As the Candy Miser drove, pellmell, over The Hollow's pudding of roads, he commenced keening a "Second Spiteful Song":

                                   "Though all candy I hate
                                   I'll not abdicate
                                   My role as a trick-or-treat cheater!
                                   Before they can call
                                   I'll gobble it all
                                   To spite bites of each candy-eater!"

The Candy Miser was still keening this song when he pulled up his cart at the trail, hidden in the trees, leading to his cabin in the gloomy glen. He jumped from the cart, screamed, and danced about in rage.

Then, seeing a woodchopper's axe stuck in a tree, the Candy Miser pulled it out and vented his rage on the bushes and saplings at the edge of the road. And, as he moved in and grew more angry, he cut down larger and larger trees.

Eventually, the Candy Miser had cleared away the shade of towering trees which had shadowed the glen in gloom these many years. But for eggshells of clouds overhead, the cabin would now be bathed in a yolk of sunshine.

The uncommon sheen of light in the glen awoke the Candy Miser from his rage of woodchopping.

Remembering his "Second Spiteful Song", he flung the axe from him with a shout. The axe struck the roof of the cabin, slicing away a great chip from the roof so that it fell through the hole into the interior of the cabin.

Again keening his "Second Spiteful Song", the Candy Miser ran into the cabin. He began stuffing his mouth with chocolates and gum drops and candy canes and caramels. And he shoveled handfuls of candy into his pockets.

And now, keening incoherently, his song higher and higher in pitch, stuffing his mouth with candy; the Candy Miser began to whirl around on the point of the big toe of his left foot.

The Candy Miser whirled faster and faster, keening incoherently in song, as he stuffed more and more candy into his mouth, gobbling and swallowing and choking it down.

So, whirling and keening and gobbling and choking, the Candy Miser failed to hear the gallop of horse hooves up to the porch.

As Zelki dismounted and hopped up the steps, an eggshell of cloud cracked and let down long yolky and white drippings of sunlight through the hole chipped from the roof by the falling axe.

Just then the high-pitched scream of the Candy Miser abruptly ceased.

And Zelki stopped, frozen in the doorway, as he saw -- in a yolk of sunlight -- what now filled the room -- what the Candy Miser had become: a great gleaming ball of cotton candy!

CANDYEND

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