Penny and the Dragons #8

Episode eight: “Woman.”

Witton smiled as he knew that what he was about to say, may come as a pleasant shock to Hugo, who seemed ready for a change of pace.

“What were you thinking?” Hugo asked again.

“Well, as you said, getting weapons approved for the island, seems unlikely… but what about something that is already here… just used a little differently.”

Hugo’s mouth curled. though he didn’t want to entertain the thought that Witton could be saying what it sounded like he was saying, “Do you mean…?” asked Hugo cautiously.

“Dragons,” said Witton with a smirk, “I mean, we are still waiting for a unanimous decision, but several of the islands are already on board with the idea.”

“To… to ride them?”

“Ride… maybe? but work with… yes.”

Hugo nodded with childlike excitement. He was far too happy to look cool.

Witton stood, almost awkwardly, as he leant against the desk, “I’m glad you feel that way,” he said, “as we’d like you to head up the program on this island and liaise with the others.”

“Oh… um, sure, but am I really the best man for the job?”

“You seem to have a connection with the Jummblesnuff, and you have proven yourself to be more than capable of thinking quickly.”

“Um, the Jummblesnuff doesn’t care about me, it’s bonded to Penny, perhaps she should be chosen instead of me,” replied Hugo.

Witton stood up straight before walking aimlessly around the room, “Well,” he said as he looked at some ornaments on a shelf in the office they were in, “I hardly think the men on this island… or the men on the other islands, are ready to take orders from a female child. At this point, she can’t be chosen…” he turned and looked at Hugo before continuing, “however, you will not be micromanaged in how you organise your team of people under you.”

“You’re saying…”

“No… I am saying nothing. For plausible deniability, I do not want to hear about your plans, Hugo.”

Hugo smiled. It was not a full recognition for Penny, but it was progress in the right direction.

Two days passed and Penny sat twiddling her thumbs in her hospital bed.

“Knock, knock,” said Hugo from the door.

“Oh, come in. Hey,” she smiled, “You brought my box of fuzzlepuffs.”

“Yep,” he said as he placed the box on her lap, “and you’ll be even more excited when you find out about the ridiculous hamster home thing, with all these tubes and stuff, that is coming in the next shipment to the island.”

“What? Hugo… you ordered something so thoughtful for me?”

He nodded, “You are changing the island, Penny, one fuzzlepuff at a time.”

She chuckled.

“Oh… um… I have some good news for you… actually, I have two lots of good news for you, but one of them is still classified so you’ll have to wait.”

“And the other?”

“Your mother is waiting for you on the security island. Stellium said you should be well enough tomorrow to head out to see her… Coral too.

“What?” asked Penny as tears instantly welled in her eyes and she lunged forwards over the box and hugged Hugo.”

A convoy is planned for tomorrow morning that we expect Coral to follow. There are no dragons on that island, so Coral will stand out like a sore thumb. Apparently your mother has been briefed but doesn’t appear to believe any of what she’s been told. What do you say, Penny?”

Penny tried to say yes, but almost hyperventilated, so nodded instead.

Hugo smiled, “Well, try to get a good sleep tonight. It will be a big day tomorrow.”

Penny stood on the bow of the boat. The wind pushed past her as she looked out into the distance. She didn’t care for much on the mainland other than her mother, so in that moment, she felt rather fulfilled.

“Penny,” said Hugo, “I said to leave the fuzzlepuffs on the other island but I just found this in your bag.” He held the box towards her.

She bit her lip before talking, “You went through my bag?”

“Uh, yeah Penny, it’s what any logical person would have done, seeing as the bag was shuffling and ticking on its own. Why did you bring them? You know that Stellium would have kept them alive for you.”

“I… I wanted to show my mother… you know… if Coral is too scary, perhaps she’ll see that not everything on the island has sharp teeth.”

He sighed as he knew that it was too late to turn around and take them back. “You and the dragons certainly have a bond like nobody else does.”

Right on cue, Mr Snuffles, who definitely was not meant to come, shot out of the water and landed awkwardly on the deck, before straightening up and shaking the water off himself.

