Good news, readers. I finally figured out the title for my mini-series. It is called Magic Jedi Tales. I have already posted the first chapter of the very first story in this series, and will have more in the works hopefully very soon. there's been some kind of power outage with the internet, so writing hasn't been easy this week. Anyway, I hope you will read and review, but for now, please enjoy this next chapter.
Featured songs:
1. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride from Lilo & Stitch
2. Aloha, E Komo Mai by Jump5 (theme song of Lilo & Stitch the series)
Garrett set up everything he would need to teach his family, the royal family, and the Bad Batch everything they would need to know about where he came from. The reunion was in two weeks, and Garrett needed to ensure everyone would behave themselves while they were there, starting with showing them the right attire to wear to a luau.
"Flower print is the most common and traditional wear to luaus," said Garrett, bringing out some outfits to show the others. "Men usually wear shirts with the pattern usually paired with khaki shorts, and women floral patterned dresses, all in bright colors. Basically, things you might wear to the beach, so be sure to have your swim trunks among the things you pack."
"Ugh, we're gonna be on a beach with sand?" Anakin groaned. He really didn't like sand. Last time he'd gone to the beach, he got a rash from sand in his trunks and it was really hard to wash out of his hair too.
Boba raised his hand and said, "What if your legs turn into a tail when they get wet?"
"Still bring them just in case. We'll be learning to surf as well." Garrett answered.
"How exactly are we supposed to learn to surf without being at the beach?" Wrecker asked.
"I already thought of that."
After Qui-Gon and Shmi came back from their honeymoon, surfing lessons officially began
Garrett got permission from Master Yoda to use the Temple's artificial beach to teach everyone how to surf, as it was an essential piece of his family's culture, and a favorite among the activities performed at many luaus, especially his family's reunions.
"Are you sure you remember how to do this, Honey?" Mariposa said. "It's been a long time."
"I haven't done competitions in a couple of decades," said Garrett to calm his wife. "But it'll come back to me once I reach the water. Now, kids, surfing can be a dangerous thing if you don't know how to do is properly. So, each of you will be paired with a grownup."
Mona stuck one foot in the water and immediately jumped out shivering.
"That's cold!"
"Don't worry, Mona." Padme said. "It takes time to get used to the water. You'll get used to it."
"You know how to swim, right, Mona?" Mariposa asked.
"Sure I do."
"Then it will be fine. We're all here to learn. It may take some longer than others, but you'll get it in time."
"Alright, everyone. Grab a board, and lessons will begin."
Aloha ē, aloha ē (Aloha ē, aloha ē)
'Ano'ai ke aloha ē ('Ano'ai ke aloha ē)
Aloha ē, aloha ē (Aloha ē, aloha ē)
'Ano'ai ke aloha ē ('Ano'ai ke aloha ē)
Everyone got on a surfboard and followed Garrett's lead as they rowed their boards out onto the water. Each of the children were paired with one of the grownups to so they could learn safely and supervised. The youngest girls all rode with their moms, Mona rode with Hunter, Boba with Qui-Gon, and Omega with Wrecker.
Garrett turned out to be amazing at surfing! He stood up on his board without falling so easily and took to the wave like it was nothing. The way he did it, it was as if he knew the wave was coming before anyone else did.
"Remember, those of you with a partner, it's important you move together, simultaneously to maintain your balance."
The kids each slowly stood up with their adult partners and began moving to steer the boards across the waves. Except, some had more trouble than others. As Garrett told them, one surf move most surfers tended to avoid was wiping out, which was a surfer term for falling off the board.
"Whoa!" Qui-Gon lost his balance and fell into the water. "Wipeout!"
"Grandpa!" Boba exclaimed, wiping out himself.
But both popped out from the water.
"I'm okay!" Qui-Gon said after catching his breath.
Mona felt especially nervous as she and Hunter came up to a big wave.She even startedscreaming as they got in the wave, nearly making Hunter lose his own balance.
There's no place I'd rather be
Than on my surfboard out at sea
Lingering in the ocean blue
And If I had one wish come true
I'd surf 'til the sun sets beyond the horizon
'Āwikiwiki, mai lohilohi
Lawe mai i ko papa he'e nalu
Flying by on the Hawaiian roller coaster ride
"See, Mona?" Hunter helped Mona get the feel of the water by having her float on the board by herself while he held onto it. "the water is nothing to be afraid of."
