Bonded By Body & Soul

Optimus Prime was sitting inside his cosy house big enough to fit an Autobot and his furniture. He was sitting in his enormous rocking chair and staring into the fire, when suddenly, he heard someone banging on the door. His attention quickly turned to the someone who needed shelter.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming,” he said as he put the guard round the fire and went to see who answered at his enormous front door. To his surprise, he saw a Trollan wizard named Orko, carrying in his arms a wailing baby lioness cub. “Oh dear, you poor things. Who might you be?” “I’m Orko, and this is my baby sister Furaha.” introduced the young wizard, “We’ve been kicked out of the house because of our drunk father. We’ve tried everywhere but they wouldn’t let us in, so we thought we’d try your house.” Your house? thought the baby lioness cub inside her tiny developing head. When she looked at Optimus, she gave him the first smile she had since her drunk father kicked her and her brother out of their house. Optimus took the two friends gently and cradled them in his arms. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered softly, “Come on, let’s get you inside. For some reason I have some milk in my fridge. It’s a wonder it isn’t spiked with Energon.” “You’ve been saving food and drink for visitors?” asked Orko. “Yes. I’ve saved all of this just for you.”

While Orko tucked into a piece of freshly cooked turkey, Optimus fed Furaha a nice bottle of fresh milk which he held in his gentle hands. The two friends knew Optimus was going to adopt them, and he didn’t even have adoption papers to fill in, because Autobots don’t use adoption papers themselves. Instead, they just take them in to become their housemates. And that’s exactly what happened to our friends.

Years later, in 2002…

In 2002, Furaha had grown up into a healthy and active young lioness cub with a nose for adventure and fun. Beside her were Optimus and Orko. Orko seemed more like a protector than a brother these days, and Optimus was still there to protect the both of them. The three friends spent their days playing and sharing in all of Earth’s gentle wonders together, sometimes going outside and playing together when it’s nice and warm. They were like family to one another, always there during tough times.

This observant story takes place during Autumn and Winter 2002 and 2003, when a certain string of events happened that proved even those who were Transformers and Masters Of The Universe - except for He Man and his friends, because they don’t deserve to star in this story - can live a simple, gentle life.

November 4th

Our story begins one rainy, dark day in November. The rain was tapping wildly like a thousand feet on a city pavement on the large window as Orko and Furaha were snuggled beside Optimus in his big, soft bed, dreaming the most pleasant dreams they could imagine. Optimus was wondering something inside his Cybertronian brain. “I wonder if rain really does sound like human footsteps? I wonder if human feet make the same noise as rain and thunder?” Inside Orko’s head, a different thought was rising inside him. “I’m so happy to be a part of this family. Who knew an Autobot would raise me? Someday, I bet I can find my magic useful to him as it would be to the whole world. Hmmmm…maybe I could be a world famous children’s entertainer when I grow up! Maybe my shadowed face would be too spooky for the kids. Furaha doesn’t mind, though. She loves a person with a shadowed face.” Furaha’s thoughts were of soft things like rabbits and marshmallows and warmly washed blankets.

Optimus pulled the duvet over him and his two friends and wished with certainty that the rain would fill a fish pond somewhere in town so the fish would survive. Orko was wondering if fish ponds run dry during droughts, and what the fish would need to survive, and why people need their fish to live in water. Furaha’s head was still filled with all the good things in life, and she stroked Orko’s cloak like it was a velveteen bunny rabbit.

Furaha also reached out to make sure her robotic guardian was there. To her relief, he was.

[There'll be more of Bonded By Body & Soul soon! Stay tuned...)