Daddy's Home - Part 2

But then, as 12 O’clock at midnight rolled around like a bandwagon with four moons for wheels, I felt something silky burrowing under my arm, and then I felt some velvety snuggle under my other arm. When I opened my eyes, my vision blurry because of the amount of sleep, I saw the most adorable sight I’ve ever seen: Furaha and Orko, asleep next to me, tucked right under my arms, safe and protected.

The feel of Furaha’s silky soft fur under my arm felt like I’m being tickled in my dreams, while it was made even more comforting by the soft vibration of Orko’s tiny snores near my side. Being with the two friends felt so soothing, I fell asleep in no time, and I drifted into a dream as I fell into unconcious isolation land.

But here, I wasn’t alone. I was on a beautiful tropical island somewhere in Hawaii, and Furaha and Orko were with me. We had so much fun, running on the pure white sand, building sandcastles, making leis out of hibiscus flowers and splashing in the warm, mild ocean. All while I was dreaming, the loudspeakers were quietly playing a vintage recording of ‘Aloha Oe’. A little tear fell down my face as I listened, knowing Furaha and Orko would be there for me, even when Josh isn’t.

Because where would I be without him?

In one part of my dream, I dipped my hand into the sea, only for it to turn into that of Josh’s blue-coloured hair gel. When I woke up, I found myself in the hotel room again. The sun was shining through the window, blinding me like a sudden ray from a hospital light.

I looked to see if I really had dipped my hand in Josh’s hair gel, thinking he had left it behind when he thought it was Max Steel time…and oh would you look at that! Furaha was sucking on my hand, almost chewing on my fingers. Instead of reacting in pain, I giggled. Furaha always sucked on my hands to make sure she didn’t have a really bad dream. And on my right side, Orko was sleeping in a rather messy position. The pillows and blanket were all over the place, as if a hurricane had blown through the room overnight.

When Furaha let go of my hand, it was covered all over in sticky lioness slobber, which almost stained the bed. I leapt out of bed and went to the bathroom, using the tropical flower-scented handwash to wash my hands. Soon, my hands didn’t smell at all bad, instead of the place I dreamed about - colourful flowers, warm oceans, soft white sand…

“LAURA!” Oh. It was Furaha’s voice. Was she in trouble? After drying my hands in a quick rush, I ran into the hotel room to see Furaha and Orko sitting on the bed together. Furaha had a waterfall of drool trickling down her mouth, and her fur was all messy. Orko had armpit odor stains where his robe was, and there were eye boogers in his bloodshot eyes. Being the gentle, caring figure I was, I used a wet wipe to wipe the drool off Furaha’s face, and then gently brushed her fur with a soft-bristled green hairbrush.

Then, it was Orko’s turn, as he waited so patiently for Aunt Laura to give him some attention. Furaha felt a lot better now she was brushed and wiped. I took out a clean wet wipe scented of coral tangerine, and wiped his booger-filled eyes clean. He then had to go to the bathroom and wash. While Furaha and I waited, we talked for ages about what we planned to do today.

When I mentioned Pete, a determined look spread across her face. She began running and bouncing around the room like a wild little girl, talking about what she would do to Pete if he ever bullies her and her brother again. After a few minutes of planning, Orko finally came out of the bathroom squeaky clean. His voice was still in shadow, but now he was wearing a clean blue satin robe and hat instead of his usual red velvet hat and robe.

With that in mind, we went to the cafeteria to have some breakfast. It was quite a nourishing one to be exact - eggs, bacon, sausages and tomatoes. Orko called this breakfast “A real one, greasy, slimy and satisfying”, but I usually preferred congee with eggs and vegetables for breakfast. I didn’t mind however, whatever Furaha and Orko enjoyed, I enjoyed it too. Furaha also enjoyed colouring on the activity sheets the cafeteria offered.

After Furaha and Orko helped me to pack - Orko helped with his magic, unusually - we set off on the road to meet Josh, who just told me he was out of Max Steel mode once again. I just don’t get what the difference between Josh and Max Steel is, though if a certain company called Nerd Corps were to tell you about it, they were to tell you that they didn’t start the whole Max Steel thing in the process.

