Once upon a time, in a Crystal Palace far far away, there lived a wizard prince named Orko. He provided everything for himself, because he lived on his own. He used his magic to do all the cooking, cleaning and household chores, and yet he still had time to relax. However, one thing bugged him more than anything else: he was very lonely. He wished he had someone to keep him company or be his friend, because ever since his parents died, he had been wishing someone would live with him in his grand castle. One day, however, his wish came true.
Orko was sitting on his crystal throne, feeling very bored and lonely, when all of a sudden he heard three loud bangs on the grand castle door. Orko floated all the way downstairs. When he answered the door, he was surprised to discover a straw Moses basket carrying someone crying inside. A baby! Orko leaned forward to take a closer look, and gasped gently in shock. It was a baby lioness cub, with beautiful golden fur. Orko grabbed the basket and carried it back into the castle, not forgetting to shut the door using his magic of course.
Orko floated all the way upstairs carrying the basket bundle in his arms, and brought it to his throne. He gently lifted the baby out of her basket and wrapped her in her soft, baby blue blanket. At once, the baby stopped crying and gazed with her beautiful little eyes at her new caretaker. “Ssssshhhhh…it’s okay. Orko’s here. I’m here to protect you. I’ll be…” Then suddenly, he had an idea. “I know! I’ll be your big brother!” This delighted the baby some more, and she hugged her new brother. “And I’ll name you…Furaha. Furaha! Yeah, that’s a nice name.”
Throughout the next few days, Furaha developed a strong bond with her brother. At the baby stage, she and Orko followed a fun routine which they held every day. Every morning, Furaha crawled all over Orko in his big, soft, silky king sized bed, gently waking him the bright sun shining in tiny spotlights through the crystal walls. After Orko has brushed his teeth, which are covered by his shadowed face, they go downstairs for breakfast. Orko has his porridge, and Furaha has her porridge. Orko feeds Furaha every little morsel, and she never spits it out - she’s never a fussy eater. Sometimes, Orko likes to pretend the spoon is an aeroplane, or a bus, or a taxi going into a tunnel and down the hatch. Furaha loves her porridge, and Orko had boiled it especially in his large black cauldron in the palace kitchen. He is a good cook for a surprisingly small wizard. After breakfast, the two friends head outside for some fresh air. Orko would carry Furaha on his shoulders as he floated across the forest, showing Furaha every falling Autumn leaf, every ladybird crawling on every blade of grass, every beam of sunlight shining through the trees. Orko and Furaha would stop for a rest in the meadow. They would lie in the grass and look up at the beautiful pink and yellow sherbert sky. Orko would produce some bubble mixture from his sleeve and entertain his baby sister by blowing bubbles, some large, some small, into the air. Orko and Furaha would spend ages trying to pop them, and Orko would float around with Furaha on his shoulders trying to catch them, as if they were fairies fluttering in the sunshine. After their time outside, they would go back inside to Orko’s throne room for a rest. Orko would sit on his throne with Furaha on his lap, and he would stroke her while telling stories and singing songs. His voice would be gentle for a squeaky one as he told every tale and sung every ballad. Furaha’s ears would fill like a handbag with tales of pixies, elves, lions and tigers, and songs about horses giving cart rides and frogs hopping on lily pads. Furaha loved these stories, and even as a baby she sampled every one of the morals Orko told her. Not like some certain ones from a certain mythical planet from a certain muscular warrior called ‘He Man’...okay, I’ll stop talking about him. Anyway, Orko had a room where he can relax when he’d done all the work for today. It was full of soft toys, pillows, cushions and blankets. He called it his ‘Relaxation Room’ and, just like a mother leaves her children in front of the TV while she does some household tasks, Orko leaves Furaha to play with all the toys while he went off to do some cleaning around the palace sometimes. When he came back in, they would always play hiding. Furaha would hide from Orko, and he will try to find the young cub. He would hear some giggling and cooing coming from underneath the pile of soft toys. Moving all the toys out of the way, he would be delighted to see his little sister underneath, smiling sweetly at her. He would pick her up and cuddle her gently, saying “You are my beautiful little princess.” Furaha and Orko would spend the rest of the day playing together in the relaxation room. Orko would read Furaha a board book about either numbers, colours, animals or the alphabet when she got too restless, or they would play peekaboo together. As long as Orko had Furaha by her side, nothing seemed impossible.
