Molly PoV

I ended up staying four and a half days at Wizard's house recovering from my fever. Dr. Jin came by to check on me and so did Luna, Candace, Maya, Kathy and Owen. Wizard was not pleased by the sudden flood of people in his house. Anytime a person came in, he would go out and sit on the roof until they left. He was like a pouty anti-social cat that would hide when people came over and tried to pet him. He also complained about messes, and never having peace and quiet, even when it was just me and Flinn there. We weren't that messy or loud!
I've now been home on my own for two days with just Flinn and myself and I finally feel well enough to go out and do farm work. Owen and Luke had taken care of my cow and two chickens while I was under the weather, and they also brought me orange juice in the mornings. It was really nice.
I sat at my kitchen table and stretched. Flinn had been bugging me about how we had to make up for lost time and all we can do now is look for the bells, so here I am now, sat at my kitchen table swirling a spoon around in my coffee and numerous books and papers spread all over the table. I piled my hair into a messy bun on my head and leaned back in my chair and looked at the ceiling. What was wizard doing now? The clock on my wall read 8:13am. He's probably on his second cup of coffee and reading one of his weird squiggly books.
How should I thank him? Rather how should I thank everyone? I really inconvenienced them. "You're useless! An inconvenience to your sister and I! Just like your worthless father." The words I heard throughout my childhood rang back to me. My mother always called me an inconvenience. I knew I would never be as perfect as my sister, Angela, but she didn't have to remind me every day. Angela was smart, she did well in school, she participated in plays, she took lots of business and economics classes; she was perfect in my mother's eyes. Looking back on it, I think I left home to get away from them, not for a change of scenery. I felt smothered, I could never do anything right.
My eyes felt like someone had put them in a deep fryer.
I was removed from my thoughts by a tapping noise on my window. Flinn was holding a watering can and frowning at me.
"I'll get back to work!" I sighed, "We'll find that bell today, Flinn! For sure!" I called through the window, forcing a smile. Flinn's face softened and he went back to watering. It cheered me up some watching such a small sprite lift a watering can that was 3 times his size.
I looked back at the mess of papers in front of me and rested my head in my palm. I had to focus. "Yellow bell equals soil, huh?" I started tapping a pencil on the table. I smirked and pictured Flinn, Wizard, and I digging up all of Castanet. I looked out the window at Flinn, "I want to go outside, too." I mumbled longingly to myself. I was growing bored.
I know my attention span is very much lacking for a 22 year old, but I've always learned by doing, not by reading. I stood up and walked over to my bed, climbed over it and unlatched the lock on the window. A warm sea breeze rolled through the house and I sighed wishing I could go to the beach.
It wasn't quite summer yet, about 11 more days, but it was warm enough to go swimming. "I wonder if Wizard will go to the beach with me?" I asked myself. The thought of him in his dark clothing and cape standing on the sunny beach made me giggle. I sat on my bed looking out the window when I saw Flinn go into the chicken coop.
"I think I'm going to go to the beach Flinn, that's okay, right?" I started an imaginary conversation with myself. "Of course Molly, anything to find the yellow bell!" I mimicked Flinn's high pitched voice. I hopped out the window and ran as quickly as I could towards Flute Fields, looking over my shoulder occasionally to make sure the little sprite wasn't following me.
I felt a little guilty about leaving so suddenly and not telling the little guy, but I had been trapped inside the past 5 days and a trip to the beach would help clear my head. I grinned as I approached the little beach, I could see all the washed up coral and shells, and I could smell the salty air. "Ahhhhh~" I stretched extending my hands to the bright blue sky. I took my shoes and socks off and wiggled my toes in the sand, so warm!
I really wish I had brought a picnic basket and a blanket with me, but I didn't really have much time to grab anything. I came here on a whim. I plopped down into the sand and lay on my back. Looking up at the vast blue sky made me think of that silver haired sorcerer again. What was that stupid Wizard doing right now? Probably sitting happily in his house all alone. Did he enjoy being alone?
