A Day Out Together

As far as I’m concerned, there’s one thing Furaha and I like to do more than play together at home, and that’s play in nature. Whether it’s at the beach or somewhere in the park, we always have a fun time discovering the magic of nature.

One particular place we’d like to go is a large meadow with a huge tree that shelters a portion of the place when it gets rainy and wet. The perfect spot for my little buddy to play. When we arrived at the meadow one bright and sunny day, Furaha ran so fast I almost got left behind. It was a boundaryless meadow with long green grass for us to hide in. She was just a toddler, so when things happen to her that are unexpected and fun, I am sure to be involved too.

We would play hide and seek amongst the grasses, and since I can float, I found Furaha very easy to find since I could see her tail. Other times we would play peekaboo, and Furaha jumped in and out of the grasses so excitedly, it’s hard to catch her. Our favourite moment of being in this meadow was running and floating so fast we would stumble and roll down the hills, until we collapsed at the bottom, laughing loudly.

Seriously, it was Furaha’s favourite place to be when things got tough for her. When the time was right, we would take a moment to forget our troubles and just relax in the meadow. We’d cloudgaze, or relax in the shelter of the tree. It was paradise.

On that day, I brought some bubble mixture to our favourite spot, so I could blow bubbles for Furaha to catch. I dipped the wand into the mixture and blew through it. Out came the prettiest, hugest bubbles you’ve ever seen. Furaha squealed and leapt high up in the air, trying to catch them with her claws (they desperately need cutting by the way, good job I have the nail clippers). Other times, she leapt up and tried to catch them with her mouth. CLANK went her teeth as she tried to pretend to eat them. I chuckled at Furaha’s antics, how she played with every single bubble like it was a bird waiting to be hunted. I wished I could join her, but trying to catch them with her means I’d spill the bubble mixture, then the ants would come with their tiny straws and slurp them up until they’re off their hinges. So, I just sat down and watched.

Furaha was so busy catching the bubbles, she didn’t notice a huge muddy puddle nearby. Suddenly, she tripped over a stone and landed in the mud. Covered in dirt and feeling very embarrassed, she began to cry loudly. “FURAHA!” I shouted, and floated quickly towards the mud puddle. Furaha was fine, except her fur was covered in mud, a claw was broken from tripping over the stone and there was a huge red cut on her knee. “Oh dear, you don’t look too good. Let’s get you home to get you cleaned and patched up.”

Taking Furaha in my arms, I used my magic, and viola! We were back home, safe and sound.

Following that twist of magic, I placed Furaha in a nice, warm, bubbly bath and cleaned all the mud off her, being careful not to get it in her delicate little eyes. The softness of the bubbles and the delicacies of the water cleaned all the mud off her body from her ears to her toes in no time at all. I even let her play with her yellow toy duck, before I realised the water was turning brown from all the mud. I even sniffed the water to see how it smelled. “Phooey!” I cried, “The water is smelly from all the mud! Let’s get you dry.”

No sooner had I dried Furaha then she was squeaky clean from head to toe. I took some plasters out of the cupboard and placed one onto Furaha’s cut on her knee. It was her favourite butterfly one, and immediately she felt reassured and well. She gave me a big hug and nuzzled into my chest, making me feel loved and generous.

After this whole turn of events, I changed into my white short sleeved T shirt and sat down on the sofa with my little buddy, drinking the loveliest chocolate milk out of mugs with gentle little illustrations of mice on them. “I’m so glad you’re okay, Furaha,” I said in relief. “If it were anything serious, ambulances and fire trucks would be all over the place.” Furaha winced a little. She didn’t like big operations. “However,” I continued, “It was only a little accident, so that’s okay. At least your knee was the only one that suffered. It’s a good job I patched it all up. I am lucky to do so, because you’re my sister, and I love you more than anyone else in the world. Which reminds me: I forgot to cut your claws. I’ll get out the nail clipper and do it tomorrow. After all, I think today is a one off for us.”

Summer Skin

It was a really hot Summer where Orko and his toddler sister Furaha lived, and today should be the day they decided to go to the beach. The weather was nice and warm: just perfect beach weather.

Look, here’s Orko. He’s already relaxing on his deck chair in the shade of his yellow flowery parasol, with an orange juice drink by his side and some cool red shades on. All he is wearing is his trademark scarf and hat, as well as a thin red velvet skirt around his waist which looks remarkably like a towel. It’s the perfect gear for a trip to the beach for a Trollan. It allows him to show his blue, soft, smooth skin, all while taking in the beautiful rays of sunlight. Plus, there is no one on the beach, so Orko and his sister had the beach all to themselves.