At dinner, Orko would eat a plateful of roast chicken and vegetables, while Furaha ate a plateful of mashed up spinach. Orko used his imagination to help Furaha see the mashed up spinach as nature’s porridge, which he fed to her with great ease. Furaha loved the spinach as much as she loved the porridge, and sometimes she was given a bite of Orko’s chicken. Orko was very kind to her sister, as any kind wizard should be. Then after dinner, they had a bath together in their beautiful, crystal coloured bathroom. The bath would be filled with silky bubble bath, and both of them would play amongst the bubbles, Orko with his clothes on(!), though he uses his magic to make them waterproof. The bathroom walls were decorated with glow in the dark stars, and along with a usual yellow rubber duck, there were toys of whales, dolphins and boats. Combining his magic with the bubbles, Orko would conjure up illusional images of whales, pirate ships and dolphins for Furaha to see, and sometimes a dolphin would swim past Furaha and tickle her under her chin. When it was time to get dry, Orko would use his magic to change back into his ordinary velvety golden-trimmed cloak and pink scarf as he dried Furaha like he would dry a dog dry after its bath. Sometimes Furaha would get all fluffed up, making Orko giggle. He would get out a soft bristled brush and brush Furaha’s fur so gently, it felt like a fairy had touched her with her soft, silky hands. With her fur sleek and smooth like a China figurine’s skin, Orko would carry her all the way to bed just in time, as the sun went down over the land. Orko would tuck Furaha beside her and read her one final story, mainly a fairy tale, before kissing her goodnight, using his magic to turn out the light and falling asleep in the safe darkness of the palace beside her.
When the toddler years came round, there were no signs of the terrible twos, because Furaha was a happy toddler, and sometimes quite mischievous and cheeky. In the morning, she would wake her big brother up by tickling his tummy, to which he would giggle so loud he would fall right out of bed, only to laugh along with his little sister. Furaha was just learning how to brush her teeth, so after Orko did his in-shadow teeth, he always taught Furaha how to do her teeth. He always sang Furaha a nursery rhyme while she did it to help her with her brushing routine. Then it was time for breakfast. Furaha had already begun to eat solid foods at this stage, so she ate pancakes with eggs and bacon alongside Orko, who would cook them into the shape of a face just for her. “It wants to say hello,” Orko would say as he put Furaha’s plate on the table in front of her. As she ate it, Orko pretended to be dramatic about it, saying in the voice of the face on the plate, “Help me! HELP! I’m being eaten!” And then he would topple over and fall off his chair, pretending to play dead and making his toddler sister laugh. They would still go outside for some fresh air, but this time as Furaha could walk now, they would play hide and seek in the meadow. First it was Orko’s turn to look for Furaha. He counted, and then looked around for his sister. Just as he was about to give up, Furaha leapt out of nowhere and tackled him playfully to the ground. This resulted in a playful tickle fight turned into a tag game, with Orko scooping up Furaha in her arms and tickling her before he fell over into the grass, both of them laughing all over again. Then it was Furaha’s turn to look for Orko, though she could count perfectly when Orko floated away to hide, all the way up to 10.
1…2..3…4….5..6…7…8…9…10!
When Furaha went off to look for Orko, she had no idea he was hiding in the bushes, until she heard him giggling. She became scared at first, until Orko jumped out and called out “BOO!” at her. Furaha squealed, but then she and Orko laughed as the game turned into a fun filled romp along the meadow, with Furaha pouncing onto Orko and playfully tackling him to the ground again. To wind down after all that fun, Orko took Furaha to the stream. It was a quiet, tranquil place where those who were lucky enough to find it were free to dream and explore what their hopes mean. Furaha and Orko would look at their reflections in the water together, and watch them ripple away in the fast moving currant. Orko would then dangle Furaha over the water, and she would splash about delightedly, splashing her brother. Should she keep still, fish would swim all around her hind paws. Orko would sometimes turn his boney fingered blue hand into a fish, and made it swim along beside her and nibbled her in the sides while she giggled so much. He would then call out, “LOOK OUT! SHARK!” and then, instead of screaming and running away, Furaha would run into the river and pretend to fight it off while Orko cheered her on. For a toddler so furry and cuddly, she had strength and cunning. When they got back inside, and when Furaha’s feet were completely dry, they would spend the rest of the day playing together. On rainy and snowy days, they would tuck themselves up under the blankets of the relaxation room, and Furaha would snuggle down to sleep while Orko drank a nice, warm mug of hot cocoa. They would feel soothed as they listened to the rain pitter-patter on the crystal castle walls outside, or the Winter wind howl should it snow. Among all those soft toys, cushions, pillows, duvets and blankets did the young toddler cub feel safe and warm, even with her brother by her side. Once he had finished his cocoa, Orko would comfortably cuddle his sleepy little sister and whisper soft, reassuring words into her little furry ears. On some days, Furaha and Orko would play together with some of Orko’s toys in his bedroom, and they would play hide and seek too, which meant Furaha would always hide under the duvet, with Orko cheekily trying to find her. During evenings, at dinner, they would always have roast chicken and vegetables together. Furaha was old enough to eat Orko’s favourite dinner, and should she eat it all up - and burp after her dinner, just like her brother after he eats - Orko would share a chocolate cake he had baked, with her help of course, with his sister. Sometimes, they would share chocolate chip cookies. After they have eaten the chocolate cake, Furaha would have a chocolatey mess all around her face. “Eeeeewww,” Orko would say, “Have you been eating mud again?” or when Furaha ate all the chocolate chip cookies on her plate, Orko would say, “Let’s see…hmmmm…who’s eaten the cookies, do you think? Mice? Rats? Bears? A certain lion…?” And then he would tickle her, causing her to laugh. After they have eaten, Orko would go into the bathroom and wash Furaha’s face with a soft gentle green washcloth, which he made talk in rhyme like was a puppeteer and use the bubbly lather to wash all the chocolate off Furaha’s little furry face. Next, it was bathtime, and Orko and Furaha would enjoy the bubbles while engaging in a crocodile-duck fight, with Furaha playing the duck and Orko playing the fierce crocodile. Of course, Furaha would always win over Orko, because according to her brother, “Furaha’s strong…but I’m stronger!” After Furaha had gotten dry and had been brushed with the soft-bristled brush, Orko would take Furaha upstairs into a special kind of attic. Its dome roof allowed our two friends to gaze up at the sky, which illuminated the night sky onto them. While Furaha tiredly and quietly looked up at the beautiful sky, Orko would tell her about the planets and Constellations existing above us all in the mysterious sky, which only appeared when all the people of the day were asleep. Furaha would be amazed, as Orko told tales of every Constellation he knew and how they solved each other’s problems to make the world a better place. With all those bedtime stories told, Orko would carry Furaha downstairs to his bedroom, and once again, they would fall asleep safely by each other’s sides.
