Lesson Four: “The Portal”

Today’s adventure takes place on a sunburnt ranch. Red dust streamed across dry desert plains and swirled over cacti sprinkled, yellow cake mountains.. A flock of parakeets zipped and zoomed through the silky morning sky. “Good morning!” they chirped to all below. Their cheery birdsong shook Sho and Luca, the Brothers Bull, awake. Raising their heavy heads, they huffed a drowsy hello and flicked their tails in unison.

"A new day, a new game. Come on, let's play!" said Sho. Luca, as usual, was lost in thought.

“I’m not in the mood for games. Let’s visit the red hen’s for cheesecake instead,” Luca replied.

Sho sighed. “Not again! Luca only wants cheesecake when he feels a bit down. It’s those ferrets. They’ve nothing better to do than run around the ranch bullying my brother. This ends today!”

Sho flexed his big bull muscles but then stopped. “Hold on. I won’t let those mean little mischief-makers goad me into doing something silly. Luca’s right, maybe a little time away would do us both some good. And travelling for cheesecake is just the ticket!" Sho turned to his brother.

“Okay, cheesecake it is! But one quick game on the way. The Red Hens live so far away we’ll have to use the secret teleportal. Deal?”

Luca raised an eyebrow. “Deal. So what’s the game?”

“It’s called Race, Force, Brake. The goal is to decode clues that reveal the location of secret ‘Ranch Treasure.’ Then, whoever collects the most treasure without getting captured, wins! I’ll show you.”

“Ok, but where are the clues?”

“Right here.” Sho waved a list of codes for his brother to see. These codes, made up of a letter and a number, are the clues. Together, they reveal an address; the treasure's address.”

"Take this code, continued Sho. ”D8. The letter ‘D’ tells us the street’s name, or ‘file’, and whether it’s uptown or downtown. And the number 8 tells us the number street that runs east/west, or the ‘rank’. Where the number and letter streets meet is where we'll find the treasure.” explained Sho.

Luca’s sharp eyes swept over the desert plains before them.

“There’s D street! And here’s 8th street!” Luca raced away, careful not to take any sharp turns. “I found it!I found the treasure!" he shouted in delight. Luca lifted the treasure from it’s square and turned it over in his hoof.

“What in the world is this?” In Luca’s hoof sat a small wooden carving. “Looks like a horse’s head on a candlestick. Hmmm, could be just the thing to distract those nasty ferrets. If they show up again. Maybe then they’ll finally leave me alone!” he mused.

“Sho, where’s the next one?”

“There’s one just three streets away," said Sho. But before the Bull Brothers could move, their attention was caught by a sinister shadow.

Out of nowhere, the winds began to swirl and whine, working themself into a tizzy. And just behind the winds blew the mother of all sandstorms.

“Luca, your goggles! Put them on! And your force field, activate it, now! We must reach the teleportal before the storm cuts us off! Otherwise, say goodbye to cheesecake!”

The Brothers Bull lowered their heads and touched horns. Tiny bolts of electricity sparked and crackled with life. From those bolts came two bright blue beams of shimmery light that pierced through the gathering storm.

“Ready?” asked Sho.

“Ready!” responded Luca.

And so off they went, towards clear skies and ferret-less lands.

But the storm had just shifted course, ripping its way through the town. Chunks of rabid debris surfed along the blowing winds. A ragged wood panel whipped through the angry air, cutting off our Brother’s path. Careening to their left, the Bulls quickly lost their balance. The next thing they knew, they too were flying through the wind-swept air! Then, crash! Onto the dusty ranch floor, they fell.

The next thing they knew, a muffled voice cut through the storm. “Need a hoof?” It was Henry and Helena! The Cousins Bull!

“Perfect timing! But weren’t we meant to meet at the teleportal?” asked Sho as he thought back to their last messages.

“Is this the thanks we get for saving your tails? Come along you two, the portal is this way.”

Helena lowered her head into the winds and brought the Bulls to a trapdoor in the desert floor - the portal’s entrance.

Henry stepped forward and hooked his horn through the doorhandle, prying it open.

Scene 2: Wormholes Are Your Friends:

"Are those stars down there?" asked Luca in wonder.

