The Dragon Flower: Part Ten

      While walking towards the stone dais, Lopina finally came to her senses and asked Amina, “What happened to me earlier?”

      “Mr. Coco had pressed a button, and you were engulfed in electricity that came from your upper arm.”

      “All right, set them there, and would one of you release Amina. This experiment will not work with that muzzle on and her hands tied,” Delia ordered.

      The guards placed the girls next to each other on the outskirts of the dais. One of the guards cut the rope and removed the muzzle from Amina’s face. All the guards stepped back a little, but they were within grabbing distance of them so they couldn’t run, even if they wanted to.

      “Where are we?” the green Xweetok asked.

      “What do you want with us, anyway?” Amina asked as she rubbed her wrists from the rope.

      “We are on the foundation of your old home that burnt to the ground three years ago,” Delia told the girls.

      “You mean it wasn’t a dream!?” Amina gasped. “It actually happened!?”

      “Well, of course it happened! I was trying to get a hold on you two, but that stupid Gelert and Lutari got in my way!” Delia said angrily. “What an unfortunate end for the two of them. If only they would have just handed you over, they wouldn’t have died and I wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble trying to find you!”

      “You killed our parents!?” Amina growled and showed some teeth.

      “Well, you know how it goes,” Delia sighed. “Anyway, that is not why you are here. You are here to do something important for me. And I need your very special power to do that.”

      “What?” Lopina gasped. “NO! Our powers are for good and only good!”

      “But this is good, sweetheart,” Delia said, smiling. “Now then, you girls will behave yourselves or...”

      Mr. Coco pressed the button again, and since the girls were next to each other, the electricity engulfed both of them. The girls cringed and tried to breathe, but couldn’t. Delia nodded her head, and Mr. Coco released the button. The girls sighed and grabbed each other for support.

      “Now, I would suggest that you two cooperate before you are seriously hurt,” Delia told them.

      “NO!” Amina yelled.

      “You don’t have a choice now.” Delia grinned and turned to the guards. “Put the girls in the middle of the dais.”

      The guards lifted the girls off the ground and carried them to the middle of the dais.

      “Now then, a little information about this experiment: During the Great Battle of the Orb... you might know it as the Battle for Meridell... the Great Orb that has the power to make any land prosper was destroyed. Ever since the war, I have been trying to find a way to restore the orb, in order to restore my own kingdom! After the war, I captured your mother with the thought that I could transfer the essence of everlasting apple into her, with the intention of creating a power that would restore life to its original purpose. I was nearing the end of the experiment when that blasted Chomby stole your mother from me. I can’t reproduce my original experiment, but you two are the product of your mother and when both of you are together, you have the same power she had.” She paused and bent down to the girls’ level.

      “What you two are going to do first is revive this ancient stone dais,” Delia said. “This was once used to teleport travelers to wherever they wanted to go. I want to go get the pieces of the orb, and then you two will restore it for me!”

      “NO!” Amina said. “We will not help you rule the world! I would rather die than help you!”

      Lopina nodded in agreement and said, “I won’t help you either!”

      “HAHAHAHAHAHA!” Delia laughed. “Like I said earlier you DO NOT have a choice! Grab them!”

      The guards grabbed the girls and placed one of their paws on the dais and Delia walked around behind them. Delia grabbed their remaining paws and placed them on top of each other. The blue-green glow began to grow. The girls struggled to stop the flow of power, but their struggle was for naught. The glow engulfed the dais, Delia, and the guards.

      No, we can’t let this happen! Must think of something else, Amina thought frantically. “Lopina, think about babies!” Amina cried to her sister.

      “All right!”

      The glow became so bright that it could be seen ten miles away! When the glow subsided, Amina and Lopina collapsed out of sheer exhaustion.

      “Yes, it worked! The dais is shining, just as it should!” Delia yelled, as she stood up.

      Delia walked over to the control panel and reached up... way up.

      “What’s going on? Why can’t I reach it?” Delia asked. She looked down at herself and was in shock, for she was a baby!

      In fact, the guards were all babies as well!

      “COCO!” Delia cried. “Don’t just stand there, do something!”

      “I am afraid I cannot,” Mr. Coco replied.

      “Why not?” Delia ordered and looked over to where Mr. Coco was standing and gasped. “Mendanbar!”

      “Hello, Delia, long time no see,” Captain Mendanbar said with a smile.

      “How did you get here?” Delia asked.

      “I was bringing Ms. Forest over to see Amina and Lopina, and we came across Crystal, who was very kind in telling us where you were,” Captain Mendanbar answered. “Men, take their weapons and let us escort these hooligans to the authorities, I am sure they would be happy to hear we have found their most wanted criminal.”

      “Just you wait, Mendanbar, I will get you for this yet!” Delia yelled as she was being taken away.

          ~~~~~~~

      Several days passed before the girls regained consciousness. Lopina was the first to wake up and she talked with Ms. Forest for several minutes. After conversing with her former teacher, Lopina jumped out of bed and bounded over to Amina. Lopina gently shook her blue sister and Amina opened her eyes. She saw Lopina hovering over her. “Hi Lopina,” Amina said.

      “Hi. Guess what?” Lopina asked.

      “What?”

      “We won!”

      “Oh good!”

      “Amina, sit up. There is someone here who wants to see you.”

      As Amina sat up, she realised that she was back in the mansion that Mr. Coco had built. She looked around and saw Crystal, Captain Mendanbar, and Ms. Forest all smiling at her.

      “Glad you finally woke up!” Captain Mendanbar chuckled. “You two had me worried there for a while.”

      “Why?” Amina asked.

      “Well, Ms. Forest said that we have been unconscious for several days,” Lopina responded.

      “Hi Amina, how are you feeling?” Ms. Forest asked.

      “I’m great!” Amina said and jumped out of bed to hug her dear teacher. She looked at Mendanbar and said, “What happened to Delia and Mr. Coco?”

      “We turned Delia into a baby, and Captain Mendanbar here took care of Mr. Coco!” Lopina answered.

      “You do not need to worry about them, for they are under the loving care of the authorities,” Captain Mendanbar told her with a small grin. “As for the stone dais, it was given to researchers to study, and they have great hopes for the future.”

      “Good,” Amina sighed. She looked at her green sister and said, “Well, where do we go now? Back to the orphanage?”

      “Nope!” Ms. Forest answered. “You two have been adopted by a loving couple. They heard about your story while you were unconscious, and signed all the necessary paperwork.”

      “Really!?” Lopina cried.

      “Who?” Amina asked.

      Captain Mendanbar and Ms. Forest looked at each other and smiled, “By us!”

      “You mean you two have adopted us?” Lopina gasped. They nodded their heads and Lopina yelled, “YAY!!”

      Amina was speechless and really didn’t know what to say. Finally she gathered her thoughts and said, “YAY!!”

     ~~~~~~~

      As the story goes on, Mendanbar and Ms. Forest married a few weeks later and together they all moved into the mansion that Mr. Coco had built for the take over of the world (really glad that didn’t happen).

     Crystal the Chomby stayed with the girls and looked after them, just to keep them out of trouble.

      Amina and Lopina were thrilled to have a mother and father again. Amina was finally content with the details of her dream and she didn’t have the dream again. The electrode in Lopina’s arm was safely removed and donated to science for research. The girls planted Draik Flowers all over the yard in honor and remembrance of their parents.

      Mr. Coco, Delia and the guards were sent to prison for life and still wonder to this day how they got turned into babies.

      “Hey Amina!?” Lopina called.

      “Yah, Lopina?”

      “See I told you we would have a family again!”

      “That you did and a very good family it is!”

The End