Cotton Candy | Teen Ink

Cotton Candy

April 1, 2013
By Anonymous

I have been standing here for two hours, shifting my weight from one hip to the other. There is no place to sit down in this tiny room; it is all full of five gallon ice cream tubs in freezers. Maybe, I could sit down on the floor? Just for a couple minutes, until someone comes to buy ice cream. I start to bend my knees, to sit down on the cool tiled floor. I can’t; I’m working. If someone comes to buy ice cream, I need to be ready. I hear footsteps, running up the wooden planked walk way. Suddenly, a little girl’s face pops up in front of the window with a huge smile, eyes sparkling, all framed by her brown curly hair. As I slide open the window, a wave of dense humidity hits me. At least I don’t have to stand outside in that heat.

Eventually the little girl’s mother walks up to the window and says to her daughter with a smile, “Tell her what you want.” as she nods in my direction.
“Okay!” the little curly haired girl giggles excitedly. “I want…Cotton Candy ice cream, in a cake cone, with sprinkles.”
I ask, “What size? And rainbow or chocolate sprinkles?”
She replies to me, “Rainbow!” Then she turns to her mother and asks, “Mom, what size?”
Her mother tells me, “A junior size is probably good.”
All the while, this little girl cannot stand still. She moves in circles. Noticing as she does so, her pink ruffle dress lifts up around her with the air moving inside of it. She spins faster; the continuous circle motion causes her stumble. Jumping from one foot to the next, she studies the little fish pond. Oh goodness, I hope she does not fall in. I close the window to get started on her ice cream. After I scoop her pink Cotton Candy ice cream that already has rainbow sprinkles mixed in, and dump as many rainbow sprinkles as I can on top, I slide the window open. “Your ice cream is ready!” I yell because I don’t know where she went. Bounding back into sight, she looks at the ice cream and stops dumbfounded. “Wow!” she says. Then she reaches, grabs the ice cream, and dives right into the sweetness; she sits down.



Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 2 comments.


on Apr. 9 2013 at 12:03 pm
louisarstrothman BRONZE, Putney, Vermont
1 article 0 photos 8 comments
You did a splendid job at capturing the essence of the little girl who was so excited about buying ice cream. Her whole being was very vivid.

on Apr. 9 2013 at 11:34 am
EmilyBau BRONZE, Brattleboro, Vermont
1 article 0 photos 10 comments
I like the meaning of the story.