"Only one way to find out!" said Helena as she jumped through the portal's dark void. Tumbling, tumbling, tumbling, went the four Bull Rooks. Streaks of starry light and distant galaxies streamed past them until eventually, a slit in the sky grew bigger and brighter. And there, just beyond the galaxy, rested a soft countryside valley.

With four soft thuds, the Bull Rooks were deposited onto Red Hen country. The teleportal above closed with a whoosh.

Lovely waves of fragrant olive trees welcomed our travelers.

A melody floated wistfully along the sweet cherry air. It was a gentle dirge to the day’s gentle end.

“The hens live on the other side of that valley, just follow the music,” whispered Sho. The Bulls began their march through tall grass onto an open field.

"Stop!" Helena yelped. Everyone froze. A gathering fog swooped in and surrounded our travelers. “Where are you? I can’t see anything!” said Henry with a tremor in his voice. But then, as suddenly as it had come, the fog lifted. There, in the distance, stood two figures. A boy and his dog. And in front of these two strangers, stood an alien.

“That can’t be real! It looks like a giant ball covered in leaves and fur. And it’s wiggling! Oh no!” cried Luca.

The alien creature had indeed begun to move toward the boy and his dog when it suddenly collapsed, breaking into tiny little pieces. 

"Activate force fields!" exclaimed Sho as he ran to shield the boy from danger. 

Down the hill and across the valley, the Bulls ran.

“Ahhhh!!! Ferrets!! They’re back!” Luca shouted in terror as one of the tiny alien creatures zoomed beneath his feet.  Stumbling, he tried to change directions but his legs twisted and tangled. With a crash, Luca tumbled, sliding through the slick grass into Sho.

Legs, arms, and cacopphony of voices stuck out in all directions. As they attempted to  untangle themselves, Helena's eyes bulged wide. Could it really be? This was no alien! Nor was it the ferrets! It was a young King Mateo and a young Harry!

Confused, she whispered to the Bulls, “Guys, I think the portal has brought us to the right place but, in the past.” They turned to face the King as he struggled to stand.

"King Mateo, are you hurt?" she asked.

Now, who remembers what happened next? That's right! They confirmed that the alien was no alien at all. It was Harry’s sibling’s in disguise! Yet still, King Mateo's danger alert sounded, alerting him to the presence of a threat, dangerous and wild. So, with the help of a top-secret invention from the Royal Lab, the King turned everyone invisible, and they, along with the Brothers (and Cousins) Bull, disappeared from their pursuers’ sight and quickly returned to the safety of the castle.

**Scene Three: An Unexpected Reunion:

Once back, resting behind the protection of the castle walls, King Mateo quized the Bull Rooks on the mechanics of time travel. Meanwhile, the air turned thick with a symphony of lovely smells. Dinner was nearly ready and the puppies’ mouths were dripping with anticipation.

“I can’t believe the portal delivered us right to you, King Mateo, but in the past. It must’ve known you were in need of our help!” said an astonished Helena.

“It’s so cool that we’re from the future!” muttered Luca to Henry.

That's when a loud bang sounded, sending King Mateo and friends racing to the castle doors. Do you remember who it was knocking?

It was King Mateo's twin brother Korben, and Korben’s best mate, Ralph! And so, after many tears, laughs, and embarrassing confessions. Everyone sat down to a warm meal followed by a good nights’ rest. Well, nearly everyone. After dinner, the puppies had anything but sleep on their minds.

Harry tapped Sho on the leg. “Hey mister Bull Rook, would you like to come play with us? We've invented a fun new game called 'Catch the King'.”

Luca was stunned by the puppies invitation. “Wait, they want us to play?”  Luca blinked back tears as the fairy lights danced around them.

“That’s right, you won't be bullied here," whispered Sho. “We’re safe. Here they won’t make fun of us for being a bit different. Just look around, there’s all sorts of animals here, and they all have their own special place in the King’s heart.” Luca's face lit up with a warm joy.

“You know, Sho, I bet we could help them find their missing friends in no time! Forget the cheesecake, let’s make some friends!”

And so, Sho, Luca, Henry, and Helena trotted of to learn, not just the puppies new game, but how to become great friends with all those in King Mateo’s Kingdom.

How about you, are you ready to meet the Bulls, make friends, and play the puppy’s game?