Story Time
Age: 5 years
BOOOOOOOOM!
Thunder rumbled across the night sky above New York City as rain mercilessly pounded the city streets.
Down far below the streets of New York, tucked safely away in his sewer home, sat Splinter on his bed. And crowded around him, pressed firmly against all sides, were his four turtle children, clinging to his robes for dear life.
BOOOOOOOOM!
The children flinched, gripping his robes even tighter as the sound of thunder echoed through the tunnels.
It had been this way for hours.
After the storm started Michelangelo had been the very first to arrive in his room. He dove straight into Splinter's bed like seagull into the ocean, roughly jarring Splinter from what had once been a peaceful sleep and swaddling himself in Splinter's covers until it formed a protective dome. His youngest was never afraid to admit when he was afraid.
Next had come Donatello. Unlike Michelangelo he had come quietly, as if his voice had been quelled by the loud noises around him. He arrived at Splinter's doorway and clung to the doorframe as he asked to join them. Naturally, Splinter welcomed him onto the bed.
Raphael and Leonardo had come together not long after. Leonardo attempted to play it off as if he was checking on the others before asking to join them, and Raphael, never one to admit he was afraid, simply slid onto the bed without so much as a word, a stormy expression on his face as if daring anyone to ask him why he was there.
But the time for denial had long past, as now all four children clung to him with open expressions of fear.
Splinter had hoped that the storm would pass so he and the children could get some sleep. But after two hours of thunder, pounding rain, and the occasional scream from his children, he realized that he would have to find a different way to ease his children into slumber.
As he sat nestled in the covers with his children an idea slowly began to blossom in his mind.
"The thunder is scary, isn't it?" asked Splinter with a smile.
"No!" shouted Raphael, though he flinched as soon as another round of thunder exploded overhead.
"Perhaps a story would help to pass the time until the storm ends."
"I like stories!" shouted Michelangelo.
"Me too!" echoed Donatello.
"What kind of story?" asked Leonardo.
"It is called 'The Brave Rat Samurai.'" said Splinter. Immediately all eyes locked on him. Splinter smiled as he began the story.
"There was once a mighty, rat samurai who was the strongest warrior in all the land. He was so strong that when he faced his enemies they would take one look at him and flee to the hills."
"That's strong." said Leonardo.
"Yes it is. No warrior in all the land was his equal, but the rat samurai had a problem: He was terrified of thunder."
"What's 'terrified?'" asked Michelangelo.
"It's a word that means very very scared."
"Like us?" asked Donatello.
"Speak for yourself!" said Raphael, though clearly no one was convinced.
"Yes, just like you. Only more so!" continued Splinter. "The samurai was sooo scared of thunder that whenever it even looked like a storm might come he went into his house, hid under his bed, and wouldn't come out for a whooole day."
"What happened to him?" asked Leonardo.
"Well, one day he finally grew tired of his fear of thunder. So, he set out on a quest to find some way to conquer his fear. First he traveled deep, deep down into a mystic cave where he found a magic amulet that made him stronger than a hundred oxen! It made him so strong, that with its power he lifted a boulder ten times his size over his head and threw it all the way across the kingdom!"
"That sounds awesome!" exclaimed Raphael.
"Yes it was, but when the storm came and the thunder rumbled he was still afraid."
"What?!"
"How could he be afraid if he was so strong?" asked Leonardo.
"That's what he wondered. So, he continued his quest. Next, he climbed a tall, tall mountain where he found a magic pair of sandals that made him faster than a thousand tigers. They made him so fast that he dropped a pebble and ran up and down the mountain ten times before it ever touched the ground!"
"He's like a superhero!" exclaimed Michelangelo.
"Indeed." continued Splinter. "But when the storm came and the thunder rumbled he was still afraid."
"Still?!" asked Raphael.
"What happened next?" asked Donatello.
"Next, he traveled to see a mighty dragon who gave him a magic sword so powerful that it could cut a mountain right in two! He took the sword, turned to a mountain, and chopped it up into a million tiny pieces!"
"Like the time you used a sword to make fruit salad." commented Michelangelo.
Splinter laughed. "Yes, just like that."
"Was he over his fear now?" asked Leonardo.
"Yeah! Did the sword make him brave?" asked Raphael.
Splinter shook his head.
"No. When the storm came and the thunder rumbled he was still afraid."
"After all that?!" asked Raphael.
"Does he ever stop being afraid?" asked Donatello.
"You'll have to listen to the rest of the story to find out." said Splinter.
"Tell us! Tell us!" said Michelangelo.
"Pleeaaaase!" begged Leonardo.
Splinter laughed.
"Alright. Well, after the sword failed to cure the rat samurai of his fear he began the long journey back home, convinced that he would never get over his fear of thunder. But then, as he was on his way home, he stopped at a pond for lunch. And what should he find in that pond but four, little baby turtles."
"Like us!" shouted Raphael.
"Yes, just like you. The moment the rat samurai saw them his heart instantly swelled with love. He picked up the turtles, held them tight against his chest, and when the storm came and the thunder rumbled he found, much to his surprise, that he wasn't afraid anymore. His love for the turtles had filled his heart with soooo much love that there wasn't any room for fear."
The four little turtles smiled up at Splinter even as a boom of thunder rumbled overhead.
"The mighty rat samurai took the four, little turtles home and adopted them as his beloved children. And whenever the thunder would come and fear would start to wiggle its way into his heart, he would grab his children, hold them tight against his chest."
Splinter grabbed the tiny turtles and hugged them against his chest.
"And the love he had for his children would fill his heart so full of love that all his fears would disappear. And he and the children lived Happily Ever After."
The four tiny turtles yawned as they snuggled into Splinter's arms.
"That was a good story." said Michelangelo sleepily.
"I liked the part with the dragon." yawned Raphael. "The rest was good too."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it. But now, it is time for sleep."
"Night night." said Donatello as he and his brothers lay down in the bed.
"Good night." said Splinter.
"I love you, Daddy." said Leonardo just before he and his brothers drifted off to sleep.
Splinter smiled as he looked down upon his children.
"And I love you, my sons."
Author's Note: Hi Hi everyone!
A new chapter is here! YAAAAY! I absolutely loved writing this chapter, and I super hope you loved reading it. Let me know what you think of this latest chapter. Thank you so hyper much for reading, and, as always, have a Hyper Happy Day! LOVE YOU GUYS~!