Candied Apples

A chill autumn breeze swept through the crowd. With the leaves starting to change and winter fast approaching, the locals decided to throw one last hurrah before the cold weather set it, and a festival was planned. Junmei made her way through the crowd, ambling here and there. She glanced at the stalls as she passed by. She was hoping to find some nice paints or fabrics for sale, but so far no luck.

Making her way to the end of the lane, she stepped to the side to get out of the crowd and pause. A puff of smoke came from her lips as she sighed. With no friends and no family to spend the night with, events like this just weren't the same. Too many people, too much noise. Maybe she was just getting old.

A group of chiblings ran past her, laughing away as they raced to their parents, candied apples in hand. It reminded her of her youth, when her and her siblings would beg their parents for change to get snacks from the vendors. Sometimes they would ask each parent separately to get more money for games. That's how she ended up with her first fish Angie the angelfish. Angie was long gone now, as were her siblings. Everyone went their own separate ways when they got old enough, eventually leaving Junmei alone as the youngest. But now even she was off on her own, living her life as best as she could. Such memories seem so long ago, almost a lifetime away by now

Man, she really was getting old. Listen to her reminisce like some widow on her deathbed. How pathetic. 'Hm', she thought, 'a candied apple does sound nice. Wonder where the stall is.'

She worked her way back into the crowd and followed the flow of people, making her way to the food vendors. Scents of all sorts filled her nose as she walked down the rows of pastries and candies and snacks. The unmistakable smell of pumpkin spice came from many of the stalls, with almost everyone in the village having a small pumpkin patch in their homes. As good as a hot pumpkin drink sounds, right now she was in the mood for something more tooth-rotting.

Eventually she found a stall selling candied apples, and worked her way through the crowd to reach it. In front of her were many different candied treats. Candied apples, toffee apples, even some candied pumpkins? A curious taste, but one for another day. A young looking chi stepped up behind the counter and spoke. "Greetings! How may I help you?"

"Hello! How much are the candied apples?"

"Those are five libbles a piece," they gesture towards the different apples in front, "or you can get a candied and a toffee apple for eight libbles. Which would you like?" Jumnei hummed to herself as she looked around at the treats, glancing at the pumpkin treats. The stall owner chuckled, "We also have roasted pumpkin seeds for four libbles a bag, and toffee pumpkin pieces for six. It sounds odd, but others have been saying it's the best treat around!"

"Mm, it all sounds so tasty! But I really need to watch what I snack on, so I'll just get the candied apple for now."

"Haha, of course, one candied apple coming right up!" Junmei dug through her coin purse for change as the stall owner picked a candied apple from the row and handed it to her.

"Yum, it looks so much tastier up close!" she said with a smile as she took the apple from their hand. Quickly she unwrapped it and took a good bite from the middle. A sense of idle happiness flowed through her. "Mmmm, this is so delicious. It tastes just like I remember." "Well I'm glad you like it! It's good to see such appreciation for the simple joys in life" they gestured to the curtain behind them, "If you'd like, I got hot apple cider brewing in the back. Fresh as you can get! What do you say?"

"Oh, well I don't know" she mumbled glancing down at what little coin she had left, "I don't know if I have enough..." Her face fell as she counted out her coins. Four libbles left to her name. Ouch.

"Mm, well that's a shame. I make a mean apple cider from what I've heard." They crossed their arms, then got a curious look on their face. "Here, wait here." They pushed away from the front stand and went behind the curtain. Not long after, they reappear with a warm cup in their hand. "You see, sometimes the cider doesn't heat up right when you make it, so it's always best to taste it first before serving it." They held out the cup to her, "Here, take it and tell me how it tastes."

She stared at the cup for a moment, before taking it. The sweet smell of warm apples and spices filled her nose. It was delightful. Bringing the cider up to her lips she blew the steam away and took a small sip. It was absolutely delicious. A perfect blend of apples and autumn spices filled her belly. "It's delicious!"

The stall owner smiled, "I'm glad! Guess this blend's already to sell. Feel free to finish the rest of that first cup for me," they said with a sly wink. She thanked them for her drink, and soon after made her way back into the crowd, apple and drink in hand. With a bite of her treat, she looked over the crowd. Chi and nature alike bustling with life. Winter may be fast approaching, but for now all was alive and all were celebrating.

Something pulled at the hem of her dress and she looked down. A small chibling looked up at her and asked if she would like to play Spirit Block with her. She agreed,and with a chug of her drink and a dash to finish her apple, Junmei chased after the child as the two made their way to a field to play games through the night.