Not So Sweet Candyland

XIII: Tree of Doom

The sky was getting darker and soon, it was time for Chase and Berry to find a place to rest.

"We spend 4 hours doing what exactly? Staring at the top of the hill? What were we even doing?" Berry was upset.

"Not sure exactly."

"Uggggh! We are about 40 hours behind of my plans! I think we have been walking in circles!"

"You're the one who has been leading the whole time."

Berry slapped the back of Chase's head.

"Uneducated." She whispered.

"What do you mean?" Chase asked.

"Since Candyland is considered this "magical zone", in order to prevent familiarity among enemies, sometimes, places that are not considered places with people will change. It can make you walk in circles. Like, for example, the ground here is normally plains, but hills can be magically transformed and morphed. The only exclusion is that if a place is in walking distance and to the normal eye's vision, it will be plains. So, don't put the blame on me for us trying to make us walk in circles. Be lucky that I'm talking to you."

"Nice excuse." Chase was sarcastic.

"You little!" Berry used all of her force and kicked Chase in the back.

"Says the guy that knows nothing about this place!"

"Ok, ok, fine! You win!"

"Great, now get up because the sun will go down if we don't MOVE IT."

She kicked Chase in the leg after he got up.

"Do you always have to kick me and punch me whenever I open my mouth?"

"What? Are you expecting a softie when you met me? Oh no no no, it's just my way of showing affection."

Chase held his leg as the pain was not the best feeling in the world.

"Grow up and get a grip, you blockhead."

As they were walking together, that's when something came across in their road.

There was a tree, and it had a paper attached to it. Berry realized what it was and she stopped Chase, who seemed to be curious on the tree.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT TREE!"

She pulled Chase back and Chase was confused.

"I don't get it, why can't I touch that tree?"

"You don't know what power that tree holds."

Berry stopped.

"That is the Tree of Doom, a roadblock that will appear on a traveller's journey. If you get near it and you do not have magical powers, then you will die if you try to go past that tree. Because there is a magical force field, and only people that have magic can pass through."

"So, you can pass through?" Chase asked.

Berry shook her head.

"No, because I am not alone and you are a human. If you had magic, then you can go along with me, but since you lack the skill of magic, you and I cannot pass. This was a creation that the sages have created in order for enemies to be eliminated."

"The sages seemed smart."

"A sage is a wise person, and they were the combination between brains and magic. Although they were rare, they held magic beyond their control, but controlled it."

"But, what is the paper on the tree for? What does it mean?"

"We have to go back to square one."

"Are you serious?"

"Something called a quarantine. An adventure quarantine. If you do not stay in your beginning point for 14 days, then there will be a spirit that will kill you. Or actually, until the end of the month. Which is absolutely darn great because we were doing absolutely nothing! All we did was go a little bit west and then up a hill and up north. We can do it, and we started in a city, so we have everything that we need."

"What about your folks? What will they say?"

"So many people have had the adventure quarantine, it's nothing new. Think of it as a kick back to the start on a board game. Or, it would be to the last city or town that we have been to, like the starting point after the game over."

"You mean a checkpoint?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"So, is that tree in the one spot?"

"It varies. Just like the valleys can turn into hills, the tree could be over there one day and then it could be up north the next day. It's a roulette and a gamble."

"Can you avoid the tree?"

"That's a question for the venture back."

The two of them turned around and they started going back to Licorice City, their starting point.

While they were almost there and the familiar night lights came around, that's when Berry started to speak.

"There is a way to avoid the tree, without magic, you just have to spin around and around and around until you pass out while with magic, you can do a spell that will blur your vision and erase your memories for a short time. I believe that the magic person with a non magic person could be able to do the magic and the tree will not know."

"Can you destroy the tree? Like, it's a tree, trees can be burnt and chopped and used for paper."

Berry laughed.

"This is why you American humans would never get anywhere. Direct contact even with an object will kill you. The tree might look old and withered, but it holds a whole lot of power."

"Well, sorry that our brains are inverted compared to our Candyland counterparts."

"On the topic of inversion, the time of Candyland changes to your time depending on who is here. Our world can only hold one human at a time or else the world would shake."

"So, I'm special?"

"don't get ahead of yourself, hot shot."

Chase rolled his eyes and Berry laughed. They arrived at their starting point, their home technically.

As they got settled back in, Chase went to his room and Berry went upstairs.

After unpacking, Chase was about to go to sleep when Berry was in some questionable pjs and leaned against his doorframe.

"Hey, I just wanted to say good night. Make sure that you don't get yourself into any trouble when you sleep. We might not have a lot to do, but if you ever need anything, I'm right above your head. Good night, Chase."

She left and closed his door.