensive and almost purposely complicated contract.

 

"What is this?" I asked.

 

"Just a formality in case any of you are hurt during the tour." McCreary explained as he continued handing them out.

 

"Hurt?" One of the children's fathers curiously commented.

 

"An extremely unlikely event, I assure you. But I do need to cover my backside, as you might say."

 

"I'm not signing this." I assertively stated.

 

"I'm sorry to say, but if you don't sign, you will not be allowed to take the tour." McCreary informed.

 

I then could hear the whines and protests of the children to the rear of me. My eyes fell on Maddox who remained quiet and well behaved, but I could see it in his eyes; he wanted me to sign. I begrudgingly scribbled my name and handed it back to him.

 

After collecting the rest of the forms, the whacky Mr. McCreary said, "Well, now that everything is in order, lets begin."

 

He brought us outside and filed us into a long horse drawn wagon. It was like a hay ride you might take on a field trip to a farm as a child. As I gazed at the other kids, I couldn't help but think how none of them deserved such a privilege. They were like caricatures of typical spoiled children. A vain little beauty queen who is used to getting what she wants, a foreign chunky kid who looked as though a tour of a candy factory was the last thing he needed, a bratty rich boy who only cared for himself; they were all there. I had no right to exclude them from the tour, but I was glad I had a chance to give Maddox the same experience.

 

McCreary came to our corner of the wagon bed and leaned in toward my son. "So what's you name?" He'd been taking turns chit-chatting with every child on the tour. I'm guessing it was our turn.

 

"I'm Maddox and this is my dad, Michael." My son answered.

 

"Hi," I said with an outstretched hand.

 

"Pleasure to meet you, sir." McCreary greeted as he shook my hand.

 

"Mr. McCreary, where are we going?" Maddox asked.

 

"To the ground floor of my creamery operation." McCreary was all too proud to answer. "Do you know what cream is made of?"

 

"It's dairy, right?" My boy skittishly replied.

 

"Yes, and where does all dairy come from?"

 

Maddox thought for a second. "Cows?"

 

"That's right. Very good. We're going to see the McCreary cows. Would you like that?"

 

My son nodded yes.

 

"Good,"

 

"What would you like?" My son inquired.

 

"Me?" McCreary said astonished anyone would think to ask him that question. "I guess I want more children. Lots and lots of children who can love an enjoy my delights. That'd make me very happy."

 

Maddox smiled at his answer.

 

McCreary delivered as promised. He brought us to a stable on the edge of the McCreary property rather far from the main factory. The kids exploded into the stables amped up and scattered to explore everything.

 

McCreary hurried in behind them more than anxious to give every detail to the milking process. "Kids, you see those tubes on their utters? That automatically milks them and ships the milk directly to the factory for pasteurization. When that process is over, it's tubed back over here and stored in those two building sized tanks outside. There it waits to be churned and mixed until it reaches the perfect thick consistency and flavor."

 

McCreary continued his speech while the youngsters' inquisitive minds searched the stables. The parents came in as well looking around, but in a much calmer and controlled manner.

 

I had been to a number of farms in my youth and those were the cleanest cow stables I'd ever set foot in. Everything was pristine, glistening, and shining; not even so much as a smudge to be seen. Even the cows shared in the odd cleanliness of the stables. Other cows have imperfections, soiled fur, snot running down their noses, eye gunk; everyday flaws. Those cows didn't have any of that, like they had been artificially molded. I could swear that they were all smiling. Then there was the gloss on their coats; it was as though they were made of plastic.

 

Then there was the suspicious security. I could understand a light security force for any factory or company that was such a public figure, but it was outlandishly heavy. I would expect men in uniforms with white shirts and hats holstering a can of mace and maybe a handgun, but these men were in full black tactical gear brandishing M4s. What was going on in this candy factory so serious it would necessitate semi-automatic weapons? They also wore flimsy plastic Easter Bunny masks to appear somewhat festive, but it was only eerie.

 

Next on our tour, we headed back to the factory. We found ourselves in front of a magnificent and bright rainbow colored door. It was a fun image of a candy valley featuring depictions of McCreary's many sunshine happy animal characters. That also included Jack the Rabbit with his bear blue vest and neon yellow bow tie that they pushed aggressively that time of year on all the McCreary advertisements.

 

"Well my friends," McCreary announced, "feast your eyes upon the great Candy Valley."

 

He separated the doors to reveal a real life version of the candy valley on the door. It was an amazing sight. The children squealed and dashed inside. The adults also roamed inspired by the serene setting. It was all pretty cool until I noticed off in the distance, in the dark corners of the valley were those guards again. They had their eyes on everything we were doing.

 

The kid instinctively tried to taste the valley and got a big surprise.

 

"The cream on this mushroom is fake!" The bratty princess shouted.

