"Aren't you coming with us?"
"VIOLET!!!!"
"Yes, Wolf."
"How is Avella?"
"She's recovering safely inside my car. Why?"
"We are going to come with you to Abbys."
"What do we do?"
"Keep gathering the wood. I'll reune with you shortly."
"How long will you be gone?"
"I should be back before the sun rises. Remember, you may cry that I don't spend much time with you because I am in the hospital for hours on end, but think if the roles were reversed? Most of my patients never get a visitor or see a family member in months. It is just them, their bed, and then once every few hours…. a nurse."
"Oh. I never thought about it like that."
"Laura, wait."
"Abby, what is it? You'll be fine on your own."
"Yes, but you won't. May I see that box of cookies you hold?"
"These are for my patients, dear. Unless you're thinking of multiplying them, then I see no reason you should take a look."
"My aim is not to multiply, but to heal."
"Heal? But this box isn't broken. How can you heal something that has no cracks?"
"By making it better.
There."
"What did you do? The box looks just the same as before?"
"Exactly. The box is just a box, but the healing power lies within. Put any food in, and it will never run out, unless you and you only, personally take it out to put something else in."
"Will the taste still be there?"
"It'll mimic whatever you put in, so I have faith that you are just as good a baker as you are a healer."
"My staff will love this. Thank you…Thank you."
"Oof!!! That hug was not needed."
"I know, but it had to be given. I should never have tried to put you in a box. When God gives you a gift, He intends you to pass it along, and not to hide it...in a box!!!!
Sorry you had to show me a real box, in order for you to help me realize that that is what I've been doing to you. I've just been trapping your healing inside when I should have been pouring it out."
"That's not what I intended, but I'm glad you think that way."
"Okay, I'm gonna be late. Where's my….."
"Here's your coat."
"Thank you Serenity.
Whelp…..I'm off. See you in a jiffy. Don't go anywhere."
"We'll be here. Byeee!!!!"
"Wolf, so what…uh…what do you want to talk about?"
"Shh.
Avella's trying to sleep. Just look at her."
"You know; it's thanks to you and your sister that more people get to sleep better at night."
"I can assure you, being yourself….is not easy."
"It may not be easy but look at all the good we can bring. Just think of it.
A car touching every corner of the earth!!
That's my dream."
"Hold onto it tight or else it'll fly away in the evening wind."
"Yaaaaaawwww!!!!!
"Wolf, you said you could drive one of these?"
"That is correct. What, are you feeling sleepy?"
"I'm not a night driver, nor is my brain."
"Here, input in the GPS where we need to go, and then I'll let you rest while I drive.
Pull over here."
"What if you fall...yaaaaawnnn. Asleep."
"I won't let that happen."
"Promise?"
"Violet, these past few weeks, I've gotten little to no sleep."
"Okay, stop here. Let's switch."
"Okay. I'm coming. I'm….shuuu!!!"
"Upp, I got you. Don't fall out of your chair now. Let's just unbuckle and….you're really light.
Ready to go?"
*Vrooom*
"Why did you get little sleep?"
"Violet, for the longest time, I knew I was king, but I never guessed that one day I would have to really be…you know…..king!!!
That's a lot of people now that are under my pack, so day and night I watch out for them. The moment they close their eyes…is when mine wake up."
"I used to be a Queen once."
"Oh really? What for?"
"Queen of the spelling bee!!!!"
"Ha!!"
"No, seriously. It was really hard work, and even when my partners slept, I was up finding ways so that they could remember what they talked about the day before. As appointed leader by my class and school, it was my duty to make sure my team was always on their game….because the competition was always on there."
"I hate to ask, but did you ever fight any monsters, per say Dragons, and such."
"Their was this one type of Dragon that was loud and ferocious. He would never leave and always tried to get us off our game."
"Now we're talking. What was this monster called?"
"...The Rumbly Tumbly!!!!!!
Oh, how it bellowed and roared. You should've seen its teeth. Time and time again, he would strike at the most inconvenient times of the day, and threaten to pull us from our streak."
"How did you stop this beast?"
"Like any other beast. We fed it until it went back to sleep."
"What if it woke?"
"Then we feed it some more. Have you fought any monster such as that?"
"In fact, I have."
"Do tell."
"My father used to have chained beasts lying under our feet day and night. They were called the Ten Thousand, and boy did they roar!! Their shouts alone shook the foundations and buildings atop. The only way to silence them was with food."
"So, ham, lettuce, turkey, chicken, big dinners?"
"Haha!!! No. These beasts required a much more…. meat-based diet. As all animals though, they were picky in what they ate. See, back then, Jesus told the Israelites to only eat that which is clean, and toss that which is unclean. This pertains to the beasts in that they only cared for a specific type of delicacy and if given another…..they would never be satisfied."
"They would want more and with the Rumbly Tumbly, if you feed it something it doesn't like….."
"Then it goes on a rampage of the kitchen searching and tearing through anything to get the taste out of its mouth."
"Thus leaving the kitchen in a worse state than it was before."
"Exactly. I have a question though."
"Ask away, Milady."
"Where did your beasts come from, and who made them?"
"Where did the Rumblys come from, and did God really make them, or were they just there?"
"I don't know."
"Then I don't know either."
"Do you like being king?"
"Do you like being Queen?"
"Well, I did have a crown."
"Why do you not have it anymore?"
"The next Queen rose up and took it from me."
"Do you want it back?"
"No, not really."
"Why? I'm sure you were the best wearing it?"
".....I was. It matched my clothes and everything. Those few years I wore it…meant the world. It's just….."
