Bann

Bann sai

have you heard of the tiny trees
representing peace and harmony
their name sounds similar to you and me




02/13/19 From Decaffeinated for 300 words
06/13/20 His father is exalted
Named Bann
Exalt Breeder
Offspring will repeat Peace & Harmony



"Whatcha working on there?"

Banana quickly threw his body over the parchment he'd been staring at, splaying out to cover as much of it as he could. "Don't look! I'm not done yet!"

The older guardian reached for the top corner that was sticking out. "Petition to..."

Banana slammed a chubby arm over the writing. "I SAID STOP FIREFLY." He scrunched up his face and frowned to show how serious he was.

"Alright, keep your secrets." Firefly backed away with a huge dumb grin on his face. "Medusa is looking for the parchment she just bought though, so you're coming with me."

Banana puffed out his cheeks and his nostrils flared as he made an indignant sound. "This is my parchment! Granny Candy gave it to me when I found her top hat after it blew off in the wind. Ask Granny Candy! She’ll tell you!”

"Granny Candy? Sure kid." He motioned for Banana to follow. "It's not a good idea to keep a witch waiting."

“I’m telling the truth! I…” Banana saw Medusa appear behind Firefly.

Her movements were soundless as she glided above the ground without using her wings. She held up a claw to her mouth to keep Banana quiet as well. "It's not a good idea to keep a witch waiting," Medusa echoed, right next to Firefly’s ear.

Banana watched as Firefly’s eyes grew as large as a spiral’s.

Firefly opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it immediately.

"And that isn't my parchment." Medusa tilted her head and absentmindedly tapped her cheek with a claw. "I would think that my apprentice, who has been DILIGENTLY studying all my research on the practical uses of pond scum, would know what type of parchment I ALWAYS write on." She turned her gaze to Banana. "Wouldn't you?"

Banana was unprepared for the sudden attention. Quickly he nodded.

"I ought to use your true name to turn you into a toad so you can go do your own research on pond scum. Maybe then you'll appreciate the time I spent writing those documents."

True name? Maybe Medusa could help. Banana lifted himself up and grabbed the parchment, happy that it still looked clean. He hesitantly walked closer and waited for her to finish scolding Firefly.




With no end in sight, Banana tugged on the sleeve of Medusa’s robes.

The witch finally noticed the hatchling. “What?”

Banana held up the parchment.

Medusa drew something in the air with her finger and glasses suddenly appeared on her face. “Petition to change Banana’s name to… what? You left it blank, kiddo.”

“Magic...” Banana had always been told she was a witch, but today was the only magic he’d ever seen her do.

“You want to be called Magic? Can’t say I don’t approve, but your father might not. Weren't you named after him?"

"Not Magic." Banana shook his head and attempted to explain his perdicament. "Banana is a fruit. Banana is a color. Banana is my father. Banana is not me." He looked up at her, hoping that she would understand.

"I see..." Medusa knelt down and put the parchment on the floor. "Then how about we reforge your name?"

"Reforge?" Banana watched as she used her finger to write a name onto the blank area. 'Petition to change Banana’s name to Banana.' He frowned. Was she teasing him too?

"We'll use the letters of your old name to make a new name. Now let's begin..." She waved her hand over what she'd written.

The letters of Banana began to peel themselves off of the parchment. There was a slight sheen to them as they moved, almost as if they were still wet. Once freed, they stood straight up. Banana could see them clearly from the front; when he looked at them from the side they practically disappeared.

"I um..." Firefly was peering at the parchment as well, but quickly moved away as soon as the letters wiggled to life. "I forgot I had something to do somewhere else... Later!" He awkwardly rushed out of the room at the fastest speed he could walk.

Medusa grinned and watched Firefly run off. Then she addressed the letters. "First configuration." The 'b' and an 'a' moved to the edge of the parchment leaving nana behind. "Nana?"

Banana pulled his mouth into an exaggerated frown. "I don't want everyone to call me a granny."

"Fair enough." She addressed the letters again. "Second configuration." An 'n' moved over to join the sideline letters. "Ana?"

"That's a girl's name!" Banana protested.

"Pish posh! There's guys with names like Sue or Marion." She sighed. "Very well, third configuration." This time there was a lot of movement from the letters. "Bann?"

Banana didn't have any immediate complaints, so he decided to try it out. "My name is Bann." It wasn't too weird to say, but as soon as he said it the letters spelling Bann stopped moving and fell backwards onto the parchment. They were normal writing once more.

"It appears it is."

It was not meant to be. After asking all around for signatures, the only two who actually signed the petition were Medusa and Firefly. The deadline was nearing and Bann spent the last day looking at the parchment and frowning.

"Cheer up, you can always just wait until you're older and change it." Firefly patted Bann on the head. "And we can call you Bann as your nickname until then."

"Thanks." Even if the whole world knew him as Banana, he'd be able to get by if his friends called him Bann.