I didn't think anyone ever truly enjoyed isolating themselves from others. Maybe I could drag him to the beach with me? I sat up and picked up my socks and shoes and began a light jog back towards my home when I stubbed my toe on something hard in the sand and face planted into the ground. "Ohwwww..." I put my hand over my nose that had begun leaking blood. "Dummit…" I turned and looked to see what I had tripped over. There was a piece of yellow rusting metal sticking out of the sand.
I scooted closer to the mostly buried object and began digging, ignoring the blood that was dripping out of my nose.
"THERE YOU ARE MOLLY." A very tiny and annoyed voice called from behind me.
"Not now Flinn. I just found something!"
"We're supposed to be helping the harvest goddess! We need to ring the bells! Not make sand castles!"
I pried the large yellow bell out of the sand and held it in my arms. "Look at this Flinn!.. What were you saying about bells?" I stood and showed him the bell in my hands, smiling smugly, and feeling triumphant.
Flinn's face brightened up at the sight of the bell, he flew over to it and patted it a few times, like greeting an old friend, and flashed yellow. "That's great, Molly!"
He looked up at me and lost all the color in his face and fell to the ground.
"Flinn?" I knelt down.
"Your face… there's blood in your teeth." Flinn replied weakly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After going back to my house (somehow managing to carry Flinn and the bell from the beach), I cleaned up my face and headed off to Wizard's home.
"I can't believe you knew where to look for the yellow bell, Molly!" Flinn cheered, perched on my shoulder like a magical orange canary.
"It wasn't that hard to figure out... The weather certainly is warming up isn't it? Maybe I'll grow some watermelon this summer." I laughed nervously and nearly tripped on the dirt path.
"What's watermelon taste like? I've never had it." Flinn flew off of my shoulder and began flying in pace with me.
"You've never had watermelon before?" I looked at the little sprite next to me and shifted the weight of the bell in my arms. The Harvest Goddess certainly didn't make these bells light.
"Nuh-uh. It's like Wizard said, magical beings don't require food the way humans do. We eat for the taste not for sustenance." He talked and gestured just as a teacher reminding his students to do their homework would. "But… what does it taste like?" His eyes were shining with curiosity.
I smiled as we crossed over the stone bridge. "Well, watermelon is sweet and it's really juicy." Did Wizard like watermelon?
"Need some help with that Molly?" Owen jogged up to me and smiled.
I shook my head, "I think I've got it, but thank you!"
Owen's face reddened. "It's not right to let a girl carry something that heavy… And are you sure you're feeling better?" he reached out to touch my forehead but hesitated.
"I'm fine, I'm fine! Promise! You worry as much as Doctor Jin." I answered and continued walking into town.
Owen walked along side of me and shrugged. "I don't know… I just think you should be resting, not carrying around heavy bells. There's time for that after you've fully recovered…" He was quiet for a moment, "But I guess it's not my place to say that..."
I peeked at him from the corner of my eye and he had shoved his hands in his pockets and was looking at the ground.
"Well, if I didn't feel well enough to do it, I promise you, I wouldn't be doing it." I replied softly and smiled at him.
"C'mon Mol-", he was interrupted by the sound of my stomach growling.
I felt my face grow hot and I did my best not to drop the bell on the ground and curl up into a ball of embarrassment. Owen roared with laughter.
"I-it's not that funny!" My voice cracked which caused him to laugh even more. Flinn looked at me puzzled by what was going on. Arghhhh! I wanted to crawl into the bushes!
Owen patted my shoulder and took the bell from me, "Want to get something to eat?" he asked sheepishly, both of us not making eye contact with each other.
I put my hand over my stomach. "Sure." I nodded still traumatized from a few seconds ago.
"MOLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY." Flinn whined. "We have to bring the bell and show it to Wizard!"