purple
Frequent Visitor
Posts: 117
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Post by purple on Jul 1, 2012 8:17:40 GMT -5
The dishes clanked and clinked against one another as I pulled them out and moved them around as I watched them. I let out a tired sigh as I gazed at the four large piles of dishes before me. It was tough taking care of and keeping up with 31 pets. I loved them all though, even if they didfind new and inventive ways to make me worry and go crazy. The yopunger ones were being quite mischievous and energetic this morning, and my older daughters moody and grumpy. I rolled my eyes as I thought about all the tough and hard work that morning. If only I had known none of that was really important.
Kyrraaie, a 8 year old Eventide Xweetok and Uchiha, a 9 year old Biscuit Kougra wizzed by on their skateboards in the house AGAIN even though I strictly told them they could only skate outside. Indigo, a 3 year old Cybunny, Fofinha, a 1 year old, and Haizeil, a I year old Baby Wocky ran around in circles around the kitchen, squealing and laughing loudly. They had been doing this for 10 minutes straight, and it was driving me crazy. I was about to scold Uchiha and Kyrraie, and send the little ones into another room, when I felt a gentle tug on my white and blue checkered apron.
I looked down and smiled gently when I saw who it was. It was Flekno, my little 6 year old Rainbow Acara. She had been feeling sick lately and I was a little worried about her. I was surprised to see her out of bed; she had been sleeping most of the time and too tired top much of anything because of the medicine the doctor gave her. She let out a little cough as she looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back. I was glad to see her up and about and moving around.
Flekno played with a button on her dark purple jumper with a yellow shirt as clutched a Purple Ruki Skipping Rope tightly in her paw as she gave me a pleading look. “Can I please go and play with Chris and Arajeiane outside? I’m feeling loads better, I promise. I really,really wanna play with ‘em. Please?” She did seem to be feeling and looking a lot better. Maybe, it was because of the heat, maybe it was from the tiring and hectic morning I had, or maybe it was her cute and pleading eyes I couldn’t resist, but against my better judgement I let her go outside to play with her brother Chriscoppe, an Electric Acara, and her sister, Arejeiane, called Ara, a 6 yearold Christmas Zafara. She seemed to be feeling better and have more energy. If only I had known what was going to happen, I would have never left her out of my sight. I was finishing the last dish, all four piles of the clean dishes and silverware stacked in nice, clean piles as I peeked out the window. The sight I saw truly frighten me and will always haunt my memory. I saw Flekno skipping with her jump rope when all of a sudden, she collapsed and fell on the ground. Chriscoppe and Arejeiane gave her a frighten look as they speed towards and ran through the door. I dropped the glass I was cleaning with a loud crack and let out a silent gasp. I called for Lucas, my 13 year old Shadow Ogrin and oldest child to come to to the backyard immedinately. Everything was a blur after that. I remember my two little ones crashing through the door, each hysterical and crying as they told me Flekno had collapsed on the ground and she wasn’t waking up. I had Esther, my Biscuit 12 year old Usul and Lily, my 12 year old Cloud Aisha, watch over everyone as Lucas and crashed through the door, running to where Flekno lay unconscious, her breathing shallow and her body limp as I picked her up and held her close in my arms, tears streaming from my eyes and choked sobs escaping from my throat. Lucas called for a Eyerie Cab, which took the longest 5 minutes of my life, got into the cab with Lucas and Flekno held tightly in my arms, and we were at the hospital. ~******~ I was spreading purple jam on sandwiches, preparing lunch for my four kids and our outing to Kiko Lake that day. It was bright and sunny, and I wanted to get my little ones outside and some fresh air. I was about to prepare the second sandwich when I noticed a familiar shape behind the marbled glass door, surrounded by six little pets. I smiled as I went to the door. It was my good friend Heather with some of her kids. She must have been coming over for a playdate. My smile disappeared as soon as I saw the state they were in. Heather gave me a tiny smile, her eyes red and puffy, and tears streaming down her face. Lucas was trying to smile bravely and appear cheerful to Traixxes, Treixises, Jay, Uchiha, Chriscoppe, and Arejeiane, but even he was having a hard time keeping a brave face. I immediately asked what was wrong. Heather swallowed back a sob from her throat as she tried to answer my question. She gripped her Shadow Ogrins hand tightly. “Flekno is in the hospital. She-she-she is very sick. They say she has a very serious case of Neomonia. I’m going to have to stay at the hospital for a few days. Could you please watch my kids while I’m gone Adrian? The rest are being watched over by friends and my older kids, but I couldn’t find anyone else to watch over the other six here. Could you please watch them? I don’t know anyone else to ask. I don’t know what to do.” He buried her face in her hands and sobbed. I rushed in the worried and scared little pets quickly as I put a hand on my friend’s shoulder. “Of course I can watch them. It will be no problem. Go be with Flekno. I can keep an eye on them.” Heather wrapped me in a tight hug as she put her head on my shoulder. “Thank you for understanding Adrian. I really, really appreciate this. I smiled and gently patted her on the back. “Of course it is fine. You should be with Flekno now.” She pulled away from the hug and nodded. She crouched down and gave each kid a quick kiss and hug, and a promise that everything was going to be alright. Her and Lucas departed to the green Eyrie cab and I closed the door. I sighed as I stared at their sad and worried faces. What was I going to do? ~******~ Trying to stay upbeat, I smiled at the kids, “Hey guys, Shasta, Lucy, Tyto, Danby and I were going to visit Kiko Lake today, does that sound like fun? They all just stared at me blankly, then suddenly Chriscoppe burst into tears. “Hey, hey, what's all this?” I asked, kneeling down and resting a hand on his shoulder. Chriscoppe latched onto my shirt sleeve and sobbed, “I don't want Flekno to be sick!” He wailed, “What if she never gets better? We'll never be able to play with each other again if she's stuck in the hospital the rest of her life!” I sighed sadly and pulled him towards me, hugging him as he soaked my shirt with his tears, “Flekno's going to be fine kiddo,” I murmured, trying to sound more certain than I felt, “The doctors and nurses are going to take really good care of her, and in a few days, maybe a week, she's going to be better, and she'll come home and play with you again. Don't be scared Chris, your sister's going to be fine.” Chriscoppe looked up at me as if he didn't quite believe me. He was about to say something when the patter of little feet on the stair interrupted us. “Hey Papa, is the food ready yet? Me an' Lucy got the towels just like you said!” Shasta, my baby Ogrin, skittered into the room and stopped short when he saw all the gloomy faces standing in the corner. Young as he was, he could tell something wasn't right with his friends. “Hey guys, what's wrong?” He asked uncertainly, edging toward me and nudging his head under my arm until his head rested on my knee. Chriscoppe wiped away the last of his tears with the back of his paw and sniffled, “Flekno's real sick, Mommy took her to the hospital an' we gotta stay here til she gets back.” Shasta's eyes darkened and his ears drooped in fear as he backed away anxiously. “H-hospital?” he asked, looking more scared than I could ever remember seeing him, “D-don't you guys know what happens there?” Chriscoppe shook his head, his eyes widening in fear as he scooted backward toward his siblings. “That crazy yellow Scorchio who lives in the lab takes 'em, an' he keeps 'em locked up in a dungeon an' does experiments on 'em. That's what Luckki told me, he says it's how they figured out how to make medicine.” Tears brimmed in his eyes as if he truly believed what he was saying. Chriscoppe started to cry again and I ran a hand through my hair. Scooping Shasta up, I sat down on the sofa with him and beckoned Heather's kids closer. Hoisting Chriscoppe onto the cushions beside me, I put an arm around him as Shasta sat on my lap, nestled into my damp shirt. “Now look,” I said firmly, “That's not true at all. Shas, your cousin was just teasing you, the crazy lab Scorchio does not kidnap sick pets from the hospital, and nobody does experiments on them. The hospital is a place pets go to to get better when they're sick. Doctors take good care of them and give them what they need to get well, it's perfectly safe I promise.” Shasta and Chriscoppe regarded me uncertainly, as if trying to decide whether or not to believe my story. “Can we go see Flekno?” Uchida piped up from the back of the group. “Not today,” I said, “Your mom needs some time alone with her, but I'll neomail her tomorrow to see if it would be okay to come by.” Treixise twitched her tail nervously, “How'd she get sick anyway?” I shook my head, “I don't know, but the doctors will probably be able to tell you tomorrow.” Deeming it best to end the conversation before the matter could be overthought any more, I slid Shasta off my lap and stood up, “Come on then guys, let's get your beds organised for tonight. I have a spare room down the hall from my kids you can use, come with me and I'll find the sleeping bags.
