A Boy Called Orko: 'That Place'

No sooner had I gone to sleep than I found myself in a creepy forest, with dense moss hanging from the branches. I floated through the forest, pushing back dead branches, desperate to see what was on the other side of this tunnel of thick, dying decay. Then, all of a sudden, I burst out of the branches and saw it: it was a huge waterfall, somewhere in the middle of the rainforest, gleaming and beautiful, like it had been polished by the moon. “That place…” I whispered, my eyes glowing with the rise of the full moon…

…but then I woke up back in Furaha’s bed and it was 3 O’Clock in the afternoon. I looked out to see the sun set over the neighbourhood, and whispered it again.

“That place…”

But then Optimus came in to check on me. “What’s all this about that place?” “Erm…er…” I mumbled. I was struggling for words, so Optimus said, “Come on, it’s time for dinner now. We’re having fish fingers and chips. I’m on an Energon diet though, so feel free to come down and eat with us.” “Can I tell you about my dream then?” I asked. “Of course!” chuckled Optimus, “Now come down before your dinner gets cold.”

Quickly, I followed Optimus downstairs and into the kitchen.

The fish fingers and chips were precisely well cooked and tasted very delicious, much better than the food I had at my previous home. I told my sister and father all about my dream, the waterfall, the dead, decaying branches, and how I called it, “That Place”. “That place, eh?” said Optimus. “Hmmmm…I think I know that place from when I was a youngling.” “Can we go there NOW?” I asked, as any impatient four year old would do. “No, not at the moment, Orko, it’s getting dark. We all have to wind down before bed.” “Aaaaaawwww,” I moaned, continued eating my fish fingers. “Surely there must be some way we can make him feel welcome,” said Furaha, stuffing three chips into her mouth so she looked like a chipmunk storing nuts the same way. “We’ll make him feel welcome together, Furaha. Just you wait. We’ll be with him every step of the way, and maybe we’ll even get him his own toys if he’s good. He needs a lot of love and attention, because he’s a very special boy.”

At once, I lit up. I liked being called special, mainly because of my magic, and I had already finished my dinner. “Yay! I’m special! Watch this!” I shouted, and wiggling my tiny fingers in the air, I chanted:

“Dinner is over, now I dream

That for dessert, I’ll have ice cream!”

And in a flash, a huge delicious ice cream sundae with chocolate sauce and fudge and raspberry sauce and a cherry on top appeared before Optimus and Furaha’s very eyes. “Woah!” shouted Furaha, her eyes wide as saucers. “Oh well done!” said Optimus, clapping his giant hands in approval. “See, I told you he’s special, dad,” whispered Furaha as I tucked into my dessert. “Furaha, it’s just natural that his magic doesn’t work when he’s sad,” explained Optimus, “During that time in that care home with all the other kids, his magic didn’t work, because the former care owner told him not to use it. This is the first time he’s ever used magic. His parents would be proud of him. And I would be too. I tell you what: tomorrow, we’ll go to the toy shop and get him a treat for being so good.”

“What about you, Optimus?” asked Furaha, “Can you come in and pay?” “You have already had your pocket money this week for cleaning the house. You’ll be able to pay perfectly with the right amount of money, or sixpences or whatever they are. Anyway, I can’t fit into the toy store because I am too big.” “But in this house you do!” called out Furaha. We all laughed. I had never heard a joke so funny before. Even better, I was laughing with others. Back in my old home, others just laughed at me, but not Optimus and Furaha, they were laughing so much I forgot about Adam and Teela and Man-At-Arms and Cringer and such. Right now, they were the only family I needed.

A few hours later, after a noisy session of playing games on the computer, Optimus said that it was time for bed. He carried me and Furaha up towards Furaha’s room, and tucked us into bed, reading us a bedtime story. Yawning, I asked Optimus, “Can we visit that place, Optimus?” “Someday, Orko, someday,” said Optimus, “But right now, we all need to get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be a bright new day, much better than what you had in your last placement. Goodnight, little ones.” “Night Optimus,” we both said in unison as Optimus switched off the light and we went to sleep instantly. I spent the whole night trying to forget about the dream, but parts of it kept coming back to me like a difficult question just waiting to be answered. I could hear millions of voices calling:

“Orko, come and visit me.”

“Orko, please visit.”

“Orko, you have to explore this place.”

“Come and touch my nature, Orko.”

I tried to ignore these voices, but they just echoed in my head while I was sleeping, and I didn’t even wake up. That was the most disturbing part of all. For now, I needed some rest, and I was so glad I had Furaha by my side.

August 17, 2002

Furaha and I ran downstairs the next morning to breakfast screaming and shouting. “We’re going to get my treat for being special!” I cried. “Settle down, you two, finish your breakfast first.” We both ate our breakfast quickly. Optimus had cooked eggs for us, and we both ate hungrily, enjoying the dairyish taste in our mouths. “What comes first, Optimus?” asked Furaha. “The chicken, or the egg?” "In my opinion, I think the egg came first, not the chicken, because a long time ago a dinosaur and a bird mated and produced an egg. Out from it hatched a strange bird we now call a chicken.” said Optimus. “I think the chicken came first, it did exist when the dinosaurs were around, because their feet were all scaly.” I piped up.

