ey, Mom, can I have another donut?" the boy asked eagerly.
"You already had two. You'll only get sick if you keep shovelling in sweets like that," his mother replied. "Okay, but this is really your last one."
"Promised. This one looks extremely tasty," he assured her.
"This is a very special donut. You'll see," she said with a wink.

The boy hastily took the shiny pastry from the plate and bit into it heartily. But the bite felt heavy in his stomach. His perception altered - light turned to darkness, and the darkness opened gates. The boy began to fall, deeper and deeper into the abyss.

His descent ultimately resulted in a soft landing, as if he had belly-flopped onto a giant marshmallow. The ground was slippery, and the air carried a pungently sweet scent. A door loomed ahead. Through the keyhole, light from outside provided initial orientation.

"Strange, that sounds like a carnival out there," he murmured.

When he finally opened the door, his eyes widened in disbelief. Sweets stretched as far as the eye could see: colourful streams of honey and chocolate, mountains of candy, and meadows of marzipan. Little fairies and colourful mythical creatures chattered excitedly in a foreign language. A vibrant paradise.

"If this is a dream, it's the best dream I've ever had," he thought aloud.

Dizzy from the dazzling sights and smells of this bizarre world, the boy sat down beside a small river full of honey. He watched the golden swirls dance in the liquid.

Suddenly, a mini-tornado formed from the serene stream, twisting and weaving the sweet liquid into knots and streaks. In a flash, a bizarre honey monster emerged and seemed determined to capture the unsuspecting boy.

He instinctively scrambled away from the riverbank and sprinted as fast and as far as his legs would carry him. Nicely done, kid. It looked like he had given that thing the slip!

Regaining his breath, he broke off a chunk of chocolate from a nearby wall - pure bliss in every bite. But alas, it was not just any chocolate; it was the load-bearing kind! The structure began to crumble - first with gentle thuds, then larger, more menacing chunks, and finally with bittersweet, unforgiving crashes. Our little hero could not make it out. There he was, at the edge of the collapse, buried under a mountain of sweets, pinned and trapped. "Death by candy," he mused. 

Just as he thought it was over, a hand reached down and yanked him to safety. He was about to express his gratitude when he looked up into a monstrous face - a gaping mouth lined with sugar-coated, razor-sharp teeth, poised to snap, poised to bite his head off.

Cut!

Sunlight broke through and his head was still attached as he lounged in his bedsheets.

"What a wild ride! I haven't eaten a donut in 25 years. And this Candyland... such a crazy thing. It was like they needed a superhero," he muttered as he woke up. So what! A dream is just a dream. Duty called. He must rise and track a few bears - by the beard of the wizard, they will not vanquish themselves, and they are certainly not made of fruit gum!

Still groggy and noticeably ruffled by the vivid escapades of this kaleidoscopic nightmare, the formidable warrior geared up for the day's hunt. He donned his armor, checked his bow, sharpened his sword, and switched his usual morning mead for a gallon of water. No honey that day!

Upcoming next: The stronger they come...