Randy, Part I: A KPTL Story

Randy

Part I

A KPTL Story

G.H. Goins

        The Land of Miza. A vast continent inhabited by many creatures of many sizes. Miza is split into three countries: Masibo, Tootles, and Pegansnoofle. The capital of Masibo is where this story begins.  

        Stodard.  

        Among the cobblestone streets on this rainy night, a buggy comes racing down the street at a high velocity. Inside the horse-drawn carriage, a mother holds her precious newborn.  

        “Randy,” she says softly, barely audible, “I will miss you.”  Her huge, beautiful, violet eyes glimmered as a tear rolled down her furry cheek. The mother kangaroo sobs at the thought of losing her one and only child. How can they do this to me? she thinks.

        The buggy jolts to a stop, causing the newborn to fuss, his mother trying to soothe him through hushing him.  

        She climbs out of the carriage and whispers something in his ear and leaves him at a doorstep, in a basket. Thunder booms through the night, leaving silence in its wake. The babe, sobbing now, is alone, the last words of his mother still echoing in his head. 

        I love you forever. 

        As the door opens, a round, white, furry face with two massive front teeth and large ears pokes through the doorway of the building.  

        How can this be? the rabbit thinks.  

        The now silent baby looks deep in the eyes of the rabbit staring into his own. As the rabbit wipes a quick tear out from her eye, she carefully picks up the babe and takes him inside. As the door shuts, another bolt of light streaks the night sky, making the sign of the building visible for a split second. THE STODARD ORPHANAGE, it read. 

        Thus begins the long journey of Randy. 

*

Twelve years later

        Just another day, Randy thought, sitting outside the principal’s office, the green bench feeling cold under his rump. Randy, twelve years of age now, had received another bloody nose, the third one this semester. Randy wouldn’t call himself a trouble maker, but neither would he call himself a peace-keeper. His temper was always known to get the better of him. Other kids in the school knew how to get him angry, but for some reason, they never seemed to remember what comes with his temper: a kick to the face. Actually, more like two kicks to the face. That was his specialty: leaning back on his tail and, using both feet, delivering two tremendous blows at the same time. That normally means sending the other kid sprawling out on the floor or into the wall. If you were to ask anyone in his school who the problem child was, they wouldn’t hesitate to tell you. 

Randy.

Randy was now looking forward to a long week of extra chores back at the orphanage. He hated to do that to poor Mrs. Carrots, she already had enough on her plate, no pun intended. Growing up in the orphanage was miserable. It wasn’t a quarantine or anything, but there was always something missing. Growing up without a mother and father was hard. He loved Mrs. Carrots, genuinely, but not knowing his parents or even who they were, was a burden. It weighed heavily on his heart every day. He didn’t know what had happened to them or why he was left, 12 years ago on the steps of the orphanage. No one should have that done to them.

The door opened suddenly. Mrs. Spitz poked her long neck out through the threshold. She said, “I can see you now, Randy.”

Mrs. Spitz was the furriest lama Randy had ever looked upon (or is she an alpaca? Who knows? He thought.)   

Normally these lectures take about 15-ish minutes, depending on what the “crime” is.  For those fifteen minutes, Randy zones out and will nod his head when her voice raises noticeably. It truly wasn’t a troubling routine. However, this one seemed longer than usual. When she was finally running out of things to say, Randy began to tune in.

“I just can’t believe you did that again.”  She finished with a tired sigh.

But she was not done yet. 

“Now for your consequence,” She began again. “I came up with this idea some time ago but never had to use it. I guess it’s finally time.”

“Time for what, Madam Spitz? (gulp)” (He uses the “madam” when he’s in trouble.)

“Your consequence, of course.  There is someone… with your case, in Tootles. He has been aggressive to other students as you have been. Sorry, I didn’t have another word to describe your behavior besides aggressive. Maybe… physically unkind. Anywho, that’s beside the point. You will be writing this other turtle as a pen pal. For the rest of this semester, you will write to him once a week. If you fail to write during a given week, it will mean staying late for that week. You will turn in your first letter in two days.”

Inside, Randy was relieved but outside, he let out a groan so it sounded like he was unhappy about the form of punishment.  

“I will send you his name and address shortly so that you begin writing him right away. You are dismissed, Randy.” 

Randy slunk away, not too eager to go back to pre-algebra. Who cares what x + y equals? He wondered.  

The rest of the day didn’t seem to go much faster, although his last class was Phys Ed. That was the only thing (besides being done) that Randy could actually look forward to.  

Mr. Simm was his favorite teacher, not just because he was also a kangaroo, but because he was a kick-boxer. He had won three national championships and one world championship. On his way to the first match of his last season, Mr. Simm was in a horrible carriage accident and was told he would never box again.  

