Sweetshop Parade

The bell rings again, and footsteps fade,

Now open the gateway to fantasy, and join the sweetshop parade.

Jelly Babies line up smartly; soldiers on the front line of a gummy war.

Lions roar in anticipation, wrapped up tightly in brown plastic wrapper restraints.

Strawberry laces trail from the ceiling; Vines just made for swinging.

Celebrations firework from above, sending showers of glittering foil- wrapped delights hurtling downward.

Skittles arch through the air; the sweetest of rainbows streaking colour over the shelves.

Flying Saucers cascade overhead, brimming with sherbet- fuelled excitement.

Liquorice snakes sneak across the floor, creeping stealthily up to the Dolly Mixture, which rests unsuspectingly with its jumbled companions.

Then in comes a child- the alarm bell tolls. He steps over the threshold; movement is no more.

The Skittles; plucked from their nest and pressed to the bone- chilling counter top.

Clutched in the boy’s small fingers, the Skittles are snatched from the store.

One less flash of colour in tomorrow’s parade.

www.thecathystories.com