When Furaha grew into a cub, she had lots of energy, and was a little curious. She still had that cheeky personality and was so mischievous Orko would play along with her. When they woke up every morning, Furaha would pounce onto Orko and tickle him awake, until he finally got all the sleep out of his body and eyes, and took Furaha to brush her teeth. Once they were done, they had the same breakfast Furaha had when she was a toddler, though Furaha could talk well now, because Orko taught her how to speak. She could say please and thank you, she could express herself clearly and she could engage in conversations with her brother. At breakfast, Furaha would stick a piece of bacon out of her mouth and tell Orko it’s her bacon tongue. Then, once she swallowed it, she would tell Orko, “My tongue! I’ve swallowed it!” Orko would spit out his orange juice and find it hilarious, and both of them would laugh so much! They would go outside for some fresh air, and Furaha would run freely in the meadow, with Orko floating after her. Somedays, they would go out onto the beach and relax together. Furaha would scavenge for shells and put her ear to one, just in case she could hear the beautiful sea. She and Orko would splash in the sea together, or roll down the sandy hill, or lie on the sand and gaze at the sky. Away up high, they would see the clouds forming into beautiful shapes, which Orko and Furaha pointed out together. Then they would take a walk along the sand together, Furaha leaving footprints for Orko to follow since he didn’t have legs. Then when they went back inside, they played sliding along the crystal floors of the hallway. The hallway was big and large, almost as large as an elephant who ate too much. Furaha would run across the hallway and spin round until she stopped at the other end, laughing. Orko would have a turn next, and he would collide into Furaha until they crashed into the relaxation room, the cushions and pillows providing a soft landing for them as they laughed over what a great game it was. Then they would go back into the throne room and dance wildly together to some bouncy music. They danced and danced all day, providing great fitness and exercise for them, until they crashed onto the floor, laughing excitedly. At dinner, Furaha was never afraid to share with her brother, and always share her chicken and vegetables with her. “You are a fit and healthy little cub,” Orko would say, as his little sister was an awesome unstoppable little bundle of energy. When they had their bath, Furaha and Orko would splash each other and mould beards and hats out of the soft, silky bubbles, and Orko would mould wonderful shapes out of all the bubbles, such as whales, or dolphins, or tigers, or even grand cruises for posh people. Once Furaha and Orko were dry, they would go outside into the forest at night, and try to catch some fireflies. To Orko, the fireflies represent glowing lights of hope in his heart, and the hope for something out of pure light to happen. Once Furaha catches a firefly, Orko teaches her to let the firefly go and let it fly out into the night sky, in the hope that there will be a day that Orko might have to let go of Furaha…
One night when they went out to catch fireflies, Furaha realised the fireflies were gone. It was too much for her, and she started to cry softly. Orko comforted her, and looked at the tears streaming down her face. “It’s okay,” he said softly, “The fireflies will come back tomorrow night.” “Wh…what if they don’t?” wept Furaha. “Sometimes the light comes, and sometimes the light goes, but that light means more than just someone coming for you. It means I’ll find a family too - and I’ve found one now. You are my family, my everything. The fireflies have granted my deepest wish, and with that wish, their light has gone.” “So…the light goes, when your wish is granted?” “Yes.” said Orko softly, “But no one has given me a far better chance of having fun and looking for adventure than you, Furaha. You’re the best sister I could’ve ever wanted in my life. Ever since I adopted you, you became part of my life. If you still lived with your mother, I would’ve gone looking for a friend. I couldn’t ask for anyone better than you. You are the real light of hope in my life.”
Delighted, Furaha softly hugged her brother, who started crying too. As soon as his tears hit the soil surrounding the grass, a thousand beams of light opened their eyes around the duo. More lights of hope have shone around the duo, and hopefully, more will arrive where you live, granting you light…and more importantly, a friend.
THE END.
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