6 MIN
TRAVEL TIPS
DEPASTA LICORICE A SWEET SWEET STORY
“This year, at Christmas time, the world will experience the sweetest sky ever”, said to the other four while climbing on the one hundred reindeers’ and six nanocylinders’ sled… A loud barking a few meters away, forced sweet Depasta to wake up clumsily, interrupting her dreams. As she felt exhausted from the fall of the sled, she had laid down on a wide marble and after reading Santa Claus’s message on the moon, she closed her eyes and fell asleep like a baby. But now she was awake facing the reality and the annoying barking. “For the thousand puddings, how did I end up in this glade?” asked herself sweet Depasta while looking around. “Grass, marbles and rocks. If at least I had some honey I could make wonderful honeymacaroons” she thought like a genuine confectioner she was.
Depasta was the top confectioner of all confectioners in the world. There was nothing better than her sweets and the way she made them. It was as if she communicated with the ingredients, that would be arranged in their position just by following her commands and the magic choreographies of the by standing components. “Sugar fall softly, as if you slid on the snow, lay by the egg and make it grow. Mrs. Strawberry this way, mingle with the vanilla essence! And let the trifles with the macaroons make the fancy toppings”.
For every recipe she had a unique song and in that special way sweet Depasta created her treats. Nobody could resist her sweetness or her sweets. Not even Santa Claus himself, who despite his round cute belly, he is more or less a frugal and abstinent grandpa. However Mrs. Depasta had a huge problem. She didn’t know where she had fallen and how far she was from Technopolis in Gazi. Christmas without sweets is like the sea without fishes, so the Christmas Factory without Mrs. Depasta could not exist. There was no one around her to ask for directions and that made her more anxious as the time went by. “Stress doesn’t do any good!” she said loudly trying to concentrate. “It makes the brain go flat like a bad whipped cream frosting. God forbid! ”, she continued spitting on her chest. “There must be some creatures living nearby to help me” she was saying to herself walking through the wrecked marbles. The place seemed abandoned for centuries but its aura gave the impression that in this point great things happened in the past.
Three big, fluffy and beautiful dogs where the only living creatures she had met until now. Depasta didn’t have any other choice but to talk to them. Besides, they did wake her up just before, spoiling her sparkling dream. She approached fearless, interrupting their intense dialogue as she stood among them. “Have a sweet day, my dogs. I am coming in friendly mood and I only want to make you a question”, Depasta said in a calm tone. “You too”, answered the black dog. “But tell us who you are. We do not give information to strangers” continued while approaching her. “My name is Depasta Licorice and I fell at this place because of a sled breakdown. We were travelling to the Polar Star with Santa Claus and the other manufacturers to make Christmas for the world. But now we have to start from this city and specifically from Technopolis in Gazi. I have to find a way to go there or else Christmas will not be made this year”, she told them in one breath, causing their surprise. “You must be really great to be part of the team that constructs people’s Christmas”, barked the white dog. “Thank you. What are your names and, basically, where am I?” asked Depasta the three dogs. “I am Socrates”, said the biggest one. “I am Plato”, introduced himself the second one. “And I am Aristotle”, added the last one with a little bow. “This place was once Plato’s Academy where the Athenians were taught philosophy and lot of other concepts, like logic and democracy”, said Plato. “Is this place so important?” asked Depasta in surprise. “Athens is the most luminous place on the planet. This is where everything started and people learned how to talk and respect each other”, added Socrates. “Admiration for this city became the cause for quest and knowledge” underlined Aristotle.
Mrs. Depasta was excited as she thought that so many things did eventually exist due to these concepts. “There is no more suitable city to construct Christmas at than this one”, she realized happily. “But you, on what matter were you disagreeing on earlier and you woke me up?” asked in pure curiosity Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. “We were disagreeing on what is more important. In order for or because” answered Socrates. “It rains in order for the flowers to grow or the flowers grow because it rains?” explained Plato. Then Depasta thought it through for a while and waved them to come closer. “I think the most important of all is because”, she told them. “What do you mean by that?” asked Plato. “It’s because people need love, because people need moments of joy, because children deserve magic and it’s because the world was made to be a good place, all of us construct Christmas for the people. If we did it in order for all of these just to exist then it would not have any value and surely would not be successful. Do you understand?” asked Depasta the three dogs that watched her in admiration. “She is right”, said Aristotle. “And in order for you not to lose a minute, we will show you the shortest route to Technopolis”, added the worried Socrates putting some “in order fors” in the discussion.
The directions were simple. Walking out of the Academy, she had to follow the train’s tracks that were next to Konstantinoupoleos street. At the big crossroad with Iera Odos street she would turn left and then she would be at the fancy Gazi area. From there she would find Technopolis and her place next to Santa Claus who was anxiously waiting for the team, because people could not, for any reason, live without Christmas. And as Athens is the most luminous city of the planet with the most enlightened people, this year the Christmas Factory would construct Christmas from that place.
Article by George Lebesis for The Christmas Factory
