Charlie B. Dinkle's Delightful Adventure

Ch. 17 ~ Painful, Magical Victory

Chapter 17 ~ Painful, Magical Victory

   Charlie jumped back at the sight of the wicked Educator. The nurses were too busy tending to the wounded to help Charlie B. Dinkle, leaving the girl alone to face her enemy.

   “What are you doing here?” Charlie demanded, trying to keep her voice from shaking. The Educator just laughed a sinister laugh, drawing a long, metal blade from a belt under her black coat. “This battle has nothing to do with you, Educator.”

   “I’m here to kill you,” she growled like an animal. “I’ve dedicated my entire life to learning and teaching in return and then, all of a sudden, a little brat comes and brings my entire school down to pebbles. You have deserved my undying hatred, Charlie B. Dinkle. And now you will pay the price.”

   With that, The Educator aimed her sword at Charlie’s stomach. Charlie quickly averted the blow by jumping to the side, stumbling onto her heels. She immediately got up again, taking a sword of her own from a wounded fairy next to her on the floor. The injured warrior nodded weakly.

   “Take it,” he croaked. “Do what you have to do.”

   Charlie nodded back gratefully, thrusting the sword at the Educator, but the old woman was too fast. Her talons scraped fiercely against the material of the tent on the floor as she slid to the right before delivering a blow to Charlie’s side.

   Charlie groaned in pain as she was thrown to the ground by the hit, her vision wavering. Her sword clattered to the ground next to her, leaving her defenseless. She rolled onto her back, closing her eyes for a second as another sound of agony escaped her lips.

   When Charlie opened them again, the Educator was standing over her, each of her booted legs on each side of Charlie’s body. The Educator kicked her on her sensitive side again, making Charlie moan.

   “Everything… everything ends here,” The Educator said, raising her sword over Charlie’s chest, right above her heart. Charlie lowered her eyelids, thinking, maybe I deserve this. I’ve caused too much trouble here. Maybe everyone will be happy again when I’m gone…

   No. Ansell’s words rang firmly in Charlie’s head. None of this is your fault. You’re a good person.

   “I’m a good person,” Charlie mumbled, her eyes travelling to her sword on the ground. With the last of her strength, Charlie pushed the Educator’s leg out of the way and rolled onto her stomach just as The Educator jerked towards Charlie’s heart.

   The Educator tripped when Charlie pushed her. She leaned over in an attempt to not completely fall, her back arching as an easy target. It was now or never.

   Charlie quickly grabbed her sword and lifted herself enough to dig her weapon into The Educator’s back. The sword went through, and the evil Educator gave a piercing scream before disappearing in a cloud of black dust.

   Panting and gasping, Charlie’s weak legs gave way and she fell to the floor, her mind muddled as she blacked out.

   She was going in and out of consciousness, only catching glimpses of what was happening to her next. Someone big and strong and fuzzy was carrying her at one point.

   “Your highness,” said Swaggy Swiggy. “This battle has to stop. The unicorns came for Charlie B. Dinkle but all this blood will be in vain if she dies now. Look how weak she is.”

   Charlie blacked out again before waking again to hear Prince Ansell Glimmerings talk. “W-why is she dying? Quick, guards! Stop the battle and put up the white flag!”

   She sunk into sleep again, waking to feel herself being carried and bounced. She opened her eyes a crack to see Swaggy Swiggy taking her across the clearing, where the unicorns were standing on one side while the fairies and squiggles were standing opposite them.

   “Oh, Charlie,” said Quentin, hovering over her in remorse. “Poor, poor Charlie.”

   “What’s going on…?” She tried to move out of Swiggy’s hold, but extreme pain in her hip made her slump back. “O0w, it hurts so much. What’s wrong with me?”

   Ansell rushed to her side. “You’re an extraordinary person, Charlie, but you’re also human. You’re injury is too dangerous for you to stay in Munchopia. Your mortal body must heal in your own world. The unicorns and squiggles have decided to come to a time of peace for now, realizing the error of their ways. All thanks to you, of course.”

   Charlie managed to crack a smile, despite her weakness and struggle to stay awake. “That’s nice,” she said. “I need to tell you all my secret then. My real name isn’t really Charlie B. Dinkle. It’s Molly Smith. Please don’t hate me for lying.”

   “We could never hate you,” Swaggy Swiggy said, his body close to hers. She could still smell a sweet caramel aura on his breath from that first apple she got for him. It seemed like ages ago.

   Then, without warning, Charlie B. Dinkle was being pulled. Away from her magic friends, from all across the hills, across the orange gum drop flowers, inside a familiar set of iron gates, till she could hear the soothing voice of the invisible lady as she flew through different worlds.

   “Welcome back, Molly B. Smith.”

_

   Charlie’s eyes fluttered open, her surroundings hazy at first. Then her eyesight cleared, showing her the display of the forest in front of her with her cozy house in the distance. She was sitting at the roots of the tallest tree in the woods, leaning onto its thick bark. She sat up straighter, taking in everything with surprise.

   I’m… back home? She checked her hip, the pain no longer there.

   “Molly, where are you… Oh, Molly! There you are!” the little girl caught sight of her mother in her apron, running towards her hurriedly. “Molly, my dear, thank goodness! Were you sleeping here? Did you get hurt? Let me see your head; no everything looks fine, thank goodness. You naughty girl, I told you to be home before lunch and look at you; off for two and a half hours! What do you have to say about yourself?”

   “Two hours? But I was gone for the whole day…” she trailed off and gasped, noticing for the first time her hair was no longer bright and long but now back to its former features, short, brown and straight.

   She no longer wore a sparkly, purple dress. She no longer had eyes as blue as the ocean, but eyes as brown as the earth. She was no longer Charlie B. Dinkle, but once again Molly B. Smith.

   “I… I’m me,” said Molly. Several emotions entered her at that moment but remorse was not one of them. Strangely enough, she was glad to be her plain, boring self again. At least for now.

   For now, Charlie B. Dinkle wouldn’t be having any crazy adventures for a long time. They weren’t exactly over, but Molly was okay with not seeing any more unicorns for a while. “I’m sorry, mom,” said Molly B. Smith. “Is lunch ready now? I’m starving.”

T h e   E n d.