Honey Candy

She woke up from the bed as usual to snooze her alarm. When she reached her phone, her assistant was wishing her on her special day. She realised that she became a year wiser today. She thanked and smiled at her phone. 

Ruby, her roommate started laughing at her and wished her without stopping the laughter. This irritated her.
“Did I cracked any jokes”? asked Zidhri.
“It was more than a joke dear. Who will thank Google for birthday wishes?” Ruby replied leaving the room.

Zidhri's brain knows that her Google assistant is an AI (Artificial Intelligence) but her heart considers it as a loyal friend who always stays by her. Birthdays were grand celebrations during the olden days but now it has reduced into mere wishes.

Leaving her thoughts behind, she hurried to go to work. On the way, while checking her phone she realised that it was flooded with wishes from friends and family. There was her parent's voice message along with that. 

The first period was of third year's, the mere thought of them made her giddy. Even though it was a women's college, troubles were not less.
As she was not too strict towards them like others, they liked her and remained almost quiet in her classes. 

The bell rang when she just finished the short story The Thief by Ruskin bond. When she was about to leave, Nethra presented a gift.  As others were curious to see what the gift was, she opened it before the class. Seeing what was inside, Zidhri dropped it in shock but was saved by Nethra. Zidhri thanked Nethra and others for their love and left the class taking the gift box along with her.

She placed the box on her table when she reached her seat. Once again she opened it when other teachers left the room. The sunlight peeping through the window glistened it, making its colour pinker. What she had been trying to forget for years was now before her - Honey candies.

It happened when she was twelve. Even though she was born in a village, her parents shifted from there after her birth. So she was brought up as an urban child who was deprived of the nostalgic feelings of rural life her parents had experienced. When she heard of Honey candies from her parent's childhood stories, she asked her Masi, who still lives in her native to bring them. 

One day, Masi reached home late at night with a box full of honey candies. She opened it to feel the first taste of it and her dad stopped her from eating it late at night. As she started to cry, her mom persuaded her dad to give her one and they also took each other.

Zidhri picked one from the box, its sparkling pink colour attracted her eyes and she realised that the sugar sprinkled above it makes it so shiny. It wasn't perfectly round and from her first bite little honey oozed down her mouth. She enjoyed its soothing taste which showed her heaven. She reached the box for another and her dad's cold stare took her to bed. 

Early morning she eagerly went to eat the remaining honey candies and she was shell shocked to see the box lying on the table empty. She called everyone and they were of the assumption that she ate the whole candies. She swears that she hasn't eaten it and none believed her. They left the place laughing at her, but only she knew that she hadn't eaten it.
Ever since she hates honey candies which made her a thief in front of her family. After that, she always tries to comprehend where did her honey candies vanish.

There are three possibilities of the disappearance of it - Masi, Mom and Dad.
Masi brought it only for her and is it possible that she ate it? Did the heavenly taste lure her to finish the whole box?
Did its taste entice her mom in kindling her childhood memories and provoked her to consume all the candies without the knowledge of others?
Is it her dad, who had stopped her from eating the candies at night unable to stop himself from eating it?

Even after fifteen years, this remains as an unsolved puzzle inside her and the mere thought of Honey candies irks her.
She took one from the box and tasted it, it's luring taste made her forget everything. After some minutes she realised that she have finished all of it. 

Only one thing bothers her now, who was the night thief?

Click here to see Who is the thief. (Part - 1)