Bats What I Like About You - Part 2
The story: During a camping trip, Poppy tells a campfire story about a magic wish-granting tree which is believed to exist in the Troll world. However, Branch doesn’t believe in the story and says that magic wish-granting trees don’t exist. His disbelief gets the better of him when he finds the tree and before he knows what is going on with it, it casts a spell on Branch, causing him to transform into a vampire bat and believe that the tree does exist! Now stuck as a bat, he has to try to get himself back to normal with the help of a bat named Feng, who tags along with him for the rest of the adventure.
You already seen what had happened in Part 1. Now get ready for Part 2!:
Poppy was so bewildered by Branch’s disbelief on the story about the mystical Great Wishing Tree that has existed in the Troll forest. Without even saying a word, sighing, she led her friends into the camping tents and they all drifted to sleep...
...except for Branch, of course. He stayed up late reading his survival book on urban legends of the Troll world, trying to find information about the existence of the Great Wishing Tree. He yawned but managed to stay awake by drinking some cups of coffee yet he never gave up on his research.
Finally, it seems like Branch could not find anything related to the special tree in his book and he groaned with frustration. Then he took his flashlight from his bed and emerged from his tent, activating the light emitting from the torch.
“Darn you, Poppy,” Branch grumbled to himself as he disappeared from the campsite and out into the woods. “If you and every Troll can claim that this wish-granting tree does exist, I’ll show her how I can prove it was true!”
It was midnight when Branch has gone to the furthest part of the woods. There, he was trying to find any trace of the Great Wishing Tree in every part of it. Then he realized something.
“Aw, man. We’re running out of firewood for the campfire! Gotta collect some sticks for it!”
Branch hurried to another part of the forest and started his daily survival routine on collecting some firewood sticks. Without firewood, it will be dark, more spooky and cold for the Trolls to camp here.
He spent the entire night collecting sticks here when he heard a shrill, high-pitched cry in the distance.
Eeeeeeeep!!
“Huh?” Branch pricked up his pointy ears when he suddenly heard it. When he turned around a corner, something dashed from behind the trees!
Branch jumped back and whispered “W-who’s there?! Great Wishing Tree?!”
Eeeeeeeep!!
The high-pitched cry rang over his ears again. Branch kept turning every corner of the woods trying to find what is making those noises. He cradled his pile of firewood sticks in his arms and headed for the sound.
When he got to the part where the high-pitched cry was coming from, Branch saw a strange-looking animal with two flaps on its arms and a mouse-like face. It was hanging upside down on a branch, squeaking.
Eeeeep!!
Branch rolled his eyes. He knew it was just a noise from another annoying little creature; a ruthless-looking vampire bat. Just as he was about to resume collecting firewood, the bat opened its wings and took off before him, screeching like mad.
Eeeeeeeep!!! Eeeeeeep!!! Eeeeeeeep!!!
Branch screamed! The bat circled around his head, squeaking loudly at him so hard his ears might burst!
He tried to swat it away by using one of his sticks, yelling “Get it off! Get off! Get off me! Shoo! Get away from me!”
But the bat would not listen to him. Then it snatched the pile of firewood and flew off. Branch was horrified!
“Hey!” he shouted. “Get back here! THOSE ARE MINE!!!”
Panicked, he chased after the bat, taking his sticks in its feet and soaring past tree to tree and branch to branch. (Well, obviously also to Branch at the same time...) Branch ran even faster as his legs could carry him to catch it, raising his hand towards the sticks but the bat flew away even faster!
Eeeeeeeeep!! Eeeeeeep!!! Eeeeep!!! It screeched as it struggled to keep it up with the weight of the sticks it was carrying just as Branch ran closer to it.
“Come on!” he shouted at the bat. “I need those sticks! We won’t live without firewood! Give them to me now, YOU FLYING CRITTER BRAIN!!!”
The chase goes on between Branch and the runaway bat. Soon the bat stopped by a white tree branch and decided to rest on it. It put the sticks on top of it and settled itself upside down beside them.
Branch caught up to the bat and demanded while stopping himself from running, out of breath “Finally! Give me back my sticks or else I’m gonna...SHAKE THIS TREE TO SHREDS!!!” He said the last words as he went near a white tree trunk and shook it as hard as possible.
The tree rattled back and forth as Branch shook it with all his might. The bat was simply annoyed by this that it flew off the branch and took Branch’s sticks before taking off completely.
Eeeeeeeeep!!
“Oh, goodness!” a female voice gasped out of nowhere. “Who shook me awake?”
The voice was indicating Branch shaking the tree. When he saw the bat flying away with his firewood sticks once more, he shouted “Come back! I wasn’t done for you yet! Not without those sticks!”
Then he shouted at the top of his lungs “I wish I would even fly faster like you!”
BLING!!! BLING!!!
Suddenly, without warning, magical sparkles showered over Branch’s hair. He turned around and tried to see what it going on, but the sparkles are blinding him and making him hard to see what is happening.
BRILING!! BLING!!!
Branch groaned as the sparkles sprinkled around his hair, his nose, his ears and most of all, his entire body. A hot spasm of pain exploded through his body.
Suddenly, a white pointy thing sprouted from his mouth. Followed by another.
Branch tried to open his mouth and talk while the sparkles still shower over him. “Eeeeeep, eeep.”
It looked like he was squeaking. Stunned, Branch looked around the forest all around him. It seemed to get bigger.
And bigger.
“Eeeeeep!” he screamed.
The forest isn’t getting bigger and bigger.
He was getting smaller and smaller!
Finally, the sparkles died out and Branch fell to the ground!
THUNK!!!
He groaned from the impact and held up his hand, only now it wasn’t there anymore. It was just a claw, covered with grey hair. The same happened to his other hand too.
Same with his legs too. They shrank. And ended in sharp claws too.
His clothes had vanished.
Something was growing out underneath his arms.
When Branch looked at his hand, he saw a large grey flap from underneath one of his arms! “Huh?!”
Then he looked at his body and stammered “What h-h-happened to me?!”
Branch tried walking but tripped over his own wing!
“Ow!” he cried as he fell on his belly.
Groaning and shaking, Branch wanted to know what is going on. He looked at a puddle near him and saw what went completely wrong! Really really WRONG!!!
“Eeeeeeeeeeeep!!!” Branch screamed as loudly as possible. Then he covered his mouth with his claws and yelped “I never said that!”
Horrified, he looked at his reflection in the puddle. His whole Troll body is now replaced with a bat’s! What is going on?!
“What the?!” he babbled in panic. “I-I’m a bat?! I’ve turned into a bat now?! OH NO!!! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME?!”
This was just one big mystery of what caused him to become this...
To Be Continued...
Stay tuned for Part 3!
Courtesy of @gemennair for the picture of the Great Wishing Tree.