What I did know, though, is that this company called NTek started the whole Max Steel thing. If I were to give you their phone number, dial it right away and ask immediately.

Anyway, when we finally stopped to meet Josh, Furaha and Orko couldn’t contain their excitement. “JOSH!” they both shouted together, and they leapt on Josh, tackling him to the ground in the most playful manner I’ve ever seen. How I laughed, and Josh laughed as Orko and Furaha hugged and tickled him. I’ve never seen such a happy reunion in my life - and then, Furaha called, “Come on, Laura! Join us!” Of course, I just had to give in, and I leapt onto Josh, and all of us shared the softest, warmest hug together. Looking back, it was so emotional, it might make me want to cry, but it is also a very happy memory. Well, to me, obviously.

As we drove to the campus, Josh joked with Furaha and Orko about a variety of things, and, being the rebellious blonde-haired big brother figure he was, he kept calling out at truck drivers passing by, yelling things like “Oi! Stupid!” and “Cowface!” Furaha and Orko also joined in, laughing and blowing raspberries at the tough truckers, who I didn’t like either, but I preferred to calmly watch as I drove along the road.

When we approached the campus, Furaha and Orko were amazed by such as sight, but they concentrated hard with taking the boxes out of the car and helping us bring them into our dorm room. Orko used his magic to help, and Josh laughed seeing his clumsy and playful antics with his magic and how he does it in a variety of ways, such as making some of the boxes fly through the dorm window.

But then…came him. I was absolutely fearing for this moment. When Pete came, I reunited happily with him, and unfortunately that was the time Josh was called to resume his duties as Max Steel with Berto and Rachel. But then, Pete saw Furaha and Orko. Pete gave the two an evil look, and Furaha hid behind Orko’s back, shivering in fear. I felt like I would bite my fingernails until my fingers were worn to stumps, and then….

He shouted. All sorts of horrible things to Furaha and Orko. The horrible they were, the more hurt they were become, and the more shocked I was, until they ran into the building and all the way into my dorm room crying. When upstairs and hiding under the blanket of my bed, they heard me arguing with Pete feintly from outside. Furaha covered her ears and Orko did his best to comfort him, but realised even he needed some time to release his emotions, and he began to cry hard along with Furaha. Outside, down below, when Pete stormed off, I could hear Furaha and Orko crying from upstairs. Pete had a dorm separate from mine and Josh’s, but his words and actions were so harmful to Furaha and Orko that they had made them feel hurt and traumatised.

I quickly ran up to my dorm to check on my two friends, and there they were, hiding under the duvet and crying so much they would stain the white sheets. Pulling the sheets back, I saw Furaha and Orko feeling very upset and panicky. Furaha huddled near me and sobbed, while Orko floated down near my other side and comforted me. I apologised with a hint of mournfulness in my voice, saying it wasn’t my fault, it was Pete’s, and no matter how vulnerable they are to his harsh words, they can always find strength in her company…and Josh, if he had the time.

At first, Furaha and Orko weren’t sure what to make of it, but then they cheered up and I gave them the softest, gentlest hug. Furaha purred softly, while Orko smiled under his shadowed face. For the rest of the day, they helped me to set up my dorm, placing books, bags, boxes and photo albums and everything in between where they should be, and sometimes taking a break to play a board game or two.

I can’t actually tell you what happened that night, because it involved not only me, but also Josh (or Max Steel as if he were involved), Rachel, some guy with a creepy robotic face named Psycho and Mr Smith, his dad. It would involve high stakes trouble and violence, and this is a low stakes stream of consciousness story, so let’s skip to when I got back to my dorm to see Furaha and Orko. Orko had been doing a good job taking care of Furaha while I was out, and they were very relieved and overjoyed when I came back with Josh safe. Josh grabbed Furaha in a playful hug and tickled her, while I cuddled Orko, knowing I have a stronger bond with him than I did with little Furaha.

