Licorice Allsorts

Larry Licorice, a small blue and white allsort, gazed dejectedly through the multi-coloured packet that was his home at the supermarket shelves beyond. Tears flowed freely out of his doleful eyes.
"Betty," he sighed sadly. "Oh Betty Butterscotch, why did you leave me for Monty Minty? We could have been so happy together."
He buried his sticky, tear stained face in his hands and quivered convulsively as sobs raked his puny body.
"What's up, 'ole pal?" Leonard, an old, wizened piece of licorice, inquired, placing a comforting hand on young Larry's shoulder.
"My...my true love has deserted me!" wailed the broken hearted lolly. He sniffed, trying to regain his composure. "We were so happy together when we met at Candie's factory. I just don't know what went wrong between us."
"Don't let it get to you, mate," advised the veteran piece of licorice. "Women just aren't worth the has..."
"Ya don't belong 'ere!" bellowed a stentorian voice with a broad, cockney accent. "Get outa 'ere, before we throws yas out!"
Leonard and Larry, who by this time had managed to pull himself together, turned to witness the commotion that echoed throughout the lolly bag.
"I assure you, I am here on urgent business," a well educated female voice replied calmly.
Recognising the melodic tones, Larry pricked up his ears. The young love struck licorice didn't even dare to hope that his impossible dream could ever be realised.
"You don't belong here, Butterscotch," leered a rowdy, yellow licorice allsort, known as Loudmouth to his neighbours. He was addressing a female candy who was just hidden from Larry's view. The lovesick licorice could bear the suspense no longer and pushed through the milling crowd to uncover the identity of the mystery intruder. He shoved Loudmouth - a licorice many candies had learned to fear - aside in his haste. This risk to his health was entirely justified. There, before his unobstructed view was the most dazzling sight young Larry Licorice had ever clapped eyes on. It was as though a sunbeam shone on Betty Butterscotch, his sweetheart, as she stood in the corner of the packet, where the crowd of excited licorice allsorts had driven her to. In his eyes she was perfect.
"Oh Betty," the emotional licorice whispered huskily, "I never believed that we'd be reunited."
He pulled the Butterscotch beauty queen towards him.
"I couldn't bear to be apart from you for long, you great big hunk of a licorice!" proclaimed the lovestruck piece of hard candy.
"I believed you were in love with Monty Minty," Larry revealed jealously, averting his eyes. "During the days prior to our packaging at the factory, you spent every waking moment by his side."
In reply to this rather serious accusation of infidelity, Betty Butterscotch burst into shrieks of hysterical mirth. Her utterly perplexed bonbon boyfriend looked on in silence. When Betty had recovered sufficiently from her fit of hysterics to articulate herself, she offered Larry her explanation.
"Oh sweetie-pie!" she gushed passionately. "How could you even entertain the idea that I would fall in love with another lolly? You're the only sweet for me!"
"What about Monty?" persisted the insecure piece of licorice.
"I thought that you found minties attractive."
"I am not in love with a minty!" Betty declared vehemently.
"For sweetness' sake, Monty is my youngest brother!"
"Your brother?" the astounded piece of licorice repeated in disbelief.
"B...but how? I mean you're a butterscotch and he's a min..."
"My parents intermarried," Betty interjected. "Mother was an aristocratic mint and father came from a long line of purebred butterscotches.
"I see," muttered a confused allsort, envisioning his girlfriend's complicated candy tree. "That doesn't explain why you hardly said a word to me during our last days at the factory. Why were you so callous towards me?" Larry probed at length.
"We didn't even have a chance to say farewell before we parted."
Betty lowered her eyes and replied sheepishly, "I didn't intend to treat you that way, Larry, you lovable licorice. I was totally engrossed in Monty's problems. You see, his wife, Marilyn Marshmallow, left him for Charlie Chewing Gum. The poor sweetie is heartbroken - he loved his wife dearly."
Despite this sad turn of events for the unfortunate mint, a beaming smile spread over Larry the elated licorice's face - his problems were finally resolved.
"From this day forth," Betty proclaimed, "we shall never be parted!"
Larry wept tears of joy which made himself particularly sticky when he embraced the piece of hard candy that was his true love.
"Yes, Betty, my beautiful Butterscotch," Larry Licorice agreed, "I think you must be right!"
 
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