Joy's Vlog

Is this thing on? Oh wait, it is on, right, haha, I totally forgot.

Anyway….

Hi! My name is Joy! Welcome to my vlog! I’m here to talk about the recent success of Inside Out 2. As you know, Disney has gone woke, meaning they include more people of colour in their movies, especially black people. This annoys me and my friends sooooo much. But luckily, Inside Out 2 is a standout. It teaches us about two things and two things only: mental health, and mental health alone. Oh! And big emotions, thanks, Sadness.

Okay, so, with all those people talking about how Inside Out 2 has addressed these issues really perfectly, I’m going to talk to you about what really goes on in your mind, whether you’re autistic or not. So here we go!

#1:

WHAT CHARACTERS DO IN YOUR HEAD.

Do you know what your favourite characters do inside your head? Whether you’re a toddler, a geek or a nerd obsessed with cartoons, you can clearly be sure that you’re favourite cartoon characters are always inside your head, plotting some new and fun ideas, whether you’re writing a story, baking a cake or just wanting to sit around eating snacks and watching TV all weekend. On our quest to get back home, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Fear and I all met Riley’s favourite characters: Bloofy, her childhood favourite character from when she was a toddler, and Lance Slashblade, a video game character whom Riley had a massive crush on. Imagine that, right, wanting to marry a video game character. Have any of you seen the show ReBoot before? Hmmmmm…most of you might, I dunno.

Anyway, when you start watching a show that features a favourite cartoon character, you can feel an instant urge to become their friend, join in their adventures, see what they get up to next, much like Riley with Bing Bong when they go on their adventures together. Inside your mind, your favourite characters are roaming about, waiting until a report about their latest adventures come in. Now Riley’s into all this teenage stuff like werewolf sitcoms and the like, but something tells me that favourite characters have come to be cherished by kids, adults, parents and teens alike. Don’t tell me: Riley’s dad acts like a big baby sometimes. Made ya look! Ha ha!

Okay, so, I’ve seen Riley browsing Reddit in the last couple of days, looking for advice on how to win the next big hockey game. She has seen a lot of sneaky things posted on Reddit, but still, there are some she likes. For example, two parents in the toddlers’ section of Reddit said that their toddlers liked a wide variety of different shows. One mom said her little poppypants liked Daniel Tiger, If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, Blue’s Clues, Little Bear, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Bear In The Big Blue House, while another quoted that her little guy or girl loved loved LOVED Barney & Friends. In addition to that big purple lug of a dinosaur, she said that her toddler also loved Trash Truck, Llama Llama, Puffin Rock and Go Dog Go.

Now, imagine these toddlers in a really different situation. They’re watching these shows. Singing along with the songs or joining in the actions to the songs, or just watching characters like Llama, Mouse or Blue enjoying quality time with their friends and family. Now when TV time is over, these toddlers will get back to playing. But not before you hear one of them say:

“Come on, Mickey, let’s go on an adventure!”

So here, one toddler has got Daniel Tiger, Mouse, Blue, Little Bear, Mickey and Bear going with him on an expedition to a Candy Mountain in the far left hand corner of Bumblesweet Valley, while the other one is enjoying a singing dancing jamboree at Barney’s Fun Ranch with Llama, Oona and Trash Truck. Did I mention Walter and Donny are here too? These characters are always in their minds, even when they grow up, because nothing can stop them from still being alive inside your head. Characters grow to become independent livers inside your head, playing, dancing and laughing until the day you die. All I have to say is: it’s a big step forward, it allows you to relive those memories you had with these characters and all the adventures you spent.

But then, from the age of 10, people get a certain something called…an OBSESSION. DUN DUN DUUUUNNNN! Okay, I was being a liiiittle too dramatic here, haha. Okay, so, picture this: you are growing up watching YTV in a place called Canada at the age of 10 in 2002 and 2003 -

“Riley learnt about that in school.”

Thanks, Fear, we needed to know about it, thank you. Anyway, as I was saying, obsessions with cartoons can strike into the heart from the moment you watch it the first time. You have your snacks, you have your drinks, you have your YTV Woah magazine, and all is going well, and all of a sudden, this little red wizard going by the name of Orko appears on the screen. A sudden sense of excitement swells up in your body, and washes over you like an ocean splashing over your naked body, you start to shiver, then shake, and then suddenly, IT HAPPENS! Your snacks fly everywhere, you are jumping around in excitement, it’s not He Man you’re rooting for…but someone different entirely.

