Donna woke up by the sound of the mailbox. Still half asleep, she walked to the door in her night gown and plushy slippers. On the ground was a black envelope. Curiously, she opened it:
Stay away from kidney beans when the moon is waxing or you’ll be sorry.
What? Must be that annoying kid from across the street. Donna tore the letter into pieces and threw them in the bin. She had other things to worry about. She had just moved to the city and needed to go job-hunting. Quickly, she took a shower, got dressed, and went on her way.
The streets were lively. There were food trucks and people greeted her when she passed by. She felt welcome and plucked up the courage to ask the woman in the ice-cream truck if they perhaps had a vacancy.
The woman smiled and said, “I’m sorry. We don’t need any more staff, but you could try Bean Bites. That is, if you don’t mind working night shifts. One of their employees suffered from accute amnesia and got lost in the city on her way back from work. She tripped and went into a coma and was hospitalized. When she woke up, she kept on mumbling, ‘the sky turned purple.’ The doctors are in the dark about her case. But I guess they are looking for a new employee now. If you come back here tomorrow night, their food truck will be there behind the canal.”
Donna thanked her and went home.
The next evening, she went back to the city centre. She noticed that the streets were quiet and the few other people she saw quickly passed by without saying a word. When she reached the canal, she saw a food truck in the distance. She stepped on the bridge to reach it. In the water, she noticed the reflection of the waxing moon. There was something eerie about the atmosphere, but she forced herself to go on. What else could she do? She needed that job.
The truck was red-brown with a white neon sign saying “Bean Bites.” A black curtain covered the concession window.
Donna hesitated. Were they even open? But then the curtain was pulled to the side and a young girl with long black hair and a leather jacket stared at her through bright green eyes.
“What can I do for you, Sweety?”
“Oh, I… well, I am looking for a job and…” Donna started explaining.
“Fine, when can you start?” the girl asked.
“You mean…”
“Don’t waste my time,” the girl said impatiently, “you either start now or I’ll give the position to someone else. We don’t waste our time with people who can’t make up their minds.”
“Okay, okay,” Donna said quickly, “what do you need me to do?”
The girl smiled and opened the door to let Donna get into the truck.
“Sit down,” she said while she pointed to a red-brown velvet sofa.
Donna sat down. A cat with a strange hat came out from under the sofa and jumped on her lap. On the wall in front of her she saw a poster from the indie band “And the Sea Began to Foam.” Wow, she thought. The girl saw her looking and asked, “do you know them?”
Donna’s face lit up when she told the girl, “I was a big fan of And the Sea Began to Foam in my teenage years.”
“Did you ever see them play?”
“Oh, no, my parents wouldn’t allow me to go and by the time I was an adult, they had gone of the radar. I assume they now have normal jobs.”
The girl looked at her strangely, “don’t assume things you don’t know.”
“What was your favorite song?” Donna asked.
“Definitely A Bullet Wound and a Friendly Stranger,” the girl said.
“It’s beautiful,” Donna admitted, "though very sad. But I prefer There’s Something in the Water and An Encounter with a Deity.
“Those were great songs, too,” the girl agreed, “By the way, my name is Stacey Stir. Would you like something to eat?”
Donna gasped for breath.
“A-A-A-Are you related to…” she stumbled.
Stacey nodded. “He was my dad.”
“Stephen Stir, the drummer of And the Sea Began to Foam was your dad?”
“That’s right.”
“So then you do know what happened to the band.”
Stacey changed the subject and asked her again what she wanted to eat. Donna checked the menu: kidney-bean burger, green kidney-bean salad, kidney-bean pancakes, mashed kidney beans…
“The kidney-bean lasagna is great,” Stacey recommended.
“Okay, that one, please,” Donna said.
Stacey told her to go sit outside at one of the tables on the other side of the truck. It was quite cold. There were no other customers yet. Donna wondered what kind of people would want to eat outside at this hour. She sat down on a black plastic chair and looked up at the waxing moon. Then she suddenly remembered… The letter! Kidney beans, waxing moon… Oh, come on! Stop that nonsense! She just got a new job and she wouldn’t let some kid with too much time on his hands mess it up.
Stacey came out and put a glass on the table.
“Here,” she said, “it’s Gemstone, the finest kidney-bean liqueur there is. The lasagna is almost ready.”
Donna grabbed the glass and looked at the red-brown fluid. She had never even heard of Gemstone. Curiously, she took a sip. For a moment, her throat was on fire, but the taste seemed interesting. She took another sip and soon, the glass was empty. Stacey came out with the lasagna, a bottle, and an extra glass and sat down on the other side of the table while she poored them both another Gemstone. Donna started to relax. Her new boss already seemed like a friend. What’s more… she was the daughter of her childhood hero. She had the same green eyes that had always made her feel butterflies when she saw him on TV. Man, he was so hot! Suddenly, she felt an irresistable need to see him.
