Bonnie's Touch

"SPOILED LAMB"

That night, the warm glow of gas lamps lit Elizabeth's little farmhouse. By the fireplace, Rodri and Anna snored aloud as they slept comfortably on the carpet. Nearby, Bonnie perched on a chair, straining to reach books on the high shelf with his short stature. 

In her pyjamas, Elizabeth sat alone by the moonlit window, writing in a notebook: 

Day 108.

Those past two days were real weird... All the unusual was thrown at me, and I was forced to respond in unusual ways. I met three little characters with big personalities that I'm sure you would've found very amusing. One of them was a peculiar-looking boy whom I named after our horse who suffered that...accident. I found him lying in a bush up in the forest, and he sure did creep me out when I first laid eyes on him. I thought it'd be a crazy idea to trust anyone who looked the way he did, but he was probably the nicest person I met round these parts; he even saved my life. Oh yeah, he could also restore the health of any living creature with a single touch, like some kind of angel from the books. I didn't think he was from this world, no, but he was more human than most of us have ever tried to be. The other two, well, they were more like one person living in two different bodies. Their names were Rodri and Anna. Those two looked more like the fairies you'd read about in the fairytales—with wings, tiny bodies, and clothes that could fit their small size. But instead of being adorable little creatures, Rodri and Anna were more like violent little devils you'd wanna keep away from yer pets. Unlike Bonnie, whatever they touched turned into something called a weapon. Ever heard of that? 'It's a sort of tool used for destroying enemies,' they said… The one they made took out a grizzly in one go! It was all real strange, but they had a sort of clumsiness about them that could make you forget that they could kill you—I even started to warm up to them a little… (Is that bad?) Anyway, life at the farm was real interesting since you disappeared that day, but I took care of the place pretty well on my own. The animals, the crops, and especially that maize patch you're so obsessed with, I kept up a fair amount of work to keep them alive for the past three and a half months. But the truth is, I couldn't wait for us to be together again, yet despite that, I always thought that when we did, we'd casually go about our lives like the old days, so hopefully you weren't worrying too much about me as much I was about you, wherever you were... 

Closing the journal, Elizabeth left it on the table and went to the kitchen, fixing herself a slice of bread. Meanwhile, Bonnie toppled from the chair, sending books crashing down alongside him. 

"Urgh, you're such a simpleton," Elizabeth remarked. "I don't think we have to search for who you really are anymore, 'cause we've already got the answer. You, are pure Nadirian."

"You say that, but you're full Nadirian yourself, my liege." He gathered the fallen books.

"WRONG. I ain't no Nadirian; I'm not a simpleton. Just 'cause I was born here don't make me one of them. Besides, when I grow up, I'm gonna move somewhere far from this place, settle on empty land, and claim that place as my very own. THAT will then be my land of origin."

"That ain't how it works..." Bonnie muttered with an air of disappointment.

"Uh, Bonnie…. about the bear. I haven't gotten a chance to… thank…you…"

"Bear?"

"I mean, I did have a few chances, but…uhh…I didn't really take the…chance… So…you know… I really appreciate it, or whatever…"

Noticing a folded piece of paper, Bonnie proceeded to unravel it, revealing a map of a particular area.

"What is this?" he asked.

"That's the capital," Elizabeth replied, placing her slices of bread on a wooden bowl. "It's turned to hell now, so…"

"It has? How so?" Bonnie stretched out the map curiously. 

"Not too long ago, a farmer from here took his family to the city for a lil vacation," she recounted between bites of bread. "Sometime later he returned, but by himself, and he wasn't what you would call 'alright in the head.' He said somethin 'bout there being 'the devil's plague' floatin all over capital, and if it ever caught ya, ya might as well consider yerself dead. We all thought he was just talkin crazy at first, but the next day, another farmer went to check up on him by his ranch. All he found was a rottin corpse with skin that looked like spoiled lamb. After that, no one here dared to ever go near the capital." 

Studying the map intently, Bonnie mused, "Ya know, lookin at it closely, the capital don't seem too far from here…" 

"I've actually been fixin on goin there. I might gain higher chance at findin my broth—"

"Silence, ya peasants! My rest is in progress!" Anna suddenly bellowed. "Matter of fact, slice yer tongues off. Do it right now, else you shall feel my wrath!"

Rodri too then interjected, "Wrath? You? Wrath? Oh wow, we got a real joker here!"

"And what's your problem?" Anna asked aggressively.

 "Your 'wrath' is about as menacin as a cat's 'meow.' I think that'd have a higher chance of dangerin me than 'your wrath.'"

"You've got a real habit of sayin absolutely nothin all the time, don'tcha, Rodri?!"

"Oh, I'll be turnin you into nothin real soon!"

The two then got up from their buttocks and commenced a series of ferocious punches and kicks, but of course, being blind, their fury was directed towards empty air, and their attacks constantly skipped one another as they spilled more vile insults.

"Those two are gonna end up fallin into the fireplace if we don't stop em…" Bonnie mused.

"I think they're fine," Elizabeth added. "Anyway, about the capital, I was gonna ask if maybe you can— AHH! Bonnie! It's a lizard! Right near yer foot! It's a lizard!!"

"A lizard? Where?"

"THERE!"

"A lizard?" Anna called. "In here?" her hands grappling over Rodri's neck. "Kill it quick before it eats all yer food and grows into an alligator!"

"Bonnie! Kill it already! It's gonna touch me! Kill it!" Elizabeth begged, standing atop the kitchen counter, her eyes wide in fear.