I led the six forlorn kids down the hall to where their room was going to be. I glanced over at the kids sadly as we continued down the hall. This must be very tough and hard for them to understand, I was just about near the door when Lucy, Danby, and even Tytp raced the hall to greet their new friends. The smiles from their faces dropped immediantely and stared at the sad and grave looking bunch nervously and worriedly. Lucy was the first to speak up.
“What’sa matter guys? Aren’t you herte to play? Did somethin’ happen? Papa , was wrong with them?”
“Flekno is in the hospital. She is really sick” Uchia piped up soflty, gazing sadly at my three little ones. “We’re-we’re not sure what’s going on. Mom wants us to stay here for a few days though. She dropped us off a little bit ago.” His voice cracked at the end, his eyes filled with tears. Jay, the 8 year old Snow Ixi, lay a comforting hoof on his shoulder.
Tyto eyes light up and he smiled when he saw Chriscoppe in the group. He ran towards him and wrapped his little arms around his leg, smiling up at his friend. Chriscoppe managed a shaky smile as he rubbed Tyto’s large, bulbous head. “I’m so glad you guys are stayin’. We can play games, play hide n’ seek, read stories, play with our toys, and visit Kiko Lake! Won’t that be fun! I can’t wait! You guys-“ “Shut-up, just shut-up! Can’t you see we don’t wanna play any dumb games with you stupid babies? Flekno is really, really, really sick and no one’s tellin’ us what’s going on, and-and-and” Traixxes let out a huge, heart breaking sob as he stormed past me, ran into the room, and slammed the door hard. “Traixe” Treixise called after her quadruplet as she ran into the room right after him. Tyto, Chriscoppe, and Arejeiane both started crying as Lucy and Danby stared frightnly up at me. I sigehed as I ran a tired hand through my hair and wrapped the three sobbing ones into a tight hug. It looked like our trip to Kiko Lake would have to wait another day. “It’ll be alright guys, I promise. We’ll try to see Flekno tomorrow.” “You promise?” Uchiha asked, looking at me suspiously. I sighed as I gazed around at all the worried and sad faces. There looked like there was going to be need a talk to. I’ll try my best guys. I really will. Don’t worry, I will. Everything will be alright. They all stared at me skeptically, looking like they only half-believed me. I sighed again and bit my lip. I wasn’t sure either. I just hoped everything would be alright in the end. ~******~ That night, after I got everyone settled in and ready for bed, I sat down at my desk an wrote the letter. I sent it to Heather at the hospital, who wrote back that it would be fine, but I better prepare the kids. She was in a coma-like state, barely breathing on her own and having to use Faerie magic to help her breath. The doctors were very concerned about Flekno. I gazed down worriedly at the letter. I truly hoped that beautiful and sweet little girl would be alright. ~******~
I held Flekno’s hand tightly, not daring to let go as I stroked her Rainbow head gently, the Faerie magic swirling in the air around here and helping her to breath. Lucas and Gray dozed off in a chair, the Shadow Ogrin holding the four year old Starry Kacheek who insisted on coming along.
I glanced up as Adrian as he entered the room with the kids. I smiled weakly as I gazed at them, my puffy and tired eyes giving signs to a tough and hard night. I was about to say something when out of the corner of my eye I saw Gray slip from his brother’s arms and walk over to his sister’s hospital bed, gazing over the railing solemly. What sweet, little soprano sound that came out of his mouth nearly broke Adrian and mine’s heart. "Darkness is here It comes from afar The fear and the fright closes In But not with the brave shining light The light will shine on It will be the torch The Darkness can't stay very long. As long as were brave and keep strong in our hearts The Darkness will fear the truth from the light As long as we keep brave and love in our hearts As long as we keep brave and love in our hearts As long as we keep brave and love in our hearts” Everyone had tears in their eyes as they smiled at the sweet singing boy. He yawned and went back to his brother’s arms, closing his eyes and snuggling closer into his shirt.
Adrian blinked and bit his lip as he watched my daughter lying there. Tyto hid behind his leg, looking frightened. Shasta clambered up onto my chair and pounced onto the bed, landing heavily at Flekno's feet. He picked his way gingerly over the covers until he reached her head. He nosed her cheek gently, placing one of his forepaws lightly on her shoulder. “Please wake up Flekno,” he whispered, his voice cracking, “Please, i-if you don't, who's gonna teach me to skateboard, or-or, help me practise my battledome moves, or – ” he stopped and choked on a silent sob, “Or be me friend?” He lowered his head and closed his eyes, pressing his nose into her furry cheek. From where I sat, I could see a tear course down his cheek and land on the bedsheet. He lay down and curled up next to her, tucking his forefeet under his chest as he rested his head on her shoulder. I watched as his tiny shoulders started to shake as he cried. I felt terrible; he was only a baby, no one that young should ever have to see something like this. Adrian moved forward silently, sliding past my chair as he gently lifted Shasta off the bed and held him against his chest, resting a hand on his head. Shasta buried his head in his father's shoulder and sobbed as Adrian beckoned the rest of his kids to the doorway and stepped outside.
~********~ Shasta clutched my shirt collar as he cried inconsolably, his tears soaking his fur as he gasped for breath. “What's wrong Shas?” I murmured, moving to a park bench near the door. Using the arm that didn't contain my baby Ogrin, I hoisted my other kids onto the bench beside me, and waited until Shasta could talk again. Eventually Shasta sobbed, “I'm so scared Papa, what if – what if she never wakes up? She-she's my friend, I don't want anything to happen to her!” “Don't worry little one,” I whispered, “Nothing's going to happen to her, she'll be fine, you'll see.” “B-but how do you know?” He wailed, not looking up from my shirt. The six other kids stared back worriedly, tears in their innocent eyes I looked at him and the other, but didn't say anything. The truth was, I didn't. Danby tugged on Shasta's tail gently, and waited until he pulled his face from my shoulder, then mumbled through the dummy in his mouth, “Don' worry Shasta, she's got the faeries lookin' after her, they'll make sure she gets better, won't they Papa?” He looked at me with enormous, unblinking green eyes. I swallowed uncertainly and nodded, trying to smile, “Yeah, see Shas? Flekno's got the faeries looking after her, she'll be fine.” Shasta looked from Danby to me, studying us with watery eyes. Sighing, he nodded. He wiped the last of his tears away with a paw and leaned against me, exhausted by all the emotion, “Okay Papa,” he murmured, “I believe you.” I breathed a silent sight of relief, and hoped that Danby was right about the faeries.
~******~
I held her limp paw tightly as I gazed sadly down at my little Acara, exhausted from the weight of the night and day and the sad faces of my and Adrian’s little ones. I sighed, blinking back tears pouring from my puffy and swollen eyeser, remembering Gray’s sweet song and seeing poor little Shasta with Flekno. My heart was already breaking in two as I gripped her hand and pressed it into my forehead, letting my body shake with silent sobs. “Please, Flekno, please baby, wake up, please baby, wake up, I love you so much, I-I-I don’t know what I-I-I-I do if-if anything-if anything“ I couldn’t finish as I let out another silent sob. I was still holding her paw when I felt a light squeeze. I opened my eyes and one of the most beautiful and wonderful scenes I had ever seen appeared before me. Flekno’s eyes fluttered open and shut as she tried to fight through the heavy medicine and Faerie magic surrounded and given to her. She muttered the one word, the one word I needed to hear. “Mama?”
I let out a loud laugh and shout, startling Lucas and Gray from their sleep as I gently rubbed and smiled lovingly down at my precious little girl. “Thank you Faeries, thank you,”
“You’re welcome” came a faint, silent reply from in the fresh air coming from the open air as I smiled. “Mama, can I still play jump rope when we get back home? I really wanna see Chriscoppe and the rest of my siblins” she murmured sleeplily, her eyes dropping and yawns coming from her mouth. I let out a laugh and smiled. She could do whatever she wanted. Lucas smiled as Gray ran up to his sleepy sister’s bed side. “Should I send the neomail to Adrian now?” I let out another laugh, one of enourmous relief and joy. It would be even, greater, a few weeks later, when we all gathered at Adrian’s house, Flekno with her cane and her happy and laughing siblings and Adrian’s kids, especially Shasta, surrounding. Adrian and I both agreed it was nothing short of a miracle. And what a wonderful miracle it was.