Penny looked at Hugo with a cheeky grin, for she knew that Hugo could not do anything to control the situation.

“Yep, I’ve seen that expression before,” he said, “You are definitely your father’s daughter.”

Toddy wandered over. He was happy for probably the first time since the accident, but mostly, his happiness stemmed from the fact that Penny would not be in danger for a moment in time.

Coral had appeared and disappeared a few times, as was her nature. She’d fly past, swirl around, then head off to who knows where, for who knows how long.

“We are almost there,” said Toddy, as he secretly hoped for the unlikely scenario, that he’d be able to convince Hugo to take some weapons back to defend themselves.

The boat began to dock, and to Penny’s joy, she wouldn’t even have to wait until she was completely off the boat before her mother would greet her. Her mother had been waiting patiently, and her knuckles were white in anticipation. As the boat bumped into the dock, Penny’s mother stood at arms reach. Penny ran over to that spot and reached over to hug her mother. It was an awkward hug to say the least, but neither of them cared.

Penny’s mother had been so distraught not knowing where Penny had gone. When the men showed up at her home and ushered her out to the island, she wasn’t really sure that they were who they said they were. If it wasn’t for the sheer desperation she had felt, she would not have trusted complete strangers enough to board a boat with them.

“Come on, you two, there will be plenty of time to catch up on dry land,” said Hugo as he attempted to hand Penny the box of fuzzlepuffs.

“What’s that?” asked Penny’s mother.

Penny smiled nervously.

In an instant, Coral swept over and landed gracefully on a lawned area.

Penny’s mother began screaming in a shrill manner before collapsing on the dock.

“Oh, Keiko,” huffed Hugo before running to help her.

Hugo lifted Keiko up and tried his best to find a good way to support her. She was completely unconscious and her entire body was floppy.

“She’ll be okay, right?” asked Penny who stood holding the box.

“Yeah, it’s not the first time I’ve seen this happen.”

Another man ran over to assist Hugo and they headed off towards the lodge.

Penny stood with Coral, looking out towards the coast. The fresh air felt nice after being cooped up in the small treatment room. Her mother was safe and being monitored but Penny hated seeing her that way and was incredibly fearful of what she would say when she woke up. Yes, Penny had been living with dragons, on the same island where her father died, and her mother had just had a front row seat to a creature that she’d probably assume was the culprit.

“The fuzzlepuffs aren’t gonna be enough, are they?” she asked Coral rhetorically.

“Woman,” said Coral, “Female.”

“That’s right,” smiled Penny, “My mother is a woman.”

It was still a shock when Coral spoke, and it didn’t happen often. Penny wished she’d say more, but Coral had no interest in doing so.

Toddy ran over, “Your mother is awake,” he huffed.

“She spoke again.”

“What did she say?”

Coral took a breath and once again, said, “Woman.”

Toddy smiled and patted Coral on the shoulder.

“Oh mother, I’m so sorry,” Penny said as she rushed into the room.

Keiko still looked a little dazed, “It’s okay, but I do believe I just had a hallucination from the relief of seeing you.”

Penny didn’t know what to say.

“Um, Keiko, do you like… small bunnies and the like?” asked Hugo.

“Oh, Um,” she seemed confused as she continued, “Sure, who doesn’t?”

In one smooth swoop, Hugo dropped a fuzzlepuff into Keiko’s lap.

“Oh my word, what is it… some kind of hamster?”

“It’s a fuzzlepuff,” said Penny.

Keiko thought for a moment, “I’ve never heard of them. Okay Penny, you take it now.”

Penny picked it up and did her best to talk calmly, “There are a few creatures that you will not of heard of… you see, I’ve been on an island. It’s a bit like the Galapagos Islands in that there are creatures there that exist nowhere else on Earth.”

“What types of creatures?”

“Mostly… lizards.”

“Lizards?”

“Um, yeah, large lizards. I’ve made a few friends actually.”

“Lizard friends, or people?”

Penny laughed, “Both.”

“Stop him,” yelled a man down the hallway.

There was a clamouring and a clanking moving towards their room, and suddenly, there was a thump on the door.

