Beatrice's castle was silent once more, save for her soft snoring as she dozed peacefully on her sofa. Meanwhile, outside in the garden, Rookie the gingerbread man sat under a sugar maple tree, happily nibbling on the slice of cake he had earned.
"Not bad," Rookie muttered to himself, licking frosting from his fingers. "Not bad at all."
As he finished the last crumb, his gaze wandered to the castle's surroundings. Beyond the modest walls of Beatrice's home lay a small garden dotted with strange plants, and at its center, a glowing magic fountain bubbled gently. Its shimmering water reflected the moonlight, casting an almost hypnotic glow.
"That thing looks... magical," Rookie mused, rubbing his frosted chin. An idea struck him. "If I make a wish, maybe it'll give me more cake! Or cookies! Or... ooh, licorice ropes!"
Excited, Rookie hopped toward the fountain, but he skidded to a stop. "Wait, I need a coin!" He scratched his head. "Where do I find one of those?"
He began scouring the castle grounds, overturning rocks and digging through flowerbeds. No luck. Grumbling, Rookie ventured farther out, spotting a hulking figure snoozing on a patch of grass.
An ork lay sprawled on the ground, snoring loudly, his pockets jingling faintly with the sound of coins. Rookie's eyes sparkled. "Jackpot!"
He crept closer, moving as stealthily as a gingerbread man could, and climbed onto the ork's massive belly. Carefully, he slipped a hand into the ork's pocket and pulled out a single gold coin.
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"Gotcha," Rookie whispered, grinning.
Unfortunately, the jingling sound woke the ork. His red eyes blinked open, and he growled, noticing the gingerbread man on his chest.
"Hey! You little thief!" the ork bellowed, swiping at Rookie.
"Uh-oh!" Rookie yelped, jumping down and bolting toward the fountain. The ork roared and gave chase, his heavy footsteps shaking the ground.
Rookie skidded to a stop at the fountain, turning to see the ork barreling toward him. Without thinking, he hurled the coin into the fountain and shouted, "Wish for candy!"
The coin sank into the glowing water. At first, nothing happened. Then, the fountain began to rumble. The water erupted in a geyser, and a new figure emerged—a monstrous, towering Coin Monster, its body made of spinning, razor-sharp coins that clinked ominously as it moved. Its glowing eyes locked onto Rookie.
"WHO DARES DISTURB MY SLUMBER?" the Coin Monster bellowed, its metallic voice echoing through the garden.
Rookie pointed a frosting-covered finger at the ork. "It was him! Totally his idea!"
The ork's jaw dropped. "What?! No, it wasn't!"
But the Coin Monster wasn't interested in explanations. It lunged at the ork, spinning like a deadly tornado. The ork screamed and ran, the Coin Monster hot on his heels, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Rookie watched the chaos unfold, shaking his head. "Well, that escalated quickly."
With the danger gone, Rookie wiped his hands clean and skipped back into the castle. He climbed onto a chair in the kitchen, looking at the now-still Beatrice.
"When she wakes up, I'll just ask her for more cake," Rookie said, leaning back. He propped his tiny feet on the table and smiled smugly. "Yep, everything's under control."
As he settled in, a faint roar echoed in the distance. The Coin Monster was still wreaking havoc, but that wasn't Rookie's problem anymore.
Beatrice, blissfully unaware, turned over in her sleep, muttering something about "too many dragons." For now, the castle returned to its relative quiet... at least until the next calamity found its way to Beatrice's doorstep.