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Home. It’s where we’re headed to now. Me, Orko and Optimus. However, the way home is far off, and we have made a treacherous journey to get there. To get home, we have to swim a long mile across the Arctic ocean. But we don’t care. We’re at one with the cold water surrounding our bodies. The ocean is a blanket of welcoming water that carries us all the way home, and in its middle, there’s nothing. Nothing. Nothing to see, no whales swimming in the depths, no killer whales out to make us perish. The water carries us in her warm embrace as we swim peacefully together in the ocean, our eyes closed, feeling the wonderful chill against our fur and skin. It’s something no human being ever touched before, but we have - we’ve touched it, and it’s a sacred part of the ocean which has yet to have the first human explorers swim across it.

When we close our eyes, we forget everything and just let the water invite us to swim in its cold embrace. We’re like polar bears, swimming freely - a father polar bear and his two cubs, seeking refuge in somewhere beautiful. The sea is a crystal carpet, wanting us to lie down on it and let us lie to rest, for it’ll be our grave someday. And when it does become our grave, our spirits will turn to animals and roam the Northern Lights forever. For now, we swim. Just us three, no one else, knowing that soon, other people would swim in this uncharted water. We don’t feel the slightest chill, and icy tears fill my eyes thinking back on everything we’ve done to get through this epic journey. We’ve survived, we’ve stuck together, we’ve done everything in our power. We’ll survive…

By The Fireplace

One warm, cosy Winter evening, Furaha and Orko were sitting on the rug by a roaring fire, gazing into its inviting flames, which were dancing in the darkness of the chimney, letting off black smoke that flew into the Winter air. “You know, in the darkness of this room, I think being in front of the fire on a cold Winter’s day is the best thing that could’ve happened to us.” smiled Furaha. “I think I’m turning into a hot water bottle.” “And I think I’m turning into a velvet blanket being sat on by a huge dog,” smiled Orko. “But I think something’s missing.” “Snacks!” said Furaha, “We can’t have a night by the fire without snacks.”

Furaha came into the kitchen and went back into the living room later with a bowlful of nice, tasty sausage rolls, with two mugs of hot cocoa - one white with red snowflake patterns for Orko, and one green with daisies on it for Furaha. The two friends enjoyed their snacks and talked about what they wanted for Christmas this year. Furaha wanted a unicorn costume for Christmas, while this year Orko wanted a Wacky Duck shampoo - the wild-looking green bottle that’s scented like limes. “You know, I think you’ll smell good. As good as pondweed,” yawned Furaha, as she snuggled down onto the rug. “You know what? I think you’re right,” said Orko sleepily as he lay down, full of sausage rolls and cocoa. Furaha stared into the flames, which slowly went out, leaving her and her friend in pure darkness. All they could hear was the sound of the Winter wind outside, and they could smell the burning ashes of the dancing flames in front of them, settling to their graves, waiting for the next cosy evening.

A Brother's Warmth - Part 2

Since Orko was introduced to his baby sister, life became very simple and very fun for him. It was during her baby years that Orko had to sleep with Uzuri, because Furaha was crying and needed his company. Every morning, the sun smiled down at them through the gap in the dark black curtains, and baby Furaha woke up, crawling all over Orko and Uzuri, so Orko giggled in his sleep. When they finally woke up, Orko and Uzuri brought her downstairs for breakfast. Mpenzi was a wonderful cook, and always baked bacon and eggs for Orko and his family, and porridge for little Furaha. Orko always helped feed Furaha, who would eat porridge like a certain bear would eat from a honey pot.

After breakfast, and after Furaha was cleaned up, they would play with Uzuri in the throne room. Uzuri and Orko always played peekaboo with Furaha to make her giggle, and only Orko could make the derpiest, wildest eyes to make his baby sister laugh. Sometimes they would hide under blankets of silk and try to find each other while Uzuri watched and laughed. It was such fun. Sometimes they would go out for a bit of fresh air, mainly to the blossom orchard. There, Orko would play with Furaha and help her recognise the scent of fresh blossoms in the wind. The petals would land on Furaha’s nose, to which Orko gently blew it off - pffiffff! Orko had formed such a gentle bond with Furaha, that she could think of no one else becoming his baby sister.

Every night, after Orko bathed Furaha, to which he shared a bath with her, Orko would play a quiet tickling game with Furaha before heading off to sleep in his warm, cosy bed.

10 Things To Do If Someone Calls You Ignorant

The moody old bag

Has lost her sag

And called me a very rude name!