Orko felt a shiver down his little Trollan spine as the sun shone onto his smooth blue skin. “This is paradise,” he said as he took a sip of his drink, “I bet Furaha’s enjoying it too.”

Nearby, Orko’s sister Furaha was prowling after a pinchy crab that was scuttling along the sand. Scuttle scuttle scuttle went the crab, “Grrrrr…” growled Furaha in her cutesy ways as she chased after the tricky crustacean. Snip Snap! The crab’s pincers made a very snappy noise. Furaha positioned and aimed carefully at the crab, ready to hunt it and think about cooking it in a stew should she and Orko get back home. But she was a toddler, so toddlers have a messy way of cooking.

At last, she pounced. WHOOSH! But she landed on her tummy and rolled over three times in the sand. The crab let out some chittery laughter and blew a raspberry at the poor cub before scuttling back into its sand hole. Furaha sat up and gave a cute, grumpy little noise. HRMPH! It was no fair trying to catch a crab to eat when all it wants to do is play tricks on you. I mean, what’s the point? After all, crabs aren’t like lobsters. They’re quick, wheras lobsters are really slooooooooow. Slow as a tortoise who takes things easy.

Just as Furaha began to feel herself about to throw a strop, her unhappy thoughts were drowned out by Orko calling to her. “Furaha! Come and relax with me!” Furaha was so pleased she ran straight up to her big brother and hugged him.

The feeling of Furaha’s fur against Orko’s skin tickled a bit, which made him laugh quietly. “It tickles!” giggled Orko. Furaha had to giggle too. For surprising reasons, Orko’s skin felt really warm. “It’s because I like to feel the sun on my skin.” explained the little wizard to the young cub, “When I feel the sun’s warm embrace on my body, I feel like I’m being hugged by a million rays of yellow Summer tenderness.”

When he saw Furaha point to the yellowish-orange bottle of suntan lotion near the deckchair, he chuckled. “Oh, Furaha, you are a card.” smiled Orko, “You see, even Trollan wizards like me need to keep safe from the sun. We apply different scented lotions onto our skin to shield ourselves from the hot sun. And Trolly Molly, are you this close to getting sunburnt. You’ll turn into a cooked piece of raw meat, and then the sharks will have you for dinner should you go into the water.” Sweet, innocent little Furaha got scared really quickly. “Just kidding,” laughed Orko, “Let me apply some lotion onto you.”

Orko took the suntan lotion bottle and squeezed a handful onto his palm. He then rubbed Furaha all over with the stuff, and despite how oily it felt, Furaha felt ticklish. She giggled so much, Orko had to giggle with her. Then, they lay back and relaxed. “It feels nice to be on a beach like this,” said Orko, “I’m tellin’ ya, I love it when it’s Summertime. It gives me more opportunities to play with my best friend - you.” Orko hugged Furaha close.. An idea popped into Orko’s little wizard brain. “I know, Furaha, let’s go for a swim! Don’t worry, there’s no sharkies in the sea. No one has ever encountered a shark here.”

Orko lead Furaha towards the sea, and like lightning did our little cub run - straight into the safe, shallow water. Orko spread his bare arms out wide and fell with a splash into the water. The two laughed as they splashed each other and ran around the water, chasing each other. Furaha jumped up and down in the water, seeing how hard she can splash her brother. Orko screamed as he felt mini tidal waves splash against his body.

For any relaxing moment, they lay back in the water and gazed up at the bright, shiny sky. When Orko got water in his ears and can’t hear anything properly, he just twisted his ears (it wasn’t painful to him) and water came pouring out. Furaha was amused by it so much she splashed about in the water, flapping her arms crazily. It was Orko’s magic, so Furaha always felt amused by it.

At last, when sunset came, Furaha and Orko settled on the sand to watch the sun set above the ocean. “You know, holidays are fun, even when I bring my yellow and green camel rubber ring.” explained Orko to Furaha. “Come to think of it, it pains me to think about when I had it back in Eternia, because that stupid Man-At-Arms forbade me to use it, and I had to wear this stinky old helmet to go underwater. Still, here on Earth I get to use it all the time and have fun. Eternian people force me to grow up. I don’t have to wear a helmet that smells of fish here, and I never grow up with you around, Furaha. I can be a kid whenever I feel like it, even though I’m grown up. And I’m right here by your side, because…I am your brother.”

Furaha and Orko shared a hug and watch the sunset, snuggled close to one another. For you see, a perfect time to be at the beach is when a loved one is right near beside you.