But Mona screamed as she fell off the board for the fifth time while everyone else was getting the hang of surfing. Even Tech was having the time of his life.
"Cowabunga!" Tech shouted, surfing on a wave like in his dream.
"Who'da guessed surfing was his hidden talent." Hunter chuckled, helping Mona sit back on her board.
"I'm never gonna get it!" Mona splashedher hand into the water.
"You just need more practice." Buttercup said, swimming across the water with her eyes shut. "Marco..."
"Polo..." Gabby called, she and the other kids playing Marco Polo with Buttercup.
"Come play with us, Mona." Goldie said, trying to encourage her cousin to have some fun. "It's lots of fun."
Mona decided to leave the water instead, having enough of being soaked and the only one who couldn't surf without falling every single time.She didn't think she could ever be as good as her Uncle Garrett. He could do all kinds of great tricks. He could hang ten, layback, kick out, even switch to a handstand on his board. Mona, she saw herself as what surfers referred to a a Junkyard dog, which meant someone who surfed poorly.
"Maybe I should stay behind," said Mona. "I can't surf very well."
"Don't beat yourself up, kid." Hunter said. "We'll keep practicing."
'Āwikiwiki, mai lohilohi
Lawe mai i ko papa he'e nalu
Pi'i nā nalu lā lahalaha
'O ka moana hānupanupa
Lalala i ka lā hanahana
Me ke kai hoene i ka pu'e one
Hele, hele mai kākou ē
Hawaiian roller coaster ride
There's no place I'd rather be
Than on the seashore, dry, wet, free
On golden sand is where I lay
And if I only had my way
I'd play 'til the sun sets beyond the horizon
Lalala i kala hanahana
Me ke kai hoene i ka pu'e one
It's time to try the Hawaiian roller coaster ride
Mona kept practicing with Hunter, but she kept falling over and over again because she got nervous, her wings unfolded randomly and threw her off (she didn't know how to control her wings very well yet), or because her foot slipped.
Hang loose, hang ten, howzit, shake a shaka
No worry, no fear, ain't no biggie, braddah
Cuttin' in, cuttin' up, cuttin' back, cuttin' out
Frontside, backside, goofy footed, wipe out
Let's get jumpin', surf's up and pumpin'
Coastin' with the motion of the ocean
Whirlpools swirling, cascading, twirling
Hawaiian roller coaster ride
Everyone kept practicing, and slowly started to get better, but Mona felt like giving up and decided to leave the room.
There's no place I'd rather be
Than on my surfboard out at sea
Lingering in the ocean blue
And if I had one wish come true
I'd surf 'til the sun sets beyond the horizon
'Āwikiwiki, mai lohilohi
Lawe mai i ko papa he'e nalu
Flying by on the Hawaiian roller coaster ride
'Āwikiwiki, mai lohilohi
Lawe mai i ko papa he'e nalu
Pi'i nā nalu lā lahalaha
'O ka moana hānupanupa
Lalala i ka lā hanahana
Me ke kai hoene i ka pu'e one
Hele, hele mai kākou ē
Hawaiian roller coaster ride
"You know, I just thought of something," said Lamenta. "If your family doesn't like doresho gypsies, wouldn't surfing mean Mariposa and Mona would be exposed?"
Garrett face palmed, feeling stupid for not thinking about that himself.
"We'll just have to work around that. Fortunately, surfing isn't the only activity in my family's culture." Garrett said. "Carmine, among th instruments you play, is the ukelele one of them?"
"Yeah." Carmine said. "Back in music school, we actually took a lot of multi-cultural classes. One of the most fun was the island native music and dances."
"Does anyone here know how to hula dance?"
"I do." Caroline said. "I've taught some of the younglings here plenty of times. Even the children."
"I don't know how though." Goldie said.
"Neither do I." Anakin said.
"Or me." Kara said.
"Then I guess we'll have to teach you." Caroline chuckled. "It's a lot of fun.