Penny knew what it was. She huffed as she tried to decide how to proceed.

“What is it?” asked her mother.

“A lizard,” said Toddy.

Keiko shuddered, “No, lizards are little, skittish things. Why does this feel like the start of one of those horrible movies?”

“Mr Snuffles is perfectly safe; in fact, he protects us. He has saved my life,” said Penny.

Keiko grimaced, realising she’d have to accept this new reality, “How big is he exactly?”

“Can I show you?” asked Penny, still holding the fuzzlepuff.

Keiko nodded as she pulled her knees up to her chest, feeling defensive.

Penny walked over and went to open the door, but she had barely twisted the door handle before Mr Snuffles pushed it open, barged straight past her, jumped up onto the bed, and began rolling around on his back like a cheeky labrador who knew he wasn’t allowed on the furniture.

“Eek, eek,” said Keiko, as she held her hands in front of her face, too scared to even attempt to get off the bed.

Toddy laughed hysterically, knowing she wasn’t in any danger of anything other than being followed around everywhere.

“Penny,” yelled Keiko, “Can you get it to stop?”

“Mr Snuffles, calm down,” barked Penny.

Mr Snuffles stopped, still upside down, and looked at Penny, knowing he’d done the wrong thing.

“Get off the bed,” she said sternly.

Mr Snuffles reluctantly slid off the bed and hid under it.

“Penny,” sighed Keiko, “I’m attempting to ignore the monster under the bed while questioning whether or not I actually was hallucinating. Was I?”

“Um… That was Coral, she was the first ‘lizard’ I saw as well.

“I think we can just go ahead and stop calling them lizards, huh? What are they really?” asked Keiko.

“They are dragons,” said Penny, then waited for her mother’s reply.

Keiko thought for a moment, “Ha…” she said, not recognising that, all things considered, she’d handled her first dragon encounter rather well.

“What are you thinking?” asked Toddy.

“I’m not sure… Mr Snuffles?” questioned Keiko, “Should we go for a walk?”

Mr Snuffles shot out from under the bed. The force slid the bed over a little. He stood, waiting for everyone to prepare for the outing, and seemed rather dog-like in demeanour.

Mr Snuffles ran a few paces ahead before circling back in a loop and running forwards again. Toddy fell back a little to let Keiko and Penny talk.

Keiko smiled as she looked at her daughter, who seemed all grown up, “I take it you’re not planning to head back to the mainland yet?”

Penny screwed up her nose, “It’s a bit difficult, but there’s not much for me back there other than you… and now you’re here.”

“Penny… I can’t stay, you know that, right? My life is on the mainland.”

“Oh, I just thought that…” huffed Penny.

“I can visit often,” replied Keiko, “I can see how mature you are now. This is something worth your time, isn’t it?”

Penny nodded.

Keiko paused and stopped walking, “Penny, please tell me that a dragon did not kill your father.”

“No, it was a human. He was shot by a traitor.”

“Just how dangerous is this job then?”

Penny laughed nervously, “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Keiko placed her hand on Penny’s shoulder.

Penny grimaced, attempting to hide that she was injured.

“What is it?” asked Keiko.

“Oh… it was nothing, the dock just kind of exploded and a piece of wood hit me.”

Keiko’s expression was not one of joy, “Why did the dock explode?”

“Is that what’s really important?”

“I think that is pretty important,” snapped Keiko.

“All you really need to know is that Coral and Mr Snuffles kept us safe.”

“Penny… I…” started Keiko as Coral flapped gracefully and landed in front of them.

Coral blinked a few times, revealing her long eyelashes, as she looked intently at Keiko.

Keiko stood frozen, not sure how to react, but thankfully, not ready to pass out this time.

“Woman,” said Coral.

“You can speak?”

“Dragon need female… Dragon need Penny,” Coral spoke, which was the longest, most intelligible thing anyone has ever recorded hearing a dragon say.

“I think I understand now,” said Keiko, then she turned around and looked at Penny with tears in her eyes, almost intuitively knowing that her daughter was a dragon protector by blood.

To be continued…

Check back soon for episode nine.

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