One day, in the house big enough even to fit an Autobot, Furaha woke up first in the giant bed that she, Orko and Optimus slept in and approached the calendar. It was January, and it was the exact day she’d been waiting for - Hugging Day! She got so excited she rushed up to Optimus and Orko and threw off the bedclothes. “Orko! Optimus! Wake up! It’s Hugging Day! My favourite day of the year!” she squealed. Orko gave Furaha the first hug of the day, then Optimus swooped them up in his arms and gave them an Autobot sized cuddle which thankfully didn’t squish them. He laughed so much he fell over onto the bed as Furaha and Orko tickled him.
After breakfast (don’t worry, Optimus took his faceplate off during the meal and then put it back on when it was over), Optimus gathered Furaha and Orko in the living room, onto the enormous sofa that the three liked to sit down on. “Since it’s Hugging Day,”, he explained, “Each of us would have our own suggestions for the day - one for each one of us. Furaha, you go first. Orko, you’re next, and I’ll go last. So, Furaha, what do you recommend we do first this Hugging Day?” Furaha thought for a moment, then spoke up. “Let’s play a game of tag!” “Well suggested, Furaha, that’s the exact game to play for Hugging Day.” explained Optimus.
So as a result, Furaha got chased by Orko and Optimus around the house. Her squeals of laughter echoed through the house as her friends chased after her. She hid in the huge bed, and waited in anticipation for Optimus and Orko to come and get her. She could hear Optimus’ giant footsteps going up the stairs, and she giggled in impatience. When Optimus and Orko entered, Furaha screamed as Optimus grabbed her and tickled her tummy. Orko tickled her too. “Hey! No! Stop! Help!” she cried. Luckily, it stopped, and the three were laughing away like there’s no tomorrow.
Once everyone had calmed down, Optimus said, “Okay, Orko, it’s your go. But something less hyperactive this time. For Hugging Day, we need something chilled and sensible.” Orko thought for a minute while Furaha struggled to contain her laughter. “I know,” said Orko, “How about we all relax on the sofa together?” Furaha swallowed to contain her laughter. “With giant pillows and cushions - and our duvet!” she added in.
That’s exactly what they did. They gathered every pillow, cushion and duvet from around the house and placed them onto the sofa. Then Optimus climbed on and snuggled down beside Furaha and Orko, who were already starting to feel really comfortable. “This does feel like a hug,” she sighed. “A nice, blanketed, soft hug. Even softer than my fur!” At the mention of ‘fur’, Orko began stroking Furaha. She purred loudly. “Furaha’s such a cute cub,” sighed Orko. “Of course she is, which is why Hugging Day is her favourite National Holiday.” “Don’t forget Cuddle Up Day!” said Furaha, “It’s my second favourite time of the year.” “Yeah, in fact this moment makes it seem like Cuddle Up Day has come round earlier than expected.” agreed Optimus. “Do you think Care Bears give hugs too?” Optimus chuckled. “You already know that,” he laughed. “Nobody speaks a word about the Care Bear Cousins these days. Where are they now?” “I know where they’ve been,” said Orko, “Caring Hearts Villa - a place for retired Care Bears.” “You mean all the Care Bears stay there when they’ve stopped caring for people?” asked Furaha in surprise. “Yeah, and there’s a day dedicated to them - Share Your Care Day. It’s when people do things to please Share Bear and all the other Care Bears.” “You know, Orko, I feel like you’ve become a Care Trollan yourself, what with your knowledge of looking after babies and that.” “I know. I’m an expert.” said Orko sarcastically.
When it was Optimus’ turn, he suggested they all go outside for some fresh air. So this is what they did - they walked together out of the huge, enormous front door, and when Furaha and Orko’s legs got tired, Optimus gave them a ride on his shoulders. On the way to their favourite forest, the trio took a moment to roll down their favourite huge hill, and when they reached the bottom, they laughed in joy. At last, they reached the watery part of the forest. The sun was shining. Wild birds sung their ancient songs in the shadows. The water glistened and sparkled in the sunshine. Optimus lay down in the water and relaxed while Furaha and Orko splashed each other, laughing in happiness. They did lots of other things too: they skimmed stones across the water. Furaha and Orko leapt over the waterfall to see who can be the best at diving in - though Orko didn’t have legs and floated so he splashed Furaha instead. They covered themselves in mud and made mud facials - something really weird for an Autobot to do.
After all that muddy fun, the sun was just starting to set. Optimus, Orko and Furaha lay by a tree, feeling very exhausted. “What a great Hugging Day,” sighed Furaha, her fur bedraggled and covered in dirt. Orko had mud on his cloak too. “We should do this more often.” “Wait until next year,” Optimus said gently, “By the way, every day is Hugging Day when I’m with you two.” Furaha and Orko were yawning as Optimus gathered them in his arms for a gentle hug - just what they deserved.
When they got home, Optimus treated the tired Furaha and Orko to a nice warm bubbly bath which got rid of all the dirt - even from Orko’s cloak - in their big, enormous fit-for-three bath. Then once they were dry, they chilled out by the fire in the living room before putting the fire out with a jug of water and heading upstairs to bed, another day done for them.
Who knows, it might be Hugging Day the next day…or next, it might be Cuddle Up Day. You never know, but Hugging Day doesn’t just happen in one day…
THE END.
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