Don’t people usually say you get the most random (yet brilliant) ideas in the oddest of places? I cannot agree with this even more, considering that the idea for this story popped into my head while raiding my fridge for chocolate! (*snicker snicker* Oh wait, that pun was not even intended 😆).
Now, prepare to plunge yourselves into a whole new realm of mystery, fantastical creatures and adventure!
………
The sun was high in the clear blue sky, shining bright white, when Bryan Greene awoke from his slumber.
“You slept like a log, you know that?” teased his middle sibling, Leigh, tossing a cushion at his sleepy face.
“Go away,” he grumbled and caught it just in time.
“It’s almost time for lunch, so better hurry up…unless you want to be staring at an empty plate,” she said, smirking, and disappeared around the doorframe of his bedroom.
Bryan sighed, running a hand through his tousled auburn hair. Fabulous, he thought. Not even a week into Easter break and I’ve snored off half the day. Again. Those project reports aren’t going to get themselves done by the deadline this time either.
Sulking, he climbed out of bed and dragged his feet into the bathroom. He emerged a few minutes later, throwing a red bathrobe over his pyjamas.
“Bryan, come look at this,” called his dad from the dining table as he trotted downstairs. “Looks like you won’t be going back to university anytime soon.” He gestured towards the TV screen that displayed the Prime Minister’s nationwide lockdown announcement. “Lucky you, eh?”
“Lucky the three of us!” chimed in the youngest child of the family, Sophie. “No more school for me and Leigh either!”
“Now, it’s a bit too early to declare that, Soph,” said her mum, giving the eight-year-old a light tap on the head with a pen. She was making a list. “We’d better head to the shops and stock up on groceries. What do you say, dear?”
“Yes, yes. I’ll get the car keys,” replied her husband.
“Can we come too?” Sophie asked with her signature puppy eyes.
“No, you three will stay at home,” replied Mrs Greene. “Watch something on TV, but just don’t tear the house down, OK? Make sure you lock the door properly, and…oh, yes, Bryan—please clean out the fridge when you’re done eating, love. We’ll need to make some space for today’s stuff.”
Sophie kept whining all the way to the driveway, where her mother knelt down and promised to buy her favourite pastry on the way home; it succeeded in satiating the young girl’s desire to accompany them. Soon after, the sound of the car’s engine faded away and the siblings were finally left to themselves.
“I call dibs on picking a movie!” cried Leigh, snatching up the TV remote from the sofa.
“Oi, that’s not fair! You did this last time too!” complained Bryan, standing up from his chair.
“You’re supposed to be cleaning out the fridge, brother dear. Might as well have someone choose, right?” She waggled her eyebrows.
Bryan rolled his eyes at the cheeky fourteen-year-old and plodded into the kitchen. As he opened the fridge door and surveyed its contents, the all-too-familiar opening tune of every Disney movie reached his ears. He shook his head and stifled a yawn. Well, here we go.
Just ten minutes into his assigned task, Bryan was already surprised by the sheer number of nearly empty or grossly outdated containers of food lying forgotten behind more recent purchases. Presently, he retrieved an ancient slab of stinky cheese wrapped in paper, pinching his nose as he disposed it. He placed his hands on his knees, trying to recover from the stench, and squinted at the soft white light shining from within the refrigerator. He stared at it for a few moments, vaguely aware of Olaf’s cheerful singing in the background.
Wait a minute. He narrowed his eyes at the very back of the fridge. What on earth is that?
The Confictionery 