Fiction: St. Felicity's Newest Arrival 2 & 3

May's Words for Wednesday was hosted by Wisewebwoman. That last week's prompts were battery, remain, age, bite, produce, workshop, forest, critic.
    June's Words for Wednesday is hosted by Charlotte at Mother Owl Musings. Last week's prompts are: death, truth, chemistry, restaurant, mom, opportunity, fact, agency, instruction, clothes, philosophy, people.    
    I used most of the prompts but they got edited out but they are helpful even if I end up not using them. The words that I ended up using are remain, bite, truth, lake, people.

Read Part 1 here.

Fiction: St. Felicity's Newest Arrival 2
"Are you saying you are going to grant me a wish?" Ben says.
    "Yes. Are my words unintelligible? I grant you wish and make it true." Beany widens her eyes and then turns to look through the bookshelf. Her tail stretches upward and pulls down a book from the top shelf. She flips through it, gives it to her tail to put it back and it fetches her another book.
    Outside, the sky is dull and cloudy. Faint sunlight filters in from the single window. Ben glances at the small wooden clock on the bookshelf. It's time for him to be at the lodge for the morning meal. He glances back at Beany. "What if I don't have a wish for you to grant?"
    "A wish I must grant, it is the narwhal way." Beany sits down, crosses her legs with her tail supporting her as it stands like a pole with its end curled in a half a circle on the floor. Turning a page of the small book in her hand, she adds, "You are a strange one, Ben Human." She looks up. Her blue eyes narrowing. "Is it not the human way to get what they desire?"
    "Having desires does not mean I want them to come true," he says. The truth is, a tiny part of Ben wants to go back home which Beany can easily grant even if neither of them know the way, that ship of hers must know. The other, larger part of him, wants to remain on the island until the end of his days. "What will happen if you do not grant me a wish?"
    She recrosses her legs. The bottom of her boots are covered in silver spoons all twisted together to make shoe shapes. "Bad luck will be befall my kin and yours if I do not fulfill your wish. And your wish must be a true desire or else I cannot grant it." Beany pulls at one of her black ponytails with their ends a slightly purple hue and nibbles on it.
    "So it's like a two-way curse?" If Ben had stayed in bed when that narwhal washed onshore, would Beany has shown up?
    "No, it is a two-way gift. Once your wish is fulfilled, I accomplished my duty
and no bad luck will befall on either of our kin."
    Ben sighs. A gift, a curse, he wants nothing to do with either. "I'm sorry but we have to talk about this later. I have to be at the lodge. Beany, stay at the lighthouse until I come back. Do you understand?"
    Beany peers up and meets his eyes. "I understand. You bring food back?" She smiles.
    "I can do that. But if you're hungry, look in the pantry." Ben points to his left at the small door next to the bathroom.
    Beany nods as she flips another page of the book.
    Properly dressed, Ben makes his way down the steel stairs but he pauses. The sound of Beany laughing flows down from above. The book she has been reading is Moby Dick. Ben smiles.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ben walks out of the lighthouse, crosses the few distance to distribute food from the little shed for the foxhounds in their pen beside the lodging. With their tails wagging, One, Two, and Three barks happily at Ben. The dogs are all white aside from the large spots on their chest which has been the cause for Mrs. Hodge to name them. But anyone can mistake Two for One as his second spot is under his belly.
    Ben enters the lodge, passes the livingroom and through the archway to the dining room. He waves to a few early risers sitting around the long table in the middle of the room. Among them is Mrs. Hoppskip, Mrs. Hodge's childhood friend although Mrs. Hodge would never admit to liking Mrs. Hoppskip. She lives a couple of houses away and runs a shop where she sells everything with a banana theme. She often comes by the lodge for meals but Mrs. Hodge refuses to give her a discount no matter how Mrs. Hoppskip begs.
    Mrs. Hoppskip smiles when Ben passes by. He returns a smile and a nod. Often, he has a feeling Mrs. Hoppskip didn't quite like him. He enters the kitchen through the swinging door. Normally, Mrs. Hoppskip would be around whenever something unusual happens on the island but she has not been at the shore this morning nor when the narwhal washed ashore. Her arthritis must have acted up again.
    The kitchen is just large enough for a flat top grill, a stove, a rectangle table, an oversize fridge, two sinks, cooking utensils and a small closet in the corner for dry food storage.