Bonnie observed Elizabeth's terror at the sight of such a small creature, taking a moment for reflection as the lizard itself hid in the corner, so confused. He casually lifted the lizard with his right hand, and stepping toward the door, he gently released it into the open farm before closing the door again.

. . . 

Later that night, Elizabeth snored soundly under warm covers, while the three oddlings quietly conversed amidst the fireplace.

"You saw—or…heard all of that," Bonnie said gravely, sitting cross-legged. "She's just a girl. The world—or, 'plague-ridden capital'—it's just too much for someone like that. She'd get swallowed alive." 

"Only a monster would allow a child to step into a battlefield," Rodri muttered with a tired expression. 

"Everything's always a battlefield with you!" Anna retorted.

"I just don't think it's a good idea to leave her alone either…" Bonnie said.

"Well, you've disrupted my slumber without apologizin, and now you're splurtin vague lines for no one to understand," Rodri grumbled. "What exactly are ya plannin on doin at this late hour anyway?"

"I ain't quite sure," Bonnie said. "I'd hate to leave her behind, but… Well, I won't exactly be 'leavin her behind,' but… it's just that we won't find anythin if we hang out here all the long, you know. This place is all sunshine and quietness—it'll take more than that to find some sort of breakthrough. We need bigger places to search, larger groups to survey, and fewer beasts tryin to eat us. I haven't been able to rest well ever since my awakenin in the woods. This body… it's hard to move around. It feels hollow, light… like a gust of wind could send me flyin if I don't strap my feet to the ground. I can't shake the feelin that it just don't belong to me—or, it just shouldn't exist at all. Maybe I'm being paranoid, or maybe this is in fact pretty egregious. I think if we visit the capital, we might be able to garner clues. Somethin. Anythin, that'll help us remember who we really are."

"And then, will we be less fools than we are now?" Rodri mused. 

"And then we won't be so confused anymore. You do realize that none of this is normal, right? Unless yer definition of normal is bein the size of a squirrel and havin stitches all over yer skin, while also havin a slight case of amnesia goin on, you know, unless you've already forgot. None of this is normal. We're lost, and we don't know who we really are…"

With precision, Rodri's blind eyes aimed directly at Bonnie, and with calm, he began, "There's a thin line between who you were then and who you are now. The only way to compare and contrast is by makin choices. Sometimes, yer choices never change, and they'll only take you back to where it was you decided to stick with em. So, if ya wanna know who ya really are beyond the past and the future, you'll learn how to choose."

Bonnie shifted his gaze toward a portrait of Elizabeth's brother displayed on a nearby wall. He studied it intently for a few seconds, gathering his deepest thoughts and desires. After some time, he finally reached a conclusion. 

. . . 

Later, in the pitch-black pre-dawn, Bonnie dressed in an oversized raincoat, some pants, and a pair of boots. He handed Rodri and Anna an ear of corn, requesting their assistance in transforming it into a defensive weapon should danger arise. Upon their touch, the corn miraculously transformed into a shotgun. 

With genuine confusion in his eyes, Bonnie inquired, "What on earth is that supposed to be?" 

Rodri responded casually, "Why, it's a shotgun, of course." 

"You can tell what it is? I thought you were blind." 

"Rodri and I are connected by a sort of synergy that binds our minds together," Anna explained. "We can both envision what we'll be creating before we create it, and what we've crafted here for you here is none other than a shotgun. Why aren't ya thrilled?" 

Rodri calmly added, "When ya pull the trigger, it'll blow a clean hole right through yer enemies—perfectly round and deep in, leavin em to slowly succumb to their bloody wounds. It's everythin you've ever wanted." 

Bonnie fixated on the weapon, his upper lip curling in a mixture of terror and disapproval. He picked it up and implored Rodri and Anna to touch it again. 

"We don't have to separate people from their limbs. We just need somethin that'll…put em to sleep if they get uppity—somethin light." 

After a brief brainstorming session, Rodri and Anna simultaneously laid their hands on the shotgun, transforming it into a wooden warhammer that neatly fit into Bonnie's grasp. With delight, Bonnie stowed away his new weapon beneath the folds of his raincoat. Lighting a lamp, he left a note on the slumbering Elizabeth's forehead and headed back outside to Rodri and Anna. 

"Now, this is what I call a trio," he began, hands on his hips in evident confidence. "Rodri, the cool and composed rook; sharp and daring. He'll make sure the job gets done without any setbacks! Then we have Anna, the ferocious yet charmin queen. She doesn't show it, but she's got a real heart of gold, and she'll do whatever it takes to protect the innocent! And finally, I, Bonnie, the peculiar, yet very capable—and charismatic leader of the three. A very compassionate fellow indeed, yet so unforgivin toward the cruel—and a real fighter of justice! With our forces combined, we'll reform the tarnished land of Nadiria within two hours! The three of us are gonna find dear old Mr. Noah, if it's the last thing we do, and once we bring him back, we're gonna reunite him with his dear ol' lil sister. A heartfelt reunion it shall be, but once the sun sets, our tears shall turn into laughter, and we shall feast in glorious celebration!"

"Do you need savin or somethin?" Anna retorted.

"At this point," Rodri began, "the only danger to civilization is that brain of yours. It's always the small things…"

With that, the three anomalies began their departure from the simple countryside to the plague-ridden capital of Kingdom Nadiria, and with the advantage that was their supernatural abilities, surely, it would have been a walk in the park...

CHAPTER 4 of 'Bonnie's Touch' ends

"I'M LOOKIN FOR MY BROTHER…

SO I GOTTA DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO FIND HIM,

EVEN IF IT MEANS RISKIN MY HEALTH."