Caroline had everyone put on a skirt of grass and flower necklace to get the fullfeel of a luau while she taught them to hula.
"Why are you putting us in dresses?" Crosshair asked. "you know some of us are guys, right?"
"Most hula dancers wear a grass skirt. Even men wear them." Caroline said.
"It's actually surprisingly comfortable," said Boba.
Omega laughed as she twirled around, her skirt looking really pretty as it was spun around.
"That looks like fun!" Goldie laughed, copying Omega until she got so dizzy she fell down.
Caroline clapped to get everyone's attention and had everyonedivide into rows of six so she could show them some basic hula movements.
"Okay, everyone, listen up. Hula is fairly simple to start with. Hands on your hips, and follow my lead. Start out slow, gently moving your hips side to side like this."
Caroline demonstrated for everyone, and then showed them different hand movements that mean different words and phrases that told stories.
"That's it. Good!" Caroline praised. "Crosshair, loosen up a little. Qui-Gon, less hip, more hand. Padme, less hands, more hip."
Caroline observed everyone's movements and tutored them as best she could.
Garrett also got out some drums, rattles, musical sticks, and a couple ukeleles so Carmine and he could demonstratethe musical stylings of the island his family came from.
"Drumming is one of the most popular form of music where I'm from," said Garrett. "By the time we're through, you'll b making music and hula dancing in your sleep."
Tooki ba waba!
I laila, 'O Kaua'i la
No malihini 'ohana
Welcome cousins, a'cmon by
Aloha, e komo mai
Oh, when you're down, you're feeling low
Got nobody by your side
It can be lonely and you want to only
Find a place, no need to hide
Just lay back, you'll fit right in
You can make it all come true
'Cause there's always hope inside
And hope will see you through
Aloha (Ji waba!)
You'll find the place where you belong
Ohana (a family to call your own)
Where you feel at home (everybody sing!)
Everyone started learning different instruments. Since Boba played guitar, Carmine tutored him on the ukelele, and Omega played drums, but it proved tricky learning to play drums with just her hands instead of with drumsticks.
Little by little, everyone started to improve at hula dancing too, and learning other bits of Garrett's heritage.
Garrett also showed them lots of terminology his people used.
"Aloha means both hello and goodbye," said Garrett. "And in Lokahi-Hana, everyone calls each other 'cousin,' but not because we're all related. It is because all the people there consider each other ohana, which means family."
I laila, 'O Kaua'i la
No malihini 'ohana
Welcome cousins, a'cmon by
Aloha, e komo mai (maka, maka)
I laila, 'O Kaua'i la
No malihini 'ohana
Welcome cousins, a'cmon by
Aloha, e komo mai
Now you can see, tookie ba waba
Nothing but these clear blue skies
Love, it has found you, and when it surrounds you
It's just like paradise
Now the door has swung wide open
Now your heart has taken wing
Feel that magic in the air
Oh, hear your spirit sing
Aloha (aloha)
You'll find the place where you belong
Ohana (a family to call your own)
Where you feel at home (everybody sing!)
I laila, 'O Kaua'i la
No malihini 'ohana
Welcome cousins, a'cmon by
Aloha, e komo mai (Iki baba!)
I laila, 'O Kaua'i la
No malihini 'ohana
Welcome cousins, a'cmon by
Aloha, e komo mai
Aloha, e komo mai
Iki tooki née hai (iki tooki née hai)
Aka tiki baba (aka tiki baba)
Gaba ika tasooba? (Gaba ika tasooba?)
Oocha (oocha), Chika (chika)
Miki, miki coconut!
I laila, 'O Kaua'i la
No malihini 'ohana
Welcome cousins, a'cmon by
Aloha, e komo mai (miki, miki coconut!)
I laila, 'O Kaua'i la, no mala hini ohana (ha a waki mai, no mala hini, tasoopa, tasoopa)
Welcome cousins, a'cmon by
Aloha, e komo mai (icky icky, bo-bo)
Aloha, e komo mai (tooki ba waba)
Aloha, e komo mai (bye!)
The day before they would leave, Garrett had a final exam for everyone to do. Everyone practiced the music, dancing, terminology, and swim and surf moves they learned.
