Status: In Progress
The Man Who Sold Ice-Cream
Alice
“Ice-cream!” Screeched Alice, tying her thick laces on her slender trainers. Her brother, David, shrugged. “Ice-cream is the pits.” He said solemnly.
Alice shook her head. “No!” She cried and finished tying her laces. “Mum! I’m getting ice-cream!” She continued. A gangly lady wobbled in and stood over Alice. “Be sure to come back in ten minutes or I’ll send Davie out to get you.”
“Mum! I’m not your ‘Davie’! I am David!” Protested David angrily as his mother opened the door for Alice.
Outside the house was a patio with nice tiled floors. They were immensely slippery so she hesitated before she left. As soon as she was off the patio she ran at top speed which, being Alice, meant that she was running about half a mile an hour. Her hair was a dirty blonde and her anime-like eyes were such a startling blue they almost looked purple. Her dress was quite short (only to her mushroom-shaped knees) and it had been in the 17-18 dress section. Alice was tall. She loved to joke, hence the Alice Band in her hair.
Alice reached the ice-cream cart and straightened the Alice Band in her hair. “Hi. May I-” she stopped when she saw the man selling the ice-creams. She couldn’t imagine him at all selling anything other than two-years old rusty tyres.
She began again. “Hello. May I have an ice-cream?” Her eyes darted to the ice-creams.
Paddle-Pops, Cornettos. . . they all lined the cart. Alice scanned them hopefully. But no. Her favourite ice-cream was not here. Then again. . . was that its silky wrapper? She peered closer and this time her eyes lit up in delight. There were Magnums! She searched the pile using her eyes. Were there any pomegranate Magnums? No.
Alice sighed. The man holding the rickety cart stared at her. He wibbled the cart slightly, and the neatly lined up ice-creams drifted slowly to the edge of the cart. And that was when she saw it.
The Magnum was covered in a pink wrapper.
A pomegranate Magnum!
Alice tapped the side of the cart. “Hey, mister.” She began. She was looking at the cart so she couldn’t see his grotesque face. But in the reflection of the slide-along glass she could spot him.
The man nodded at her.
“Well. . .may I have a po-”
The man tapped her. Alice quietened. The man was still.
She didn’t understand. “Pomegranate Magnum if you please.” Said Alice in a whisper. The man grunted.
“Your ice-cream you wish to own and suck the little pieces off and chew and lick and adore and-”
Alice stopped listening. She couldn’t believe how slurred and thick the man’s voice was, or how gnarled his hands were. And that was before she spotted his crooked fingers.
“. . .love and cherish is a POMEGRANATE MAGNUM!” The man finished. Alice cowered back in disgust as his voice bubbled with brown saliva.
Alice forced herself to look up in to his gruesome face.
He looked almost incomplete. His hair was a dusty gray and his mouth was stretched into a grin, but it was evil. As evil as a awakened dragon in a cave of no way out. His eyes were diabolical and hungry. For her? Was he famished for young girls on the street? Or was it something else entirely. His eyes were also too round, too wide. They were like lamps shining through a cover of darkness. And the sheet of darkness was too dark, almost too dark to see the lamps, so they looked hungry. That was how his eyes looked. His clothes were grubby and the man was so thin his arms stuck out at angles.
The man was so vile, so absolutely abominable. . . how could something so repulsive sell something so innocent and ravishing as ice-cream?
She smiled uneasily.
He looked completely mental. Yet as Alice stood there, she knew he wasn’t totally insane.
He grinned like some sort of mad twit and she stared as his coarse reached for the pomegranate Magnum. This should have taken seconds, but to Alice it was like a long dream. . . almost in slow motion. She watched in disgust as his hand curled noiselessly around the Magnum in question.
That was then when Alice noticed how long and how twisted his grimy fingernails were. They were longer than an A4 piece of paper. They were so grotesque, though, that Alice couldn’t help staring at them. They had many years and many months of dirt encrusted into them. His distorted face transformed into a frown as his grubby finger brushed another pomegranate Magnum and he dropped the one he was holding. He cursed, and Alice stepped back, horrified. She glanced behind her and saw David searching for her. She checked her My little Pony watch.She tapped her watch twice. David spotted her. “Alice! Mother’s worried. . . she’s had a fall and wants me to get you!”
Alice looked at him, shocked. Then she turned back to the grotesque man. To her surprise, he wasn’t fumbling with the pomegranate ice cream any more, he was holding it out to her.
“I’m coming. . . just wait!” Alice shrieked, tossing the ice cream man the money, but he stayed still, his arm outstretched. She watched him uncertainly. It was kind of eerie, how he just watched her through bloodshot eyes. She reached out swiftly and snatched the ice cream. But she couldn’t quite take it. The man still held it. Then he wrenched his hand away, and put the other side of the ice cream on one side of his ice cream truck. It stuck fast. In a panic, Alice tried to prise her hand off it but it wouldn’t come off. Instead it seemed to stick even more.