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purple
Frequent Visitor
Posts: 117
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Post by purple on Jul 1, 2012 19:08:59 GMT -5
I stared at the messy and toy littered living room as I ran through my hair and gazed at my little ones scurrying around the living room. Shasta, my Baby Ogrin, launched his silver sword with a blue handle at Lucy, my Baby Kacheek, who squealed and laughed as she tried to dodge and avoid the pointy plastic sword. Danby and Tyto, my Baby Shoyru and Garrl were busy building a block tower in the middle of the room. It was a diaster area, and it had been like this all morning. I was expecting company from my good friend Heather and her new kids she wanted to introduce to us. The doorbell rang and the sounds of a handful of pets could be heard coming from the marble door. I sighed, shook my head, and smiled. She always managed to come at a hectic time.
I opened the door to greet my friend, Heather, a 17 year old girl with dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, and more pets than I could think of or count. I couldn’t believe she had adopted more! I could barely manage my rascally and mischievous four who crowed at my feet to see the new pets and greet their friends eagerly. What I saw came to as a surprise as a 11 year old Island Ogrin wheeled in with her wheel chair, followed by a 11 year old Brown Xweetok who held her little sisters hands as he guided them in to the house. The 5 year old Desert Kacheek and 8 year old Island Xweetok smiled sweetly at me and waved. Heather guided in gently a 9 year old Ghost Xweetok, who I immediantely could tell was blind. She held a squirming 3 year Baby Cybunny named Indigo who was trying to wiggle her way free from her mother’s grasp to go and play with Lucy. An 8 year old Sketch Xweetok slipped in silently behind with her little sister Flekno, who had recently been ill and was still recovering, limped in with her cane.
My eyes widen at all the different pets before me and I looked at Heather, surprised. I certainly wasn’t expecting this! The little Desert Kacheek pulled her paw away from the Brown Xweetok and walked over shyly to me. Her sister quickly followed behind, holding a yellow pad and pencil in her paw. She smiled and gave me a polite courtesy. “H-H-H-He-ll-ll-oo t-there, it’s-it’s-it’s n-nice t-t-t-to me-meet y-y-you. My-my name-name i-s-s-s-s Kat- Kat-Katnii-i-s-s-s-s-e” she managed to sputter out, grinning proudly she was able to get what she had to say out. The Brown Xweetok smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. She handed he the pad and paper, and Katnise wrote a few words down. The Brown Xweetok smiled at me and held out her paw. “Hello, my name is Mistrani, but everyone calls me Misty. This my sister, Katnise. She has a little trouble talking, so she writes things down. This is Lutoli and Candy, and Christmas is over there with mom. Say hi everyone. Everyone waved hello and smiled, except for Candy, the Sketch Xweetok who hung back and muttered a quiet “Hi”. The Ogrin in the wheel chair rolled closer to my little kids and smiled gently down at them. “And my name is Cutey. Nice to meet you guys.” Shasta and Lucy both gapped at at Katnise and Christmas, but especially Cutey, who smiled knowingly and kindly to their stares and wide curious eyes. “Whatsa matter wth you guys? You sick or somethin’ Shasta piped up, walking over to her and inspected her wheel chair. “Shasta, that is not nice, use your manners. We don’t treat others like that” I said sharply, giving him a strict look He hung his head and shrugged his tiny shoulders guiltily.
“He has a point.” muttered Lucy, who gave the newcomers a weary look. I sighed and shook my head, burying it in my hands. What was I going to do with my kids?”
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Post by nurseryteacher28 on Jul 2, 2012 1:40:26 GMT -5
Danby stood back a moment, surveying the menagerie of strange pets before him. Sticking his blue dummy in his mouth, he approached Katnise cautiously and stared at her, unabashed. “Why can't you talk?” He asked bluntly, cocking his head to one side. I cringed inwardly at his directness, but Katnise didn't seem to mind; she scrawled something on her yellow pad and handed it to him. Danby took it gingerly, but looked at his feet and mumbled uncomfortably, “I can't read, I'm only two, an' Papa hasn't taught me how yet.” It was Katnise's turn to look sheepish now, as she smiled and blushed, taking her paper back. “O-of c-course,” she stammered, “I f-f-forg-got, s-so-sorry. T-t-o an-answer y-your que-question, I d-don't kn-know w-why I c-can't t-t-talk. I-I was b-born li-like this, it-it-it's called a st-st-stutter.” Katnise took a deep breath at the end of her sentence, evidently tired from the effort. Danby stared at her for several minutes, sucking his dummy slowly as he contemplated this. “Oh,” he said finally, then after a moment's thought, he added, “You wanna come play with me? You could teach me how to read,” he smiled hopefully. Katnise grinned, “S-sure, I-I-I'd l-like that.” I smiled as I caught Heather's eye; this was a good start. Trust Danby to be the one to make the first move. I looked down at my other kids, who were clustered anxiously around my ankles, “See guys? They're no different from you or me, why don't you see if they want to play?” Shasta glanced at me momentarily, then approached Cutey again. He got up on his hind legs and rested his forepaws on the metallic footwell of her wheelchair, studying it curiously. “What is this thing anyway?” He asked skeptically, “Some kind'a new skateboard?” Cutey laughed and leaned over to look at him, “No silly, it's called a wheelchair. I use it because my back legs don't work like yours, and I can't walk. I just push the wheels like this, and it helps me move.” She pushed the rubber wheel rims and lurched forward an inch. Shasta jumped away and scrabbled back to me, startled. He glanced at Cutey nervously, then whispered, “Papa, whatever's wrong with her, it-it's not contiguous is it?” I laughed and picked him up, “I think you mean 'contagious', and no, it's not, nothing's going to happen to you if you play with Cutey. I'll bet she wouldn't mind showing you more about how she gets around though, what do you think?” I looked at Cutey, who smiled. “Sure,” she said, “Hop on Shasta, and I'll give you a ride,” She held her arms out to him, and gently I deposited him on her lap. “Hold on!” She laughed, and wheeled off into the nursery. “Wow cool!” Came Shasta's cry as they disappeared. Heather and I laughed, and I shook my head in amusement. “Come on then guys,” I said, “Why don't we all head into the nursery and I'll get everybody drinks.” Heather and I herded the kids into the next room, and Flekno hobbled beside Christmas, resting a rainbow paw on her back as she guided her through the hall. Christmas made her way slowly into the nursery, and immediately tripped over Shasta's rubber Chia ball. She landed heavily on the carpet, and I cringed; I knew I should have gotten the kids to tidy up before Heather arrived. I moved forward to help her up, but Flekno had already grasped her forepaw and deposited her back on her feet. “I'm really sorry,” I said, biting my lip, “It's a dreadful mess in here, I was going to get the kids to clean up, but we sort of... didn't quite manage it. If I'd known you were coming, I certainly would have– ” Heather chuckled and cut me off, “It's fine Adrian, it's not your fault, Christmas isn't hurt, and she's got Flekno to help her out, she'll be fine, stop fretting.” I bit my tongue as I realised I was behaving just like my kids; these pets were different, but they didn't need everyone fussing over them all the time, they just wanted a little understanding, and to be treated like everyone else. I had no idea how Heather was going to manage it, but I knew she always did, one way or another. Heather put a hand on my arm, pulling me from my thoughts, “Now then,” she said, “How about those drinks?” I smiled, “Oh yes, I'd forgotten. Lead the way,” I gestured toward the kitchen and followed after Heather. “How about lemonade?” I asked, standing before the open refrigerator, “My kids love it.” Heather smiled, “As long as it's not Borovan, I'm sure it'll be fine,” she chuckled. I laughed as I put the pitcher on the wooden table and moved to get glasses, “Don't worry, I haven't forgotten that you're less than keen on the stuff. Does Indigo need one of these?” I asked, holding up a yellow Bruce bottle. Heather shook her head, “No, she uses a sippy-cup now, I'm sure one of Shasta's will be fine.” I nodded and stacked up all the glasses, depositing them on the table next to the lemonade. “I almost didn't have enough,” I smiled as I commenced pouring. “Why don't we take it outside?” I suggested as I filled the last cup and screwed the lids onto Lucy, Tyto and Danby's bottles, “There's more space out there, and it'll give the kids a chance to run around.” Heather smiled and nodded, “Good idea,” she said, “I'll go round them up.” Soon we had all the kids outside surrounding the wooden picnic table that sat in the shade of my patio roof. We wheeled Cutey and Shasta to the end of the table, and Shasta jumped off his new friend's lap, “Papa, this thing is so cool!” He cried, bouncing up and down excitedly, “Can I get a wheelchair too?” I laughed as I scooped him up and plonked him down next to Tyto, “Sorry little one,” I said, “You don't need it, once she's