Everyone did pretty well in many fields, including Mona. Although, her surfing still needed some work. Despite the fact that she and Mariposa more than like would stay on the sand, Mona still wanted to learn and improve.
"I'd say, you're all ready to join in on the Heartwood Family Luau." Garrett said. "Now there's the hard part... seeing my family for the first time in two decades."
Garrett sighed and sat down.
"Are you alright?" Shmi asked.
"I wish I knew." Garrett said. "I mean, we lost touch over twenty years ago. I was only sixteen when I ran off, and I left everything behind."
Garrett still remembered it like it was yesterday.
Twenty-five years ago...
Garrett's parents never understood him. For as long as he could remember, he'd always been the odd one out in his family when it was just him and his sister Nani. Then, six more siblings entered their lives, and Garrett was still the family oddball. His siblings all wanted to do things that would be considered acceptable careers when they grew up. Lawyers, doctors, business people, those kinds of jobs. But, Garrett wanted to be a teacher.
Since he was small, Garrett always loved going to school to learn all kinds of new things. But like many students, he found the usual lectures to be boring, so whenever he did his homework, he found a creative way to make it fun. Dividing up pieces of candy to learn math, using surfing and making up a story to solve word problems and practice vocabulary, evenmaking up songs to remember formulas, historical facts, and even going to actual places to learn about them and participating in activities to learn from experience.
And when he got into high school, his favorite teacher was a man named Karo Brandis, who had a great philosophy for teaching kids in literature class. He would always say, "Your entire life is a story, and the only way to make it one people will read is if you go out into the real world and explore things no one else has, or that others are too afraid to seek before judging. Be the one to see it, describe it. Live your story."
Garrett took those words to heart. He wanted to live his story, go on great adventures like the brave heroes in many of the classic stories he read in books. Books were okay for telling a story about experience, but he believed could show other students how to learn from experience much better if they actually experienced it for themselves. So, he made a big decision: he was going to be a teacher.
But when Garrett told his parents, they didn't take it well.
"Teaching is a woman's job, Garrett." Mrs. Heartwood said.
"That's not true." Garrett said. "Mr. Brandis is my teacher at school, and he's a man."
"Not by choice." Mr. Heartwood said. "Teaching is a last resort job for failures in multiple fields. They say those who can't do teach, therefore, if you are teaching, you're obviously unable to do."
"That' just not true, Dad! Teachers are capable of making a difference in so many people's lives and helping the next generation to become successful."
"No son of mine is going to be a teacher! You are a Heartwood, and you are going to have a real career."
"Teaching is a real career!" Garrett said. "Education is something a lot of societies are lacking right now because the teachers we have now aren't fully educated on the importance of useful educational lessons, nor do they realize that the usual lectures have little to no effect on young minds."
"In other words, you admit it's a waste of time."
"No, it's only a waste for those who don't know what it means to educate or make a difference in students' lives. And that's what I want to do with my life!"
"You are making a poor career choice, Garrett. You need to ensure your own education if you want to inherit the business-"
"I don't want to inherit the family business! You want me to inherit the family business!"
Garrett's parents froze at that.
"I know I can be successful as a teacher if you would just let me decide for myself what to do with my life."
"Garrett, society has rules," said Mr. Heartwood, standing up. "You're going to have a real job, whether you like it or not."
Garrett couldn't believe his family was so stubborn. So, that very night, he packed his school bag with all the necessities and left a goodbye note for his family to find on his bed, snuck out the window, and ran away from home.
The teenage boy walked for a long time until he came across... a circus!
Garrett rushed over there and saw the performers still setting up for the show. He looked for the ringmaster and asked him if he could have a job there.
"Can you do anything?" Asked the ringmaster.
"I can do magic tricks." Garrett answered. "I've got a lot of experience with my siblings and at birthday parties."
"I'm not so sure pulling a rabbit out of a hat will-"
Garrett did a trick where he made some flowersappear out from his sleeve, and transformed his ordinary clothes to an amazing magician's outfit.
"Where'd you learn to do that?" Asked the ringmaster.
"A magician never reveals his secrets."
