Madooree

Short children's story of Madooree, our heroine, and guardian of a fantasy world, called the world of KLIM and MAREC. First story in a series of short stories. with the introduction of Madooree, and the fantasy world. There are many interesting characters, and the world is full of interesting and educational meaning for young minds. As the series unfolds more characters will be introduced into this truly magical world. Little poems and nursery rhymes will be the themes to each short story. I hope they provide young readers and listeners with some pleasant moments and colour their imagination.

These are short stories for bedtime reading and listening, or peaceful moments wherever you are. This well-known rhyme provides the theme of the first in the series. Enjoy!

Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle
The cow jumped over the moon
The little dog laughed to see such fun
And the dish ran away with the spoon!

The story is inspired by this nursery rhyme.

Madooree the world of KLIM and MAREC

Madooree lives in a small apartment with her family: a man, a woman, Denis a young man, two dogs, and Vera a little girl. The busy apartment, with cupboards full of belongings, you certainly could not swing a cat in any room of this apartment. Madooree arrived as a baby kitten, because Vera loved kittens, and cats. And I mean love. For months if not years she had taken photographs of every cat that ever walked on the planet, every shape, size and colour. Madooree had three colours, black, brown, and silvery white, with green eyes.

Apparently, if a cat has three colours in its furry coat, that means good luck. Madooree was lucky to find a friendly home, with a loving owner, Vera the girl. The two dogs irritated Madooree, they always glared at her, as she stepped around the apartment, or jumped onto furniture. She quickly realized the dogs were stupid, and could never find her in the apartment, and were too big to follow her to the smallest of gaps or holes in each and every room, including the kitchen. Madooree always found an escape route. Her favorite room was Denis’ room, and she would spend most of time there. Maybe, it was the smell, maybe it was his piano playing, but in this room, she felt comfortable and well.

Madooree, like most cats and kittens, explored every nook and cranny of Denis’ room, but the most interesting was the large clothes cupboard. It was tall from floor to ceiling, and very dark inside, especially at the bottom where the shoes were scattered untidily. But one night when everybody was asleep, including the dogs, she started prowling around, and entered the cupboard, and felt a draft of air that had an entirely different smell attached to it. It came from the back of the cupboard, the darkest area, which even with the cat's eyes, she could not see clearly.

It was black, but she sensed it was endless, like the entrance to a long tunnel. Suddenly, she fell into the dark void, and entered a completely different world of brightness and vivid colour. Not only that; Madooree found that she could stand upright, her hind legs had grown, and the hind legs could support her entire body. Even more strange was the green backpack now sitting upon her body, with black straps over her front legs. Madooree was standing and erect like Denis.

The view in front of her had vivid colours, light came from every direction, not just above, the sides, even from below, it was like a well-lit stage. But Madooree wouldn’t understand or hadn’t experienced a theater stage or for that matter stage lighting. In front of her was an unusual scene. In the background on top of a bright green hill, was the biggest black and white cow she had ever seen. It was the size of a large apartment block, with huge pink udders attached to steel tubes. The tubes ran down the hill into a big lake. The lake was glistening in bright luminous white. It was a lake of milk. Around the edges of the lake were steps, and diving boards, similar to that of a swimming pool. There were no trees, or grass, but the colour of green was flat without texture or shadow.

Suddenly, the giant cow looked over towards Madooree’s direction, and bellowed the longest and loudest MOOOO! The ground and air vibrated for a long time. Shortly after from the brow of the green hill, from all directions little people started coming towards the lake, and towards Madooree. They were jumping, and skipping, and shouted in their voices “KARA! KARA! KARA!

As the little people got closer to the white lake, as well as closer to Madooree, she could see they all looked exactly the same, yellow faces, brown hair, wide eyes, and they all wore aprons, and bibs. Some wore water wings for swimming, some wore swimming goggles and snorkels, and some wore flippers on their feet. On the bibs were printed with letters, such as SL, SC, LC, AP, LB. They all without exception entered the white milk lake, and started swimming or diving around the milk, the white liquid gurgled, and frothed, and even bubbled. Madooree, could not see below the surface, but for the readers, there were tubes, and chutes, some labelled soft cheese, hard cheese, yoghurt, single and double cream, sour cream (smetana), and milkshakes.

Because Madooree was fully focused on the scene in front of her, she didn’t notice the moon side up to her. The moon had a very cheerful face, and a broad smile. 

He said, “Good day Kara, we have been waiting for you.”

“What, where, and why do you call me Kara?” Madooree spluttered.