 

"These taffy leaves are too hard and tasteless to eat." The fat foreign kid claimed.

 

"McCreary is any of this candy real?" I asked.

 

"Real candy?" McCreary laughed whole heartedly. "Heavens no! I tried real candy once and it all went bad and turned into a hideous twisted version of what it was supposed to represent. You see? If candy had some type of spark or pulse then it could live indefinitely."

 

We ignored McCreary's ramblings hoping they weren't leading to anything.

 

It didn't take long until the children were done with exploring the valley trying to mask their hefty load of disappointment.

 

He then brought us to where they made one of McCreary's most signature delights, Jack Rabbits. They were three foot tall chocolate molds of Jack the Rabbit housing various fillings. I've seen them at high-end candy stores, but at thirty-five dollars a pop, have never enjoyed one.

 

They sat in open capsules lining a large wall that kept them chilled. They all had a slender pipe piercing their heads at the top I assumed to inject the filling.

 

McCreary commenced with his grand speech. "And here are the Jack Rabbits. First children, we pour delicious milk chocolate into the Jack Rabbit molds to be chilled. Once they harden, they are brought here, and a small hole is drilled into the tops of their heads. Then those pipes are programmed to precisely fill them up." McCreary pointed with his cane at the different filling sections. "Caramel, nugget, and of course more milk chocolate."

 

The group looked upon it satisfied until the little girl saw something and got closer to one of the chocolate bunnies.

 

"Day! What are you doing? Get over here." Her mother scolded.

 

We could see that particular rabbit was leaking chocolate out of the corners of its eyes. It seemed to be sobbing and was a tad shocking.

 

"He's crying! It's so sad. I need to do something." The girl named Day stated.

 

"Dayanne Harvey! Get back over here!" The mother ordered.

 

"That's not a good idea." McCreary predicted.

 

The girl went to pull the rabbit from its capsule, but the moment she touched it, a loud siren went off. Then the rabbit, the capsule, and Day disappeared through the floor.

 

"Day!" The mother screamed as she ran to the chute her daughter fell through. She peered down the long chute then back to McCreary with rage in her eyes. "McCreary! What have you done you b*****d!"

 

"Some times the pipe accidentally over fills a rabbit mold and it splits." McCreary calmly explained. "Each capsule has a weight sensor that sends it down the chute the instant a rabbit is too full. I'm sorry to say, but your daughter triggered the sensor the moment she tampered with it."

 

"Why didn't you say something!? Why didn't you warn us!?" She yelled.

 

"Well I didn't know she was going to go gallivanting on the equipment now, did I?" He argued.

 

"I'll get you for this!" She ran to attack him but was quickly apprehended by the armed guards. They dragged her out of the room kicking and screaming.

 

"Don't worry Ms. Harvey, they'll take you to the garbage." He assured. "Hopefully she landed on the other chocolate Jack Rabbits and not capsules."

 

"You b*****d! You b*****d!" She screeched down the halls.

 

McCreary looked back at the stunned group. "Well now, shall we proceed?"

 

I couldn't believe he was going to resume the tour at a time like this, and to just be so casual about it, but on we went. As we left, I saw that a lot more of the Jack Rabbits were mysteriously secreting filling from their eyes as if they were saddened by what had transpired.

 

"This is our research laboratory where we develop new and fresh goodies." McCreary roared as he shoved open the doors to our next destination. "This is where all the real fun stuff happens."

 

McCreary was so trying to convince us his factory was somehow magical upon us, but it just wasn't working. The machinations it took to put up his mystical facade was too apparent and would always show through no matter how hard he tried. A corrupt being couldn't create purity from nothing.

 

We first went to a cylinder shaped machine that had eggs resting delicately in these tiny beds around it. As we approached, we could see big nets on the side of the machine filled with discarded or cracked eggs.

 

"Easter is our most lucrative season here at McCreary's, so we keep that in mind when developing new candy. This is our new flavored yolk. It's a hard candy shell surrounding yellow syrup. You slurp the syrup then eat the shell." McCreary claimed.

 

"How do you slurp the syrup?" The over privileged brat questioned.

 

"Oh, like this." He picked up one of the eggs and a straw from a dispenser attached to the machine. He thrust the straw at the egg and it easily popped into it. McCreary then started sipping the yolk through the straw. He then put it down. "Ahhhhh. Everyone gets one."

 

He began taking eggs from the machine and handing them to everyone in the group. When he handed me mine he wasn't paying attention and took mine from the discarded pile. The rest of the group took their turns popping the straws into the eggs and sucking the yolk out. I waited on mine knowing it was taken from the trash.

 

"Mmmm, it's fruity." Maddox praised.

 

"That's great!" One of the grown ups agreed.

