FanStory.com - A Sweet Plotby HarryT

Janice, a young journalist, had heard rumors about a club by the name of Candyland. Whispers of people entering and never returning, and those that return were not themselves. She decided to see for herself what the whispers were truly about. The club was by invitation only. But determined to uncover the truth, she slipped a one-hundred-dollar bill to the doorman, who looked like a football tackle who had seen his better days. The ploy worked. He placed the bill in his pocket, and she gained entrance to the so-called exclusive Candyland club.

As she stepped through the entrance, a world of dazzling colors and exciting scents greeted Janice. Candyland was a sweet sensory overload, designed to promote deep sensory pleasure. As she moved about, she noticed the clubbers were dressed in elaborate costumes. She also noticed their eyes were glazed, and they moved about like graceful robots.

A voice sounded from deep within, screaming at her to leave. She hushed the voice, and she pressed on, her reporter instinct getting the best of her. As she scanned the room, she found herself being pulled into a candy-coated labyrinth. A gauntlet of sights and sounds hammered against her as she moved through the last narrow path of the labyrinth. Janice emerged and found herself in a cavernous room where everywhere she looked, people were indulging in the decadent offerings—candy fountains, chocolate rivers, and piles of every candy confection that could only be imaged. Her mind flashed to a scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Though fear bubbled inside her, she could not help herself. She ventured deeper into the room. As she did, the atmosphere grew darker. The vibrant colors faded, and the sweet scents turned nauseating. Her brain screamed she needed to escape. A gauzy veil of licorice partially obscured a door from view. Her heart pounded like a speeding metronome as she pushed it open. Behind it was a dimly lit hallway. She slipped behind the door and softly closed it. Tension seized every muscle in her body as she crept down the hallway, her footsteps cutting into the silence. As she made her way, she saw an eerie glow. When she got closer, she found a room filled with screens, each displaying scenes from parts of Candyland. Janice’s blood ran cold as she realized she was being watched.

A hand clamped over her mouth, grabbing her from behind. Her assailant was a man in a candy-striped suit, his eyes lacking emotion. He whispered in her ear, his voice full of wickedness, “You shouldn’t have come here.”

Janice struggled, but his grip was like a vice. He pulled her into a hidden room, where she saw the true horror of Candyland. She saw people strapped to chairs, their eyes taped open, forced to watch endless loops of mesmerizing Russian propaganda aimed at undermining democracy.

The man in the candy-striped suit explained that Candyland was a front for brainwashing American citizens against their government in favor of Communist ideals. Janice had uncovered a Russian plot. The Russians were using the allure of sweets to control and manipulate the minds of their patrons, turning them into obedient drones who would spread misinformation to the advantage of Putin.

Janice’s heart raced as she realized she was next. She was a great catch because she was a reporter, an ideal person to spread misinformation that would advantage Putin. However, Janice willfully resisted and made up her mind she would not give in. Willing every ounce of strength, she broke free from her captor’s grasp and fled down the sinister hallway. She heard an alarm sound, and she knew they were after her. But she summoned every once of strength and kept running as fast as she could. Her chest heaved, and she felt her legs turning to jelly, but she continued to push herself as hard as she was able. She ripped open the door and banged through the licorice curtain into the Candyland maze. She twisted her way through the sickening sweetness, hoping to escape. As she turned a corner, she spotted an emergency exit. She pushed the handle on the door and burst into an alley free from the clutches of Candyland and the Russian spies.

Janice wrote a story, exposing the sweet Russian plot to brainwash and manipulated American citizens to spread misinformation that favored Putin. Janice’s story led to the arrest and deportation of the Candyland owners.

The lesson: to be careful of the allure of sweet delights.