    Mrs. Hodge has already started on the porridge which is simmering away on the stove. Just as Ben has put on his apron, Mrs. Hodge walks through the swinging door. "Mr. Oats wants boiled eggs. Ten of them. I told the man it's hard enough to get supplies as it is. If he keeps having ten eggs every morning, I'll have to double charge him." Mrs. Hodge sighs. Everything the islanders need, they would order from other islands.
    Ben smiles as he brings out boxes of eggs and plates of bacon strips from the fridge. Mrs. Hodge always complains about her tenants but often, she likes them and she enjoys charging them extras. She takes two jars of orange juice from the fridge and walks out again.
    After setting down plates with scrambled eggs, bacon strips, toasted breads, a bowl of boiled eggs and having checked the large pot of porridge is done, Ben is ready to go back to the lighthouse. He will have to ask Mrs. Hodge for some time off to keep an on eye on Beany. Perhaps Beany has tossed all his things out the windows just for fun. He takes off his apron to hang on the hook beside the back door but a clinking sound behind him makes him turn around.
    Stuffing bacon and eggs into her already stuffed mouth, is Beany. She is supported by her tail, making her taller than her small stature.
    "Beany!" Ben shouts.
    She waves at him with a bacon strip. Before he can say anything else, Mrs. Hodge steps in through the swinging door. Her mouth opens and then closes. "I see you have company, Ben." One of her eyebrows is raised.
    "Mrs. Hodge, this is Beany. My... maybe... friend." Ben grins.
    "I am unhappily insulted, Ben Human." With one cheek puffing out, Beany licks her fingers and waves at Mrs. Hodge. "Hi, I'm Beany."
    "And I'm Mrs. Hodge and you're eating my food," Mrs. Hodge says.
    "I apologize. I did not know you are hungry too. Here." Beany picks up the bowl of boiled eggs and drops it into Mrs. Hodge arms.
    Mrs. Hodge smiles. "Thank you." She reaches out to get the plate of toasted bread. "I'll take these out. Ben, you must make more eggs and bacons, if we have any."
    "Yes, Mrs. Hodge," Ben says as he puts on his apron again. He has forgotten about bringing food for Beany.
    A moment later, Mrs. Hodge returns and carries out the pot of porridge without looking at either Ben or Beany.
    Ben takes out two boxes of eggs and a plate of bacon from the fridge. He drops pieces of bacon on the stove top and starts cracking the eggs into a large bowl.
    With her cheeks now back to normal size, Beany says, "Are you making more meat strips? They are salty but I like them." The plates of scrambled eggs and bacons are empty.
    "I thought you said you will stay in the lighthouse until I come back." Ben gazes at the sizzling bacon strips. Using a spatula, he flips them over. Mrs. Hodge wouldn't say anything about the food but Ben must pay for them. Before he came on the island, he has not once thought about the monetary values of things.
    "I made no promise. I said 'I understand.' It is not a promise. I am hungry." Beany licks her lips.
    "Of course you are. Eating can make a person grow an appetite." Ben smiles. He is amused even though he should be angry at Beany.
    "It is true." Beany licks her fingers again. "When is the strips of meat ready?"
    "These aren't for you. I think you already had enough for today." He sprinkles some salt and pepper into the bowl of eggs and using a fork, he begins whisking them.
    In a few moments, Ben has the bacon and eggs done. He glances at Beany. She is looking through the many pans and utensils by picking them up and studying them. He takes the plates of eggs and bacons out to the dining room.
    When he returns to the kitchen, Beany is not there. Has he thought Beany would stay focus on one thing for even longer than a few seconds? He look again around the kitchen but there is no Beany. A commotion from the dining room makes Ben sigh.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fiction: St. Felicity's Newest Arrival 3
In the dinning room, all the boarders are at the table aside from Mr. Driver and Mr. Owl who arrived last night. This is a tired looking bunch with wrinkled, sun-burnt skin and somber expressions with the exception of Mrs. Hoppskip who, even in her early fifties, has smooth, dark skin.
    "Now who took my last egg?" Mr. Oats says with his mouth full.
    "Hey, someone has my bacon." Mr. Palooka says from the other end of the table. A couple of people laugh. "That's not funny!" A short and wide man with muscular arms, Mr. Palooka lifts the white table cloth and looks underneath as if the missing food should be there.
    Having entered the room, Ben pauses near the table.
    Mr. Lake, who lost his left arm to a shark, is calmly reading a book with a bowl of porridge at his left.
