Our story began inside a dripping wet hotel, which stood lonely and cold in the middle of the rain, just along the side of the road. The neon sign flickered like it had run out of batteries, and the whole hotel was dark and quiet. In one little room, Furaha, her adopted Trollan wizard brother Orko and her parents Kiburi and Ua were asleep in a soft, comfortable bed in their hotel room. The duvet was pure white, and Orko had his clean, warm pyjamas on, cuddling his teddy Mr Fuzzikins. The rain poured heavily outside, pitter-pattering on the window. Furaha and Orko were sleeping in pure darkness, unaware of what was to come next.
CRASH! Wild thunder sounded, and Orko woke with a start. “What was that?!” he cried in a panic, but the mellow Furaha woke up and yawned, “Are you okay, Orko?” “No, I’m not okay,” said Orko, “There’s a wild banging noise outside, and it’s becoming crazy and insane by the minute!” “Oh?” said Furaha. Orko went on, “Not just rain, but thunder too!” Furaha understood why Orko was so panicky, and she cuddled his shaking body. “No need to be afraid of rain and thunder. What matters most is curling up under a duvet and listening to the rain, not being afraid of it. To tame it, you must trust-” Thunder cracked from outside. Furaha continued, with a little giggle, “You must trust rain the way I do. Hear yourself breathing in time with nature outside.”
Orko closed his eyes and listened. Sure enough, he could hear himself breathing slowly and softly, in time with the slow rain. When he opened his eyes again, Furaha was buried deep under the covers. Orko followed her, and both were soon snuggled under the covers, giggling quietly. “You’re right, Furaha, it is fun to hear yourself breathe with the rain.” laughed Orko. “And now we’re under here in our little shelter, safe and quiet. Mama forgot to tell us a bedtime story tonight, so I best tell you one. One about rain…”
“The rain pours like a thousand showers turned on at once in the middle of nature’s slumber. Everywhere is bathed in cool sky water - trees, houses, plants, cars, even this very hotel. If we were outside enjoying the rain, we could splash in the puddles, dance about, watch water flow out of the pipe near the gutter and play in the mud. But this isn’t the time for that. This is a time for relaxing and listening to the rain. It beats in your long ears like a thousand hearts belonging to the thousands of animals that live on this planet. You are one of them. One of us. Doing the things that all us humans do. Dancing, singing, playing, eating, drinking and enjoying the simple pleasures in life. Now, you’re on this very soft marshmallowy bed, snuggled with your teddy and in your clean pyjamas, all safe in the darkness, knowing monsters won’t come and get you, for us lions are protectors of sun and moon, all in the safety of Lord Mufasa’s hands. Orko, you were brought into this family for a purpose: to be at one with nature and all its surroundings, and escape from the cruel life you once lived. No longer will I talk about this now, but you must remember, Orko, no matter what happens to us, we’ll always be friends. Brother and sister. Family.”
At once, Orko felt his eyes droop and his exposed head nod. He then collapsed onto the bed and crashed out, yawning softly. This made Furaha tired too. She yawned and snuggled next to her brother, so glad to have someone who could look after her, play with her and make her laugh. For to this day, rain can still cleanse our souls, spirits, hearts, bodies and souls when we think of listening to it. When we listen to the rain, we listen to our breath. And when we listen to our breath, nature - and a little lioness cub and her wizard brother - will always be waiting.