Daddy's Home - Part 1

It’s about time I opened up my diary to share some of my secrets from when I was with Josh. You see, Furaha and Orko were gifted to me when I was just a little girl. I lived a very dull and grey life, because my family were completely…um, average, to be exact. My dad was average, my mum, my brothers, my sisters, my friends, all average. Until one fateful day in Autumn.

While sitting alone in the garden watching my typical average brothers and sisters playing, I decided to wander through a gap in the fence. It lead to the most beautiful forest you have ever dreamed of going to - crisp Autumn leaves, shaded in brown and orange and gold, the trees providing a comfortable shade from the blinding Autumn sun.

With no one to tell me to come back and clean up, I wandered through the forest, admiring how beautiful and endearing each sight, sound and smell was. It was like I found my own home away from home. And then, I heard a whimpering noise coming from behind the bushes.

I peered behind the bushes to see two adorable faces looking back at me - one of them was covered in beautiful, warm, golden fur, and had eyes as wide as saucers - or China plates if you were to be as organised as my painfully boring average mum. The other was wearing a flowing red velvet cloak, and his amulet was lying covered in mud and scratches on the ground. His face was entirely in shadow, the only signs of his face showing being two adorable little eyes coloured yellow as the leaves above.

The first words I ever recall saying to them were: “Are you lost?” Immediately, they grew to like me. They didn’t have names, so I named them myself. I named the lioness cub Furaha, after the happiness I felt when I played with my pet cat, Azul, who sadly passed away when I reached the age of six, which of course was the exact age I reached when I found them.

The wizard already had a name - and surprisingly can do magic really well. His name, as he mentioned, was Orko, because his original name ‘Oracle’ was hard to pronounce. I took them home, and immediately, my life wasn’t as boring or average as it used to be. My family helped bathe them and clean them up and give them all the care that they desperately need.

For all my life, I couldn’t be more happier with Furaha and Orko in my life. Every year I grew up and had the stresses and strains of school, or high school as I grew up, on my mind, I would always come home to their adorable little faces, and their cries of “LAURA!” as they ran to me for a welcome home cuddle. Then, we would play and frolic together until it was time for me to hit the hay. Those were absolutely wonderful times - I couldn’t think of anything more delightful than my friendship with those two beautiful little treasures I call my friends.

And when I reached the age Max’s story began, my two friends didn’t age at all. Maybe it was some kind of mystical power or something - still, to me, they were a gift from the Gods for being a good little girl in my childhood, staying true to my family’s honor-

“EVEN WHEN THEY WERE REALLY BORING!”

Thank you, Furaha. Now, it was the time I was preparing to go to college, three months after Josh’s whole ‘incident’ involving Psycho and this whole Max Steel incident. You see, I was happy to let Josh continue as Max Steel, but while he was away, I kept in touch with him as frequently as possible. Josh and I have known each other ever since we were in nursery school, and the first time he met Furaha and Orko, he wasn’t the least bit frightened by them, because he understood I took them under my care.

When he came round for a playdate in my childhood, or to help me do my homework during my secondary school years, Furaha and Orko would look up to him as a big brother - they even thought of him as a father figure when he grew up to the age he was in during my story. He was so strong and comforting, that he could carry both of them on his shoulders, and he played with them like a caring Daddy Bear out of a Disney film.

Those moments bring me to happy tears when I think about them, because I feel proud of what Josh did to care for Furaha and Orko the same way I cared for them. But I’d best save repeating this for the end of the story I’m writing just for you. Now, let’s focus on the present.

I was packing for college the moment the story began, and Furaha and Orko were helping me. Since lions like her come from Africa, Furaha could be like the women who bring their goods to market and balance each of my folded clothes on her head. She could even do the most amazing tricks in the world, unlike some talented people I know. Like Pete for instance.

Pete, Josh and I are known by our nickname ‘The Three Musketeers’, because we have known each other ever since childhood. However, unlike Josh and me who are caring and compassionate towards our two little friends, Pete is very aggressive and rude towards them, saying they don’t fit into my world and should be kicked out. He even beat them up and threw them against the wall like they are useless, discarded footballs - but I stood up for them at no means necessary. My words were powerful enough to make him run away from them so I can tend to them.