 

"Moving along." McCreary rushed. "I really want to show you what's next."

 

He brought us to a long table. It was the size of a large dinner table and had a scale model town on it. Miraculously, inside the town was a community of gummi bears carrying out business. They were biking, commuting, heading to the store, going to work; basically running a functioning town.

 

"This is it!" McCreary cheered. "My living gummis. Look how productive and industrious they can be. Next we'll be working on individual feelings and personalities."

 

The entire group gazed upon them in wonder. Some of the more anxious children felt like touching them.

 

"Please don't disturb them." McCreary warned. "Your slightest touch could harm their community severely."

 

The children moved away and watched it for a little while longer. We left the table, but one kid stayed behind. It was the selfish rich boy who glared down at the gummi bear town with ill intent. He smashed his hands down on the small town causing absolute destruction and mayhem to the gummi bear citizens.

 

The group turned around and witnessed the vicious sight.

 

"Frank! Stop that! What are you doing!?" The boy's father shouted.

 

"Just having a little fun. Who cares? They're just candy. They're not alive."

 

"That's not a good idea." McCreary advised. "Because Mama Bear can sense danger."

 

Out of nowhere a giant eight foot pink gummi bear slammed all its weight into little Frank. The boy vanished behind the gummi's monstrous body and the wall. Two of the security guards ran to us.

 

"Get back! Get back!" They ordered as they leveled their firearms and fired round after round into the candy creature.

 

The bullets chipped away small pieces of the squishy bear and it shifted around to strike them. The bear finally stopped when one of the guards fired a grenade launcher directly at the bear's face and its gummi head exploded. As it fell over, we could see Frank imbedded in its body. The brat was squirming and gasping as if he couldn't breath.

 

"Frank!" His father cried as he clawed at the giant dead gummi bear body trying to retrieve his son.

 

"You see, we extract mass from the giant gummi bear body to create living little ones. I'm afraid we just lost years of research today." A saddened McCreary revealed.

 

"Forget about that! What about my son!?" Frank's father howled.

 

"We'll have the gummi separated from the boy of course, but it will take some time." McCreary snapped up a hidden cap at the end of his cane that exposed a tiny microphone. He said into it, "Stretcher to the research lab." He then motioned to comfort Frank's father. "Don't worry, we'll begin extraction as soon as we can."

 

It took six men to get the gummi and the boy on the stretcher. The stretcher sped out of the laboratory with a father cursing the whole tour following closely behind.

 

"Man, I guess it's a good thing you had us sign those contracts, huh." I commented as a jab at our host to how horribly it was all going.

 

McCreary shot me a dirty look before insisting, "Okay people, lets get a move on."

 

He then took us to where they stored the gummi worms. We walked a narrow catwalk above gargantuan metal canisters holding countless gummi worms. They were Maddox's favorite and his head kept moving around wanting a better view of the candy below. He leaned over the railing staring straight down into it.

 

"Maddox stop that, buddy." I suggested.

 

"That's not a good idea." McCreary warned.

 

"Oh my god!" The mother of the fat foreigner cried over something happening behind me.

 

I turned around to see Maddox already completely over the railing and falling clear off the catwalk.

 

"Maddox!" I dashed to grab him before it was too late, but I failed, and my dear boy went right into the massive pile of gummi worms. There was a ladder in the corner of the catwalk leading to the ground floor, and I took it.

 

I couldn't believe it. Those other spoiled children deserved something like this, but not my Maddox. Not my sweet little boy. He was supposed to make it to the end.

 

McCreary assured, "Michael, I'm sure he's fine in there."

 

"Fine my a*s!" I cursed. I got to the canister Maddox fell in and banged on the side. "Maddox! Maddox! Can you hear me!?"

 

"Dad?" I heard a muffled voice say from inside. "Dad. Get me out of here, I can't breath."

 

"We're working on it my boy. Just stay calm."

 

"Okay,"

 

"Maddox, what happened?"

 

"It felt like something pushed me over." His voice then became fused with panic. "Dad...I...I think these worms are moving. I'm scared."

 

"I'm sure they're not moving. Don't be scared. We're doing what we can to get you out." I claimed to comfort my son, but I had no clue. I didn't know if he was safe or if McCreary was going to even try to save him. Also, remembering the gummi village, moving gummi worms was not that farfetched.

 

A few minutes went by before several of the armed security guards came up along side me. They brought a buzz saw and I was relieved to see that at least someone was doing something. They flipped it on and pressed it to the side of the metallic canister. Sparks flew and the room loudly whistled as the saw gradually made its way through the thick metal.

 

"Thank God," I whispered.

 

I suddenly felt a gun poke my back. I turned around to see one of the guards pointing their M4 at me.

 

"McCreary wants you to come with us." The masked guard informed.

 

"No, I'm staying with my son."

