Boomerang France - Tout De Suite (2006 to 2010)

School Life

In the secondary school near where you or I live, there is a secret classroom. One with soundproof walls and brightly coloured paintings, and not a single piece of maths homework in sight. It is located behind a green door which can only be seen by those lucky enough to see it. It is where Furaha and her friends Orko, Optimus and Baby Marvin live.

Once they get up every weekday morning just before the pupils arrive at school for their lessons, Optimus leads them in some simple, gentle stretching to start the morning. Often, they would have to wash because sleeping through the night would mean they would smell bad. Baby Marvin was trying very hard to do his stretching, but always fell over. Luckily, Furaha and Orko were always on hand or paw to catch him.

When the pupils finally are in school, Optimus leads Furaha and her friends in some painting, which they enjoyed so much. Furaha would paint with her paws. SPLAT! SMUCK! SPLASH! She would get a bit messy and covered in paint, but it was worth it. Orko preferred to paint with a brush, while Baby Marvin did the same as Furaha, causing him to get very, very messy indeed. So messy are Baby Marvin and Furaha in fact, that Optimus needed to give them a good bath during breaktime with water in the school tank and bubbles from the washing up liquid in the staffroom.

In the middle of the day, they would spend the day doing some quiet activities, such as cuddling and hugging. They would sit on soft, comfy pillows and hug some teddies, while Optimus leads them in a breathing exercise. Then he would come and cuddle the three friends softly, sharing in love and hugs together, without disruption from the school bell due to the soundproof walls. He would often play with them, chasing them around their classroom home.

Next it was time for lunch. Orko magicked up some lunch for Furaha, Baby Marvin and himself to eat. Furaha had two jam sandwiches, a banana, a chocolate chip cookie and a carton of orange juice. Orko had a large plate of pizza and a cup of orangeade, and Baby Marvin had finger cheese sandwiches, a glass of milk and half a chocolate bar. Optimus, as always, was very careful. He was on an Energon diet. For the rest of the lunch break, the friends would sit around playing board games until the bell rang again.

It was time for the final lesson of the day - mindfulness. Optimus lead the friends in some meditation and deep breathing exercises, followed by some aromatherapy and some body scanning. Then, each of the friends would tell their worries to Optimus, which he would tell them how to resolve with great ease. Yes, Optimus was a wise and truthful teacher, and always knew everything about wellbeing and wonders of people everywhere.

When all the pupils have left for the day, Furaha, Orko and Optimus go out of the door to explore and look around the classrooms. And my, what a grand sight it was. The library was filled with books and reading posters to indulge in some interesting reads, though Furaha and Baby Marvin didn’t like the scary stories muchly. The science lab was filled with liquids which Furaha and her friends could concoct as experiments of their own, though Baby Marvin stayed back because the chemicals in the liquid are too dangerous. The music room allowed them to play all different types of music, and the art room meant they could make the room as messy as it could possibly be, with colourful paints and pens and potato slices.

The best room to play in is the staffroom, because playing in their meant lots of biscuits, mugs of hot cocoa and an opportunity to relax, laugh and talk together. It was the room where friends become friends, and friends become family. It’s a room where everyone can be in complete harmony with each other.

And when the sun finally set, the friends made their way back to bed, tired out from a long day of school living. Snug and safe in their bed, Furaha, Orko and Baby Marvin are cradled in Optimus’ arms, hoping that another day will bring more life lessons each time.

For at school, lessons aren’t just about numbers or words or art, it’s about the values we learn as time goes on, and we still do to this day.

May these wonderful values be of importance to you for the rest of your life.

Baby Marvin's Sore Throat

Baby Marvin had been holding his throat and crying all night. No one understood why he had been holding his throat, but his mum (and his puppy K9) did - he had a sore throat. Due to a bad night, his throat felt as bad as a rotten apple, and a sore throat meant a cold was coming.

Baby Marvin was so miserable that his mum took great care of him in no time at all. She gently scooped him up in her arms and began to cradle him - she didn’t let him suck his thumb because it would make his throat worse, so she fed him some milk out of a bottle. The milk tasted so sweet and gentle against his throat, and in his sleepy mind it felt like sandpaper being turned to soft, comforting cream. K9 leapt up onto the sofa and began to nuzzle and snudge him. Baby Marvin tried to laugh, but speaking and swallowing made it worse.

Baby Marvin’s mum went into the kitchen and brought out some liquid sore throat medicine to help with the bad throat. To Baby Marvin, swallowing the strawberry flavoured medicine felt like a blob of pink goo was washing over sand and turning it into the purest, mildest meadow with daisies growing all over. Baby Marvin felt really, really tired, and nestled into the warmth of his mother’s arms as he sniffled once and snuggled to sleep. Baby Marvin’s mum cradled him in her arms and hugged him, whispering reassuring words into his little ears. She placed him onto the sofa and laid him on a soft, gentle pillow, placing a downy fleece blanket over him. Baby Marvin felt really soothed now that his sore throat was taken care of by the one he loves.