"You don't like the spotlight?"
"Exactly. I liked helping people, and having only the ones I helped know about it. Once I wore the crown and showed off that I knew more than anybody else did in my school; I realized....I really didn't know that much."
"What are you talking about? Spelling bees are a big deal? The words alone would stump me. You have to memorize, rehearse…oh….and speak out loud in the front. You don't really spell per say, but pronounce. That's a lot of fears and challenges that you are tackling…..all at the same time."
"Yeaaaa….but do Authors just go around everyday exclaiming how well they can spell each and every word that they wrote?"
"How is that relevant to what we're….."
"I'm just saying. I rather be known how to use words in a sentence, then just being known as the person who is good at fitting the word in a sentence. Yes, I can clearly see that that apple should belong in that basket of other fruits because the apple is in fact a fruit, but now what? What do I do with the basket now that I know it is filled with fruit?"
"I don't know. I guess you could give it to people?"
"Naa, I rather waste my time telling people how much I know of what an apple is and how it is classified. As far as the usefulness goes, I will show you. As far as the practicality of using it…..then I'm not your girl."
"I'm struggling to catch you, but you sound somewhat like a girl I once knew called Sixth Star. You kind of had to follow along and pick pieces best you could. What I'm getting is that you no longer wanted to talk about how much you knew that apples belonged in a fruit basket, but now wanted to take that knowledge of the fruit basket….and give it to others who didn't have a lot of fruit?"
"That's right. So focused was I on pronouncing and figuring out where the apple best fit, that I forgot the apple had a core. I forgot how the apple itself got there. Once I figured that out, all I had to do was….help grow some more."
"So let me get this straight. Instead of wanting to 'tell' people how cool an apple is, you wanted to 'show' them how cool an apple is."
"I mean, it's great to tell people the knowledge of an apple because after all, it is good for you. So I'll let someone else stand in the spotlight and preach it, while I sit in the crowd and teach it."
"You were right."
"What was that?"
"We do have a lot to talk about."
"Wolf, I don't see what you mean. I gave up my spot because I know that the next person up would cherish it more than I. You have no one…do you?
"I got someone...and you already met her."
"Would my Quen care for another spot of tea?"
"Thank you, Serenity.
It tastes delicious. What's in it?"
"A hint of spice and everything nice."
"Teddy, would you like a pour?"
"Roaaaarrr!!! Roo..a….oarr!!!!!!"
"Here you go. What about you, Precious Fawn?"
"Meeehhhhh!!!! Meeeh….eeeh…eh…eeeehhh!!!!"
"Leon, would you like a glass?"
"Raaarrrrr!!!!
Rarrrrrrrr!!!!!"
"I think you're lying, lion. I know you would like a glass. Your claws tore through my last pitcher, so I can only assume."
"Sorry about that. There is just nothing to clip my nails in the wild, you know?"
"I understand. It's okay."
"Mom, dad, wake up. Look at this."
"Max, what are you doing? Why are you spying on the living room? It's nine at night which means bedtime."
"Or teatime."
"What?"
"Look.
Serenity is having tea with Abby."
"That's sweet. There is nothing wrong with that."
"She is also having tea with other animals."
"I'm sorry, what now?"
"Come see. Abby must've turned dad's catches he mounted on the wall, real; and then somehow made them walk and be good."
"Max, that's impossible. She can only heal stuff that is visible; not something that has been dead. Nor can she turn something tangible, into another character all too…..Wooooo!!!!"
"My Queen, look. We have visitors."
"Care to join us for a spot of tea?"
"That…..that….that's the bear I shot when I was a youth. My dad showed me how to hunt, and I was so proud to carry him into class with me. Wait, what's he doing? He's walking towards me."
"Ah yes. Hello Fred. My name is Teddy, and there is no harm…no fowl. By the way, you were an excellent marksman in your days. Why have you stopped?"
"You…you…you….you're supposed to be dead. How are you not?"
"Tell you what. The first round, you got me. How bout we go best two out of three. What do you say? I'll pick the game. Wana arm wrest…..oh no…..I got you!!!"
*BOOF*
"Um, Max."
"Yea, I know. Shouldn't have brought the parents."
"It's okay. It's just that their whole life is about trying to figure out stuff, so to them….all magic is fake. That's why when they see real magic….well, let's just say; people are afraid of what they do not know. Kids on the other hand, could play cards all day with a talking bear. Why? They believe everything their parents tell them and others tell them to be real, so why should they be afraid of a talking bear? Surely, they are just as real as you or me."
"I'll escort them back to their room. Teddy, you grab dad. I'll take mom."
"Wait. *sniff sniff* What's that I smell?"
"Must be the tea, mother. Do you like it?"
"Pheeunhh. Smells like…my mom's herbal tea."
"Busted."
"You do know how expensive that stuff is? She uses it to heal deep wounds and scars invisible to the naked eye, from her patients."
"...It smelt nice!!!"
"Rachel, don't blame her. She suggested we have a tea party and I said yes, so she wanted to offer me the best."
"Abby, that stuff was not meant to be a leisurely drink. That stuff is expensive and could've been used in so many different ways. We could at least sell the rest that's in that bottle, and give the money to the poor."
"Rachel, you will always have the poor and homeless, but you will not always have me. Their will be a day that my energy indeed does wear out, and you'll be wondering where I was."
"I just…I…that..."
"Do you not believe I could make more if I wanted to? So why then do you get mad at this girl, over a simple act of admiration for her guest?
"That's because it wasn't…..you can't just come in here and….fine. I'm sorry for my tongue. Just please don't let it happen again."