Sweet Nightmares: A Monstrous Beginning

w sweet, how abs

erful sweets, cakes, and cookies

pcakes?" I picked up a box of the mini chocolate cupcakes from the shelf and bounded over. He looked a little confu

mile. I could just barely see his horns

d after a moment to look, he handed the box ba

d dumped it on the counter. "That's one, two, three, uh

y to pick my money back up, the cashier, suddenly grabbed my wrist. "Wait! I c-can do six. It's no

inal smile and tilt his hea

d to give him a hug. I felt him tense up then quickly backed away. "Oh,

y I was hugged by a slime." The boy joked, and I giggled back before picking up the box. "Thanks again!" I ma

l kinds. I love how we can all live togeth

slime, or oozekin to t

alking on land and seeing all the different types of monsters. Since I was only mad

name is Mint, and he's an octo, or polypus

rs along the way. The fuzzy, the scaly, the scariest were the hornkin though. Hornkin sort of look like demons i

y're usually pretty nice, they only look intimidatin

me on the sidewalk. They didn't seem to notice me so I quic

this road so I started

o look for him among everyone else but who could forget his appendages? I spotted his waving above everyone,

questioned, slowly

ck. Today he looked... No different than usual. The regular curly brown hair

super long tentacles for arms, purple skin, weird octo

one!" He pout like a l

your friends gifts for

chuckling playfully. "You slime

hout me?" Setting my hand on his arm,

town, and so many we haven't seen y

town was full of life,

leased his arm to look back. "What is it?" I tilt

fun to sit in the grass with your best friend and eat some cupcakes." He held up the b

We just graduated! We should cel

ead. "But that's all childish. We're adult

What does an adult do for fun? I'm

d up above my head, I

lling, I almost wanted to la

n. "You still have that

d tell he was a bit confused on what he wa

ike my idea was absolu

I puffed out my chest. "You should supply the mon

oking back. "W-What!? Why do I have to pa

a little cute that he couldn't tell. Might as well keep it going. "Be

is arm as he turned away with a groan. "Caramel, if you wore clo

to him. "If you don't wanna play, I can go on my own. I can't believe

up next to me. "Please, the most dangerous thing in this city is getti

d it, the appendage left my head where he sho

going to be a town meeting

ere, I never wanted to go to one of those mean

ore a small frown pricked his lips. "There was a darkness sweep ea

ur

term I heard in

atches it, they start to get evil, like the monsters in human stories. Our city definitely wasn't that, so sometimes the p

have seen it a few times. I don'

s, so I sometimes see the st

ime I saw a turned on TV. It's like

fficers detaining them, lik

any turned at the town meeting, I'l

in our city caught the dark

opened the cupcake box and offered one out. "Here." He

the cupcake and bit into it, l

quired again after I swallowed. "Di

otally forgo

ng alright, mom just remarried to a cacikin.

iend answered in a matter of factual

and bit into it before licking his

n up to a cute little store on the side of the road. "Mint, look at all the cu

just like li

el. Let's look somewhere else." He quickly tapped my shoulder, just to lead me away. I didn't

nd they're so ab

I was nearly knocked down if Mint hadn'

h they were nice enough not to hit us. Right in front of my eyes, a monster was tackl

kin...

and pointed red horns, keeping

of the officers s

e twice. I took two st

hornkin's eyes but they di

up close like thi

cuffed his wrists. When they finished, one of them shocked

ke it was a common thing and

were out of sight, even wi

he could have atta

ut I was just... Rea

efore turning and hugging

ldn't care at the moment. I just needed a

hing me off. It was only then I realized all

e him a frown. "Was it that mean

e chuckling and rubbin

e. They just flew r

n't mean to make him drop the cupcakes, but Mint

out going back to my house? I can make you lunch if you want

t's house. It wasn't really a big house, more like a tiny apartment

ile Mint split to go to the kitchen. As usual, he h

the only show that wasn't animated, b

ere drawn with peppermint

an aquakin. They looked

s and gills, but all w

shing of all turned monsters and to reinstate new policies and rules for the upcoming yea

handed out a turkey sandwich. "Here.

orce a smile as

aving a heavy sigh and flopping onto his back.

What was he talking about? The boy set his sandwich o

ps them away from sad things like we're kids. Hiding everything in candy and cartoo

ht about too much but I knew

k another bite. "What do you swugesst whe

t to study the turned, if I can, and find a way to help them. These aren't just bad monsters, you

'd save you of course! Then we'd come b

ll into a frown. "You're not the easiest perso

d bit into m

appy? Doesn't any

ink about. I tapped my chin as I decid

everything bad, I would never be happy, and being hap

more firm as he responded in a somewhat serious answer. "There's so much wrong in our world, and too much to

ion outside. I set my food on the window seal and looked to see a crowd of

tay here if you want." He turned away from me and began awa

is eyes. I wasn't super good at acting ser

like you said! We should stop the monste

words. A small pink crossed his cheeks before he bea

, let's