Bubblegum Diplomats – The Family of Frostwhispers and Thunderbolts

The Family of Frostwhispers and Thunderbolts

It was a clear evening in Lungsburgh. The sun was about to set and the moon was already shining in the sky. Mr. Gerald Frostwhisper was returning from his firm in his car listening to old songs from the radio. He entered his quarters which was an old but magnificent building with many artefacts and treasures. He parked his car and before getting down from the car, he honked the horn. His wife, Mrs. Isabelle Frostwhisper rushed and took his bag from the rear door. “Sorry Gerald. I forgot to take the bag.” Gerald nodded his head. He was fat with a hardly visible neck. His moustache was salt and pepper and his pointed hat made him look like a wizard. He removed his black leather shoes and kept them on the rack in the porch. He entered the house and saw black tea in his favourite blue porcelain cup, which was kept ready in the hall. He switched on the television and sat on the velvety red sofa. He was watching his favourite comical show, “Gleeful Giggles”. He wiped his mouth with a towel and took the tea from the table. When he took a gulp, “Gerald, don’t drink that. It is for my mom and sister who will arrive here soon.” Gerald just kept the cup and poured the tea in the cup from the kettle and said, “I didn’t…. Mmm…. For your mother eh? Not for me eh?….” Meanwhile she came and saw the tea stain in his white shirt and said, “I know Gerald. You would drink.” her expression changed, “That’s why I prepared tea in another kettle.” Gerald smiled faintly and had another gulp of tea from the cup. “It is… it is so nice of you for……. understanding me eh……” She murmured and went inside the kitchen. “What ?” said Gerald to which “Nothing” was the reply from the kitchen. 

The in-laws arrived at the house. They rang the bell. Gerald, who was busy watching television, did not care. The bell rang again. Isabelle could not stop grumbling “Always expecting a woman to do everything.” Gerald was irritated. He went near the door and said, “These women know nothing but grumbling” He opened the door and shouted “Ditch you women?” When he opened the door, he saw his mother in law and sister in law, staring at him with a suitcase and a bag full of chocolates . Gerald felt embarrassed and said, “Em…… Just.. in in… in the programme….. Please come in eh….?”  They both didn’t enter but were standing on the porch. “Can I know the reason why you are standing on…. on the porch?” asked Gerald in an interrogative manner. The mother in law said to his daughter (Sister in law), “Dear it looks like the doorway is on diet. Ask your brother in law to move his handsome hips so that we could enter the house without squeezing in.” Meanwhile Isabelle came to the doorway and saw her mother mocking her husband. She became furious. She pushed her husband back and said to her mom, “Oh, Mom, you’ve got to keep those hilarious jabs coming! The man needs a bit more deflating after all those holiday feasts. Just make sure you leave some room for dessert – his ego might need a sweet pick-me-up afterward!” They laughed at him. Gerald grinned and said, “Well ladies, You know, they say laughter is the best medicine. Lucky for us, your jokes are so funny; we might never need a doctor!” Sister in law became furious now and she said”Alright, team, as entertaining as this banter is, we’ve got a mission to accomplish – Operation: Enter the House. The doorway might be on a diet, but our humour is well-fed. Let’s pause the comedy special for a moment and make way for the stars of today: the dynamic duo, Mother and Daughter! Our fans await, and I hear there’s a cosy living room scene just waiting to be filmed.” Gerald now felt that it was high time to make them wait near the doorway. “Okay Jokes apart. Please enter VIPs. Your presence has made the entire house blessed.” Mother in law mockingly said, “Thank you chauffeur.” Gerald felt offended. He said, “Hello, your majesty! You are in my house and there is a high chance you might have a ligament tear if you try to mock me again” Mother in law felt that the continuous mocking would lead to serious issues. She stopped and sat on the sofa. 

“Where is Oliver?” asked MIL (Mother in law). Gerald replied, “He is in coaching class and will arrive soon. What about some black tea?” Mother in law smiled. Gerald could understand that it was the sign of approval. He smiled back and went inside the kitchen. “Where is the black tea dear?” he asked Isabelle. “It is there on the table.” said Isabelle. Gerald nodded his head and poured the tea from the kettle and gave it to the in-laws. Meanwhile Oliver arrived at the house. He was smart looking, blue-eyed as his mother. His father Gerald always thought that his fitness made him a disgrace in the Frostwhisper family. The Frostwhisper family is known for their fatty appearance. Oliver and his family are like apples and oranges. Both are fruits, but they taste different. He removed his crocs on the porch and rang the bell. “It must be Oliver, If I am right. Isabelle, Open the door.” said the mother in law. Isabelle scratched her teeth, threw the porcelain plates in the sink, came grumbling to the hall and shouted, “Ah, the doorman duties continue! I’ve already applied for the ‘Chief Door Opener’ position at the next family meeting. And don’t worry, I’m planning to launch a fitness program for the couch potatoes. Gerald will get a front-row seat, literally.” Gerald asked, “Alas. Can’t you stop getting my goat?”. “Certainly not” Isabelle declared and further added, “As for your orders, Mom, I’m taking notes. Soon, I’ll have a manual titled ‘How to Boss Me Around: A Mother’s Guide.’ Who needs spontaneity when you can have a well-organised dictatorship of chores! And also, I would also like to consider adding “Master Door Opener” in my resume. Won’t you guys do something? I am not going to open it anyway. Do some work in this house and eat, my dear hubby and sissie!” 

