MollyxWizard: Dreams 5

Chapter 5 – Blackness

As I closed the door to Wizard’s house, Finn began to chatter non-stop, as expected. “Molly, how can we possibly get those ingredients? It’ll be easy enough to get the perfect butter since your cow produces perfect milk occasionally, and we have the butter maker. With summer around the corner, you’ll be able to make the good cornmeal in no time! But how on EARTH are you ever going to get a hibiscus?! It’s a flower only found on Toucan Island, and with the ocean being so rough, the boat isn’t running anymore! The only way to get the island is to calm the sea by ringing Ben’s blue bell of water and-!”

“Finn!” I interrupted, grabbing the little orange sprite, “Hold that thought! Do you remember what the Harvest Goddess said about Ben’s bell?”

Finn stopped his spastic flailing and raised a delicate hand to his little face in thought. “I think she said that she heard echoing waves when she searched for him. Why?”

I smiled. “I just thought of something. Come on!” I sped down two flights of stairs and stopped outside of a gate with a sign that read ‘Watery Cave’.

“Molly, you’re a genius!” Finn exclaimed. I blushed a little. It turns out that the gate was locked, and it was getting late, so I decided to head in for the night and search for the key tomorrow.

*   *   *

I asked around town the next day and eventually found out that Paolo had it. He happily gave it to me. Just as I had thought, Ben and his blue bell were down there, and they were even already on the bell frame. Of course, it was too good to be true. Ben had forgotten the melody, but he said that it was the town’s tune.

Paolo had mentioned a musical apparatus that was set up in town, and I wondered if it played the town’s tune. It seems that my luck hadn’t run out quite yet. Paolo said he could play the tune if I got the components for the apparatus; a duck egg, a black pearl, and five fish. I easily got the duck egg and five fish, but I had no idea where to find a black pearl.

I mentioned my dilemma to Paolo, and he said, “Try the Watery Cave! I’ve heard they can be found in the deeper levels.”

It was nearly 5 p.m. when I stood at the entrance to the mine of the Watery Cave. I brought my hammer and a few snacks along with me when I entered.

“I hope it’s not too deep,” I murmured as I searched for stairs in the dark, dank mine. Some floors were well lit, and I could easily find stairs. Others were dark, causing me to have a few nasty encounters with some pitfalls. I got back up each time, but not without new cuts, bruises, and plenty of dirt smeared on me.

The worst floors didn’t have stairs; they were hidden under rocks that I had to break with my hammer. The Watery Cave Mine was far more treacherous than the Garmon Mines. As I got deeper, rocks sprayed red poison gas more frequently. My stamina was quickly depleted, and my hands were sore around my hammer’s handle. The snacks I brought kept me going, but gave little aid when I struck a rock that released the sweet-smelling sleeping gas. I was able to work through the first blast, but a couple more exposures and my feet were dragging. A spa on level twenty gave me some energy, but it couldn’t ward off the sleeping gas effects.

I was clinging to my last bit of strength as I trudged sleepily on level twenty-four. My hammer felt heaver with each swing, and my hands were numb.

“Molly,” Finn said softly, placing his little hand over mine, “It’s past eleven at night. You’ve been searching for over six hours! You should go home.”

“Just one more stone,” I said weakly.

“You’re exhausted,” Finn sighed as I raised my hammer, muscles twitching. “You really should—Molly look out!” he cried as a sickly yellow gas exploded from the rock I smashed. The gas overwhelmed me, burning my nose and throat.

I coughed and my eyes watered. I felt sick. Sickness gas, I thought bitterly, of course.

When the gas cleared, it revealed a flight of stairs. Before Finn could protest, I was already traveling down them. In the darkness, I spotted something that shined. It was a black pearl! I ran to it as fast as my feet would carry me. Picking it up, I admired its odd glow for a moment before putting it in my rucksack and beginning the long trip back up the mine.

It was past midnight when I finally stumbled into Harmonica Town. My soreness and exhaustion finally overtook me, and I collapsed on the cold pavement. I was damp from being inside the wet mine for so long, and my head was swimming due to the combined effects of the sleeping and sickness gases.

“Molly!” Finn cried, landing beside me, “Ohhh, what do I do? No one can see me, and I’m too small to help you, and…” His voice cut off as a series of coughs wracked his small body. Though magical, the little sprite was not left unaffected by the powerful gases.

“Finn…” I whispered, eyelids dropping.

“Don’t worry, Molly… I know! I’ll get you some herbs from home!” he exclaimed, determination shining on his face, “Just… just wait right here!” With that he took off, wings fluttering erratically.

Oh, Goddess… Please let him get home safe. Please protect him. Please— Coughs shook my body, and I groaned in pain. My muscles refused to cooperate, so I remained face down on the streets of Harmonica Town without a hope of someone finding me until the next morning. Everyone would be safe, warm, and dry in their homes, probably asleep. Sleep began to sound very appealing, but my eyes glanced up when I saw movement to my left. I noticed a dark figure framed against a starry background before blackness began to push in on my vision.