His Story

Avril took the dress and gripped tightly onto the neckline then sat on the floor, with her back resting against the stone wall. Her emotions were a mixture of terror, delight and curiosity. Terror, in the sense that he (Dakar), was some sort of mystical creature that predicted her coming and was ready and waiting for her, to do her bad maybe. She could be some sort of sacrifice.

Delight, in the sense that someone or something wanted her and waited for her. And even made her a dress. It was the first time she received kindness from someone who wasn't her mum or dad. Even though she wasn't sure if Dakar meant good for her, she was overly filled with delight that she received kindness from him.

She then hummed as she remembered something.

“Dakar is not the only one who's shown me kindness other than my parents. Freddie, Nana and Chidi were also kind to me” she muttered and bit her lower lip. She agreed that the three people she mentioned had shown her a little more kindness, than Dakar.

Avril got on her feet and smoothed where she had been clutching tightly on the dress. She hung it back and looked around the room. Dakar had told her to take a shower and change. But where was she to shower? Was there a bathroom somewhere?

She couldn't find a door or an opening other than the door she had walked through into the room and the small window. Right then, a knock –by Dakar– came on the door. She gently pulled it open and he peeked at her, thinking she had already changed or in a not-to-be-seen position.

“Oh! You're still...” he trailed off, not knowing how to address how she was, still looking the same. “Uhm... I forgot to show you how the bathroom works” he cooed.

“I was almost stranded, trying to figure out where it was” Avril chirped and got out of the way for him to enter into the room. He dropped on all fours and took slow strides into the room.

“It's right over here” he said, walking towards a flat and smooth mountain wall.

“There's no door there, Dakar” Avril drawled and crossed her arms. Dakar chuckled and faced the wall, now standing on two legs.

“I'm dirty and need a wash” he purred and she scoffed, thinking he was joking around.

“I'm the one who seriously needs a wash. Why are you saying it like it's some sort of password to a secret bathroom” she snickered with an eye roll

Sounds of rock moving against rock filled the room and Avril darted her eyes to the movement her peripheral vision sighted. Her jaw dropped and her whole body stiffened to the extent that she didn't blink an eye.

Right in front of her, the wall was breaking into sections and parting to reveal a room. A dark room.

“What in the name of...” her voice trailed off as the parting stopped and the room, though still dark, came into full view.

“It's a bathroom en suite” he chortled loudly and his ears fell backwards

“But how? How did you make this, Dakar?” she asked as she took a walk inside, not wanting to believe there was truly a luxurious bathroom hidden in a rock.

“Oh, it's just a little trick. Just a little easy piece of pie” Dakar mumbled and walked in too.

The floor was cold, smooth and a little soft under feet that Avril wondered if it was actually rock. She touched the carved out bathtub and stared back at Dakar.

“Are you magical?” she questioned with peering eyes

“No. I'm a human in a wolf suit. Totally ordinary”

For a split second there, she almost believed him. That he was truly human in a wolf's suit. But she immediately reasoned. What would a human be doing on the island alone? And it was way too huge to be a human. Also, she had rode on him and he felt real and was extremely fast. Certainly, a human can't do that.

“Oops! You're supposed to be showering or taking a hot bath now. My bad. I apologise. If you want a shower just pull that rectangular rock there on the wall. It will rain on you the exact type of water you want. Also the bathtub, just step in and the type of water you desire fills it. Have a nice time” he cooed and dropped on all fours then took slow strides out of the room. The rock at the entrance of the bathroom began to shut and she ran there , panicking. But fortunately, it opened as she got closer. She moved back again and it began to shut.

With a sigh of relief, she turned towards the tub. She took off her dress and stepped into the tub. She gave an exciting yelp when silvery sparkling water rose up to her neck out of the blues. The water was rather on the hotter side than the warm and bubbles kept rising out of it.

She settled in and stayed in that one spot for long minutes. Soon, the bathroom was covered in stream.

After feeling fresher, she rubbed her skin with a clean towel from the water and stepped out. She saw another set of towels hanging from a carved out handle, and she was sure they weren't there when she first entered.

After wrapping up, she walked to the door and it opened up.

Few minutes later, she had worn the dress that looked magically cleaner, pulled her damp hair into a ponytail (she used strands of her own hair to wrap it up), and decorated it with little daisies and walked out of the room.