Gerald, seriously offended, replied with a light-hearted joke, “Ah! Do you think you are going to gain something speaking, nah, roaring on us? Anyway, I have secretly learned some tips and tricks to open the door. Unlike you, I was planning to create a world record in the title, ‘Longest Time Spent in Perfecting The Art of Lounging’. I would certainly give up my ambition, not for you silly girl, hahaha, for my son to enter the kingdom and see the queen of taunts and tyranny.” The guest-duo found him as a clown and said, “Isabelle, I didn’t expect your Frostwhisperish husband to be more Thunderboltsish than us!” The family of Isabelle had their surname as Thunderbolts and they were surnamed so due to their sudden, immediate mocking response. 

“Well, well, looks like I stumbled into the ‘Household Heritage Hour.’ I must’ve missed the memo about the Frostwhispers and Thunderbolts family reunion. But, folks, let’s not forget the crucial matter at hand – the next generation. You know, the one that’s currently stuck outside while we’re busy deciding the fate of our family sagas. Shall we save the drama for the grandkids, or should I start drafting the invitation to ‘The Offspring Chronicles’?” a manly voice was heard out of a sudden. Everyone turned back and saw Oliver. “Oliver! How did you get in?” asked the mother in law. Oliver replied mockingly, “Oh, Grandma, fear not! I harnessed the mystical powers of the neglected backgate. It seemed so lonely and forgotten since morning, I thought, why give a chance for the robber to steal the treasures of this Frost-Bolt Kingdom! Instead the Heir could steal the show, ‘Amazing things about Frost-Bolt kingdom’ So, I graciously granted it a moment of glory by entering through the kitchen. You know, I’m like the family ninja – silent, stealthy, and armed with the uncanny ability to find open backdoors.” Gerald grinned and said, “See! How well behaves Frostwhisperish!” to which the reply was from Sister in law, “No! He is Thunderboltish!”. 

Oliver could not control his emotions. He became angry and said, “I entered through the mystical gardens of the backdoor where I had to fight with Dandelions and Daffodils.” Oliver further added “Let us leave the discussion of the family. It’s high time that we also mind our stomach that keeps on telling us that he is starving. Shall we fill him with something?” Everybody responded in accordance to what Oliver said. They all ate an apple pie and had hot chocolate before bed. 

The Frostwhispers and Thunderbolts decided to go to bed. “I need Air-conditioned room and I can’t be in the room with a fan.” said Oliver. So, Gerald decided to sleep in the verandah, Isabelle and her sister in a room and Oliver and his grandmother in another room. They all wore their night dress and went for a nice 6-hour nap, as Gerald would often say. Oliver entered the room, switched on the air conditioner and dived into the bed. “Be careful my son!” said the grandmother. He nodded his head and smiled. There was a balcony behind the sliding glass door. He saw the moon shining brightly in the sky. “The moon looks like a pearl in the deep sea, grandmother!” His grandmother patted him on the head. Oliver further added, “How much do those pearl divers struggle to take out the pearl from the molluscs?” The grandmother nodded the head affirming the words of Oliver. She said, “You know, Your great-grandfather, that is, my father was a pearl diver?” Oliver was shocked. “Is that true grandma?” to which the reply was “Yes. My father resided near the Japanese coast where pearls are most common. He left us in the village of Silverburgh and he worked at Nagisano Sato under the Japanese emperor Kazuki Takemisuto. He was very kind and helpful. You know, he claimed himself to be the son of god Amaterasu and still Japanese people still believe him as the son of their god, Amaterasu. They donate some money to the poor people as it was his last wish.” Oliver asked, “Have you been to Nagisano Sato? I have heard that there were no single people in that village for almost 75 years” Grandmother replied, “Twice a year.” and Oliver further added, “How about the people”. The reply was immediate. “People with diamond hearts. They would never let anyone suffer. You can even leave your doors open at night. Nobody would dare to take anything from the house. The emperor would always roam in the streets at night with samurais to protect the people. There was not even a single person who was jealous.” Oliver could see tears rolling out of his grandmother’s eyes. He dabbed her eyes with a towel and continued, “Until, Haruki Yamanato arrived.” 