Sure, it came easy because Garrett had real magic, being of a wizard family, but even birthday party magic tricks took a lot of practice and skill for great wizards and sorcerers.
Garrett was hired on the spot. But, the ringmaster said Garrett would have to take some time to practice first before he could perform on stage with the others. So, for a start, he allowed Garrett to work setting up the props and stage and putting together the concessions stand. But over time, Garrett worked hard to perfect his magic, and eventually he got his chance to perform on stage as Garrett the. Great. He performed many death defying tricks and mystical illusions that had the audiences captivated every night.
But like civilians, circus folk had basic needs like food, medical supplies, and new clothes too. So, one job the ring master had for both performers and staff was to take turns going into town to visit the shops as well as advertise the show In between stops as the circus travelled, Garrett got to see all kinds of places that helped inspire lots of new magic tricks. It was lots of fun getting to make children smile with all kinds of tricks. Sometimes, Garrett even used his tricks to cheer up a sad child when he was out running errands.
One day, a little girl was crying because she'd dropped her ice cream. So, Garrett stopped and did a little trick for her where he reached behind her ear and pulled out a little toy bunny rabbit that immediately made the little girl smile again as she hugged it. Another day, a little boy lost his balloon, so Garrett did a magic trick where he had the kid look inside a magic hat, where nothing was inside, but then he turned it upside down, and a bunch of candy poured out like a pinata that just broke, and the boy and his friends got to collect the candy.
Even as a kid, Garrett always went out of his way to do good deeds and teach kids one of the most important lessons they could learn: using your talents to make others happy was a reward on its own, but it would always find a way to come back to you. And for Garrett, it eventually did.
You see, even though Garrett loved working in the circus, he still longed to be a teacher. So, eventually, he started studying online in between performances and got his credentials as a teacher. His first teaching job was at Polaris Elementary, a magic school for Enchanted children. But unlike some teachers, Garrett took a hands-on approach to teaching by introducing the kids to all kinds of games to teach them to perform different spells and think on their feet. The kids loved how much fun Garrett was, and how encouraging he was.
Garrett was the kind of teacher every student of any age deserved. He was patient, he was kind, he was very smart, and most importantly, he never gave up on any of his students, no matter how much they struggled or how long it took to get through to them. Garrett was always first to volunteer too whenever the class referred to as 'special needs' was in need of a substitute because although he didn't have a learning disability himself, he knew what it was like to be told you would never make it. Garrett's was more so because his parents didn't see teaching as a real career, but these students, they were often looked down on by other students and sometimes worse teachers or their own families, and they didn't need people constantly pointing out that they couldn't learn as quickly as others, what they needed was patience, compassion, and understanding from their teachers so they could reach their full potential.
The school board was so impressed by Garrett's teaching methods and all the things his students had to say about him that they eventually reached out to the Enchantra High Commission, and they offered Garrett a job as a professor at one of their top schools, where they were in need of teachers with fresh ideas and perspectives on teaching.
The pay was pretty difficult to refuse, and the opportunities were even greater too. Garrett promised the board he wouldn't let them down. and he kept his word, teaching his students with all kinds of amazing activities, but his greatest was starting an adventure teaching program where students would take class outdoors and learn through experience, and he taught them all kinds of things like camping, living off the land, how to build materials with and without the use of magic, and how to survive different environments and interact with different creatures. But no matter how much Garrett learned in school and in his teaching experiences, his curiosity about all the other things there were to learn just kept growing. And eventually, one of his journeys led him to meeting the woman he would eventually marry and have a child of his own to love and teach.
The day Goldie was born, Garrett made a promise to her that he would never decide her worth based on her career choices, and that he would support her no matter what she decided to be when she grew up whether she wanted to be a doctor, an actress, a teacher, or even a children's party entertainer.
Present Day...
"I don't think even I could create a lesson plan for how to face an unsupportive family twenty years after running away from them." Garrett said. "Part of why I chose a sheltered life was to avoid them finding me."
"Then how did they find you now?" Omega asked.
"Well, I didn't stay completely out of touch from my family. I eventually began writing letters to Mahani and told her if she ever wants to come visit me at work, she can. Just before I moved in with your family, I sent a letter telling her about how I was going to be working for yet another royal family."