There was no sign of Dakar in the bright living room, only colourful birds fluttering in and out the open windows. She walked up to one and a cool breeze greatest and still moist skin. The view was excellent. She could see the tall statue if the warrior and even beyond that. She saw the trees and gardens but couldn't really see the waterfall.

“Wait!” she blurted out suddenly. Her expression changed to horror mixed with surprise

“This window wasn't here when I first came in” she said and stepped back from it as if it had burned her.

“That's because I just opened it. The same way the bathroom door opens”

She looked back and saw Dakar standing with a basket of fruits in his right paw.

“I went to get these for you. I'm preparing lunch but you might be really hungry. So, you can have them” he said and placed the basket in her hand. How he got so close, Avril couldn't comprehend.

“Thank you. But—”

“I got that mango for you. The one you like. I went back to that exact tree”

“Oh really! It's in here?” she looked into the basket and caught sight of it underneath. She smiled and sat down on one of the rock-sofas and brought it out. She began to eat and forgot all her curiosity and questions she wanted to ask Dakar.

An hour later, she was sitting down in front of a long table made of long sticks like bamboos. They were tied strongly together and very firm.

Her jaw was dropped open as she stared at dishes of different delicacies. All smelling delicious and looking like it. Dakar was sitting at the other end of the table and had a somewhat grin on his face, a satisfactory grin. He had done a good job.

“How did you—”

“Oh just dig in! You're so hungry! Try one of my pork chops, they're delicious. Have you tried my rice cakes? Come on, try 'em!”

Once more, Avril swallowed her questions. She began to eat the rice cakes first and surprisingly, they were the best she ever had. All the food tasted exceptionally well.

After lunch, their desserts were just freshly made fruit juice but Avril testified that she had never had such a hearty meal in her life. Not even on the ship with Freddie's help. She suddenly wished the girls were there with her, on the island.

“So, you never really told me your name” he said as they made their way out.

“Avril Henderson” she simply replied

“Pretty name, there”

Dakar took her to sit under an enormous tree after their got outside. Finally, she decided to ask her questions.

“Mind telling me what you are now, Dakar? How did you get her? What are you even doing here? How did you do all those stuff?”

He stared at her as if looking right through her. He lifted his paw and a yellow coloured bird flew and stood on it.

“I was cursed” he breathed out and the bird flew into a branch

“Cursed?”

“Yes. By an old hag who hated me. She created a trap and I stupidly fell for it. She cursed me and sent me here. I have the power to create things, to do things normal humans can't. But I can't find my way home” he said that last sentence with a grim face, his ears fell backwards.

“Can't you create a boat and sail off?” Avril asked

“The ocean, it burns me. It's like lava to me, I can't touch it even if I'm hidden in the thickest ship”

“How long have you been here again?”

“Fifty three years now”

For the next few seconds none of them spoke.

“The first few years was hell. This place was worst than a desert. I couldn't believe I was trapped. I tried to find my way out, but I forgot everything about the location of my former home. All I knew was I had another home and family. I forgot the name of my place” he made a sad chuckle then continued “I had no choice but to make this place my home. I took care of it and now I love it”

“You created the food too? And the lights, towels—”

“Oh no. I got the lights from human cities. They are solar panels on the mountain top. I send my friends to buy them with human money. They then bring them all the way here. But as for the food, I rear animals and I plant crops”

“You have friends”

“Dolphins. They visit every evening from the ocean. They get those things for me and bring them here in waterproof bags”

“But how do they buy them?”

Dakar chortled and said “They actually steal them from stalls by the beach. They're very good at it, especially with their merfriends”

“Merfriends?”

“Two mermen. They're very mischievous”

“Wow. This is all too much to take in. Feels so unrealistic”

“Yeah. Nice dress though. Fits you perfectly”

“You knew I was coming, right? How?”

“I got a weird prophecy ten years ago. That a certain lady will appear on my island one day, and break the curse”

Avril's eyes widened. “Me? I'm the lady? How sure are you?’’

“I also got the time and date. The exact date you were washed ashore. I almost couldn't believe the prophecy came too pass. I left you in a cave thinking you would disappear but, you were still there the next day”

But Avril wasn't listening anymore. Her mind was clouding up. How on Earth would she break a fifty-three year old curse?