For you see, some cartoon characters can be a slight obsession to those who have just turned 10 and are still in primary school. Obsession is the devil’s drug, it can sweep over you like a mystical broom, wanting to increase your hormonal pleasure by the time you turn 24. Obsession is common in teens and adults, it can happen in any kind of person, and they become so obsessed they forget about the thing they are supposed to be doing. Like for instance:

You are cleaning the dishes, having a bit of a laugh, when all of a sudden, HE MAN! You drop the dishes all over the floor, and you are scolded by your mom.

You are going to bed and having sweet dreams about another day at school, when all of a sudden, DIGIMON! You can’t go to sleep anymore.

You are out walking in the park with your crush, just chatting and laughing, when all of a sudden, TRANSFORMERS ARMADA! You suddenly blurt out Optimus Prime’s name, and your crush slaps you in annoyance and leaves.

Obsessions can be dangerous at times, but sometimes they are good to share. Maybe at school, you might find another girl who is obsessed with My Little Ponies, or a boy who’s interested in Pokemon games. The possibilities are endless. For characters make up the most really important memories in your mind - the ones you spend with your family and friends.

Also, anyone read that Reddit post about Bluey and My Little Pony?

#2:

IMAGINATION LAND.

Everything that exists in your imagination is right here, in Imaginationland. In your head, there is an abundance of things based on your favourite things, and even houses for your favourite characters, mentioned in the earlier step, to live in. Sadness and I went to Imagination Land once, and there were all sorts of cool stuff - French Fry Forest, Sparkle Pony Mountain, Princess Dream World, you name it, it’s here. But your Imagination Land has to do with YOU and YOU alone.

Every person’s imagination land is different. They can house anyone you want to house, anything you want to find, or anything you like to do or see. It’s a safe, sweet-smelling place that is unique to the person with the active imagination. Take a look at those people who had imagination - Richard Corbet. Marc Brown. Todd Parr. Every single person has a unique Imagination Land, which fits the unique them they are. Here’s how you can draw your very own Imagination Land:

1.Grab a piece of paper and a few pens or crayons.

2.Think about what excites you most, like a story you’re working on or something you’re ecstatic about.

3.Draw away!

This happy place alters depending on the person housing it in their mind. But, there’s a sad footnote: should you lose your imagination as an adult, Imagination Land disappears forever. Princess Dream World, as I’ve seen, collapsed into a shower of confetti. The Stuffed Animal Hall Of Fame had its giant bear centerpiece’s head ripped off. Am I being a liiiittle too brutal here? Okay, I am, but I’m being serious, without imagination, we dare not live, and without life, there would be no humans or animals to populate our planet. So it’s very important that we all have a little imagination to help us grow up, become knowledgable and share our memories with our children.

Excuse me, I need a have a moment…

Pizza! Pizza!

Toddler Furaha was bored. She had played with at least every single one of her toys all morning, and it was nearly lunchtime. She lay on the floor with her legs in the air like a little beetle who had done a circus roll, feeling ennui and hungry. She felt her tummy. It was rumbling like crazy. No wonder lunch hadn’t been done yet. What’s keeping Orko? She waited around for something to happen.

Then, at last, Orko floated in. “Say, you’re bored, aren’t you?” asked Orko. Furaha nodded her little head in agreement. “I know! It’s nearly lunchtime, and I’m making pizza. Why don’t we make pizza together?” Furaha at once sat up. She loved pizza, and hearing Orko say they’ll make it together made her heart skip a beat. Pizza, oh boy! Furaha clapped her hands and bounced on her little bottom. “Alright, then let’s get to work.” said Orko, and off they set into the kitchen.

Furaha and Orko had to put on aprons and wash their paws and hands before making pizza, because washing hands is important - it keeps germs away from the food you are making, and no wonder Furaha had been playing in the mud in the last few days. When Orko and Furaha showed each other their clean hands and paws, Orko tickled Furaha a bit before they made their way to the table where all the pizza ingredients were set up.

First, they rolled out the dough that Orko prepared using his magic. Kneading it was just like giving someone a massage - you rolled it this way and that way and back again. Furaha made little steamroller noises while she kneaded, and Orko said, “Yeah! That’s it! You’re a steamroller! Roll it real hard, baby!” After the pizza was fully kneaded, they added the tomato sauce onto the base. Furaha’s eyes went wild as she watched the tomato sauce dribble onto the pizza like suncream on someone’s skin during a Summer vacation.

Then it was time to add the toppings. They added gloopy mozzarella, crunchy peppers and toasty little mushrooms to the toppings. Then Orko asked, “Do we need chilli peppers?” He produced chilli peppers out of his sleeve with his magic. “Mmmmm-mmmmm,” disagreed Furaha, shaking her little head. “Oh yes, adding chilli peppers will just make it unbearably hot!” laughed Orko. So much so that Furaha began laughing too.