One time, Furaha ended up with so many bruises from Pete’s bullying that I felt emotionally overwhelmed and cried quietly into her soft, gentle fur, which was covered in so many bruises it felt like she had yellow pyjamas covered in painful purple polka dots. Luckily, I cleaned both of them up when I took them back home and soothed Furaha and Orko’s bruises, scrapes and cuts with soothing cream, bandages and plasters with lovely, cute, cuddly, colourful designs.

Sometimes when I used the cream, Furaha complained about it smelling really awful, which she called ‘Rotting Fish’. So, because she has a sensitive sense of smell, I used a much better cream scented with aloe vera. She felt a lot better when I used that cream on her and Orko, even though Furaha’s fur ended up greasy, with some bits of her fur sticking out.

She used this as an advantage of course. She’d jump up onto the bed, sit in a cockatoo position and pretend to squawk and whistle. That always made me laugh. Sometimes, Orko would use his magic to conjure millions of cockatoos, budgies, parakeets and lorikeets out of his sleeve, until the room was soundtracked with the sounds of chirping and tweeting and whistles and I could see all these birds rubbing their beaks against one another.

It was such a magical moment. Thinking back, I wish this moment could still happen. I’ve been hoping and hoping and hoping, but now Furaha and Orko are helping me prepare for college, I always saw Orko’s magic as useful and playful, and of course, the most entertaining sight in the world. He used his magic to make all my clothes and appliances I would need for my stayover dance about Sorcerer’s Apprentice style into my suitcase and fold themselves up neatly as they leapt in. Furaha put on some music and danced along, and of course I did nothing but clap and cheer over Orko’s humor and craziness.

Despite being told I must keep them secret in case everyone thought I was a baby, I knew they wouldn’t mind, not even Pete. I told them: “No matter how they see you or even talk to you, everyone here would care for you the same way I did as a kid…to you.” These words, I always stuck with, and I have always done since I got my college application.

When the day came, I drove along the road with Furaha and Orko sitting next to me. I wasn’t in the least bit annoyed by Orko’s whiny pleas of “Are we there yet?” because I knew they cared for me just as well as I cared for them…and how I cared for Josh when he is all scraped up. We played a game of I Spy. Furaha was a good guesser - she pointed out all the things beginning with S (sheep), C (cafe), U (umbrellas on the beach) and P (as in lamPPosts), but Orko kept guessing things that aren’t around us, like camels or computers or websites. I giggled and told him “Silly Orko, websites don’t exist in real life, they only exist on the computer!” He had yet to know that where he came from, Trolla, had a race of wizards who are so crazy and mixed up, you could’ve sworn their brains are made of beef and mustard.

We made a few stops along the way, and I must admit, these were the best bits according to Furaha and Orko at least. One time, Furaha got sick, so I had to get here out of the car and into a public toilet. Her vomiting was as loud as any lion her age when they roar. In fact it was so loud, one man in the cubicle next to our’s looked up from his newspaper, looked around and groaned. I helped her do some deep breathing exercises and I spent a few moments cuddling her while Orko waited in the car. Then, he fell asleep.

Another one of our stops was at the garage. Furaha giggled and instantly cheered up hearing that some mums have been to the garage to fetch some sunglasses, and got away with it without being arrested! However, she refused a lolly or some sweets due to being sick earlier, so I got her some ‘Sickness Drops’ flavoured like cherries. Furaha didn’t mind the strong flavour of cherries, as they knew it made her feel better. Still, she loved seeing the kiddie ride in the shape of a red and yellow airplane, and the stand which sold various postcards with scenes of famous landmarks all around the world - China. Japan. Australia. Canada. Oh, how I wish I could go there.

The next half of the trip was very quiet. Furaha sat next to me while Orko kept sleeping, his hat over his shadowed face and his snoring as little as his hands and his heart were. Furaha didn’t mind, as she had paws instead of hands, and a heart as pure and as unfathomable as untouched gold. To me, those two friends are just as chilled and relaxed with their surroundings as I was. Since Furaha got sick earlier, I knew it would take some time before she would get her appetite back.