"You've worked with other royal families before us?" Gabby said.
"Yes. I've worked as a private tutor for many high society folks as well. Believe it or not, I even worked as a tutor for a few of your royal friends from time to time. Comedia was a challenge though when her parents hired me to train her in magic. She was the one student who liked to prank me all the time."
"You never noticed she was being abused in that time?"
"No, it was back when she was a small filly, and I only taught her for about a month. I imagine either her family was always just great actors, or the worst of it came after I left for another job. But like her, I understand what it's like to have a family that doesn't understand anyone the least bit different from them."
"At least your family loved you," said a familiar voice, running in, and there was a familiar silly-corn, who looked tired as though she'd been running a marathon.
"Comedia, where did you come from?" Anakin said.
"Through the mirror." Comedia panted. "Ever since that incident where we couldn't stop blurting out the truth, my dad's been on my tail more than usual."
"Is he still bugging you about having a boyfriend?" Banjo asked.
"You better believe it."
"Is Banjo your boyfriend?" Asked Lamenta.
Comedia shook her head.
"I like the sound of banjo music, but Banjo isn't my type of stallion. No offense."
"None taken, Princess." Banjo tipped his hat.
"Does Master Mundi know you're here?" Padme asked.
"No, and that's the idea. You'd be surprised how hard it is to tire him out for someone his age. Frankly, he's not much better than my birth dad where my love life is concerned."
"Have you thought about just letting your father meet this special someone of yours?"
"I kept my romance secret for a reason."
"Is he a bad boy?"
"No! I may be silly, but I'm not stupid. My boyfriend's a good guy, someone everyone's familiar with too. I just... dont want my dad to be telling me over and over I'm not old enough or just plain saying he'd not good enough."
"It couldn't be any worse than how my dad reacted when I just went to hang out with my friends." Omega said, remembering the Taylor Incident.
"I said I was sorry a million times already," said Anakin.
"Taylor became afraid of you for a month." Omega said.
Comedia looked at the suitcases everyone was packing and became curious.
"Where are you guys going? Taking a vacation?" Comedia asked.
"Close." Kara said. "Garrett's family reunion is tomorrow, and we're accompanying him there."
"He hasn't seen his family in a long time," said Goldie. "So I'm gonna meet my uncles, aunts, and maybe cousins from his side."
"That sounds fun. I love going to my cousin Reigna's family parties, especially now that Emeraldi and I are friends again."
"Does she know who your boyfriend is?"
"No. And will everyone please stop worrying about my love life already?!"
Comedia rolled her eyes and walked away.
"If my dad comes by, tell him you didn't see me!" Said the silly-corn running off.
"Well, there's a bit of proof every family has its crazy moments." Buttercup said.
"Well, whoever Comedia's boyfriend is," said Remix. "He should feel lucky to have Comedia as his mare."
"If he's someone who likes a girl who can make him laugh," said Carousella. "I'll bet he does."
"At least she has more time to figure out how she'll introduce her boyfriend to her father," said Garrett. "I'm still not sure how to go about introducing my family to my wife."
"I'm sure once they get to know her," said Padme. "They won't mind that she's a doresho gypsy."
"I don't know. Remember how all of you first reacted when you found out?" Garrett said. "Not that I hold a grudge, but my family... they might not hesitate to blast through anyone who defends her to get to her."
"Garrett, you taught us very well," said Anakin. "If anyone is gonna threaten your wife or daughter, they're gonna have to deal with us too. We're more than your students. You're part of our family too."
Garrett sighed and knew his friends were right. They were all a family who supported each other always, and they weren't even all related to each other. Garrett had to face his past sooner or later, and he wasn't going to do it alone. This was his chance to finally show his parent that they were wrong about teaching being a waste of time and about it not being a real career.
"Is everyone packed and ready?" Garrett said.
"Everyone has packed all necessary items for the trip." said Tech. "And the staff will ensure proper care of the palace in our absence."
Garrett looked at the wooden bead necklace he always wore, since the day he left. Those beads were a symbol of where Garrett came from, and he kept them safe so he would never forget where he was from, or that his family loved him, even if they had an odd way of showing it.
"Let's go meet my family."