Ciara Candy's Arc

Chapter 1 of 3

Ciara Candy spun her contest treat that morning, and by noon the rules changed under her feet. She was a small fairy with pink-and-blue cotton candy hair, and she wanted one thing this season: the Tanglewood Confectioner's Ribbon, won with a treat spun from her own magic. She had the treat now. It floated in her palms, a soft cloud that shimmered when she breathed on it. Then a runner pinned a new notice to the board, and Ciara's stomach dropped. The notice said every treat now needed a themed presentation. No bare plates. No open hands. Judges wanted a display that matched the confection. Ciara looked at her cloud. She had nothing to set it on. Judging started at dusk. She rushed to the one shop that might help. Elfy Elbert's Candy Craft Shop stood bright with lollipop walls and cotton candy trim. Elfy built the decoration theme for the Ribbon every year. If anyone owned a display, it was him. Inside, a short elf perched on a stool, painting a tiny ribbon onto a candy shelf. His pointed hat drooped, sugar-pink with blue and green flecks. He did not look up. "You look like a fairy who read the new rules," Elfy said. "You and half of Tanglewood." "I need a display," Ciara said. "Please. Judging is at dusk, and I have nowhere to put my treat." Elfy set down his brush. His grin faded into something serious. "Everyone came asking today. I lent out every piece I had." He pointed at empty hooks along the wall. "All gone." Ciara's throat tightened. She had spun her whole season into that cloud. Now it would sit on a plain plate and lose. Elfy studied her. He tilted his head, then hopped off the stool. "Follow me." He led her to the back, where a tall display leaned under a sheet. He pulled the cloth away. Grand golden shelves rose in tiers, lined with candy pieces and soft cotton tufts. A smaller side shelf held delicate ribbon-shaped decorations. "This one's mine," Elfy said. "Not for lending. I built it for the show floor centerpiece." He rubbed his chin. "But your treat is cotton candy. And this is dressed in cotton candy." He almost smiled. "It's a match." "You'd trust me with it?" Ciara asked. "I'd trust the manners on you," he said. "Everyone in Tanglewood says you give the best advice. So take some of mine." He looked hard at her. "If you win, this display wins too. If you break it, I break your good name." Ciara held her cloud close and nodded. "I won't break it." Elfy helped her lift the display onto a cart. It was heavier than it looked, and one back shelf wobbled where the ribbon pieces hung loose. He did not seem to notice. Ciara did. She now had a display. She also had a treat, a wobbling shelf, and only hours until dusk.