 

"We have sparks and heavy equipment being brought over here to get your boy out. It's not safe."

 

"I don't care. I'm not leaving him."

 

He placed the gun mere centimeters from my nose. "This isn't up for discussion."

 

"Okay, okay," I complied. I yelled to Maddox in the canister. "I have to go now buddy, but they're gonna bring me to you the moment you get out, okay?"

 

"Okay dad, I love you."

 

"I love you too."

 

I then headed with the guards. They took me to another mundane waiting area and I sat there extremely bored. I felt a bulge in my pocket and had forgotten what it was. I reached in and pulled out the egg. I laughed and waited for them to deliver my son.

 

At least an hour had passed with not a word said to me. Employees and such just passed by me ignoring me and avoiding eye contact. I had tapped my egg against my arm rest so much, it was starting to crack. The only thing passing time was the weird door. It was a door I could see at the end of the hall that had Top Secret scrolled across it. It required a key card to open and it seemed only a single nurse kept going in and out. I must admit it peaked my curiosity.

 

One time, when the nurse hastily left the room, the door didn't shut all the way. It was my chance, so I looked around to see if anyone was watching, then I made my move. I quickly stepped through the door and closed it.

 

The room was dark but appeared to be some kind of cell. There were bars to seal something within the room.

 

"Nurse Ratchet?" I heard an agonized voice utter.

 

"No, I'm not nurse Ratchet." I answered.

 

"I never met anyone besides nurse Ratchet." My mysterious companion said from within the comfort of the darkness.

 

"Really? I don't think that's right."

 

"Can you tell me something?" My mysterious friend asked. "I think nurse Ratchet is lying to me."

 

"What is it?"

 

"Why does it hurt all the time?"

 

From the blackness of that cell, it came. Crawling on a sorry excuse for a single arm and leg was a candy person. It was the equivalent of a small boy missing an arm and a leg made entirely of candy. Hard clear blue candy made his skull, gum bonded his joints together and I could see the tormented and pained look on his taffy face. He reached out a dripping sticky candy hand at me moaning from the constant pain he told me about.

 

The frightening sight jump started my heart and I fled the room nearly ripping the door from its hinges. Once in the hall, I noticed yellow goo in my hand and remembered I was still holding my candy egg. While I was scared, I must've crushed it in my hands without realizing it. I opened my hand oozing with yolk and saw a small ball in the center of my hand.  I got closer to inspect it and realized it was a human eye.

 

"Ahhhh!" I shrieked as I waved the eye from my hand.

 

A security guard then grabbed me in the middle of the hall.

 

"What do you all want from me!?" I bellowed, confused by all the horrific sights that I was witnessing.

 

"McCreary has your son. Come with me."

 

Yes, that's what I was waiting for, my son. If I could just get Maddox, I could head out of that madhouse and forget everything I saw. Relief washed over me as I went with the guards to get my son back.

 

I reached an office and McCreary waited from a desk with a few other guards.

 

"I hope your tour was a magical experience." McCreary said.

 

"Yeah sure whatever," I dripped with disinterest. "Where is Maddox?"

 

"Temper, temper there Michael. He's right here of course."

 

One of the guards slid aside and Maddox was standing behind him, but something was different. The perfect gleam in his hair, the hard and cold smoothness of his skin, and the shiny gloss that took to his entire body.

 

"Maddox?" I questioned unsure if I'd even get a response.

 

"Yes father?" The boy claiming to be Maddox answered.

 

Anger came over me and my head looked back at McCreary with intent to hurt him. "What did you do to my son?"

 

"What do you mean? He's perfectly fine. Some might even say better."

 

"Look you whacko-nut job, I want my son and I want him now or I'm bringing all kinds of trouble. Cops, court cases; people are gonna hear about the strange things happening here." I threatened. It was all or nothing. It was time to let the crazy Mr. McCreary have a piece of my mind. "So I advise you quit screwing with me and get me my real...Ahhhh!"

 

A jolt then ripped through my body. I think one of the guards tased me while my back was turned. I awoke to the barren gates of McCreary's Creamery and Candy Shop. I had a huge headache and wondered if all that transpired was a dream. That was until a small cold hard hand wrapped around mine and held on. It was Maddox, or whatever he became.

 

"Hello father, is something wrong?"

 

I knew it wasn't Maddox one way or another. He would never call me father. I wasn't sure if my real boy was dead, still alive somewhere, or of he was somehow altered into the shell of himself I saw before me. I placed my face in my hands cursing the horrible events that happened within the McCreary walls.

 

"I don't know," I replied. "I don't know what's going on anymore."

 

He gave me a false impersonal hug. "Oh father, everything will be okay. Maybe some candy could help."

Author's Note

Check out Twisted Easter Tails available on createspace.com and amazon.