Oliver opened his mouth to ask “Who is he?”, before which the grandmother added, “He is the main reason for everything that happened to destroy the village of diamond hearts. He was the minister of Kazuki Takemisuto. He planned every crooked way to get the throne of Japan. The people warned Kazuki, but he blindly trusted the minister and was poisoned by him. As the King entrusted the kingdom to him, he became the emperor and even married the daughter of Kazuki Takemisuto. He collected more than seventy five percent of pearls produced by the harvesters. He would also kill a person if he was found dealing pearls without paying tax to him. Pearl prices rose because of him and everybody stopped pearl production. All pearls collected by him were used as decoration in the palace and were in such a manner that they could not be sold. Thus the whole economy crashed and the people went to the neighbouring village of Toba, where Pearls are still manufactured. He decided to get a loan from the Supreme Emperor Haruto Kagematsu.” Oliver asked, “What is the Supreme Emperor?” The Grandmother replied, “Supreme emperor is a title given to the emperor of the United Empire of Japan, which ruled the whole Japanese Archipelago and it was divided into 5 provinces. The Supreme emperor realised that Haruki was not a man worthy of his trust. So, he devised a plan. He was granted a loan of six billion yen. On their way, the supreme emperor sent his strongest samurais, snatched the money and defeated the army of Haruki. The Supreme emperor then decided to take the village under his direct control and now, the village remains in peace.” Oliver in surprise asked his grandmother, “What made Haruki do this? How was he entrusted by Kazuki?” The grandmother replied, “He was not jealous until he found a zen monk who created jealousy in his mind.” And nobody knows who the zen monk was. The legend says that he is still alive somewhere. But scientifically speaking, it is actually a myth. How can a person live somewhere other than earth?” Oliver opened his mouth such that a swarm of bees could enter his mouth. His grandmother laughed at his expression. He was just looking at the mouth of his grandmother. She waved her hand in front of his eyes and he shivered. “Shall we sleep?” asked the grandmother. Oliver smiled faintly and fell on the bed. He wrapped the blanket and started sleeping.

But he could not. The words of his grandmother were ringing in his ears. He tried to sleep in different positions but could not. The time was sharp twelve. He got up from his bed and opened the glass door which paved the way to the balcony. He saw the night sky. It looked as if a huge dark blue blanket studded with diamonds was spread across the earth. Oliver was excited and started smiling looking at it. The grandmother woke by now as she felt that something which laid hands around her was vanished. She saw Oliver standing on the balcony. She too got up from the bed and stood near him and asked why he was standing there. “I can’t sleep!” said Oliver. The grandmother and the grandson exchanged smiles. 

There came an astonishing, unbelievable moment for them. METEOR SHOWERS! The grandmother shivered and called Isabelle, Gerald and his daughter. None of them could see except for the Grandmother and Oliver. “Mom, could you please let us sleep. We have just six hours of sleep and you have no rights to spoil that.” said Isabelle. They all went to sleep, except Oliver. Oliver could not sleep. He walked in his room here and there thinking about the meteor shower. His eyes reflected the red meteors that fell, nay, the continue to fall. But his mind could only think how he and his grandmother could only see it. At two o’clock, his grandmother again woke up to see whether Oliver had slept. She saw him seated on a sofa with his eyes closed. She smiled at him and went back to sleep. 

After several hours, Oliver could feel a bright light in his face. He opened his eyes and realised that it was morning. Oliver went to brush his teeth and came to the hall where his family was seated. His mother told him, “”Oh, honey, did you find a secret portal to the meteor shower dimension? Maybe you’re part alien and just didn’t tell us. Next time, save some shooting stars for the rest of us Earthlings!” His father then continued, “Ah yes! Son, did you borrow an invisibility cloak for the meteor shower or what? I didn’t know we had a wizard in the family. Can you teach me a spell to see shooting stars too?” His aunt too joined him, “Well, well, if it isn’t our resident astronomer with a VIP pass to the cosmic show. I guess the universe just wanted you to have a front-row seat. Can you at least tell the stars to make a reservation for the rest of us next time?”

Oliver came to say something, but he suddenly felt his hand being held by a hand. It was his grandmother who stopped him from saying. He kept quiet, but his mind urged him to say. So he started mocking everyone, “Yep, Mom, turns out I have a direct line to the meteor customer service. I ordered them just for myself. Next time, I’ll see if they offer a family discount! Dad, it’s not the invisibility cloak, it’s the ‘Selective Cosmic Vision’ upgrade. I’ll work on getting you the subscription. Maybe you’ll get to see shooting stars and a comet two-for-one deal! Auntie, I tried to make a reservation for you too, but the stars said they were fully booked. Maybe next time I’ll negotiate better. I’ll put in a good word with the galaxy manager.” They all felt that he felt too offended. They consoled him. He was getting ready for school and they all heard a bell sound from the doorstep.