Bro Druid: A Tail as Old as Time: Bodhi and the Beast

Although Bodhi had spent a day in the storybook, when he came back, barely any time had passed. Annoyed, the sea otter tried to get to the lady at the desk to bump him to the next in the line to get recertified, but she just told him to wait. Straightening his black aloha shirt and purple board shorts, he stomped back to his seat. Bodhi knew how to do stitches, CPR, and how to do injections. All this recertification seemed like a waste of his time. Without thinking, the blue-striped otter randomly picked up a book and flipped it open. A rainbow of light blinded the Bodhi again as he teleported against his will.

 

When his vision cleared, the sea otter lifeguard found himself in an immense old castle. Dust gathered on every surface of what was probably once an impressive palace. Bodhi quietly tried to walk through the building, looking for any sign of life. He felt paranoid, as if unseen forces were watching him. Fur stood on end as the lifeguard approached the top of the grand stairs. A loud growl and a grunt sounded before a hairy, snarling beast burst out a door and charged Bodhi, towering over the sea otter.

 

“Hey bro, nice pad you got here,” the lifeguard offered his fist for a bump. This monstrous person wasn’t the biggest creature Bodhi had met, and he didn’t seem that dangerous. “Sorry to intrude but I’m not sure how I got here or how to leave.”

 

“Why do you not fear me,” the beast demanded, showing his sharp teeth. His tangled and matted brown fur poked out from his torn clothing as he awkwardly touched the otter’s fist. “I could eat you where you stand!”

 

“Nah bro. You look like you just need some self care and some cuddles,” Bodhi laughed as he looked over the monstrous person before him. “Let’s get you cleaned up and into some better clothes.”

 

“Servants! Run a bath,” the beast shouted after a moment of thought on what the otter was proposing. Maybe he had been wallowing in his misery for too long. 

 

There was a rush of air as invisible servants hurried to carry out their master’s commands. Over the next hour, Bodhi used all the fancy shampoos and a couple of hairbrushes to fix the mess of the beast’s fur. This bathing session wasn’t the first time the sea otter had to do this, but unlike last time, this person wasn’t full of twigs, plants, and small animals from living in the wilderness for ten years. With that completed, they found some nice clothes and ribbons to dress the beast up nice and fancy. Bodhi’s clothes were soaked, but the unseen servants could only find a yellow ball gown to fit him.

 

“No going to lie, I think I’m pulling this off, bro,” the lifeguard smirks as he checks himself out in a mirror. He waited in a ballroom for the beast to descend the grand stairs.

 

“It looks good on you, my otter friend,” the monstrous humanoid remarked as he entered the room. Clapping his hands, the beast summoned music played by the invisible servants. He offered his hand to Bodhi. “Would you honor me with this dance?”

 

“Sure, bro,” the sea otter smiled as he took the beast’s hand. After several dances, the two retired to the beast’s chamber for the night. In the morning, Bodhi returned in his clothes and in the waiting room again. Once again, the storybook had changed to include the new character. “I’ve got to stop trying to read these books. The endings are happy, but they aren’t getting me any closer to getting out  of here.”