feeling better though, I'm sure Flekno would be happy to keep teaching you how to skateboard, and that's almost as fun.” Shasta sighed and clamped his little forepaws around his pink Shoyru-shaped sippy-cup as he muttered, “It might be if you ever let me get a skateboard.” I chuckled and ruffled his mane as I wandered around to the other side of the table to where Katnise and Danby were sitting. Danby saw me approach and waved his bottle in my direction excitedly, “Papa come look!” he said, “Katnise is teaching me letters!” Katnise smiled and showed me her pad, on which were drawn the twenty-six letters of the alphabet in neat capitals. “Very cool,” I smiled, “Are you guys having fun?” Danby nodded eagerly and Katnise smiled. “H-he's a v-v-very qu-quick l-learner,” she stammered. “I know,” I chuckled, moving up the table to sit opposite Tyto and Shasta. Christmas sat on Tyto's left, next to Cutey. Her left paw was clamped firmly around her glass, and her right one danced subtly over the tabletop in front of her as she searched her surroundings. Her hand inched closer to Cutey's glass, and her sister moved it out of the way. “Careful Chris,” Cutey warned, “Lemonade at ten o'clock.” Tyto wrinkled his brow, confused. He pulled his bottle out of his mouth with a pop and looked at me, “What's she mean Papa?” He asked. Christmas smiled, her sightless gaze moving slowly over the shingles of the next door neighbours' roof, “It's just an expression we use,” she explained, “It lets me know where things are. You know what the face of a clock looks like right?” She asked. Tyto nodded and Christmas cocked an ear toward him, scowling slightly with uncertainty, “Tyto?” She asked. Tyto blinked, looking rather embarrassed as he said, “Yeah, I know what a clock looks like.” Christmas continued as if nothing had happened, “Right, well, when Cutey says 'ten o'clock', it means there's something for me to be careful of in that direction,” she indicated north-west and Tyto smiled, catching on. “Ohh,” he said, “Cool, an' if I said 'twelve o'clock', it'd mean there's something right in front of you, right?” “Right,” Christmas smiled, “You've got it.” Tyto beamed, “That's really neat!” He said, “Can you teach me to do that?” “Sure,” Christmas replied, moving her left paw back toward her lemonade slowly, “It's really easy once you get the hang of it.”
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purple
Frequent Visitor
Posts: 117
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Post by purple on Jul 2, 2012 4:41:47 GMT -5
While Christmas was busy showing Tyto her system for telling things around them, Misty was busy helping with the little ones and making sure Katnise and Christmas were doing alright. I smiled as I surveyed the scene. She really was a good helper. I could tell she really deeply and truly cared about her family.
I stood back with Heather as she handed Indigo and even Lucy, who, thanks to her friend’s talk about sippy cups and being a “big girl”, was holding a purple one with pink flowers that matched Indigo’s perfectly. We both let out contented sighs as we gazed at all the kids. We were glad they were getting along. Heather sighed contently and took a sip of her lemonade. “Everyone seems to be getting along perfectly. I’m glad. I wasn’t sure how your kids might react or what they think.” I blushed as I remembered how me and my kids had reacted. I just didn’t expect to see any pets who were “different” . I sighed and gave her a smile. “I’m glad too. Sorry about early. My kids and I, well, were just not used to seeing pets with-with “special needs” I cringed as I tried my best not say the word “disabilities”. I didn’t want to offend Heather. “They’re really great kids. I’m glad we got to meet them.” Heather smiled understandingly and patted me on the shoulder. “It’s fine, Adrian, I probably should have prepared you better. I wasn’t really thinking when I brought them over. “But like I said before, they are different, but not less.” I nodded my head and smiled. That was a very good way of putting it. What happened next really surprised me. Cutey patted a chattering and excitable Shasta as she pulled a pair of crutches from behind her back and, slowly and carefully, pulled herself up. I watched, amazed, as she hobbled over to us and smiled widely when she saw the expression on my face. I blushed and closed my gaping mouth. I really had to stop doing that! Cutey shook her head and laughed. “I just came over to ask for Christmas’s glasses. She would like to be able to see what is going on.” Heather smiled and quickly explained about Christmas and her magical enhanced School Girl glasses, that helped her to see better. She told me Christmas was only partially blind, and could see, just slightly. I smiled and shook my head. These kids never ceased to impress me.
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Post by nurseryteacher28 on Jul 2, 2012 19:48:52 GMT -5
Heather smiled and quickly explained about Christmas and her magically enhanced glasses that helped her see better. She told me Christmas was only partially blind, and could see, just slightly. I raised an eyebrow, impressed. “Why doesn't she wear them all the time then?” I asked, watching curiously as she pulled a pair of thick-lensed half-moon glasses from her purse and handed them to Cutey, who hobbled off and eased her way back into her wheelchair. Heather replied, “They give her a headache if she wears them for too long, and they only help her eyesight a little anyway. Her vision is such that it's like she's always walking around in a thick fog at twilight, she can see outlines and shadows, but not much else. The glasses are sort of like removing the fog; she can still only see silhouettes and shadows, but slightly more clearly than she'd be able to without them.” I nodded and watched as Cutey wheeled over to her sister and put her glasses in her paw. Christmas slid them on and blinked, squinting slightly as she scrutinized her surroundings. I moved toward the table and started picking up empty glasses, and the kids dispersed into the back yard. Katnise slid off the bench and hoisted Danby to the ground. “C-c-come on D-D-Danby,” she said, picking up her paper, “L-let's got to th-the s-sandbox a-a-and y-you can p-p-practise yo-your l-l-letters.” “Okay!” Danby grinned, “Race ya!” He dashed off across the lawn, Katnise following close behind. I smiled as I headed indoors, carrying the empty glasses. I dropped them in the sink and turned to Heather who had followed me in. “I was just wondering,” I began, “Cutey has her crutches and Christmas has her glasses, does Katnise have anything to help her with her speech?” Heather sighed a little sadly as she sat down at the kitchen table, “No,” she said, “She has her notepad, but it would be best if she could learn ways of overcoming her stutter without giving up talking. We've looked into speech therapy in Neopia Central, but I just don't have the money for it right now.” She shook her head and ran a tired hand through her hair, “She has a terrible time at school, poor thing, the other kids are always picking on her and she comes home in tears more often than not. Misty tries to watch out for her on the playground, but there's not much she can do. It'd be really good if Katnise and Danby became friends, I know he's a little young for her, but she hasn't been able to make any friends at school, nobody understands that she can't help the way she talks.” I was about to sit down and join Heather, when Lucy, Danby, Katnise and Christmas ran into the room. Christmas narrowly avoided colliding with the table leg and Katnise put a paw on her shoulder to steady her. “Papa!” Lucy cried, looking enraged, “Christmas just walked right through the middle of my an' Indigo's tower we was buildin', she ruined it!” Tears of anger burned in her eyes as she glowered at the little ghost Xweetok, who hunkered by her mother's chair. “I'm sorry Lucy,” Christmas mumbled, “It was an accident, nobody told me it was there, I didn't mean to ruin your tower.” Katnise approached from the other side of the table, “Y-yeah,” she said, looking apologetic, “I-i-it w-wasn't Ch-Ch-Christmas's f-f-” “Spit it out!” Lucy shouted, her fury mounting. “Lucy!” I cried, horrified, “Don't talk to your friends like that! Now say you're sorry, that wasn't nice!” Lucy whirled on me, angry tears streaming down her cheeks, “She's not my friend! She's just a w-w-w-weirdo who can't talk right! All these new pets are just weird! They can't play right an' they just get in the way!” She ran into the nursery and up the stairs. I heard her bedroom door slam shut, and just stood there, speechless and horrified. I stared at Heather, who just looked at me rather forlornly as she wrapped one arm around Christmas, who had removed her glasses and tossed them carelessly on the table, and the other around Katnise, who had started to cry and was having more trouble than ever getting her words out. “I-I-I-I,” she stammered, getting no farther than the first syllable. Danby, whose eyes also shone with unfallen tears of hurt and humiliation for his friend, shuffled closer to her and hugged her leg. Slowly he reached into the pocket of his yellow onesie and produced his dummy, which he pressed into her paw. “Here,” he said quietly, “Sometimes it's easier not to talk.” Katnise wiped her tears away and looked down at his juvenile attempt at comfort. “Th-th-th-” she sputtered, but Danby cut her off. “You're welcome,” he said, smiling sadly