Rockstown Incident (Part 1)

This incident is only in the manga, not in the anime version, which is very unfortunate.

Why? Because it is a significant turning point in the story. Not only it involved three main characters, Candy, Albert, and Terry, but all of them had been affected afterwards.

We readers had been seeing how much Candy yearned for Albert to come home since he had vanished. She cried more than once, sleeping in the lower bunk (previously his bed) and likely using his pillow too.

While some people said that she missed his warm embrace, and hugging his pillow gave her the solace she sought, my guess is that she embraced them because these were the items that had once belonged to Albert. Just like her precious badge from Prince on the Hill that she had held on to ever since that brief encounter on the hill, she continued to live in that apartment by herself, hanging on to the things that used to be shared between the two of them. Another possible reason why she didn’t move out was that she was afraid that Albert couldn’t find her if he would return to her one day.

Some may also argue that Candy was used to having Albert around. After all, they had been living together for more than a year. That’s very true, but interestingly, despite feeling lonely, Candy didn’t go find her friends, Annie or Patty, to keep her company. It seems that Albert was special to her, and no one could replace him. In Candy Candy Final Story, one of Candy’s recollections is (from spoilers)

Brother and sister.
Albert and I had been living together pretending so.
Is it like this if I live with my family?
No, it may have been slightly different from family.
I don’t know how to describe it but somewhere inside me, I knew that Albert was special.
What kind of thoughts does Albert have about us …

At any rate, it proves that Albert had been a pleasant roommate. Candy wanted him back, rather than feeling relieved that he was finally out of her life. In other words, “out of sight, out of mind” didn’t apply to her in this case.

Not only that, Candy attempted to draw a picture of Albert when she was idle in the clinic. The fact that her sketch was very childish speaks volumes to me. She should know that she couldn’t draw, and yet she did it anyway, even when Dr. Martin was around. It implies that Albert filled her thoughts so much that she couldn’t help putting his image down on paper. Didn’t she act like she had fallen in love?

This makes manga readers wonder what had happened to Albert during these winter months. Where had he gone? Did he miss Candy too?

Then on one Spring day a parcel appeared by Candy’s door. It was a gift from Albert,  telling her that she was always on his mind wherever he went. The parcel provided the sender’s address from a place called Rockstown.

Although Candy had no idea where it was, she determined to take a chance. In her mind she said, Albert, I’m going to find you there. Please don’t go… She knew that he had recovered his memory, and he no longer needed her help, so why did she head down there nonetheless?

The reason was clear. Her feelings for him had changed. He had come and gone a few times in her life, but unlike before, this time she longed to see his face again. She had said so to herself even before receiving the gift from him, I want to see you at once, Albert… Where can I find you?

What do you think? I’d like to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment or two. For your interest, there are other parts in this series (Rockstown Incident).

Note: the pictures above were downloaded from Candy & Albert World (http://www.facebook.com/CandyAlbertWorld)