So here are 10 things you need to do if someone calls you a very horrid name, whether in your family, out with your support workers or at school...

10.Stay in your room.

Ah, your room. A place full of your imagination and wonder. A place full of all the things Horrid Henry was never allowed to do by his mean, horrible parents. TV, computer, writing equipment, it's every minor writer's dream.

9.Watch Earth Moods.

Nothing beats a good dose of Earth Moods. Earth Moods, being the most relaxing mindfulness show on TV, shows us full views of scenes from our planet, set to music. There is also Zenimation and Star Wars Galaxy Of Sounds to try out in case you haven't watched them yet. And they go very well with music.

8.Tell someone.

It's always important to do the right thing and tell someone if someone in your family or at school calls you a very rude name. That's bullying, and every school has included an anti-bullying message whether on TV or in the classroom. And to think, CBBC only made their Bitesize block because they hate children, am I right?

7.Ignore everything the rude person says.

Ignorant is what I was called today, and my name isn't Ignorant, I'm Sarah! So, just stick by your old name and run away should you encounter the bully of a person again.

6.Know it'll not last.

Bullying and name-calling won't last. They may be hurtful but soon, you'll understand that under their heavy hearts, they may just have a heart of gold.

5.Know we're all not chew toys.

Remember George Floyd? He changed the world due to his death at the hands of police, and the Black Lives Matter protests that followed soon afterwards. We all need to be included no matter how hurt we are over words that are either powerful or powerless.

4.Look forward to tomorrow.

What might tomorrow bring for you? My next three tomorrows will bring micro fiction stories, eating my Bluey chocolate egg and chocolate bar and going out on a picnic with mum for three hours on Monday. Just think about the good things that'll happen tomorrow, not far off into the future, because you mustn't worry about it.

3.Take some deep breaths.

When you feel upset and hurt by someone who has called you Ignorant or another mean name, take some deep breaths to calm down, or listen to music. I do these to also stop grinding my teeth, 'cause that's what the dentist ordered. Or...

2.Do sumo wrestling.

In the Bluey episode 'Stickbird', Bluey taught her dad and her sister how to take all the upset and anger from their bodies and throw them out to sea. To deal with MY upset and anger, I pretend to be a fierce sumo wrestler, entering the ring, ready to deal with my opponent, another big fat sumo wrestler. I stomp on the ground with my legs wide open, stomping out all the sadness, anger and past hurtful events, until I'm free from those negative feelings. How do you STOMP out your negative thoughts?

1.Relax.

When you want to relax after an afternoon of being called 'Ignorant' by a cranky old family member, just do some things that you love to wind down for the evening. Watch Youtube on the computer, watch Disney+, Netflix or Amazon Prime or do some doodling, like I did with the Mr Men. Speaking of, Little Miss Princess has got a wide variety of friends here. They include Kid from Sheeep, Georgina the Giraffe from 64 Zoo Lane, Kipper the dog, Horse, Indian, Cowboy, Optimus Prime, Bluey and of course Furaha and Orko. What a friendly lot they are!

Tigger's Family Tree: Aunt Michelle

Michelle is Tigger’s British aunt who had her firm roots in Manchester. When Tigger goes to see her, she often shows him tapes of her time hosting the programme Tigger TV, which was shown as part of Children’s BBC from 1997 to early 2002.

She grew up watching hours of Grange Hill, Blue Peter and Why Don’t You, and wished to be a TV star when she grew older. At the age of 7, she received her first Blue Peter badge for sending in a painting of her friend Marley, who sadly got into a car accident before she painted him. When she turned 27, she landed a role in Tigger TV in 1997. It was a series where Michelle went around interviewing children and hearing their wackiest, craziest, hard to believe stories. Tigger TV became the staplemate of children’s programming on the BBC, airing in a slot for older children alongside Blue Peter and the then new animated show Arthur. She was friends with Blue Peter presenter Konnie Huq from the moment she joined the show in 1997, and she supported multiple charities, including the National Association For Broken Tails Foundation.

When Michelle is not hosting children’s TV, you can find her doing pottery, taking yoga classes, drawing fanart of DC heroes and, like all Tiggers, bouncing. Her favourite food is spaghetti and meatballs, and her favourite drink is strawberry milkshakes. She owns a cat called Pooch, a dog called Monty and a hamster named Frick. In 2002, she co-hosted XChange on the CBBC channel, and after that was the director of Blue Peter from 2007 to 2019. She absolutely hates the new CBBC, because she thinks it’s gone woke, and believes that nothing could end up like how Disney went all woke.