Then Orko put the pizza in the oven and set a yellow chicken shaped timer for the right amount of time (telling the exact time would be boring, so I’m not putting it in the story). Then another idea popped into his magical little head. “I know! Let’s play restaurants!” “YAY!” cheered Furaha, clapping her little paws and jumping up and down. “While the pizza is cooling, I’ll help you set up our little restaurant - Madam Furaha & Chef Orko. How does that sound?” Furaha giggled. Her carer and best friend had a really wacky sense of humor.

After a few minutes…

BZZZZZZZZZZ went the timer, and Orko put on his oven gloves to check the pizza. Mmmmmmm-mmmmm, did it look delicious! Furaha ran into the kitchen, but Orko stopped her just in time. “A-bah-bah-bah!” said Orko, “You mustn’t eat the pizza yet, it needs to cool first.” “Aaaaaawwww,” sighed Furaha in disappointment. “But remember what I said about the restaurant!” added Orko. Furaha squealed in delight. She was going to like this!

Furaha helped Orko lay the table and set out the knives, forks, spoons, plates and mugs for their restaurant. They set up fairy lights all around the living room to make it suitable for their romantic customers. “They would love a nice atmosphere for their date nights,” laughed Orko. Orko helped Furaha make signs to hang up on their restaurant door, and Orko used his magic to produce a music CD of beautiful Italian classical music to play on the CD player. Instead of using candles, as they knew using lights with actual fire can be dangerous, Orko produced a bunny nightlight to place in the middle of the table.

At last, everything was ready. With the lights dimmed and Furaha sitting at the table, the game was about to begin. Furaha sat gently drumming her paws on the table as she waited for her waiter Orko to come and take her order. Then in came the waiter himself, carrying a notebook so he can take her order. By now, the pizza had cooled and was in a mild temperature now. “‘Ello, Madam Furaha,” said Orko in his Italian impersonation. “How may I help you today?” Furaha pointed to the mild-temperatured pizza on top of the counter. “Okay, so, you want the peppers, and mozzarella, and mushrooms. Do you think that’s it?” Furaha nodded. “Your food will be ready in…erm, who knows how long food is ready in an actual restaurant, I can’t remember,” explained the waiter, “May I have the food with you?” Furaha gave an OK sign with her fingers, and Orko shook paw in hand with her. “I’ll be right back,” he said.

Furaha began to gently drum her paws on the table, waiting and waiting for Orko to prepare the pizza. At last, Orko came with two slices of pizza each - two for him and two for Furaha. “Pizza’s ready!” he said, placing them onto their plates. “Tuck in, Furaha.” "So the two ate their most amazing pizza ever, and Orko was humming at the taste of such a lovely creation. “Mmmmm, so delicious,” said Orko, “I have to admit, this is the best pizza I’ve ever tasted. How about you, Furaha?” “Mmmmmmmm!” said Furaha, digging in with polite table manners. “Yeah, I guessed that,” said Orko, and the two continued to tuck in.

When their restaurant game was over, Orko and Furaha lay on the sofa head to head with tummies blown up like balloons. “Oh boy, this was the best pizza ever,” said Orko with a burp. Furaha nodded in agreement. “You know what? That reminds me: what did you like about today?” Using body language, Furaha silently gestured making pizza and then playing restaurants. “That was my favourite too, my favourite part is when I pretended to be a waiter, and set up our pretend restaurant!”

Now what is your favourite part of this best day ever?

Australian Beach Holiday

Orko and his toddler sister Furaha were on holiday in Sunshine Coast, Australia. In the hotel they booked, it was still early in the morning, and it was turning out to be a lovely sunny day. Orko and Furaha were still asleep in the soft, crisp white cotton bed in their hotel room, and all seemed peaceful as the wind blew gently, causing the curtains to wave like ghosts in the dead of night.

Furaha was the first to wake up. She ran over to the window and looked out. It was a lovely, sunny day - just right for going down to the beach! Furaha leapt back onto the bed and tried crawling all over Orko to wake him up, but he just turned over sleepily. So, Furaha knew what she must do: she tickled Orko awake, to which he sat up and and tiredly laughed, “Oh. So you’ve woken me up, eh?” He yawned and scratched his knickerless bottom. “Alright, I’m up, I’m up,” Orko said as he floated out of bed and went to brush his unseen teeth.

Once Orko had done his morning routine, he said to Furaha, “I know! Why don’t we go down to the beach today?” “YAY!” Furaha cheered. She loved playing on the beach. “But first we need to go to the supermarket in town.” Furaha’s face fell. She was so looking forward to going to the beach. “I’m going to just get a little surprise for our picnic.” Furaha instantly beamed. She loved surprises! “Well, no time to waste, come on, let’s get a move on.”

Furaha and Orko went to the Woolworths supermarket in the middle of town. It wasn’t too busy at this time of morning, as everything was amazingly quiet. As well as the ‘surprise’ meant for their picnic, Orko and Furaha got a few other items as well: milk, cheese, eggs, sausages, bacon, bread, carrots, apples and a nice box of chocolates for a good little girl like Furaha.

