How are you doing? It’s hard to believe I’ve been working from home since mid-March, and today I was told in a meeting that there was no plan to bring us back to office yet. How about you ladies?
As far as I know, unlike other Candy Candy characters, Albert does not have his birthday officially published. He was supposed to remain mysterious till the very end, but some CC fans came up with the date June 28. Please correct me if I am wrong. 😉 Nonetheless, let me present my new fanart for this special day. Hope you like it! ❤️
I was inspired by a letter in Candy Candy Final Story. Can you guess which letter it is? 🙂
Imagine yourself as Candy. What would you have written in your diary on that day? I’d love to hear from you, and I will select the entry that is closest to what I have in mind and update this post. The deadline is Sunday, July 5, 12 PM Pacific Time. You can submit more than one entry, if you desire. 😊 It does not have to be long, and you can write in a language of your choice. ✍️
My friends, as I mentioned before, I did not have high expectation, which explained why my original deadline was only a few days after publishing this post. Thank you very much for your participation, and I am humbled and impressed by the amazing quality of the 20+ submissions! The selection process has been quite challenging, and I have shortlisted and re-read half of the fanfics more than twice. Nevertheless, I must say I have enjoyed reading every diary entry, including the one I’ve rejected (after all, I let out a hearty chuckle 😛 ). Seriously, you all should consider writing English fanfics for Candy Candy. Also, to the newcomers, nice to meet you and hope to see you around more! I appreciate your patience and persistence for waiting for your comments (entries) approved and/or re-submitting. Due to unknown glitches I sometimes don’t get notified of new comments pending for approval. 🙁
Before I make the announcement, I’d like to point out that some of you probably have misunderstood my criteria. Therefore, I will not pick any story if it is not based on any letter in CCFS. Rest assured it does not mean your story is not good.
So, which letter? 😉 My fanart is originally based on the first letter in Candy Candy Final Story Epilogue. I wanted Albert to appear particularly young, and that he was serious and nervous at the same time. You might not have noticed this in my fanart — Candy was holding Albert’s badge in her hand. 🙂 Yet, after I finished drawing, I realized it may not be as obvious as I had expected. Therefore, I will accept any entry that is based on Candy’s letter to Little Bert as well.
Some of you have guessed this right and provided great summaries, like Avon and Fay. However, I was looking for some elements and found them in my final shortlist, which consists of the entries from Michelle (Albert’s confession and Candy’s shock), DanielleV (Albert’s reactions when listening to Candy’s story with her POTH), Lynn (Albert’s face when returning the diary and Candy’s feelings afterwards) and Anita (the embrace in the forest). After careful contemplation, I have decided to select Anita’s entry, even though it’s considerably shorter than most other entries. Yet, I like the intensity of the descriptions of that unforgettable embrace that transformed Candy as well as her realization and acceptance of Anthony’s death being nobody’s fault. Congratulations, Anita! ✨Here let me post your diary entry verbatim.
Without even realizing it, I was swept into Albert’s arms when I felt that my legs could no longer support me as I was overcome with grief standing there at that field where Anthony had lost his life at such a young age. Albert’s initiative came as a surprise to me even during that sorrowful moment because he had never acted that way before. It was me who always ran into his arms and sought comfort in him. This time, however, it was him who took me into his strong arms but in such a gentle and tender way. He did not do this only because he wanted to comfort me but because he also sought comfort from me which I gave to him wholeheartedly. This is really the first time this has ever happened between us and, above all, it’s the first time I felt something different when enveloped in his warm embrace which kept me nestled like a bird seeking shelter from the torrential rain. I had wrapped my arms so tightly around his torso and weeping so profusely that I must have ruined his fine shirt. He didn’t seem to mind as he not only accepted my tight embrace but reciprocated it with equivalent intensity. Without saying much, we shared our grief, guilt and inner turmoil which we had both kept inside our souls for far too long. We didn’t need to seek forgiveness from others or from each other but from our own selves as we were not to blame for this tragic accident which had claimed Anthony’s life. For the first time, I had bid my true farewell to Anthony without being forced into it but because I wanted to liberate myself from years of accumulated guilt burdening my psyche. I wanted Albert to be liberated from his guilt too because it wasn’t his fault. How could anyone have predicted that such a horrific event would have unfolded within a fraction of a second? I wanted to comfort Albert that moment as he had always comforted me throughout these years but I was lost for words. All I did was cry incessantly locking my arms around Albert’s firm body. My head was pressing against his chest to the point where I could hear his heart beating rapidly. I could hear my heart beating just as fast. I’ll never forget the fragrance emanating from him. I don’t know whether he was wearing cologne or if it was the wind carrying the scent of the roses encircling us but I felt that our bodies had become one just like our inner pain and suffering. I wanted the pain to end but not our embrace. As usual, however, Albert was the one who tried to assume the role of the sensible being and pulled back albeit gently. He wiped the tears from my eyes with his long pearl-white fingers and looked at me with those sky-blue eyes of his. He then proposed we go back into the study room as it was getting dark. He was worried that I would catch a cold because the temperature had fallen. But for me, all I could feel was infinite warmth and tenderness in the arms of the man who means the world to me and I want him by my side all the time for the rest of my life.