as he nestled his head into her brown fur. “I-I'm so sorry,” I murmured, still frozen to the spot I'd been in when Lucy left, “I have no idea what got into her, I'll go and talk to her,” I said as I made to move away. My first instinct was to charge into the kids' room, guns blazing, and demand an explanation for Lucy's atrocious behaviour, however, as I climbed the stairs, I knew there had to be something other than spite driving my daughter's behaviour; she wasn't the malicious type, and something had to have triggered her vicious attack. I pushed the door open slowly and found Lucy sobbing facedown in a mountain of plushies that stood in the corner. I approached and picked her up firmly, putting her on my lap but not holding her as I otherwise would have. “What happened?” I asked, keeping all emotion out of my voice, “This has to be about more than just a ruined block castle.” Lucy sniffled and looked away guiltily, “I'm sorry Papa,” she murmured almost inaudibly, “I-I dunno what happened, I'm just-just scared of 'em, they're different an' I don't know what to do.” I softened slightly and sighed, resting a hand on her shoulder, “I know they came as a bit of a shock to you this morning baby, but just because they don't look or act or sound like you, doesn't mean they don't have feelings just like yours. I'm sure they'd love to be able to see or walk or talk just like everyone else, but they can't, and that's not their fault, just like Tyto's fears and Shasta's overexcitability aren't their fault, it's just who they are.” Lucy studied me with watery eyes for several minutes, and I could tell she was trying to understand. I sighed and thought for a minute. “You remember when you were getting picked on at nursery school by that little Uni, Cassie?” I asked. Lucy ducked her head and nodded sadly. “You remember how that felt?” Another nod. “Well, that's how you make Heather's kids feel when you call them names and make fun of them, you see?” Lucy looked at me guiltily, “I know Papa,” she murmured, “An' I'm sorry. But-but how do I know how to act around 'em? It's so hard.” I picked her up and headed for the door, “I know,” I said, hugging her slightly, “But the best thing to do is to treat them like everyone else; they're able to do a lot more than you think, and if they need help, they'll ask for it. Now, we're going to go downstairs and I want you to say you're sorry to Christmas and Katnise, can you do that?” Lucy nodded and nestled her head in my shoulder. We arrived in the kitchen to find Danby perched on Heather's lap and all three kids smiling again. The smile dropped from Katnise's face as she saw Lucy, and she scooted behind her mother's chair. I put Lucy down and nudged her forward. She stared at her feet and wrung her paws together, then sighed and mumbled, “I'm sorry I called you guys weirdos, a-an' I'm sorry I was mean. I do wanna be friends, only, I wasn't sure how. I know now though,” she said, looking up earnestly, “A-an' I...I'm just sorry.” She looked away again, and the kitchen fell silent. Christmas stood up and made her way forward, brushing her tail against the table and chairs as she passed them so she didn't run into them. She stopped a few inches from Lucy and put out a paw, running it down Lucy's ear and across her cheek, as if studying her features. “It's okay,” she said at last, “I'd like to be friends too, maybe I could help you rebuild your block tower sometime.” Lucy smiled, “Okay, you can help me stack 'em when they get too high!” Christmas chuckled, and turned to face Katnise, who was still standing uncertainly by her mother. “Come on Kat,” she called, “I'm sure Lucy would let you play too.” Katnise looked at her mother, who nudged her forward, then approached cautiously, keeping her mouth shut. Lucy looked at her sadly, “I'm sorry I made fun of the way you talk Katnise,” she said softly, “I-I really do wanna be friends, you-you think maybe you could teach me to read, like, like you're teachin' Danby?” She studied the older Kacheek uncertainly, waiting for her to say something. Katnise looked at her, equally guarded, but eventually she nodded slowly, “I-I-I g-guess I c-c-could,” she said, the barest hint of a smile playing about her lips. Lucy beamed and she hugged Katnise's leg, just as Danby had done, “Thanks!” She said, “This is great, all th' other kids at nursery school are gonna be so jealous 'cause they don't got no one to teach 'em to read!” Katnise let out a small giggle, and I released the breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding. I glanced at Heather, who smiled at me. Maybe things were going to be okay after all.
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purple
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Post by purple on Jul 3, 2012 7:55:55 GMT -5
Heather and I sat back as we observed the kids. Tyto and Shasta were both taking turns getting rides from Cutey in her wheel chair, while Katnise helped Danby with his letters. Candy was reading a book to her two sisters, Christmas and Flekno, who smiled and laughed as she made different voices for the characters. It was the one scene though of Lucy and Indigo building a block tower together that caught Heather and I’s attention.
Lucy finished putting the last block on the very top of the tower when she glanced over at Christmas, Katnis, and Cutey. She gave Indigo a strange look and gazed shly down at her paws . She ran a thumb over a block absentmindedly as Indigo looked up from the picture she was drawing and raised one eyebrow. “Whatsa matter, Lucy? You look worried about somethin’” Lucy let out a little sigh and bit her lip before she met her friend’s gaze and responded. “Isn’t it hard, livin’ with them? They seem so strange and…. different. Aren’t you ever cared of them? Don’t they get all the attention and toys?”
Indigo laughed and shook her head. “Naw, it’s no different than havin’ any other of my siblin’s. Mommy says we’re all different, special, and unique in our own ways, and that’s okay. She’ says were different, but not less. We’re all just one big, crazy, happy family. And I love them all.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right. They are not that bad. Wanna see if Katnise and Flekno wanna play?” “Sure!” They both put their blocks down and ran to ask them if they wanted to play. Katnise and Flekno both said yes, and they made a new block tower together.
I smiled at Heather a he wiped some tears from her eyes and watched her children lovingly. I wiped a few tears brimming at my own eyes as we watched the beautiful scene unfold. They may be different, they may seem strange, and they might not be like the rest of us, but we were all unique and special in our own ways, especially my friend Heather, who, I learned, had Asperger Syndrome, high functioning autism. She whispered this to me in my ear. “Different, but not less” “Different, but not less” I nodded in agreement, smiling. And what a great lesson and day it was.
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Post by nurseryteacher28 on Jul 5, 2012 17:09:42 GMT -5
I woke up early this morning. The sun was just starting to shine through the window, making long shadows on the floor that get shorter as the day goes on. I don't know why they do that; Papa tried to explain it to me once, only he used a lot of big words, and I didn't understand. I peered through the bars of my cot at my brothers and sister, who were all still asleep. Shasta started moving around a bit, like he does when he's about to wake up, then his eyes opened and he sat up, shaking his ruffled mane. Shasta's an Ogrin, he's two, an' he likes to pick on me 'cause he's older. He thinks it's real funny when he jumps on me and makes me cry, 'cause Grarrls are s'posed to be brave, only I'm not. The world's a scary place when you're only as tall as your papa's ankle. Shasta looked at me and yawned, “Mornin' Tyto,” he said, getting up on his back legs and holding onto his cot bars. I put my thumb in my mouth and mumbled, “G'morning.” A noise behind me made me look up, and I saw my sister Lucy sit up. She's a Kacheek, and she's much nicer to me than Shasta is, only sometimes she gets fusstrated 'cause she's the only girl in our family. I don't see why that matters though; she an' Shasta chase each other 'round the house all the time, the way she plays, you'd never guess she was a girl. I told her that once... she punched me. On the other side of the room, my other brother Danby started to wake up. He searched his cot for his dummy that had fallen out of his mouth while he was sleeping, and flapped his wings excitedly. “I think this is gonna be a good day guys,” he said, finding his dummy and putting it in his mouth. I rolled my eyes; Danby always thinks it's gonna be a good day, he's happy about everything. Of course, Shasta says that's just 'cause that's the way all Shoyrus are; they're almost never sad. “Okay guys,” Shasta said, flopping back down on his mattress, “We're all up, now let's get Papa.” The rest of us nodded, then we all took a deep breath... and howled. It's not really crying, 'cause we're not sad, but it's the only way we got to wake up our papa. If we didn't do it, we'd be stuck in our cots all day. Papa walked in the room and we stopped wailing. I laughed at his hair; it looked like he'd been dragged through a bush backward. Papa's hair always looks like that. I kinda like it. He lifted us out of our cots one by one and took our pyjamas off, then we all headed downstairs for breakfast.
