Danny owned a candy store. He kept strange, limited hours.
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 7 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Wednesday: 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Thursday: Closed
Friday: Closed
Saturday: 6 a.m. – 9 a.m.
Sunday: 11 p.m. – 12 a.m.
People around town said that somebody robbed Danny’s store years ago. That’s when he changed the hours.
“They couldn’t have taken more than a hundred dollars cash,” said an old man. “I heard they didn’t touch the candy.”
“Why wouldn’t you take any candy if you were robbing a candy store?” asked a smallish boy.
“Nobody goes to the store anymore. It’s impossible to remember when it’s open,” read the local newspaper column.
After a while, no one ever saw Danny. The store remained open at the same peculiar times, but the man himself wasn’t seen.
“We walked in there one afternoon, must’ve been a Wednesday…” said a pre-med college student. “I set my bag of chocolates on the counter, but nobody was there to ring me up. I left a five dollar bill and walked out.”
The town drunk confessed, “It was a Sunday night, the end of my weekend bender…I stumbled in and stole some licorice.”
Slowly, the candy started to disappear. The store remained locked down most of the time, yet open during the listed hours.
“I think Danny is a ghost,” theorized one citizen.
Another chimed in, “His cousin owns the place now. I saw Danny’s cousin holding keys and standing by the door the other day.”
“Danny doesn’t have any family,” countered a lady with red cheeks wearing a red hat.
On a Friday, the Baptist pastor walked past the store and noticed that the candy was all gone. The shelves were barren and the cash register was turned on its side. A new sign on the door read: I’m not selling or eating candy any more – Danny
Two days later a large man with a pudding padded tummy sat in the back pew of church. He mumbled prayers through his sweats, repenting for gluttony.
The pastor greeted him and asked, “You new to town?”
“Not so new, but I haven’t been out in a while.”
“I thought you looked familiar.”
“I wish I recognized myself.”
The pastor thanked him for attending and let him know that the service would start in a few minutes.
As the choir began the first song, the large man pulled his last caramel out of his front pocket. He popped the caramel in his mouth and whispered one more promise-filled prayer before joining in for the chorus.