WONDER ( Twisted Forbidden Tales ) Book Three

Blooming Seduction Part Three

HANK

Luckily, the Hut was hidden far enough for us to rest here for a few days. Being delayed was inevitable now hopefully Haku was fine and would be waiting for us at the next meet point once we got back on track to arrive there. The old man was stuck handling the conflict with the Tweedles and the D’ Angel family leaving us on our own to find something here in Tantric Gardens known as the Euphoria Orchid.

Alissa wasn’t very good with her sleepwalk act, but all in all, what it led to was something I also thought about as both Happy and then Hank. We had worn ourselves silly the night before, from the dining area to the kitchen and finally the bed. It was a different kind of wild and crazy from when we were under the Haze fog.

I’d awakened, to find the mess we made in the Hut all cleaned up. A pair of men’s clothing lay at the foot of the bed for me to change into. “How the heck did she find suspenders?” I whispered asking no one in particular as I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom nearby to wash up and get dressed.

Alissa’s pack carried many things, so that must have been where she had gotten the clothes from. After getting myself together I headed to the kitchen to find my portion of breakfast waiting. I wasn’t a porridge kind of guy, but Alissa’s porridge for some reason made me salivate with hunger, she added bacon, sausage egg, and some toast on the side. Next to it was a steaming cup of Joe black with a little sugar just how I liked it. It slipped my mind to question how Alissa would know my preferences but my heart filled with warmth at her subtle care for me.

A beautiful sound reached my ears and I couldn’t help turning toward the window to look outside as I ate my breakfast. Clad in a popping yellow raincoat Alissa moved around the Garden with ease. She hummed a tune I couldn’t quite catch, but the melody was lovely as she held two glass specimen tubes in her hand. Finishing my food, my curiosity getting the better of me I headed out to the porch, finding a blue umbrella by the side of the door. Using the umbrella I made to join her and assist if needed.

As if sensing my presence, Alissa turned around, startling me at her appearance with a wacky but crafty-looking gas mask on her face. It was then I noticed the tubes in her hand were filled with orange-colored liquid. I looked up toward the sky and found another surprise. The sky above is a canvas of swirling hues, where clouds of orange blossoms dance gracefully, their petals catching the sunlight and casting a warm, golden glow upon the earth below. With each gentle touch of the breeze, the blossoms rain down, shimmering like liquid gold as they fall to the ground.

“It’s not rainwater?” I asked not expecting the twist, since we arrived at night our vision was not clear as we were covered in what felt like rainwater at the time.

“Beautiful isn't it, for such a deceptive place.” Alissa sighed her voice muffled from the occupation of the gas mask.

“What’s with this get-up?” I asked with my eyebrow arched up in intrigued.

“Safety precautions.” Alissa retorted. She moved to join me on the porch to watch the gentle cascade of orange blossom petals descend from the heavens.

“I get it,” I said nonchalantly as a smile graced my face as we watched in a peaceful silence for a while. Suddenly, a sharp pain ran through my entire body causing me to double over from the unexpected onslaught.

“Hank!” Alissa yelled in concern as my body stiffened filled with a spine-shivering cold as I hit the porch flooring balling up to ease the excruciating torture.

“Uh!” a groan escaped my lips, the painful experience rapidly turning to a tingling sensation on my skin that resembled the crawl of a thousand ants.

“Hold on Hank, I’ll be right back,” Alissa said calmly but a slight panic was tinged in her tone. Her steps hurried off back inside the Hut followed by clanging sounds of pots and pans. Several curse words rang out and I could tell she moved quickly from whatever she was doing.

The pain eased up and I got to my feet slowly using the banister of the porch railing, but a fierce itching took over in my throat and nose.” Ahh! Ahh! Choo!” my body shivered from the force of the sneeze. My feet came from under me just as I felt the change come over my body.

“Not again.” I groaned out just as Alissa returned carrying a cup in her hands. She let out a surprised gasp followed by a bout of laughter as she stared at me in awe and wonder.

“Oh my god Happy Hank, just when I thought things couldn’t get any more insane, only you would be the one to flip that ideal,” she said her voice filled with mirth and merriment from the laughter she just exclaimed from what guessed was my new appearance.

“Go ahead, and have your fun Issa, but I would like to know just what about me is so funny right now,” I said with a frown as I noticed that my voice had interchanging octaves as I spoke, from deep to squeaking cat meow. My frown could only get deeper as Alissa handed the cup over to me.

I grabbed the handle with the steam wafting up toward me. The smell of oranges caressed my senses. I took a sip at the mug as Alissa took my empty hand in hers. My eyes wandered down to our entwined has as she led me back inside the Hut, to find it completely covered in black cat fur.

The hand was still a human one yet I could feel my claws underneath the skin of my furry fingertips. It was on instinct my claws didn’t extract when Alissa entwined our hands. She was never someone I wouldn’t trust, this feeling felt ingrained within me for a long time before I met her in this world. Images of her floated through my mind rapidly and I nearly tripped over my feet. We had met before but where? And our chemistry with one another wasn’t a coincidence, but from a past relationship I still had no recollection of.