Alice looked up to ask the man to help her, but there was no man to ask.
Alice shook her head. “No!” She cried and finished tying her laces. “Mum! I’m getting ice-cream!” She continued. A gangly lady wobbled in and stood over Alice. “Be sure to come back in ten minutes or I’ll send Davie out to get you.”
“Mum! I’m not your ‘Davie’! I am David!” Protested David angrily as his mother opened the door for Alice.
Outside the house was a patio with nice tiled floors. They were immensely slippery so she hesitated before she left. As soon as she was off the patio she ran at top speed which, being Alice, meant that she was running about half a mile an hour. Her hair was a dirty blonde and her anime-like eyes were such a startling blue they almost looked purple. Her dress was quite short (only to her mushroom-shaped knees) and it had been in the 17-18 dress section. Alice was tall. She loved to joke, hence the Alice Band in her hair.
Alice reached the ice-cream cart and straightened the Alice Band in her hair. “Hi. May I-” she stopped when she saw the man selling the ice-creams. She couldn’t imagine him at all selling anything other than two-years old rusty tyres.
She began again. “Hello. May I have an ice-cream?” Her eyes darted to the ice-creams.
Paddle-Pops, Cornettos. . . they all lined the cart. Alice scanned them hopefully. But no. Her favourite ice-cream was not here. Then again. . . was that its silky wrapper? She peered closer and this time her eyes lit up in delight. There were Magnums! She searched the pile using her eyes. Were there any pomegranate Magnums? No.
Alice sighed. The man holding the rickety cart stared at her. He wibbled the cart slightly, and the neatly lined up ice-creams drifted slowly to the edge of the cart. And that was when she saw it.
The Magnum was covered in a pink wrapper.
A pomegranate Magnum!
Alice tapped the side of the cart. “Hey, mister.” She began. She was looking at the cart so she couldn’t see his grotesque face. But in the reflection of the slide-along glass she could spot him.
The man nodded at her.
“Well. . .may I have a po-”
The man tapped her. Alice quietened. The man was still.
She didn’t understand. “Pomegranate Magnum if you please.” Said Alice in a whisper. The man grunted.
“Your ice-cream you wish to own and suck the little pieces off and chew and lick and adore and-”
Alice stopped listening. She couldn’t believe how slurred and thick the man’s voice was, or how gnarled his hands were. And that was before she spotted his crooked fingers.
“. . .love and cherish is a POMEGRANATE MAGNUM!” The man finished. Alice cowered back in disgust as his voice bubbled with brown saliva.
Alice forced herself to look up in to his gruesome face.
He looked almost incomplete. His hair was a dusty gray and his mouth was stretched into a grin, but it was evil. As evil as a awakened dragon in a cave of no way out. His eyes were diabolical and hungry. For her? Was he famished for young girls on the street? Or was it something else entirely. His eyes were also too round, too wide. They were like lamps shining through a cover of darkness. And the sheet of darkness was too dark, almost too dark to see the lamps, so they looked hungry. That was how his eyes looked. His clothes were grubby and the man was so thin his arms stuck out at angles.
The man was so vile, so absolutely abominable. . . how could something so repulsive sell something so innocent and ravishing as ice-cream?
She smiled uneasily.
He looked completely mental. Yet as Alice stood there, she knew he wasn’t totally insane.
He grinned like some sort of mad twit and she stared as his coarse reached for the pomegranate Magnum. This should have taken seconds, but to Alice it was like a long dream. . . almost in slow motion. She watched in disgust as his hand curled noiselessly around the Magnum in question.
That was then when Alice noticed how long and how twisted his grimy fingernails were. They were longer than an A4 piece of paper. They were so grotesque, though, that Alice couldn’t help staring at them. They had many years and many months of dirt encrusted into them. His distorted face transformed into a frown as his grubby finger brushed another pomegranate Magnum and he dropped the one he was holding. He cursed, and Alice stepped back, horrified. She glanced behind her and saw David searching for her. She checked her My little Pony watch.She tapped her watch twice. David spotted her. “Alice! Mother’s worried. . . she’s had a fall and wants me to get you!”
Alice looked at him, shocked. Then she turned back to the grotesque man. To her surprise, he wasn’t fumbling with the pomegranate ice cream any more, he was holding it out to her.
“I’m coming. . . just wait!” Alice shrieked, tossing the ice cream man the money, but he stayed still, his arm outstretched. She watched him uncertainly. It was kind of eerie, how he just watched her through bloodshot eyes. She reached out swiftly and snatched the ice cream. But she couldn’t quite take it. The man still held it. Then he wrenched his hand away, and put the other side of the ice cream on one side of his ice cream truck. It stuck fast. In a panic, Alice tried to prise her hand off it but it wouldn’t come off. Instead it seemed to stick even more.
Alice looked up to ask the man to help her, but there was no man to ask.