The Enchanted Forest of Mangga

6. Don't eat the mushrooms 'cause if you do, you'll turn into one too...

Sez the ever curious little bata was very much intrigued with the brown and white mushrooms. The first thing he thought was obviously FOOD. Then the second thing he thought was obviously more discoveries he can collect into his trusty-pal pail together with his new amphibian friend, Kaloy. (Even at this moment, the children didn't get the names of the fairy and the frog because they couldn't understand fairy or creatures-of-the-forest language. They only thought of them as fairy and frog.)

But now that they have encountered these brown and white mushrooms, things will be different for them...

Bea being ever more cautious than her brothers tried to hold back Sez from pulling out a mushroom. "Don't touch it."

Well, it was too late.

"Eww, this is icky," Sez said. He hadn't pulled out the mushroom, but between his fingers, he felt slime so he wiped it off his shirt.

"Don't think of eating it, Sez," Bea warned the youngest. "Or you'll become a mushroom too."

Sez glowered. It was an expression that Bea liked to see often when she wanted to tease him because his cheeks became more fluffier to pinch. But she held a straight face hoping to not break face. Although, Ali was pretty fast with his fingers and actually did slightly pinch Sez's cheeks with a grin. Sez swiped his older brother's hand.

Kaloy the frog peaked with his two limbs grabbing onto the brim of the Sez's pail and watched the children. He, too, thought that the younger boy's cheeks look puffy. Kaloy really liked the younger boy. After all, it was the first time Kaloy was wanted and held gently from a young human.

The fairy clapped her tiny hands as loud as she could to catch the children's attention. The children stopped to turn to the fairy, even the frog too. Then, she squeaked. But then she realized, the children tilted their heads to the side with a confused expression, though not the frog. The fairy sighed and knocked on Bea shoes, telling her to follow her.

The fairy entered into the center of the mushroom ring and beckoned the children to do the same. Bea, Ali, and Sez crowded together with the fairy inside the mushroom ring, watching and waiting for the fairy's directions. With her two fingers pointing to her purple eyes and then to the children, she was saying watch me. Then, she cleared her throat.

The children thought she was going to sing. She didn't.

She extended her slender arms to her sides with her palms facing upwards and stood straight as tall as a cross. She tilted to the left then to the right and left to the right. As she tilted her body, her right foot pointed forward then her left foot. She brought her arms forward to clap twice.

"What is she doing, Ate?" Ali asked Bea.

The children were amused by the fairy's actions.

"I think she's dancing?" Bea said, but she was hushed by the fairy who turned around and glared at them.

The fairy squeaked angrily and put a finger to her pursed lips. Shh!

The children nodded.

The fairy sighed and shook again. She restarted her dance. After clapping twice, she bent her knees as she raised her arms to the morning sky and slowly whirled around. Then, she pushed out her arms with her bum sticking out to the other end then did the same to the other side. The final step was when she crossed her arms to her chest, wiggled her hips descending to ground like a wiggly earthworm, and stepped out of the mushroom ring.

She squeaked. You get it?

The children giggled.

The fairy placed her hands on her temple. Children.

She pointed to the children. Your turn.

The children gazed at each other. The fairy was telling them to dance. Maybe it was for good luck?

The dance moves were fairly simple, but the children weren't in sync that the fairy disapproved. Bea was very slow with her moves, Ali danced too fast, and Sez gave up halfway. The fairy shook her head furiously, and squeaked angrily and impatiently. Kaloy the frog hid inside the pail.

No, no, no! The fairy squeaked. Like this! She repeated the same dance moves over and over, correcting their mistakes.

Push your bum out more! She directed Bea.

Stop laughing, Ali! She scolded Ali.

Sez, you gotta move your body! She yelled at Sez.

After ten messy attempts, the children stepped out of the mushroom ring, breathing heavily as they took a short break to sip on their water bottle.

"Whew, that took forever!" a high-pitched voice said. "I would like to drink some water too."

The children widened their eyes.

"You have to say please," the frog croaked shyly, his amphibian head appeared above the brim of the pail. "It's polite and good manners."

The fairy blew her bangs away from her purple eyes. "Fine, please."

"Y-you have to say it like you mean it," the frog said.

"Okay, okay. I would like to drink water please," the fairy politely said.

The children froze.

A while ago, the smooth-skinned forest frog abducted and almost swallowed the fairy, the fairy was angry at their failed dance attempts, now these creatures could talk and saying please.

"W-w-what?!" Bea stammered.

"I hear them, Ate! I understand what they're saying!" Ali shouted.

"They talk! They talk!" Sez yelled too as if accusing them.

"B-but how?" Bea asked.

"It was the dance," the frog said.

The fairy nodded. "After the dance spell inside the magic mushroom ring, you human children can see and understand Engkanto."

"Ooohhh..." the children said in wonder at the same time. Bea poured a few drops of water into the bottle cap and held it for the fairy to take sips from. Sez did the same for the frog, which the frog lapped messily with the water splattering over its body and on Sez's clothes.

Wiping her mouth, the fairy introduced herself. "My name is Danaya."

"And my name is Kaloy," the frog said.

"Ooohhh..." the children said in wonder at the same time again.

Three children, a fairy, and a frog continued their journey into the enchanted forest. Little did they know, the obstacles that they will be facing will be challenging.

And deadly.

1031 words

4612 total

April 4, 2021