At the checkout, Furaha couldn’t help staring at the bear-shaped charity box on the counter. “No, Furaha, it’s not a toy, it’s a charity box,” reminded Orko. Instead of throwing a tantrum, Furaha took it all in, realising she can’t just steal things from the supermarket if there was any need to.

When they went out of the supermarket and back to the hotel, Orko praised Furaha for being a good little cub. “You are so good, little Furaha. Good enough to deserve a halo on the top of your head!” Orko clicked his fingers and, due to his magic, a golden halo appeared above Furaha’s head, which then melted like butter over a stove. Furaha giggled. How funny it was to watch Orko perform magic! “I hope it doesn’t melt all over the groceries,” Orko hoped to himself, then he spoke to Furaha. “Okay, so when we get back, we’ll unload the shopping, and then, we’ll head down onto the beach!” Furaha bounced up and down in excitement. She was so looking forward to going to the beach!

Once Furaha and Orko had got back to the hotel and unloaded all the groceries, they went down onto the beach to have some real fun. Furaha ran ahead of Orko, squealing with delight. “Slow down!” shouted Orko, “I can’t float that fast!” When Furaha finally reached the sand, she jumped up and down wildly. She had finally reached the beach! “You win again, Furaha,” puffed Orko as Furaha giggled, “Now, let me put some zinc suncream on you.”

Orko produced three sticks of zinc suncream from his sleeve: two for Furaha and one for him. First, he applied the blue and green zinc suncream to Furaha’s body. When he had finished, he looked like a real tribescub. Orko applied some purple zinc suncream to his arms (thank god he was wearing a small T-shirt) and his ears, but due to him having no legs, he decided to leave it out.

The two friends decided to build sandcastles together. Furaha had a bit of trouble making her sandcastle, but Orko was on hand to help. The two friends built a magnificent castle together, complete with shell and seaweed decorations. However, they were very careful to avoid the wobbly jellyfish trapped in the sand. So they jumped over them. For a toddler, Furaha was extra cautious. Orko even dug a moat around the castle so that the seawater can splash into it.

Next, they decided to paddle in the waves. Orko and Furaha played a game called ‘Ready, Steady, Go’ where Orko said “Ready…steady…” and when he yelled “GO!” the tide would at the right time come in and Furaha would jump over the waves. Orko clapped his hands and cheered for his little soldier, as she was very good at jumping in the waves. When he had the chance, Orko and Furaha would splash each other in the water, enjoying the frivolity of the ocean waves. When they returned to their beach blanket, Orko told Furaha about how far the sea is reaching back to the UK from Australia, and how many miles it takes for Australian people to reach the UK from that beach. Furaha was amazed. She hadn’t read all those toddler-friendly Australian fact books for nothing, specifically ones with Spot and the Mr Men. She found Australia a bright, sunny and hot place.

After a whole day of playing in the sea and on the sand, the two settled down to have lunch. It was a remarkable spread: cheese sandwiches, bottles of water, carrot sticks, apple slices and bananas, plus chocolates since Furaha was a good cub in the supermarket earlier. The two tucked in, and boy was it delicious. They had to be very careful that the crabs scuttling past didn’t pinch them. “That’s what crabs like to do,” explained Orko to Furaha, “Pinch stuff. And they’re very naughty at pinching.” That made Furaha giggle. Orko had a great sense of humor.

It was after the picnic, which they shared, that Orko presented his surprise to Furaha from out of the picnic basket: two ‘99 Flakes, which he found in the frozen food section of the supermarket earlier. Furaha was so excited, she gave a squeal of joy. The two tucked into their ice creams. As with any toddler, Furaha got an ice creamy mess all down her tummy and all over her face. What a good thing Orko had some wet wipes on hand. And what a good thing they happened to smell of tropical flowers and fruits.

After they were full up from their lunch, Orko settled down with Furaha to read her G’Day, Spot. Furaha loved this simple book, because in it, Spot met all the animals in the outback, and being mute, she could already say the names of each of the Outback animals as Orko pointed them out. A major highlight was when Orko pointed to the kangaroo on one of the pages, and Furaha pointed away from the book and said, “Kengaloo!” At first Orko didn’t realise it, but then he looked up, and there it was. A lovely, bouncy kangaroo digging in the sand. “You’re right, Furaha, it is a kangaroo!” said Orko. The two watched as the kangaroo went bouncy bouncy bouncy across the beach, and then out of sight as Furaha waved goodbye.

But Furaha needn’t have worried, for Orko used his magic to turn her hind paws into kangaroo feet so she can bounce. The two had a wonderful time bouncing across the beach, being extra careful to avoid

The sun was setting by the time Orko brought Furaha back to the hotel. He tucked her into bed and kissed her goodnight, stroking her soft fur. Then Orko went to the balcony outside the hotel room and looked at the sun setting slowly in the orange sky. “What a day I’ve had,” he said calmly, “If only we had more days like this. Then, I would feel so happy.”