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purple
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Post by purple on Jul 5, 2012 18:33:06 GMT -5
Lucy: I was eatin’ my cereal with toast with purple jam on it, which is my favorite, while Papa and my brothers ate their breakfast. I do have another brother and sister, Twilight, a Baby Aisha, who was shy and liked explorin’ stuff with Danby, and Luna, who was 8 months old and didn’t do much yet. They lived with our cousin, Emily. We visited them often though. I think Papa pays to much attention to Danby, Tyto, Twilight, and Luna though. Indigo, a Baby Cybunny, and one of my bestest friends in the WORLD was right. Little siblin’s are a pain They hog all the attention and get all the new stuff. She should know. She had a bazillionI thought it was gonna be another, borin’ average day, when I heard a knock at our door and ran to open it. My eyes widen with surprise and happiness when I saw who it was. Indigo walked into the room, arms crossed and glowering at the tile floor, while Haizeil, her 1 year old Baby Wocky sister zipped past her, stepping into the kitchen and wavin’ and smilin’ at me. I smiled and waved back. She was real friendly and nice, and one of my friends, I didn’t get why Indigo thought she was annoyin’ and stupid, even if she was younger then us. I scrambled off my yellow chair and gave Indigo a big hug. She smiled and held out her Usuki Doll. We both raced to the nursery to find my Usuki Dolls. This day was gonna be so much fun! ~******~ Indigo: I hurried after my friend, Lucy, into the nursery. Unfortunately, my two sisters followed, Hazeil, my annoyin’ baby sister, and Vanessa, my older, 3 year old UC Baby Kougra sister, who was a big cry baby and shy. I whirled around and glared at them. They just looked at me innocently and each picked up one of the Usukis on the floor. I glowered at them and crossed my arms. They were so annoyin’! Always follwin’ me around and messin’ with my stuff. I wish Mommy hadn’t brought them or my other little sisters, Ana and Darciie, 5 month old Baby Aisha and Kacheek, like Lucy. I sighed and rolled my eyes. There was not much I could do. We all sat down ‘round the tea party table and played with our Usuki’s. We were about to have a tea party when we heard a THUMP! and a CRASH! Danby, Shasta, and Tyto grinned at us excidedly, followed by their Papa and my Mommy, with my two baby sisters in her hands. ~******~
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Post by nurseryteacher28 on Jul 5, 2012 22:42:25 GMT -5
~******~ I looked up when I saw Tyto. He's my best friend, even though he's a year younger than me, 'cause he knows what it's like to be scared'a stuff all the time. My sister Indigo can be mean, she calls me 'cry baby' all the time, but not Tyto. He smiled when he saw me, “Vanessa!” He said, running up and hugging me, “It's great to see you! Wanna play with my blocks?” I nodded and put Lucy's Usuki down; it'd be more fun to play with him than with Indigo anyways. She never wants me around. I headbutted the basket of blocks out of the corner and into the middle of the room while Tyto scolded his brother. “Now you listen here Shasta,” he said, “Don't you go runnin' round the house all crazy, 'cause if you do, you're gonna knock my an' Vanessa's tower over, okay?” Shasta rolled his eyes, “Aw don't be such a baby Tyto,” he said, “You care too much 'bout your stupid towers.” Before Tyto could say anything else, he ran off upstairs with Danby. I bumped Tyto's shoulder with my forehead, “Don't worry about him,” I said, “He's just a pest.” Tyto sighed an nodded, “Yeah,” he said, “Only sometimes I wish he could be a little nicer, he don't hafta go around calling me a baby all the time.” My ears drooped a little and I nodded, glancing at Indigo, who was still playing Usukis with Lucy, bossing Hazeil around. “Yeah,” I sighed, “I know how you feel.”
~*******~ “Indigo, knock it off!” I huffed, clutching Lucy's Tyrannian Usuki tightly, “You're not the boss of me, quit tryin' to tell me how to play!” Indigo scowled, and her ears twitched angrily, “Look Hazeil,” she said, very grumpy, “Tyrannian Usukis do not belong at a tea party, it's not elegant.” She looked at Lucy for help, but Lucy didn't look like she knew whose side she was on. I dropped the Usuki on the table and jumped down from my chair, “Fine,” I said crossly, “I don't wanna play your stupid game anyways, I'll go play by myself!” “Fine!” Indigo snapped, turning her back on me. Who needed a sister like her anyways? I wished some of my older sisters were here, they always played with me, an' didn't yell at me when I didn't do it their way. I love playing with my big sister Katnise most of all, 'cause even though she stutters, an' it takes us a long time to get through games sometimes, she always makes 'em fun. I looked around the room for something to do. I didn't want to play sword-fighting with Shasta an' Danby, 'cause they play too rough, an' I didn't want to play blocks with Tyto an' Vanessa, 'cause they play too soft. There was no one else to play with 'cept Ana an' Darciie, and they were too young. I sighed. I wished Mommy had left me at home, that way I could play with Katnise, or get Flekno to read me a story. I jumped on the couch and sat down. It was gonna be a long morning.
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purple
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Post by purple on Jul 6, 2012 7:59:19 GMT -5
Shasta: I was busy fighten’ Danby with a sword, switching and whipping my sword in his face. I almost had him defeated when all o’ a sudden, he stopped and stared at Hazeil, who was lookin’ sad and bored, her head in her paws. He stopped swinging his sword at me and crawled up to the couch with Hazeil, smiling and asking if she wanted to go and look at some books. I scowled, dropped my sword, and crossed my arm. Danby was always bein’ too nice and kind to everyone. He was always readin’ and trying to find things in the backyard with hismaginyfing glass with Myziko, a 1 year old Baby Ogrin. I sighed and walked around the room, trying to find something interetin’ to do. I sighed and sat down in the middle of the room, watching everyone else havin’ fun. I pouted and crossed my arms. Sometimes I wished I had a cool older brother like Indigo, or a fun and adventurous cousin, like Chirban, a 2 year old Zafara and one of my best friends. I closed my eyes and sighed. That was never goin’ to happen. ~******~
Danby: I turned the page of the book slowly as I read a little bit of the book. She smiled at me and turned the other page. She was real impressed I knew how to read a little, thanks to Katnise teachin’ me my letters and help me practice myreadin’. I smiled shly, suddenly feeling nervous and bashful. She was pretty cute when she smiled and her eye shone with happiness and glee.. uhm, uh, I mean, she was a good friend. Yes, just a friend. But why did my face turn red and I felt so shy aroun her? What was happren’ to me? ~******~
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Post by nurseryteacher28 on Jul 6, 2012 17:40:49 GMT -5
~*******~ “Say, that looks pretty good,” Vanessa said as she put the last block at the top of our tower. “C'mon Tyto, let's go show the grownups.” I smiled as I followed her, “Yeah,” I said, “We did good, I think it's the best one I've ever built!” We were just leaving to go find Papa when Wham! Shasta ran straight into me and knocked me over into our tower! I looked at the heap of blocks surrounding me and me an' Vanessa both started crying. “Paapaaa!” I wailed as Vanessa ran to the kitchen to find her mommy. Shasta rolled his eyes and kicked one of my blocks with a front paw, “Aw don't be such a baby,” he said in that mean voice I hate, “It was just a dumb ol' tower.” Papa and Heather ran into the room, “Papa look what he did to our tower!” I cried, running up and latching onto his leg. Heather picked Vanessa up and she sniffled, “Yeah, we worked all morning on it, then he just went an' knocked it over!” Papa picked me up and I put my head on his shoulder. I didn't haft'a see his face to know he was cross with Shasta; I could hear it in his voice. “Shasta,” he said, in the voice that makes me cry when he uses it on me, “I'm disappointed in you, why did you go and knock over Tyto and Vanessa's tower?” I looked down at Shasta, an' he just looked at the floor and shrugged, like he didn't even care. “We've talked about this before,” Papa said, “You don't just go around wrecking things other people have worked hard on; it's not nice, and it's not fair. How would you like it if you built a tower and I just came along and knocked it over for no good reason?” Shasta shrugged again, and Papa sighed. He put me down an' picked Shasta up, then the two of 'em went upstairs, an' I knew Shasta wouldn't be coming back down for a while; he gets put in time-out so often Papa don't even haft'a tell 'im when he's going no more. Heather put Vanessa down, and my friend sighed, “Well, looks like we'll haft'a start over.” I nodded sadly; my brother could be such a pain sometimes.
