Not So Sweet Candyland

LXXV: Mother's Library

"Well, how about we go upstairs?"

"To where?"

"A place that I always wanted to show you. Someplace that means a lot to me. A place that you may have heard about or may have not. But, I think you're ready."

They snuck in through a back window that turned into a staircase and then up the stairs was a large set of doors. Berry hesitated for a moment and then opened the door.

The door revealed a library.

"Haven't we been here before?"

"You may think so. But really, no. You're thinking about the estate. The truth is that this is the largest library in Candyland. And the place where my mother would spend the most of her time. In here, and that's where I was as well. What was the point of parties when a book seemed more tolerable?"

Berry went into the door and looked back at Chase.

"What are you waiting for? We have a whole library to explore."

Chase followed right behind her and they started to go in front of the series of shelves.

"A lot of books, real world and Candyland are here. I think, in fact, ever book in Candyland is in this library. This library is also called "The Library of Queen Marissa", but nobody knows what happened to her. Her name is still in the air. Is she alive or dead? She's still alive. It's just that everybody forgot about her. Breaking my heart it does but it's for the best."

Chase put his hand on Berry's shoulder.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah. I just need a moment."

Berry then took a deep breath and then she started to walk through the shelves and show Chase a few books.

"The last serenade, as it's called is he first romance book that I have ever read. At first, I thought it was just really cheesy and classic. But, the older that you get, the more you realize that you actually like the cheesy stuff once in a while."

"The Berry that I know never seemed like a love story type of person."

"I never was. But, you know, they are on once in a while."

"What's your favorite genre then?"

"I love horror and mystery, and maybe a little bit of comedy and action. I hate the cookie cutter cheesy love stories, everybody raves about them here which I will never understand at all. They aren't even that good. I would want to try at writing a book, but what would I even write about?"

"I think you should write about your world."

"In a fiction novel? I mean, nobody would believe me if I say that I am from Candyland. All they would say is "is that the board game?" Or something like that when it's my actual home."

Berry then found a desk and sat down at it. There was a pile of books that seemed to go up and up into the sky.

"What is this desk?" Chase asked.

"This is my reading desk, and all of these are the books that i promised myself I would read. As you can tell, I'm not very good at staying focused on reading. If I did, then I would have an achievement or something. When I was younger, I always had my nose in a book. Call me a bookworm or a nerd or whatever. I just always loved the stories that there were, especially anything dark and creepy. As I got older, i started finding more things to do and I was home less, but this is normally one of the first places I go to. I don't normally go here to read, but I just come here to collect my thoughts." 

"I always got the impression that you were this quiet girl growing up, but i never knew you liked to read. It seemed like you were always good with a machete, but you have a whole book list as well?"

"A book list.... right." Berry looked up and then started to cast a spell.

"Bimiligafo Agradio!"

The book pile suddenly disappeared.

"Woah! What was that?"

"It's in my room now, the books. This is a spell that can let you move inventory of certain items and then move them to your living quarters. It saves you a walk to and from."

"That's actually very smart." Chase pondered for a second before Berry disappeared out of nowhere. "Uh, Berry, where did you go?"

"I'm right here!" She came with a dinner cart.

"A dinner cart? But why?"

"We're going book hunting. It seems fancy, don't you think?"

Chase looked around.

"But look at the walls of this place! And this place is absolutely massive! How can you not get lost in this place! And what about that cart?"

"You wanted your own? You should have told me."

Berry snapped her fingers and another cart appeared right by hers, it was the same cart as hers.

"Enjoy picking!"

"Wait...."

"Did you think I was leaving? No, I wasn't. Why would I leave you here? You'll get lost. Come on, let's go."

Berry snapped her fingers and they were at the beginning of the library.

"Let's see. We'll start with the east books first."

"East? I thought you meant easy?"

"No. East books are a unique style of writing Taken into approach the way that they have been translated. Some are funny with translations, others can be strange, and some are actually normal, like you never would have known that it's an east writing book."

Berry started going through the shelves and she found 79 books only on the first row.

Chase just looked at her, shocked.

"Are you really going to read that whole pile?"

"I go through books like clockworks and enemies like poison murders. Books help me go to sleep when I can't talk to my mom or if I do and I just can't sleep."

"You would be called a nerd back in my home."

"And why is that?"

Chase got shy.

"Because they would be jealous of you."