The Boy And His Sweets

A boy visits the local shop to buy some sweets, and has a strange encounter with the shop owner.

                                             The Boy And His Sweets

Excitement grew in his young heart.  Having twenty pence in his trouser pocket to buy sweets with, made him happy beyond belief.  His mum who he loved very much, had gave him the money.  He had made his mind up at that exact second what to buy with the silver coin.  He understood that twenty pence to a grown-up was not a great amount, but to a young boy, he could purchase 20 one penny sweets, of all different colours and shapes.  He was an eager young gent at this moment in time.

Some distance away was the entrance to the shop, and hastily made his way to it.  At the door he stopped, and peered through the glass.  Inside, he saw a man with grey hair and glasses, which sat at the end of his long nose.  

The man was serving some children.  Once he had gave them their change, they came towards the door holding their bags of sweets.  

The boy still outside, moved out of the way, and the children passed him.

Some seconds later, there was the sound of an approaching bus, which stopped a few yards from the shop.

The bus driver gave him an inquisitive look.  

At the bus stop not a single person was seen.  A moment had passed, and the bus moved slowly down the road.

The boy looked back into the shop, realising it was now empty of people, and made up his mind to enter.  He pushed on the wooden door, until there was enough room, and sneaked in.  At the back of the shop was the counter, but no one was behind it.  

Where had he gone?

Carefully, he made his way in checking out the many sweets on offer.  This place was heavenly.  There was pink ones, red ones, and even purple and white ones.

“How can I help you?” a voice said.

He turned a little startled, and the man stood before him.

When he had built up enough courage, he said, “My mummy gave me some money for sweets.”

The man grinned, seeming amused by this.  “You are a most fortunate man, as I have the best sweets money can buy.”

The boy giggled.  This grown-up was funny, he thought to himself.

The man came closer, and placed a knee onto the floor so he was the same height as the boy.  “Don’t you believe me, lad?”

The boy replied, “I’m not sure, mum always says sweets are sweets.  She doesn’t like me eating too many, she says my teeth will fall out if I do.”

The man laughed, then stood up.  “Follow me,” he said.

And so he did.

“Where are you going, sir?” asked the youngster.

The man looked in the kid’s direction.  “I’m taking you to a place of wonder, where magical things happen,” he answered.

“My mum warned me about people like you,” the boy all of a sudden said.

The man looked shocked.  “Don’t worry, lad.  I was just going to take you to the counter so you could pick some out to take home.  How does that sound?” he explained.

The boy followed him with a big grin on his face, “Sounds swell.”

The man made his way behind the counter.  “How much money have you got, lad?”

The boy took the coin from his pocket and showed it to him, “A whopping twenty pence, sir,” he replied proudly.

“That’s a lot of money, and if I’ve got my sums correct, this will buy you a thousand sweets.”

The boy was astounded.  “A thousand sweets you say, I don’t believe it.”

The man pointed to several jars which sat on a shelf, and said, “Would you like a selection of all different colours?”

The boy nodded excitedly.  “Yes please, sir.”

While the man counted out the sweets, and placed them in a bag, he asked the boy something, “Why do you like sweets, lad?”

The boy answered, confusion on his face, “Because I like them.”

The man chuckled to himself, then said, “If you like something, don’t ever be scared to like it.  Sometimes, in life, people don’t always agree with each other.  I think that you liking sweet things is healthy for your age.  It’s like anything, if you enjoy something, then be proud of it.”

“That’s very deep, mister sweet man.”

The man handed the boy the bag, full of deliciously tasting sweets.

“Thank you for your custom, lad,” the man said brightly.

The boy looked at the bag that he held, noticing all the various colours.  “Thanks, mister.  Now I must be on my way, as mummy will start worrying if I’m not back soon.”

Outside was getting dark, and the man didn’t like the idea of the boy walking home on his own.  And instead, offered him a lift.

“Thanks, mister,” was all the boy said.

“That’s fine, lad.  I’m closing up shop now,” answered the man.

Once the door to the shop was locked, the man walked with the boy to his car, which was parked nearby.

Both got in.

“So, where do you live?” the man asked.

“Just over there, mister,” the boy said, pointing his finger towards a house with a yellow fence.

The man knocked on the door a couple of times.  And waited patiently, the boy by his side.

The door opened to a brightly lit hallway.

With total surprise, he found that the woman who had just answered the door was familiar to him, and said, “Sheila, is that you?”

“My God, Gordon, what are you doing here?” she asked.

“I take it this is your son, he was in my shop.  I thought I would give him a lift home, as it was getting dark.”

The woman laughed in a nervous sort of way, and then in a serious manner she said, “I think we need to talk, Gordon.  All I’m going to say is, when you moved away nine years ago, I didn’t know at the time that I was two months pregnant.”

The man looked down at the boy, and the boy peered up at him.  And all of a sudden everything became evidently clear.

               The End

Reviews

[Marie]

Well, this is a fine story, and a beautiful ending, and full of sweets. I don't know why no one else reviewd it.