    "What the heck is going on? Who took my food?" Mr. Foxmox says. He lifts his plate with a single bacon strip on it and sets it down. Mr. Foxmox, in his late seventies, is the the longest resident having been born on the island.
    Mrs. Hoppskip, sitting in the center, calmly nibbles a piece of toast. Her eyes veer about surveying everyone.
    Ben can sense Beany but he can't do anything with the people around him. Though he knows one or two has seen electric current coming out of his hands but it does not mean he can outright reveal himself.
    Before he can decide what to do, Mrs. Hodge is close by. "Ben, I am going to check on my dogs. You have better take care of your guest."
    Ben nods. "I will, Mrs. Hodge."
    Without looking at him, Mrs. Hodge disappears through the archway.
     "Got you!" Mr. Sand stands up and pulls Beany with him. For a frail man, he has no problems holding onto Beany even as she squirms. Involuntarily, she drops the piece of bacon she has been holding. "Let me go!" she shouts.
    Ben walks toward them. "Please, let her go, Mr. Sands. Beany here is harmless." He gives her a quick glance before turning back to Mr. Sands.
    "Beany? This little monkey has a name?" Mr. Sands rubs his bald head.
    "I am not a monkey, I am a narwhal," Beany says with her eyes glaring at Mr. Sands.
    "A narwhal?" Mr. Sands laughs, still holding tight to Beany's wrist. "Can you believe her? If she's a narwhal, then I'm a chicken."
    No one laughs.
    "I am a narwhal!" Beany bites Mr. Sands' hand. He squeaks and lets her go. She lands on her feet. Mr. Sands grabs Beany's tail. It strikes him in the face. "Ou!" He shouts and lets her tail go.
    Beany laughs and grabs the last pieces of bacon off Mr. Sand's plate and stuffs them into her mouth. "Catch her before she eats everything!" says Mr. Sands. Across the table, Mr. Oats and Mr. Palooka reaches out to grab Beany but misses.
    "Beany! Stop!" Ben says.
    Beany pauses to look at Ben and gives him a smile but she suddenly twists her body backward to avoid a flying harpoon. The instrument strikes the wall but it loosens and returns to the hands of Mr. Driver who smirks as he grips the line attached to the harpoon.
    "Mr. Driver, what do you think you're doing with that thing?" Ben steps in front of Mr. Driver.
    "This is none of your concerns, Mr. Ben," Mr. Driver says as he glares at Ben. They are the same height with Mr. Driver slightly taller with his sailor hat.
    Mr. Driver lifts the harpoon to strike but Ben seizes it. "Leave here right now and we'll forget this whole thing."
    Mr. Driver laughs and leans close to Ben. His tobacco breath makes Ben nauseous. "Mr. Ben, mind your own business. This girl's a narwhal and I aim to catch her. Now, get out of my way or else bare the consequence."
    Ben tightens his grip on the harpoon. "I will not let you harm an innocent child."
    "Child? That child is no human." Mr. Driver widens his eyes.
    "She's human while she is on land. I'm not asking you again. Leave, right now." Ben meets Mr. Driver's dark eyes.
    Mr. Driver laughs again. "Big man, are you Mr. Ben? Get out of my way." He knocks Ben in the head and he falls to the floor. His head pound and his visual blurs. Why has he thought he could persuade Mr. Driver with words alone? He gets up and leans against the wall to keep from falling. He looks back at Mr. Driver.
    Mr. Driver lets loose his harpoon again. Beany doves out of the way but Mr. Lake is still in his seat and looks up from his book a little late but the harpoon pauses just near his face. It drops onto the bowl of porridge and gruel splatters onto Mr. Lake's face. He wipes it off with his shirt sleeve and gets up and moves to the windows where he continues to read his book.
    With his harpoon back, Mr. Driver sends it out again. Beany gets out of the way but Mrs. Hoppskip is unlucky enough to have suddenly stand up with the harpoon aiming toward her. It veers to her left and strikes the wall and drops to the floor with a loud thud. "Oh!" Mrs. Hoppskip pats her chest in relief.