“So… what is your dad doing now?” she asked Stacey while taking a bite of her lasagna. It was delicious.
“Why do you want to know?” Stacey replied.
“I need to see him.”
“Why?”
“I just need to.”
“What for?”
“Just let me see him already!”
Donna was shocked by the sound of her own voice. What had gotten into her? She apologized and tried to think of something else. For a while, they sat quietly under the waxing moon. Stacey poored them another glass of Gemstone and smiled at her. Suddenly, “11 minutes away,” the only song of And the Sea Began to Foam that had been written by Stephen Stir, popped into Donna’s head. Before she knew it, she was singing.
Whatever you do, whatever you say,
I’m just 11 minutes away
No matter what trick other men play,
I’m just 11 minutes away
Eleven, eleven
Minutes away from Heaven!
Stacey joined in. She knew all the words. Donna forgot everything around her until she heard someone yelling and looked up. A man in a dark hoodie and sunglasses came out of the bar on the other side of the canal and ran toward them over the bridge. Through the open door, purple smoke escaped the bar.
“What happened?” Donna asked him.
“You happened! Your voice made my pool table explode. I expect you to pay.”
Donna was flabbergasted. What was happening?
“It exploded in the middle of a wager so I’ll add the money I would otherwise have won to your debt.”
“Dad, she can’t afford that,” Stacey said.
Donna’s face turned white. Dad? This angry bartender was…
“St-St-Stephen Stir?”
The bartender took off his sunglasses and stared at her with bright green eyes.
A terrifying noise came from the kitchen and the cat with the strange hat came running out.
“Human, get back inside,” Stacey said to the cat.
“It’s not Human,” her father said, “it’s Bean.”
“What?” Stacey asked, “but then…”
Stephen nodded.
“What is going on?” Donna asked, “What are you talking about?”
Stephen looked at her and said, “there is a way to get out of your debt.”
“Dad, no!” Stacey begged.
Stephen looked at his watch and spoke:
A cop, a boat, and a dangerous bird,
forgotten ancestors, stories unheard
I beg thee, Time, to take a break
for the Order of the Beans’ sake!
For a second, Donna heard a church bell and then it became eerily quiet. She turned her head to where the sound had come from. A red-brown church tower she hadn’t seen before showed it was 2:50. She stared at it for some minutes, but the time did not go further. She looked at her watch: 2:50.
“What is going on?” she asked again.
“Time is standing still,” Stacey whispered.
Stephen walked over to Donna, placed his hands on her shoulders, looked deeply into her eyes and asked, “will you donate yourself to the Order of the Bean?”
“Yes, oh, yes, Master,” Donna heard herself say.
Stephen took her inside the food truck and demanded her to lie down on the velvet couch. The cat with the strange hat came out from underneath it and jumped on her belly.
Stacey came running in.
“What are you doing here?” her father asked annoyed, “you know you shouldn’t interrupt the initiation rites.”
“Dad, I found something,” Stacey said and held out a piece of paper.
“What is it?” Stephen asked, “can’t it wait?”
“It’s a map,” Stacey said, “and this star here… it marks the location of our church.”
Stephen grabbed the paper out of her hands and looked at it. He looked worried when he said, “they might have Human. We need to finish the ritual NOW!”
“But, Dad…”
“Do as I say.”
“Just like in my childhood, when you used to brag about being in a band?” Stacey protested, “The stuff you pulled back then is what got us here in the first place.”
“Be humble!” Stephen commanded and Stacey backed off.
Donna felt the cat walking all over her. She wanted to get up and run away, but somehow, she couldn’t. Stephen began to sing:
*A bullet wound and a friendly stranger *
Will save us from the danger
Open yourself up to our Lord Bean
Whose greatness is yet unseen
May the ancient flower rise
And take all beanists to Paradise!
“Go ahead, Bean,” Stephen said to the cat. The cat’s nose touched Donna’s as he stared at her with his green eyes. As she breathed in, the cat breathed out. It got dark for a moment and then Donna was staring at her own reflection. No. It was not a reflection. She looked down and saw her paws standing on her own chest. What was happening?
The magical elements, the mysterious black envelope, and the enchanting characters made this a truly spellbinding journey! 
Stacey Stir and Bean stole my heart, and I loved how music and magic intertwined to create such a whimsical atmosphere. 
The transformation scene had me on the edge of my seat, and the way you described it was so vivid! 
I’m totally enchanted and can’t wait to read more of your enchanting tales! Keep the magic alive! 
