SO BECKONS THE NIGHT

Bentley Wants Candy: Candy Grams

Little sweet Tanisha Walkins was sad because she felt no one wanted  her.

Recently, her days as resident at the children's orphanage were more bleak than ever.  Was she ever going to be adopted she didn't know.  Too many parents were looking for those of younger ages and she being around twelve going on thirteen (her birthday was tomorrow actually), made her feel targeted for disappointment and marked for loneliness.  She hated being at the orphanage.  And sadly, for a lass on the cusp of becoming a teenager, she felt overlooked because she was of Chinese/African-American descent.  She safeguarded these sad emotions in her heart.

But all of that changed when she met Bentley, a pale wide-eyed little man who somehow found his way into her closet.  He wasn't ugly but not handsome at the same time; attractive in the sense that his baby-faced features were doll-like in a fixed expression:  he was always smiling.  And he wasn't one to say much.  Oh, he told her stories of trick-or-treating at Halloween and how he enjoyed getting lots of candy.  He said their faces were "yum-yum" but that only made Tanisha laugh.  Bentley had the queerest of voices:  like that of a little boy but squeaky in a way, like a crafty imp or a gnome in a children's fantasy story.

The first time he and Tanisha met was about five days ago.  Tanisha was in her room crying after another group meeting with potential parents turned south when other kids were picked and not her...again.   She held her African-American Cabbage Patch doll she had since she was in kindergarten right before her parents were killed in a tragic crash.  Her sobs were heavy and heart-breaking, and Tanisha was crying so loud and hard that she didn't heat her closet door open and this little boy character come walking out toward her, eyeing her suspiciously with wide eyes and that oddly big smile.  When she finally realized his presence, she didn't jump from fright or scream.  She felt a loving, caring passion emanating from this odd little figure.

"Hi," Tanisha greeted him, wiping at her tears.  "Who are you?"

"Bentley," he answered.  He then pointed at her.  "Sad."

She nodded.  "Yeah."

"Why?"

"I don't think I'm ever getting adopted," she replied, a fresh stream of tears coursing down her face.

Bentley nodded.  "Yes."

"'Yes' what?"

"Adopt."

She rolled her eyes but laughed.  "Yeah.  Like never in a million years."

"Soon.  Adopt."  When Bentley blinked, it was almost in slow motion.  And that smile:  endearing, cute--in a way.

Tanisha shrugged.  "Yeah.  Right."

He pointed at her again.  "Name."

She sniffed.  "Tanisha."

Bentley spread his arms out.  "Hug."

Tanisha sobbed again and knelt in front of him, falling into his strong and friendly embrace.  He leaned his head against hers and softly patted her back.

"You.  No.  Sad."

************

And so it continued.  With every visit scheduled at the orphanage, Tanisha was coddled over by parental candidates but never chosen. The last parental couple she talked with were looking for someone younger, she would later find out.  And as usual, she went to her room crying her little heart out.

At bedtime, Bentley emerged from the closet with a heart-shaped box.  As she was already awake, Tanisha sat up and peered at him.  "Bentley?  Why do you always come out of my closet?  And what's that in your hands?"

Bentley held out his gift to her.  "Treat.  Like."

Tanisha crawled out of bed and knelt down in front of her stranger visitor.  "Treat?  What is it?"

"Take.  Good.  Yum-yum."  He blinked those adorable eyes.

She chuckled.  "Okay.  Thank you."  She took the box.

"Welcome."

She opened the box and found a chocolate goody, almost in the shape of a big piece of sponge candy.  Actually, it looked more like a big glob of roundish proportions but without any real shape.

"What is it?" Tanisha asked, sniffing it.  It definitely smelled of chocolate with a tangy-like smell.  It was pleasantly alluring but...

"Here.  Watch."  Bentley tenderly tore off a piece of the candy and ate it.  He rubbed his tummy.  "Mmm.  Yum-yum."

Tanisha giggled.  "Ok."  She placed a piece of the morsel into her mouth and chewed.  A delicious liquid-like strawberry jelly erupted in her mouth.

"Mmm," she chewed.  She smiled around the mouthful of tasty goodness.  She swallowed.  "Wow!  Thanks.  That's good candy."

Bentley delightfully watched Tanisha enjoying her gift, slightly wringing his hands together excitedly.

************

Two weeks passed and five visits were scheduled.  The same results ensued:  Tanisha was defeated and the hope of being adopted appeared more bleak than the last.  But every time she was sad, Bentley would show up with a box of chocolate, each time a different flavor:  raspberry, blueberry, cherry, lemon; and oh! just so good!

Bentley was a very good friend.

************

However, what Bentley never revealed to her was why he always emerged from her closet.  Did he live here? the basement? a shack somewhere hidden on the property? in the walls themselves?  She always wondered, as children are so often inquisitive on matters of interest, and one day her curiosity got the better of her.  She opened up the closet door and looked for a hidden passageway or door, and she found it:  a small door that blended in with the paint and barely noticeable.  Yet she found it and she pushed it open.

She peered inside, a faint odd smell reaching her nostrils.  She grimaced, placing a hand over her nose.  She almost didn't want to venture any further but her curiosity got the better of and so she continued, watching her steps carefully.  Perhaps Bentley didn't want for her to know where he lived or stayed, or by chance he was protecting her from something.  Regardless, Tanisha continued down the passageway, the smell slowly becoming more rancid.

Forcing her way along the rest of the cramped space, Tanisha finally came upon a room.

And almost gagged in horror at what she saw.

The bodies of those parents who denied adopting her were lying strewn all over the floor, their hearts ripped out of their chests.  There were boxes of the same sort that the strange Bentley used to transport her "candy" to her room neatly piled in a corner.  The realization of what Bentley was doing made her vomit maddeningly.  When she finished, turned around to run for her life.

A chocolate-covered hand immediately wrapped itself over her mouth and the last thing Tanisha heard before losing consciousness were the words "Yum-yum."

************

The orphanage director smiled brightly as the newly-proud parents gathered around their adopted child.  The mother bent down and handed the child a piece of Andes chocolate mint.

Tanisha took the morsel gently in her hand, an appreciative smile spreading across her features.  She unwrapped it and place it in her mouth.

"Yum-yum," she replied.