Orko went to brush his teeth and wash his shadowed face, then put on a clean pair of flowery white pyjamas and snuggled down right beside Furaha. Well, mate, that’s one Australian holiday story done for today. But I assure you, sport, there’ll be more coming soon. Just you wait and see!

A Boy Called Orko

The Night Of August 15, 2002

Eternia Care Home

Right now, you’re hearing the voice of adult Orko talking. That’s me. I’m Orko. And I want to recount to you my time in a foster home. Being thrown around in the care industry is a stupid idea according to me, you get thrown into one foster home, then back into care. Thrown into a foster home, then back into care. Thrown into a home, back into care. This is a never ending pattern where the kids endlessly bully you or shove your head down an excrement-filled toilet. Gross! This is a story about me, Orko, the lucky one.

This is the Eternia Care Home, where I lived with my bullying friends: Adam, Teela, Ram Boy, Buzz Off, Stratos, Buzz Off, Skeletor, Evil Lyn, Beast Boy (no, not a certain green skinned teenager), Stinkor and Trap Jaw. Some people call them my ‘friends’, but not me. They were all my bullies. They would throw me around, scream and shout into my ears and watch football on the telly with the volume turned up high. Their carer, Man-At-Arms, was fine with this, and let them do whatever they want.

I was only four at the time, so I was the one who was most bullied. One night, I just sat there on the sofa channel surfing while everyone fought behind me, and Man-At-Arms tried to wrestle with them. If this were animated, you guys may see flashing images, but no, I’m glad you’re not seeing them, thank god. As I was switching through channels, Adam grabbed the remote from me. “Gimme that!” he cried, “I wanna watch the football!”

That was it. I’ve had enough. A sense of emotional rage filled my body and mind as I shot off the sofa and ran to the front door. When approaching it, I quickly shot round to face my shocked friends and said: “YOU NEVER LOVE ME! YOU’RE NOT MY REAL FRIENDS ANYWAY!!” and floated out the door crying. Everyone sniggered cheekily, but all Man-At-Arms could say was:

“Thank god he’s gone.”

Optimus' Office

Now was the time I found a foster home of my own. I looked all around for my former social worker, but when I found her in her office, she was slumped on the office desk, with a puddle of alcohol coming out of her mouth. She had died of alcohol poisoning. It was the most shocking thing I’ve ever seen, and I sat down by the desk to cry. I thought I was going to stay at that noisy, loud and unforgiving Eternia Care Home with my ‘so-called friends’ all the time and never find a home. But then, a piece of newspaper floated down by me, and I picked it up. It read:

“Looking for a friendly, warm, kind social carer? Contact: OPTIMUS PRIME.

On 0800 555 7171.”

I knew exactly what I wanted to do - phone that social carer right away. So I picked up the phone and started to dial. Next thing I knew, I was chatting to Optimus, and he felt very friendly. A few minutes later, I was in his office, listening to office faxes and typewriters chittering and beeping as Optimus’ giant fingers danced on his keyboard. I just drooped like a wilting flower in the sunshine as I listened to the maraca-jacka music of Optimus’ keyboard.

“How old are you, son?”

“I’m four. It can be difficult to find a proper care home when you’re four. There are lots of terrors in your life you just can’t avoid: knives, guns, violence, bookshelves…anything can terrify you when you are my age.”

“Can you tell me a little bit about your previous foster home?”

“Everyone in my foster home used to bully me for my magic. I mean, the food was so disgusting it tasted like old boots, and I never had fun, but the other kids would exclude me.”

“Okay, not always?”

“All the time. No one has ever loved me except my parents.”

“Where is your father?”

Using my magic, I produced a photo of my parents when I was a baby onto the counter of his enormous Autobot-sized desk. “Here.” I said. “My parents were shot when I was one, so I was forced into the care system at said age. And nobody ever cared for me! None of my so called friends ever loved me! Please, Optimus, don’t put me in a care home, please! I want someone who can love me!” At once, I began to cry. Optimus looked into my yellow, tear-filled eyes and said the most unforgivable thing ever:

“Right. I’m going to take you to a really nice place with other children who are like you-”

“NO!” I interrupted loudly, “NOT ANOTHER CARE HOME! NOT ANOTHER CARE HOME! OPTIMUS!”

Optimus looked at me in concern, then looked at the photo on the billboard. It was of him and a beautiful yellow furred lioness cub who was two years older than me, Furaha. She was his daughter. “Alright, why don’t I take you to my house so I can take care of you? I’m sure my daughter Furaha won’t mind.” “I looked at the photo,” I explained to Optimus, “Why is your daughter a lioness cub?” “She’s adopted, Orko.” explained Optimus. “I took her under her wing after her parents were killed by hunters.” I sat there in silence, wondering for a moment. Then Optimus calmly said: "Oh Orko, I know how hard it must feel, being in a care home where nobody loves you. Listen: my daughter and I will give you all the love, cuddles and fuss you’ll need.”