“Many questions! You are Kara the guardian of this realm, we have been waiting for you. This is the realm of KLIM and MAREC, and those people are the BACTY people, who turn the milk into cheese, cream, yoghurt, and all sorts of dairy products. They swim and tread around the fresh milk, and add odors, smell, texture, and fragrance to the milk.” The smiling moon said.

Madooree had to think about this, she pondered.

The moon continued. “In your backpack is all you need to create harmony in the lands of KLIM and MAREC, and beyond. It is your destiny to protect these lands, it is your destiny, Kara.”

Madooree thought about this, and then came more questions “I fell into this world at the back of Denis’ cupboard, how do I get out, as my owners will wake up soon, and they will worry about my disappearance, Vera will cry!”

The moon said with a continued smiling face “Don’t worry Kara, the way out is behind you, do you see that black circle, that’s the door from where you came. It is the black hole between the worlds.”

Madooree was relieved. This was too strange for a nosey cat, such as her.

The moon left, as quietly as he came. Madooree went towards the black circle, and jumped back into the dark cupboard, and returned to her family. Now if cats dream, which we don’t really know, Madooree thought this was a dream. She must have fallen asleep, a cat nap amongst Denis’ shoes she thought.

Life in the small apartment continued as a normal day. People and dogs scurried around doing what people and dogs do every day. But, one day or a few days later, she heard the woman say, “There’s no milk at the shops, everybody is saying there is no milk anyway.” Madooree enjoyed her saucer of milk each day, as well as her boiled chicken. Small things, but important things in Madooree’s life.

That night Madooree entered the back of the cupboard and went through the black hole.

The scene that greeted her was sadness and chaos in the land of KLIM and MAREC. The giant cow was laying down on the green hill, looking up to the bright blue sky above. The milk lake was empty, and now one could see the tubes with labels dangling at the bottom of the lake, like drain holes in a kitchen sink. The BACTY people were standing around with solemn faces, completely idle.

She thought, I must ask the giant cow why she has stopped producing milk. Kara (Madooree) strides up the green hill to the now laying down giant cow, with her backpack.

She asks the giant cow “I’m Kara, what is your name, and why have you stopped the milk supply?”

The giant cow turns its large head, with big black eyes, and long fluttering eyelashes. “My name is Matilda, and the Moon has vanished in the sky. If there is no moon, there is no milk.”

Kara asked Matilda “Where has the moon gone? I was speaking to the moon only the other day.”

Matilda says wearily “The moon went to visit its Aunt Makemake, to the left of Pluto, but the moon didn’t return. I miss the moon; I liked jumping over him.”

Kara volunteers to find the moon. She opens her backpack, and finds a small rocket, she attaches the rocket to the backpack. Then she asks Matilda for directions to Makemake. The rocket splutters into a flame, just the same as the flame on the stovetop. She flies in the direction of Aunt MakeMake and the missing Moon.

To Kara’s surprise it wasn’t too difficult to find the Moon, and Aunt Makemake, at the edge of the Milky Way galaxy, passing Jupiter and Saturn, and turned left at Pluto, there in front of Kara, was the Moon and Aunt MakeMake. Both had sad faces, no smiles, such sad faces. Kara stood in front of the giant orbs.

“Hi moon, what’s the problem with Aunt MakeMake?” Enquired Kara.

The moon replied “Aunt Makemake is depressed, she is lonely out here, and hasn’t spoken to her neighbours Ceres or Haumea in decades, I can’t leave her like this.”

Kara thinks. She delves into her backpack, and brings out a violin, and starts to play jigs and happy tunes on the instrument. She dances in front of all the planet's audience. All the neighbouring planets start to hum, and sway to the music, and gradually Aunt Makemake smiles, and then outright laughter at Kara playing the happy songs on the violin.

So, the moon returns to the land of KLIM and MAREC. Matilda starts to produce milk, and the BACTY people are back to work. Kara was the heroine.

It is not common knowledge, but Aunt MakeMake is called “little dog” by her planet friends in the Milky Way, but the dish and spoon is another story in the life of our heroine, Madooree, a la Kara in the world of KLIM and MAREC.

 

Author's Note

It has always been a passion of mine to write. This is the right time in my life to sit down and pick up the pen. After years of traveling like a gypsy around this beautiful planet we all have the privilege to experience each day, I started to write down, children’s stories, mythical stories, stories than are inspired by poems, Chicken Soup stories, and stories from my adventurous past. It’s time in my life to be creative, and to use my imagination. I hope you find some pleasure in my scribblings, and dear readers, thank you for your time. Kindly provide your feedback. With the first step taken, like a lot of my life, I don’t have any idea where the journey will take me.