As night fell, we made a stop at a small yet luxurious hotel. Everything was coloured teal blue - the wallpapers, the beds, the lamps, you name it, it was blue. The beds were entirely water beds, and when you leapt onto them they wobbled about and made a funny splashing noise. The desks were decorated with seaweed and pretty pink shells, and the lamps had porcelain mermaid figures around them. I placed Orko onto a small water bed and pulled some soft covers over him, since he had slept all the way from the garage to here.

By the time Orko was in bed, Furaha finally got her appetite back. Mine too, I was feeling a bit peckish after all that driving around, so, I picked up the phone and ordered room service. I chose a freshly cut loin with mashed potatoes and carrots and peas, and Furaha wanted sausages, bacon and eggs, which was usually on the hotel’s breakfast menu, with lots of what she called ‘yummy ice cream’ - she recommended vanilla, chocolate and strawberry all at once! Neapolitan, I’d put it. It was gross, but I knew if it’s her taste, then she’d may as well go for it.

We both enjoyed our meals while listening to the soft Hawaiian music playing on the small loudspeakers in the corners of the ceiling. We also ate under the light of one of those beautiful porcelain mermaid lamps. Furaha even tried to share her unusual dinner with one mermaid, thinking it would like some too. I had to calm Furaha down and tell her that mermaids only like Seaweed Salad In Pink Shells - she thought seaweed smelled horrible even when eaten, as it gives people bad breath.

After our meal was over, it was time for bed. While I was cleaning my teeth, I could hear Furaha hiccuping in a light, unspoiled manner. She seemed to have ice cream and egg yolks all around her mouth, and her eyes were yellow and red from having such a big huge enormous meal. When she saw me decked out in my comfy pink Sakura blossom pyjamas, she didn’t have time to complain. She just yawned and crashed out, so I tucked her into the bed beside Orko, and settled onto the even bigger bed beside them, sleeping facing them in case they ever had bad dreams.

Furaha had to get up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet, and she got there just in time. She could wipe properly too - she has pretty extraordinary manners if I may put it. While she was sitting on the toilet doing her own business, I heard her singing ‘A Sailor Went To Sea Sea Sea’ entirely in tongues, so it sounded much like ‘Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah’. She still has her childish habits after all these years, though I must admit, no one is actually annoyed by her way of singing while on the toilet. When she had finished wiping and washing her hands with some beautiful rainforest flower-scented hand soap, she finally went back to sleep. I too went back to sleep, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Josh.

What if Furaha and Orko really miss him? What if I were to miss him too? I would show support for Josh, or Mr Steel as Furaha calls him, because we’re all friends around here, not foes. No friend is dangerous to a foe when he does when he becomes a friend - that’s a message passed down through the generations in the family. One I will never forget.

A Letter About An Abacus

Dear Furaha,

I’ve heard from your carer Optimus Prime that there are five colours on an abacus, all representing your two charges and three of your dearest friends - Furaha, Orko, Josh, Laura and Berto. The yellow beads represent Furaha and her sweetness, kindness and mischief. The red beads represent Orko’s brotherly nature towards his little furry sister. The green beads? You know them, when there’s green, Josh is around - he’s very kind and caring towards Furaha, and makes a good babysitter. The purple beads represent Laura and her kindness and softness towards Orko, and Furaha if she has time. And finally, the blue beads represent Berto, and how he loves to play board games and share Choco Nutties together with Orko, even when they’re fighting over the last one in the supermarket.

Let me tell you something: each bead represents a lovely, gentle story in their lives, whether Josh and Laura are babysitting Furaha and Orko or your two little ones are going on adventures together. Whatever keeps the beads apart from each other keeps you together no matter what. Because these beads are the group of friends that come together and make each other feel happy with what they have.

Love,

Sybil
XXXOOO

Marina, John & Helena

- Stories inspired by Stingray and Space 1999

- Main characters: Marina, John and Helena.