Excited to tears, I leapt into Optimus’ giant arms and hugged him like there was no tomorrow. He chuckled at how ticklish my little cloak was. “You feel like the perfect son for me.” whispered Optimus into one of my long, pointy ears. “And you feel like the perfect father for me…dad.” I wept, a great tear falling down my shadowed face.

Leaving For The USA

Immediately, Optimus decided to quit his job, meaning he is now a stay at home dad to me and my new sister. Once he got out of the building, he transformed into robot mode and said, “Hop in, Orko.” I felt very shy at first, but then I hopped into the front seat, and my seatbelt was done up for me. “Thanks, Optimus. You’re so kind…” I smiled under my shadowed face.

The drive to Optimus’ house was silent and motionless. A few times we talked together, but into the night we drove. At 11 O’clock, I felt so tired, I just had to relax in Optimus. Optimus was so adored by my behavior, he sang this song:

“What if I told you,

I could love you,

If I waited…

Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow,

Maybe too late.

Birds fly above you,

Love is around you,

I would like to be too,

Forever, forever, forever…

With you.

I would follow you

Anywhere you would want me to,

Tomorrow…

Forever…

Always.

And if you were to

Sail across the ocean blue,

I would like to sail with you,

I’d follow, I’d follow, I’d follow…

…you home.”

August 16, 2002

Orko Arrives Home

“Orko…Orko, wake up.”

Immediately, I woke up. The sun was shining brightly into my eyes, and I looked out the window at a whole neighborhood before my eyes. “Wow!” I cried, “This is definitely different from the neighborhood I’ve been in.” “Too many noisy kids, I presume. This is a quiet neighborhood where I live. Lots of friendly people there, I guarantee.” “How friendly are they?” I asked, curious. “Very friendly, you’ll see,” I chuckled. “Look, here we are at my house.”

I looked, and saw a huge, enormous house, with an enormous door for Optimus, and a very small lioness cub sized-door for what I presume might be Furaha. “Is this my new home?” I asked. “It sure is, little mischief.” I giggled at what Optimus had called me. Usually, back when I was at that care home, Adam and his mates used to call me horrible names and bully me for my magic, like I told you earlier. Not with Optimus, he was lovely and kind to me.

Once we stopped outside Optimus’ neat and tidy house, I hopped out as Optimus transformed to robot mode. We walked up to the front door, and Optimus said, “Here we are. Knock on the door, Orko, will you?” At once, I knocked on the big front door. It made three huge banging noises, and the sound of pattering footsteps came to the door.

Meet Furaha

“Hi there!” Furaha, just as I expected she would look in real life as she did in the photo I saw in Optimus’ office, opened the small front door, so we just chuckled and went towards it. “Hello, Furaha. Were you good for your babysitter last night?” “Yep, extremely good,” smiled Furaha. “Furaha,” said Optimus, “I want you to meet somebody very special. Come in and we’ll talk about it together.”

Optimus lead me and Furaha into the living room, where I saw how huge the furniture was. There were huge tables and chairs, sofas and even huge carpets. Even the roof was raised to fit Optimus’ height. “You two get comfy while I get some cocoa ready.” said Optimus, and so Furaha and I sat down on the huge sofa and tried to get to know each other. Furaha was pleased to make a new friend, and introduced herself to me. “I’m Orko. It’s so nice to see you, Furaha,” I said. “Well, I’ve been living with Optimus since I was a baby,” said Furaha, “And I’m not even joking. What was your life like before I popped in just now?” “Horrible,” said Orko, “I don’t want to talk about it.” Furaha saw how disappointed I was, and put her paw on my shoulder. “Whatever it is, you can talk about it.” said Furaha, “I can understand everything.” “Well, I used to live in Eternia Care Home. Everyone there was horrible to me, including the carers. They won’t even let me play!” Orko let out a huge sigh of grumpiness.

“Cocoa’s ready!” called a voice from the kitchen. Optimus brought in a small tray of two mugs of cocoa - one for me and one for Furaha. When I tasted it, I felt waves and rivers of chocolate splash about in my brain - instantly, the loud noises and thoughts of my previous home flew out of my head and were replaced by the calm and serenity of my new home where I would be staying forever. “Orko told me everything,” Furaha told Optimus, “Everyone in his previous care home was nasty to him. We’ll be kind to him, right?” “Yes. We’ll be his new family.” said Optimus warmly. He looked at Orko. “You won’t be feeling peer pressure now, Orko, you’re in a kind, caring environment. The environment they put you in before was…too unsettling for my taste. I’m so glad you’re here with me and my daughter.” At once, a warm and fuzzy feeling overcame me, like a thousand robotic teddy bears sharing a hug with me. At once noticing Furaha would be my new sister, I hugged her, to which she hugged me back. At once, I felt loved, for the first time in four years. I felt my heart beat slowly, and my body go all warm and soft from the effect of her hugs. Furaha and Optimus were now the only people I would turn to from now on.

