Candy from a Vampire

Faith Hunter blog short story from Jane Yellowrock world.Just for the fans for Halloween! CANDY FROM A VAMPIRELeo stood outside the Royal Mojo Blues Company, a bucket—a cauldron, really—that was filled with individual servings of candy, in front of him. Each piece was wrapped in paper, or foil, or foiled paper, with the ingredients in tiny print on back, showing calorie content and fat content, which was significant, and nutritional value, which was negligible. He had always thought that was the point of candy, that it was to be nothing but sugar and fat and delicious. A treat, back in his day, a sweet that was earned when he had done something good, like staying on his pony through a trot, over small fences, or translated a particularly difficult Latin tale into the French or Castilian or Greek, as his tutor demanded. His hand beaten with a thin strip of wood when he failed, and his presence at dinner denied. Treats when he succeeded. It was the way of his father’s house. Carrot and stick. Or candy and stick. It had been effective then. Now children could have sweets at every meal. And on All Hallows Eve, so much the more.