Wrestling was Randy’s favorite sport to play, mainly because his teacher was a professional.  

Randy’s main competition was a tiny penguin, named Maddox.  

A few years before, Maddox transferred from Waddle-Gardens, Pegansnoofle. He seemed to be a couple years older than Randy, but he had a very… special talent. His technique was to stand in the middle of the ring and just wait for the opponent to look into his eyes and hold a stare for about 2 seconds and then jump on the subject’s face and go crazy slapping, punching, and munching. Unfortunately for his opponents, there is no rule that says you can’t jump on one another’s faces and sit on them. I guess the rule bookmakers didn’t consider the fact that a penguin might want to wrestle too.  

Randy was feeling good on that particular day. When he stepped up to the ring, the little penguin was already waiting for him. Before he knew it, Randy heard the bell ring.  

In a flash, Maddox was on his face. He didn’t even see it happen. Randy grunted briefly as he hit the floor, with a muffled thum. Being a kangaroo, Randy’s arms could not reach the penguin, being in his face. Mr. Simm was already yelling “One!” Randy slowed his mind down. “Two!” He thought it through. “Thhhhhh… [The world slowed down, as Randy stood up, using his tail to push himself off the floor.  His feet hit the ground with so much momentum that Maddox was forced to go flying through the air and hit the bands that keep someone from exiting the ring] …reee!”  

The match continued.

Maddox was up in an instant, ready to launch another attack. Randy was about to defend that attack, when he realized that the penguin looked a little dizzy. Then Randy realized it; he’d just gotten the breath knocked out of him. It was time to finish him.  

Randy was about to kick him again when Maddox rushed him. Quick as a cricket, he squeezed himself between Randy’s open legs and leaped at his back with all the ferocity he had in himself. Randy saw it coming and merely stepped out of the way and let Maddox land flat on his face. Randy put his large foot on the tiny creature. He should’ve known better.

“One!”  Mr. Simm shouted.  

Randy was grinning victoriously when he looked down just in time to see Maddox begin gnawing on his furry-foot.  He howled in agony. Randy began to hop on one foot when Maddox grabbed his good foot and yanked with all his might. Randy heard the snickering before he even hit the floor.  

        The crowd went wild.

        Randy took a second to catch the breath that had been stolen from him and then crept away with his head hung low. The humiliation that followed afterward was unbearable, and frankly, extremely annoying.  

        Randy had been writing his new friend for a month and a half and was actually enjoying it. He had learned a lot about his new friend, such as his name was Posey and he was a turtle. He was actually one of the fastest turtles of his kind. He was only a year younger than Randy and, like Randy, Posey liked to wrestle. His technique was to lay on his shell and spin himself around really fast and stick out his leg to trip his opponent. It was sort of cheap but most turtles don’t wrestle, so it worked.

        Randy hadn’t kicked anyone in the face since he started with the pen pal punishment and he was proud of himself; there were plenty of good opportunities.  

        The rest of the school year rushed by and Randy and Posey no longer were required to write each other, but they still continued.  

*

        Stodard was home to the most secure prison that had been built in Miza, besides the dungeon in the Castle Plush but that dungeon was hardly used, in the protection of the king. 

        A few years before, when Randy was just an infant, an Ox, by the name of Gary, was arrested for a huge conspiracy against the king. He was the leader of a gang known as the Revolutionaries, for they wanted to de-crown the king. Gary played a big part in this. They launched a massive ambush on the king’s caravan, only to find out that that caravan was a decoy and that within the Revolutionaries there was a mole who warned the king. Gary and his gang were disbanded and the Revolutionaries were no more.  

        Back in the present, in the most secure area of the most secure prison in the world, was Gary. He sat against the wall, chained to the floor. His mouth was dry and he was starving. He stood up, sounds of chains moving as he walked towards the cell door where there was just a tiny sliver of light, from the outside torches.  

        “Guard!”  Gary’s voice was ragged, clearly in pain to have to talk. “I need a drink!”  

        He waited. A slit at the bottom of the door slid open and a small, steel cup slid through. He grasped the cup eagerly and finished it with a few loud gulps.  

        A small bone from the other night’s meal was to his left and Gary’s hand reached for it. Gripping the small, slender bone, he jammed it into the lock that held him to his chains. He twisted it around the lock until he heard a click!  

        “Finished!” He yelled at the guard, with the lock, the bone still inside it, clutched behind his back.  

He waited. Finally, the guard came to the door, and as soon as the miniature door opened, Gary undid the lock, took the bone out, and stabbed the guards’ foot. The injured soldier began hopping on one foot, grabbing at the protruding bone, screaming in pain as he went. Gary shot his hand (yes, he has two hands) through the opening and gripped the guards’ good foot, and yanked so hard that his helmet came off in mid-air. The guard hit the ground violently, his head making a loud, hollow thump and was silent. 

