For Shits and Giggles (complete first draft)

Chapter 06

Nutty strolled into the Café where Splendid and Giggles sat, chatting. Cuddles would freak out if he knew she was sitting here with Splendid, but luckily he had to work. It had been a couple of days since the Flippy incident and no one had seen him since. Flaky had fully moved out of their home, but her anxiety kept her hidden away.

Nutty sat at the counter happily and ordered a slice of cake. After The Tree, it was all he could eat: cakes and candies, anything with entirely too much sugar. At first, it seemed like one of the more enjoyable curses. But that sentiment was short-lived. When it became apparent that he could stomach literally nothing except sweets; his life became a perpetual Hell. After the first few weeks, he's develop scurvy. Eventually, the malnutrition starts to take a toll. His body rots from the inside out and he lives out the rest of his days immobile and in pain, wasting away. You can tell the end is near when his teeth rot out of his mouth and he's stuck drinking too-sweet milkshakes until the tips of his fingers turn black and his toenails peel off like stickers. Sometimes it's diabetes, or maybe a hyperglycemia-induced coma, but Nutty always succumbs. Whenever he inevitably dies, he comes back as healthy as ever and is forced to start the agonizingly slow deterioration process all over again.

Giggles stared at him absentmindedly from across the Cafe, wondering if Nutty had been killed recently or if the curse had run its course. Splendid was talking about something but Giggles didn't notice. She hadn't completely forgiven him, but she hadn't died in a couple of days and her body had fully recovered. She was actually in a good mood. Arguments, deaths, hurt feelings— she'd learned to let these roll off of her like water, otherwise she'd never survive.

Suddenly, Toothy burst into the Cafe and snapped Giggles out of her trance. He rushed over to them.

"Hi Toothy, how's it going," Giggles smiled, looking up from her cup of warm coffee and milk as he slammed a newspaper down on the table.

But he didn't answer; his eyes were glued to Splendid.

"Woah," he gawked, squeezing the newspaper in his hand in excitement. "You're Splendid!"

Splendid beamed, perking up in his seat and swelling his chest. Giggles laughed.

"Yes I am, and you are?"

"I'm Toothy! It's a pleasure to meet you, sir!"

Giggles gave them a whimsical look, watching Toothy boost Splendid's ego with questions and compliments. They bantered and joked back and forth. Moments like these were rare and Giggles liked to revel in them as they came.

"Actually, my friend Cuddles—" Toothy began but stopped immediately, noticing the grim look that washed over Splendid's face.

"You know Cuddles?"

"Yes sir, I do. He's my best friend," he seemed nervous, almost panicked.

Splendid smiled after a moment, "I guess I can make an exception for my biggest fan." He ruffled Toothy's hair, and Toothy giggled excitedly. He didn't know what had just happened, he didn't even think to ask. He was just glad Splendid's smile had returned.

"Sorry guys," Giggles chimed in. "But what's the matter Toothy?"

"Oh!" He jumped, shoving the paper towards her. "Look Giggles, read this!"

Giggles did. It was an article written by Sniffles, who was still heading the Happy Tree case. Exactly seven leaves had fallen, which was already more progress than the past few years.

She kept reading.

The leaves on the tree were always a bright, yellow color. They even had a faint glow, visible usually only at night. But the fallen leaves had changed colors; they were dull shades of red or green.