Furaha & Orko Play Together

After we’d finished our cocoa, Optimus sent the both of us off to play while he did the housework. I couldn’t believe it. For the first time, I was actually playing. With someone else! My new sister. Furaha. She was an expert at playtime, and how happy I was when we played tag in her room. For the first time also, I was laughing. I didn’t laugh a bit when I was in care, but now I felt the freedom to laugh and play all I wanted.

Furaha and I had a great time. We ran around the clean bedroom trying to catch each other, laughing and squealing loudly. We were giggling and whooping in joy as we ran after each other. When it was my turn to be chased, Furaha finally caught hold of me, hugged me and flew onto her bed, with me in her arms. How we laughed! When our laughter faded, Furaha rolled over onto her tummy and I cuddled her. “I love you, big sister.” I yawned, to which Furaha said, “I love you too, little brother.”

Then Furaha rolled over onto her back and lifted me high into the air. I squealed and whooped in joy as Furaha lifted me high into the air. “Wheeeeeee!” I cried in joy, “Look at me! I’m flying!” “I thought you already floated.” said Furaha. “Who cares,” I said, and we continued laughing as Furaha lifted me higher and higher into the air.

As Furaha put me back onto the bed again, I suddenly felt tired. “Time for a nap,” I yawned, and I snuggled into Furaha’s bed. Furaha was more than happy to invite me into her bed, so she pulled the duvet over me and kissed me ‘happy nap time’.

Something Magical Is Happening: The Wish Book

I scruffled the fur on her head and cuddled her, kissing her all over. How she laughed.

Later, I checked the whole house to see what the wish had refurbished: the spare bedroom was covered in yellow wallpaper and the bed was neatly covered. It had a soft vanilla smell and flowers decorated the room. The bathroom’s walls were coloured pink, and the bath, sink and even toilet were even clean and pristine, smelling as fresh as a thousand daisies. The kitchen was free of mess as well, and all the food that had gone off were gone too. The fridge was filled with bountifuls of food.

But what struck my eye was the living room: it was lined with bright yellow wallpaper, clean furniture and not a single box or mess in sight. The whitewash pot, brush, broken mug and tea stains were gone too. Everything was so bright and clean. “Hooray, Furaha!” I shouted, “You really are a special little cub. But…I think we still have to find you some toys for you to play with. There’s plenty of space in the living room for you to play. I mustn’t abuse your power, as it’s really precious to me. I think we’ll go to the library and get a book on wishes. That’ll lift my spirits.

The Library

When I went to the normal town library, I searched high and low for a book about wishes, but sadly, there were none to be found. Luckily, I found a children’s book about a lonely nighttime star and borrowed it from the library for Furaha to read. We had a great time reading the book together, but inside me, a sense of depression filled my heart. I hadn’t found a single wish list book ever, and it felt like my mission wasn’t accomplished. I had failed.

Suddenly, I heard a magical noise, and left Furaha to read whilst I went up to my bedroom to investigate. When I looked on the bookshelf, I saw a red book surrounded by gold sparkles. Pulling it gently from the shelf so the books won’t all fall out, I saw the title read:

“Orko’s Wish List, by Orko.”

My goodness! My name. Mentioned in a book! Why, I must feel popular. I imagined all the things I could do with such a book.

I could put it up on sale and sell it for a thousand pounds.

I could put it on eBay and convince people who see it that this is a magical book.

I could promote it on TV talk shows.

But then, I found out that reading a book with your name in it doesn’t mean fame, it means sharing. When I opened the book and looked inside, I saw what I couldn’t believe. It was a list of all my deepest wishes, written without a pen with neat black ink. Ooooooooh, wow! All my wishes. And inside it was a note:

“Dear Orko,

This is your book. You can use it to wish on Furaha each night, and your deepest wishes would come true. Good luck and have fun.

Love,

The kindly shopkeeper.”

And at the bottom of the letter were stickers of smiley faces which sparkled in purple light. “Wow,” I gasped, and put the book back on the shelf. And just in time too, as I heard Furaha squeal from downstairs. I floated downstairs to see Furaha holding her tummy. “What’s the matter?” Furaha pointed to her tummy. She was hungry. “Oh you’re hungry, eh?” I said kindly, “Well, I’ve got a good idea. Why don’t we go out for fish and chips?” “YAY!” cheered Furaha.

Fish & Chips

So that’s exactly what we did. We went to the fish and chip takeaway shop and brought a packet of tasty fish and chips with lashings of bright red tomato ketchup, as gloopy and as gooey as a packet of green slime delivered to the door. We sat on a bench near the seaside and enjoyed our food. We amused ourselves by pretending to be walruses, using our chips as tusks. Furaha could do a really good walrus impersonation, which made me laugh.