“Here we are, now go check your new wicked self out,” Alissa said with a big smile on her face, leaving me to take a look in the full-body floor-length mirror, I hadn't noticed was there until now. I took the last few sips of the drink Alissa had made. She had used one of the tubes with the Orange blossom rain, mixed with a few other herbs to make a special drink for me.

The medicinal properties these petals carried broken down, did ease the aching churning in my stomach. I set the cup down on the side table near the mirror. Finally taking a look at myself in the floor-length mirror.

“Well, you’re shitting me! This is wicked indeed Issa.” I agreed with Alissa’s choice of words. Her description was spot on, for there was no other way to describe the new change that had come over me.

More amused than shocked, my ears stayed tuned to Alissa as she continued to rummage through her pack on the kitchen aisle behind me. On the right side of my body, I was clad in a three-piece pinstripe suit, even my demeanor on this side had shifted from playful to dignified. Black suspenders adorned my form, adding a touch of old-world charm to this ensemble. My face, partially obscured by silver spiked hair, bore a single golden eye that seemed to pierce through the very fabric of reality.

From head to toe on the right side of me, my attire spoke of wealth and elegance, each garment tailored to perfection. A matching timepiece hung on my pants, a subtle nod to the appreciation for the finer things in life back in my realm. Even my shoe tricked out with subtle details, hinted at a life lived on the edge of society's norms. But for some reason, I felt it meant more than that unable to put my finger on it for the time being.

“Fascinating, I say, it must be the mixture of things circulating in your blood now,” said Alissa as she kept rummaging.

“Humph!’ I retorted, not agreeing or disagreeing, trying my best to come to peace with this change for now. At least I still had my height to the advantage. This would take some getting used to as I began to study the left side of my body. At this moment I felt like the depiction of Jekyll and Hyde except for the bipolar mood swings, I was still inside regardless of the strange outer appearance I was sporting now.

On the left side of my body bore the unmistakable charm of Puss in Boots, with a familiar mischievous glint in my emerald eye and a rakish musketeer hat perched atop my head. My jet-black hair on this side cascaded in waves, framing a face that wore a perpetual smirk as if I knew a secret the rest of us could only dream of. My body, tall and lean, spoke of agility and strength, every muscle hinting at a hidden power.

Dressed in attire befitting a swashbuckling rogue, I wore a combination of pirate flair and dashing charm. My clothing, a patchwork of purples and blacks, exuded an air of roguish sophistication. Purple suspenders strapped over my frame, holding together this ensemble with a playful defiance. A gleaming sword hung proudly at my side, which I thought rocked, at least that didn’t disappear with the change. If needed I could prove my prowess in combat though I could use more than just this sword to do so.

This peculiar figure now visioned before me in the mirror, I couldn't help but marvel at the duality of my new being. I stood now a creature born of fantasy and myth, a living embodiment of the chaos and wonder that permeated the very fabric of Wonder Kingdom itself. Though in the back of my mind, I still worry about two words, Side effects.

“Got it!” Alissa said happily as she plunked another triply-looking gas mask on the kitchen aisle when I turned away from the mirror to look at her. She arched an eyebrow up at me at my questioning gaze.

“As I said, safety precautions,” Alissa said with a smug smile on her face.

“So, about the other night, that didn’t include……”

“Nope.” her quick response cut me off as she walked around the aisle toward me to hand me the mask. I big smile donned my face now as she glared at me with a frown on her face. I was teasing her, but my words had been serious. We were in Wonder Kingdom but procreation still worked the same way for us just like humans, that is with Tali and Snow being the exception to the magic rule.

“Cute,” I whispered beside her ear.

“f**k!” Alissa exclaims while putting back on her gas mask and I do the same. Paying close attention to Alissa, it didn’t escape my notice that her skin was slightly pale against the popping yellow of the raincoat she wore. Though she looked full of energy I caught the small cough she let out as she backed up and retreated from being too close to me. She closed up the packsack and slung it over her shoulder. She tossed a folded raincoat to me to put on, this one was in dark blue. We had already wasted a day and a half here, so now was the time to move.

“Where to?” I asked my voice muffled by the gas mask.

“Now, it's on to Orchid Island,” she said as we walked out onto the porch of the small hut. The orange blossom rain had stopped, leaving behind a lingering mist. Now I understood Alissa’s safety precautions, nothing was ever as it seemed on the surface in this Kingdom, and that was something I must instill in myself to remember.

Vibrant flowers of every hue carpeted the ground in a riot of color as we made our way down another trail seemingly leading to this Orchid Island. The trek was not a short one for we walked until the sunset, giving the Tantric Gardens a different look and feel against the backdrop with a hint of an ominous presence hiding just under its surface.