~******~
It was getting late, and me an' Lucy had been playing Usukis all day. Mommy picked up Darciie and Ana and said, “Come on kids, time to go.” “Five more minutes!” I begged, “We're just getting to the good part!” Mommy smiled and shook her head, “Come on Indy,” she said, “You two have been playing all day, it's time to go home now, I have to get dinner ready for your siblings, and you know how long it takes to cook for all of you!” I sighed and looked at Lucy, “Well, looks like we'll haft'a get back to this some other time,” I said, “Don't forget where we were, 'kay?” Lucy shook her head as she put her Usuki down, “Don't worry, I won't,” she promised. Her papa came in from the kitchen and said, “It's time I got you four ready for bed anyway, come on then guys, say goodbye to your friends, then it's bath time.” Lucy followed me to the door and whispered, “I hate bath time, I always get stuck with Shasta, an' he splashes.” I giggled, “I know, there's so many of us at my house, by the time it's my turn, all the hot water's gone!” Vanessa hugged Tyto goodbye and came up beside me. She looked worn out; she don't like bein' around people all day long, she's weird. As we walked home that night, I thought about all the fun me an' Lucy had had today. I wished she could be my sister, then we could run away together, an' we wouldn't haft'a worry about her dumb brothers or my annoying baby sisters, we could just play together all day an' never get interrupted. I can keep dreaming for that to happen one day, but for now, I just looked back and smiled. Today had been a very good day.
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purple
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Post by purple on Jul 7, 2012 6:36:10 GMT -5
The mess I saw in the nursery was tremendous and chaotic. I ran through the messy jumble of toys, block and my four little Baby pets, two of which were battling with swords and playing “Merridell Warriors”, and my other two building a block tower in the corner of the room. I ran around, trying frantically to clean, straighten up, and put things away, while glancing briefly at my watch and the door. I let out a loud groan, and her large group of pets sillueted behind the glass marbled door. She said she was bringing some of her pets, who had disabilities, and I did not want them to get hurt and injured over this mess. I almost tripped over my sword fighting duo as I hurried to answer the door.. The two year old Ogrin and Kacheek just laughed and continued their sword fight.
“Haha, I almost got you, Slorg Breath! You’ll never be able to defeat me, you stupid, ugly Mutant Face.” Lucy only thrust harder and faster as I gave my son a warning look, one he knew very well. He looked up at me, trying to keep off the sword thrusting Baby Kacheek and smiled innocently. I sighed and shook my head as I turned the door knob and let everyone in. He always seemed to get in some form of trouble. I was about to scold him and give him the lecture of not calling people names, when I felt a light tug on my light blue t-shirt. What I saw almost made me gasp and cover my eyes. It was a little 5 year old Mutant Usul, her three eyes staring up hurt and sadly at me. Her 9 year old Biscuit Kougra brother, Uchiha, her 5 year old Desert Kacheek sister, Katnise, who stuttered, and her 11 year old Island Ogrin sister, Cutey, who was in a wheel chair, all hurried over and formed a protective barrier from my surprised and horrified stare. I quickly shook my head and smiled at the little girl nervously, mentally slapping myself for acting like a judgmental and ignorant idiot. I hope I could make it up to them.
Uchiha, wrapped his arms protectively and carefully around his little sister’s shoulders, giving me a menacing and piercing glance, one which told me I better not have a horrified look this time. I noted with some satisfaction, that he seemed more mature and grownup then the boy I met two years before. He seemed more grownup as he stood protectively by his little and older sisters as he let a growling warning. “Tell Shasta we don’t appreciate his stupid comments. They’re hurtful and ignorant.” He gave my Baby Ogrin a dirty look as he let out a low growl. Heather quickly spotted something was wrong as she hurried over from her large group of pets who ran around the nursery. She held the tearful Mutant Usul’s paw as she smoothed down her fur and gazed lovingly down at her. She always did this with all her kids She was a really good mother.
Heather smoothed down her fur again as she beckoned and scooted the Mutant Usul closer to me. She smiled encouragily down at her daughter, scooting the shy Usul over to me. I bent down to her size and smiled. She was actually pretty cute, once you got over the fact she was. She smiled back at me and said her name was Taffrail, but everyone called her Taffy. I smiled and shook her paw. It seemed like we were off to a better start than before.
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Post by nurseryteacher28 on Jul 7, 2012 21:33:28 GMT -5
I was about to say something to Taffy when all of a sudden a young Xweetok came bounding up to his mother in a state of excited agitation. He bounced up and down like a springy toy and said, “Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom, Mom!” Heather pressed a hand firmly on his shoulder until he stopped bouncing, and gave me a tired smile, “ADHD,” she said simply. “What is it Wedgit?” She asked. Wedgit resumed bouncing in spite of his mother's attempts at grounding him, “Nicciletai's freakin' out again, come see come see, come – ” “I'm coming Wedgit,” Heather said, cutting him off before he could wind himself up anymore. She looked at me, “I'll be right back,” she said, the barest hint of worry crossing her features as she was pulled along by the excitable little Xweetok. I watched as she crossed the room, and upon Wedgit's instruction, opened the door to the closet under the stair. She crouched down and spoke softly to whoever was inside for a moment, then reached in and withdrew another Xweetok, about Wedgit's age, and carried her back toward Taffy and I, trying not to trip over Wedgit as he weaved his way around her ankles like a meowclops, chattering at a hundred miles a minute. He was still going when she sat down and Heather said, “Wedgit, it's time to stop and listen.” She waited until Wedgit had stopped bouncing, and sat, shifting excitedly on the carpet. “Good,” she continued, “Now, why don't you, Shasta and Flekno go and play outside. If you can behave and stay calm until Nicky and I finish talking, we'll take you all to the park, how does that sound?” Wedgit immediately stopped fidgeting, he took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then nodded. “Okay,” he said evenly, “I'll go play with Flekno and Shasta, and I'll stay calm so we can go to the park.” With that, he rose to his paws and wandered off to find his friends. I looked at Heather, who was still holding Nicky on her lap, “I'm impressed,” I said, “Where did you learn to do that?” Heather smiled and shrugged as she rested a hand on Taffy's head, “You learn as you go along. When you have as many as I do, you're bound to run into a few that don't exactly 'fit the mould'. Speaking of which...” she indicated the little Xweetok on her lap, who had pulled her face from her mother's shoulder and now sat with her forepaws clamped over her ears, her tail wrapped around her haunches as she rocked slowly back and forth, muttering under her breath. “Too much noise,” she murmured, sounding rather distressed, “Too much noise, too much noise, too many people.” I looked from Nicky to Heather uncertainly. I'd never seen anything like this before. “Nicky's autistic,” Heather explained, wrapping both arms around her firmly and squeezing to maintain pressure, “She's relatively high functioning, but it can still be hard for her to get thrown into a circus like this. Do you think maybe she and Tyto would like to go someplace else and play quietly for a while?” I nodded and rose to search for my baby Grarrl, “I'm sure he'd like that; he's never been big on the madhouse scene either.” Indeed, as I said this, I found Tyto hunkered in the corner, wearing his pink fluffy Kacheek-shaped earmuffs, trying to keep the sound out and looking rather miserable. I went over to him and picked him up, beckoning Heather and Nicky into the kitchen. Heather whispered a few words to Taffy – who slid off the couch and moved toward the throng of kids slowly – and stood up, still holding Nicky. She followed me into the kitchen, and we put our kids down on the chequered marble floor. Heather sat down at the kitchen table, and I went to the kettle to put water on the boil. Tyto and I both watched as Nicky swung her head about aimlessly, as if observing her surroundings, without actually 'seeing' anything. I ventured a nervous question to Heather, “Um... is she-is she blind?” I asked carefully, not wanting a repeat of this morning's blunder. Heather sighed and nodded, “Yes,” she said, “Completely, so she can't even use glasses like Christmas can. Although,” she added, “Most autistic kids look like this; she wouldn't look at you even if she could see you; interacting with people makes her very anxious.” I nodded and poured hot water over a tea bag for Heather, then handed it to her, sitting across from her. “I guess I don't really understand,” I said, swilling my borovan around in my mug absently, “What exactly does it mean to be autistic?” Heather looked at Nicky, who was flapping a forepaw and humming tunelessly to herself as Tyto tried to engage her in building a tower with the blocks he'd dragged in from the nursery. “Basically it's a neurological condition, her brain is wired differently from ours...” she paused, “Or rather, I should say, yours. I have a little bit of what she has, but it's not nearly as bad, and most people don't notice it unless they're looking for it. At any rate, this mixed up brain wiring means she misses a lot of social cues; she wouldn't understand body language if she could see it, and she doesn't understand how different tones of voice mean different things, she also has a hard time grasping jokes and sarcasm, in part because she doesn't recognise vocal tones. All this means it's very difficult for her to be around people and to interact properly. The way she's wired also means she's very sensitive to things like sound and light; things you and I wouldn't notice can drive her crazy, and she has to stick rigidly to her daily routines; if they're ever disturbed, she panics and throws a fit. It took us almost three days of preparation to get her here today,” Heather looked at me sadly. “It also has some up sides to it though,” she said, “Nicky has an amazing memory for facts, and her ears are like a tape-recorder; if she watches a movie once, she'll have all the dialogue down cold. It's rather spooky actually.” Heather and I watched Tyto and Nicky build in silence for several minutes; neither seemed particularly inclined to start a conversation. I shook my head in wonderment as I watched Nicky. What must it be like inside her head? At that moment, Wedgit, Flekno and Shasta came in through the front door carrying Flekno's skateboard. “Mom,” Wedgit said, “Can we go to the park now? I did what you said and stayed calm the whole time.” From where I stood, it looked like he was about to pop a spring from staying still so long. Heather smiled and rolled her eyes, “Alright then, I did promise. Go get your siblings rounded up and we'll head out.” Wedgit walked off calmly, but as soon as he was in the nursery, I could hear his loud chattering voice running at a mile a minute, “Okayguyslet'sgowedon'thavealldaywegottagetamoveonc'monlet'sgo!” Heather laughed and shook her head. “Just another day in the life,” she said.