        Gary positioned the body so that he could reach the keys. In a few minutes, the door swung open, creaking and scraping as it went. He was free.

        Now for my revenge on that pathetic kangaroo. Gary grinned with pleasure. It was finally time.

*

        Randy was excited. Summer break was just around the corner and that would give him time to visit Posey.  

        Free time around the orphanage was pretty scarce. Randy didn’t know what to do really, so on one afternoon, he decided to go visit Mr. Simm, his gym teacher. He actually didn’t know where he lived so he went to the school.  

        Randy checked in his office, but Mr. Simm wasn’t there. He decided to check the gym. When he got there, Randy found Mr. Simm practicing his kickboxing. Randy stood in the doorway and watched in awe of his teacher, who was kicking at a bag of sand that was hanging from the ceiling.  

        Mr. Simm was kicking furiously, lost in his thoughts. Thoughts of his earlier days as a world champion. He would lean back on his tail and use the tail to push all the momentum into his two massive feet. They hit the sandbag simultaneously, sending the bag into the air and coming back to meet the same two feet again.  

        He stopped when he sensed that Randy was in the room with him. Simm’s breathing was hard, and it seemed as though he was trying to catch his breath.  

        “What do you need, Randy?”  He asked, still out of breath. 

        “I just wanted to visit. Where did you learn to kick like that?”

        Impatient, he replied. “Where do you think? My coach.”

        Randy thought for a second, What if I could learn to kick that well?  “Could… you teach me how to do that, the same way your coach taught you?”

        Simm laughed. “You can’t just learn. You have to have some sort of background. For instance, I began at a kickboxing school. Once I graduated from there, I was in search of a coach. Then I was all set.”

        “Well,” Randy began, “I started at a school, just not specifically for boxing. Does that count?”

        He laughed again. “No! You need a professional professor. Do you have that?”

        Randy didn’t hesitate. “I have you.”

        Simm stopped. “Well… I suppose that’s true. However, I don’t do one-on-one lessons. So, you will just have to find someone else.”

        “Alright. I guess you don’t want anyone to carry on your amazing legacy. See you tomorrow.”

        Mr. Simm was stunned and annoyed. How could that little boy talk to him that way? It wasn’t right and it was quite disrespectful. Although, he did have a point. Who would carry on his legacy? Besides, Randy was the best in the class. Even though Simm never told him, it was true.

        “Hey, Randy,” He said, “Uh, you can start tomorrow.”  

        “Yes!” Randy exclaimed, “You won’t be sorry!”  

        I would hope not, thought the gym teacher. 

*

        Night had taken forever to come. Gary stood waiting for a pair of horses to pass his hiding place in an alleyway. He had escaped the prison the night before but it was near dawn so he had to hide the entire day, just waiting for night.  

        Gary surveyed the alley’s walls, before jumping on a box to try to scale the wall to the roof. Given his height, it was easy to find a way to the roof. Once at the top, he took a good long look at the city of Stodard. It was magnificent. The Stodard Tower stood at the center of the city, looking down at everyone.         That is where he needed to be.

        Gary walked to the edge of the roofline. He measured in his head if he could make the jump.  Gary took a couple steps back and before he knew it, he was closing the gap. He landed on the other roof with surprising grace; he had to in order to keep his cover. He took the next jump with the same ease.  

        In the span of an hour, he made it to the Tower, exhausted. It appeared as though a huge storm was coming. Gary stood at the very top.

        This was it. The heart of the city. 

        The heart of Miza.  

        Gary felt as though he was the heart of it all. What a dangerous thought. It was then that he saw it. The Orphanage. He had almost forgotten! Revenge. He was so close.  

It was time to steal a child. 

*

Mrs. Carrots had just finished putting all of the children down for the night. She had settled herself going to bed with a book. She had just gotten in bed when she heard a loud crash from the upstairs. Her ears perked and she listened closely. The storm was raging at that time and thunder was sounding every ten seconds.  

        Carrots heard another sound. It wasn’t thunder or ongoing passers. What it was sent shivers down her spine.  

        It was a scream.

        A scream of a child.

First, it was one then it was joined by others, dozens of terrified voices. Glass shattered from somewhere up-stairs. Carrots threw the covers off and rushed up the stairs. All the candles were out and everything was dark until a quick bolt of lightning lit the room so that she could see for a second. In the children’s room, glass was shattered everywhere from an open, broken window.  

What she saw took her breath away. Nothing was stolen. All the children were there… all except for one.

Randy.

To be continued, in 

Randy, Part II.