    Again, Mr. Driver retrieves the harpoon and sends it out again. It advances toward Mr. Foxmox just as Beany moves out of the way. But the harpoon swings upward toward the ceiling where Beany grabs it and throws it toward Mr. Driver but he catches it easily. "I thank you, matey!" he says with a sneer and throws the harpoons back towards her. She ducks and it flies toward Mr. Foxmox who unfortunately is moving not quick enough but Beany kicks the harpoon where it went flying toward Mr. Driver who turns aside and grabs the end of it before it hits a wall. He, again, throws it back to her where it sticks to the ceiling. He pulls it back to him and it strikes the pot of porridge causing it to tilt over. Hot liquid spills out, splattering Mr. Oats and Mr. Palooka and making them shout angry, inscrutable retorts. The table leans slightly to one side as the pot starts to slide due to the gruel sliding out. The pot hits the floor and shatters follow by the two jars of orange juice, plates, utensils and food ending with gruel spilling over the content. Beany, with sweat beads covering her forehead, laughs as she bounces against the wall causing the paintings to tremble. 
    Mrs. Hodge enters the room with the foxhounds following her. Her eyes immediately spots the mess on her wooden floor. "My dishes!" she cries with her hands on either side of her cheeks. One, Two, and Three barks and yelps. Beany jumps down to give each of the foxhounds a rub on the head.
    Hobbling and dragging his wooden leg, Mr. Driver stops and aims the harpoon at Beany. Ben rubs at his aching head and takes in a breath. He stretches out his hands and shoots electric currents from his fingers onto Mr. Driver's harpoon but Mr. Driver merely sneers and doesn't let go of the instrument as most would when shocked by an electrical force. Ben should have noticed Mr. Driver's hands are nearly black from either burns or perhaps from frostbites. He would not feel anything done to them.
    Ben lets out another round of currents but this time he aims directly at Mr. Driver's chest who lets out a yelp but let loose his harpoon again. It flies toward Beany still playing with the foxhounds. One of them jumps up to block Beany and the harpoon sinks into his chest. He collapses to the floor. "Two!" Beany cries out.
    Mr. Driver chuckles. "You poor sap, who told you to save that wretched creature!" Ben strikes Mr. Driver's face. Mr. Driver turns his head and says, "Is that all you got, sonny?"
    Ben hits him again. Mr. Driver tumbles onto the floor, eyes closed.
    Ben winces and loosens his fingers. Why hasn't he been quicker? He has already had a bad feeling the moment the dogs enter the room.
    Cradled in Beany's arms, the dog's eyes are closed. Ben presses a hand on Two's chest and pulls the harpoon out and drops it beside him. He places his other hand over the wound, releasing energy into the dog and closing the wound. Two's body is still warm but he's not breathing and his energy is leaking away. Has the harpoon been poisoned? It is too late?
    "Two! Two!" Mrs. Hodge drops to the floor in front of her dog. One and Three crowd around them with low barks. The boarders surrounds them.
    Beany looks up at Ben with tears running down her face and snot coming out of her nose. "You heal him."
    Ben shakes his head. "I can't— I— I think it's...his time."
    Mrs. Hodge sobs and wipes her tears with her hand. Mrs. Hoppskip hands a white handkerchief to Mrs. Hodge and pats her back and says, "There, there, everything is going to be alright, my dear."   
    Beany rubs at the dog's head. "He will live." She wipes her nose on her bare arm. With a clinking sound, Beany disappears with the dog.
    Mrs. Hodge stares at the spot where Two and Beany had been. She dries her eyes with the handkerchief and stands up. Without looking at Ben, she says, "Have this mess clean up before lunch." Ben nods. Mrs. Hodge walks out the archway with her two dogs and Mrs. Hoppskip following her.
    In the silence, a clucking noise rings out. Everyone turns to Mr. Sands. He has grown a beak and feathers covered his body. "Cluck, cluck, cluck!" He flaps his arms.
    The men presses their mouth close but a few laughs escape. Ben isn't sure if he should laugh or cry. But before he decides if he should take Mr. Sands to the lighthouse until he can get him turn back, Mr. Sands suddenly stops making sounds. His beak shrinks and disappears along with his feathers. He stands still for a moment and then he blinks and shakes his head. "What? Why is everyone staring at me?"
    Mr. Palooka, Mr. Oats, Mr. Foxmox, and Mr. Lake all just shake their heads and disperse. Mr. Driver stirs but no one, not even Ben, cares to check on him. Mr. Sands gives Ben a glance, shrugs and leaves. Ben surveys the mess. Most of the chairs has been toppled over and the tilted table and the dishwares and food on the floor looks like a small mountain. A few of the paintings on the walls has fallen with their glass littered against the wall. There is the harpoon still with bits of Two's blood. Wherever Beany has taken Two, she is probably still on the island.