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purple
Frequent Visitor
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Post by purple on Jul 8, 2012 2:58:11 GMT -5
We were all set and ready to go to the park. It took some time to wheel Cutey through the doorway, to get Wedgit to settle down, gather all her kids together, and gently coax Nicky from the corner she was huddled in, rocking back and forth and holding her hands over her ears and muttering. “No go, no go” over and over again. It almost broke my heart to see this poor girl, so anxious and scared of the whole world. It must be hard for her to be both autistic AND blind. Life just wasn’t fair sometimes. We finally were able to get Nicky out of the corner and Wedgit to settle down.(a little) Nicky clung tightly to her mother’s neck, burring her face into her neck, mumbling “Mama, Mama” under her breath. Lucy stared nervously from behind my leg with Indigo. She gave Nicky a worried look and looked to her Baby Cybunny friend for help. “Why does she act like that? It’s o strange. She’s scarin’ me. Can you make her stop?” Indigo shook her head and was about to say something as we walked along the path in the park when he was cut off short by an angry and embarrassed looking 7 year old Xweetok. “She’s always like this,” , Traixxes, one of the Xweetok quadruplets who had come this morning with his three other sisters, said. She’s a weirdo. I wish Mom would quit bringing freaks like her and Taffy home. We already have enough pets already.”
Heather gave her son a disapproving and stern look as she rubbed Nicy’s back, and sad looking Taffy’s hand. “Traixe, that was not nice, apologize to your sisters immediendiently. We don’t say things like that to each other.” “But it’s true! She’s a weirdo and a freak, and doesn’t talk in full sentences sentence, even though she can, and she always embarrasses me in front of my friends, always! I’m sick of it! You probably like them cuz they’re just like you! You’re a werdio, Mutant and freak loving Slorg head. I hate you and those two freaks you expect me to call sisters. I wish you would just abandon me!” With that, he turned on his heels and ran, tears streaking down his face and his wings fluttering in agitation, leaving behind a grief stricken Heather, surprised and shocked kids, and an angry looking Uchiha. I sighed a I took L;ucy and Indigo and ran after him. It looked like he needed a long and good talk.
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Post by nurseryteacher28 on Jul 8, 2012 4:10:59 GMT -5
I deposited Lucy and Indigo on a swing and asked Flekno to keep an eye on them, then followed Traixxes to a clump of bushes which he proceeded to crouch behind, curling up and hiding his face in his tail so I wouldn't see him cry. I stood there for several minutes, trying to decide how best to proceed; I wasn't used to dealing with kids older than two on a regular basis. Eventually I decided to wing it. I crouched down next to his huddled furry form and waited for him to come out. “Go away,” came a miserable muffled voice from within the fluff, “You're just as nuts as she is, puttin' up with all those losers.” I didn't say anything for a moment, but eventually murmured, “Sounds to me like you don't think they're the only ones who are losers. It must be hard, having to put up with so many siblings all the time, especially when some of them aren't quite... like the rest of you.” Traixxes seemed to ponder this a moment, then very slowly he emerged, sizing me up with damp dark eyes. “All the kids at school call me 'Dr. Death' 'cause there's so many kids at my house it's like livin' at the pound.” I studied him, “That sounds terrible,” I agreed, “Have you ever told your mom that?” Traixxes looked away, and hurt anger replaced the grief in his eyes, “No,” he mumbled, “She never has time for me. She's always busy dealin' with Cutey or Katnise or Christmas, an' now Taffy an' Nicky. She thinks just 'cause I'm not different or broken, she can get away with ignoring me 'cause I can do more stuff on my own. It's not fair.” The way he described his siblings took me by surprise, but I kept my sympathetic face steady and nodded, “You're right, it's not. It can't be easy feeling like you're not important just because you don't need as much help as your siblings.” Traixxes sighed and shook his head. “Y'know? Sometimes I really do wish she'd abandon me, that way I could go live with some other family who don't have a bazillion pets livin' with 'em, an' maybe they'd actually have time for me.” Tentatively I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder; he didn't pull away. “But you know what would happen if your mom did that right?” I asked. Traixxes looked at me and gave his head a tiny shake. “She and all your siblings would be terribly sad, and they'd miss you very much, because they love you. You're very important to them, and I know you mean the world to your mom; she's very proud of you, Traixxes, she's told me so on several occasions.” Traixxes sighed and looked away again, “Well then how come she don't pay any attention to me anymore?” He asked sadly. I sighed, “It's not fair, but the truth of it is, you do have siblings who need more of your mom's help than you do, they can't make it on their own like you can. But you know what you can do?” I said encouragingly. “What?” Traixxes asked, curiosity flashing in his eyes for just a second. “You can help her help them. That way, you get to see more of your mom, and maybe make your siblings' lives a little easier too. What do you think?” Traixxes seemed to consider this for a moment, then he studied me carefully. “I guess... I guess it couldn't hurt to try,” he murmured, getting to his feet and shaking the grass off his pelt. I watched him walk off, keeping his head low as he approached his mother on the bench. He stared at the concrete pavement guiltily as he said something I couldn't catch at that distance. Heather put Nicky down and hugged him. He hopped up on the bench beside her and they talked for several more minutes. Then I watched as he jumped off the bench and rested his tail across Nicky's shoulders and guided her across the playground. “You wanna try the swings Nicky?” He asked. Nicky grinned and flapped a paw excitedly, “Swing, swing!” She cried, jumping up onto the wooden seat and gripping the chains with eager anticipation. Traixxes pulled the swing back and pushed her forward hard. Nicky laughed as if it were the best thing she'd ever experienced. “Swing, swing!” She cried, and then, “Love Traixxes!” I watched Traixxes's face get still as he heard this, then he smiled softly, “Love you too Nicky.” He said it so quietly that I almost missed it as I made my way back over to the bench to sit beside Heather. “Hey Taffy!” Traixxes shouted over Nicky's shrieking laugh, “Come swing with us!” The little Usul grinned and squirmed off the bench, making a beeline for her brother. Heather looked at me for a moment, “Thank you,” she finally said. I smiled, “Just another day in the life,” I replied.
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