Milk and Cookie - Around the World

     Every day Milk, the white Xweetok, would go down to the boathouse and fish. It was a good fishing spot. They did not have a boat, so Milk would sit with his back against the boathouse and dream that he was sitting on deck of his boat cruising around the world.

      And every day Cookie, the chocolate Cybunny, would spend her days in the forest looking for edible delights. She found all sorts of plants and berries. It is easy when you knew where to look, she always said. She loved all the seasons and the different specialities each season gave.

     Around dinnertime Milk and Cookie would both return home to their cosy cottage. Cookie would turn the fish Milk had caught and the plants and berries she had found in the forest into delicious meals fit for kings and queens. “You are a marvellous cook,” Milk would say quite often.

     They would eat together and share stories from their days. They had fun chatting and sharing their daily adventures. On this particular day, Milk was talking even more fondly than usual of the ocean and his desire to travel around the world. Cookie loved hearing his stories about the open ocean and she listened closely to every word he said.

     “It is possible to travel around the world with a boat. The ocean outside our doorstep stretches all around the world,” Milk told Cookie and waved his paw around.

     “Wow! It stretches all around the world,” Cookie repeated, looking wide eyed at Milk.

     “Can you imagine anything more peaceful than sleeping under the open sky with the stars as your ceiling, listening to the gentle sound of the ocean?” Milk asked Cookie, and she could not think of anything better. That night they both dreamed of the ocean. Their dreams were filled with wonderful colour and sounds of the ocean. It was simply magical.

     The following day they both woke at dawn. They made breakfast in silence as they were still thinking about their dreams. Their dreams were clear as day and it felt like the ocean was calling their hearts.

      “Milk, could you build a boat?” Cookie asked Milk when they sat down to eat. Milk nodded. He started making calculations and drawings of the boat straight after breakfast. Cookie watched him work silently. That day Milk did not go fishing and Cookie did not go looking for plants and berries. The sun had set long before they thought of dinner. Fortunately they had some food stored, so Cookie could very quickly put something together.

     The next day Milk started working on the boat down by the boathouse and Cookie returned to the forest. She collected more plants and berries than usual, so they would have enough food provision for their journey. In the evening they talked about how far Milk had gotten on the boat and how many days' food provision they had. And at night they dreamed of the ocean.

     It took a month before the boat was ready. Milk did a good job. The boat looked good. It was blue and small but fit for two good friends. Milk suggested calling the boat Ocean and Cookie liked Dreams, so they named the boat Ocean Dreams. They inaugurated the boat with a bottle of water and set sail at dawn not looking back.

     Milk was captain and Cookie was everything else. They brought clothes, two life vests, plants and berries, a fishing rod, a frying pan, two other pans and good spirit. And yes, as you might have noticed, they did not bring a compass!

     “It’s not a problem,” Milk said. Cookie agreed.

     “Just navigate by heart,” Cookie said.

     The open ocean was bigger than they ever could have grasped. It was wide and endless. Milk would navigate after his heart and Cookie would trust him to the end of the world. Milk caught different exotic fish every day and Cookie turned every one of them into wonderful and tasteful dinners.

     The days were lovely and the nights were priceless. At night they would lay on deck looking up at the stars with blankets around them self and Milk would tell Cookie stories of the stars and space. Milk knew so much. He had read a lot of books. Cookie did not like to read, but she enjoyed a good book if Milk read it out loud for her. He had a good narration voice.

     “Who could ever wish for more?” Milk would say. “I have the ocean and my best friend next to me.”

     “Yes,” Cookie would agree. “Life is good!”

     Those were their days spent on Ocean Dreams. Milk and Cookie thought it would last forever, but then the season changed. Summer turned to autumn, and along with autumn came bad weather. The waves got larger and threatening. Ocean Dreams got thrown around and roughly shaken. They had to work hard. There were little time for catching fish and they had almost eaten all the food provision they had brought with them. In the evening Milk and Cookie sat close together inside the cabin and comforted each other. “I am glad I have you,” Milk said while the wind was hauling outside. “I would have been scared, if I’d not have a friend like you,” Cookie said and pulled her blanket closer around herself.

     They had no idea where in the world they were, but they decided it was time to look for a new cottage to call home. The lucky star was by them. Only a few days later, they could glimpse a tiny house right by the ocean. As they got closer, it turned out to be a boathouse, but not just any boathouse - it was their own boathouse. A few storms must have shaken the boathouse a bit, because they did not recognise it. They anchored the boat by the boathouse and went exploring. The place was very lovely. Milk could see lots of fish by the boathouse, which made him quite happy. And Cookie got very excited, when Milk pointed out the small forest in the distance. They both thought the place was perfect.

      “Oh Milk, can we make this our new home?” Cookie asked Milk.

     “What a wonderful idea, Cookie!” Milk answered. “I’ll try and catch a fish for dinner. Why don’t you explore the forest in the meantime?”

     Cookie went to the forest and found that she could find tons of plants and berries. It was like she had been there before, but she thought no more of it. On her way back to the boat, she saw their small cottage. The lawn and bushes had grown big and tall, but the cottage was still lovely. Milk had made a fire for Cookie when she returned from the forest, so she could cook dinner on the fire. While they ate, Cookie told Milk about the cottage. The following day they investigated the cottage more closely and found that it was abandoned. It was the perfect size for two friends. So they moved into the cottage, which as you might have guessed was their former home. They felt like they had found paradise on earth.

     Life quickly returned to normal. Every day Milk went fishing by the boathouse and Cookie went to the forest looking for plants and berries. Cookie made dinner and they chatted about their days. Their friendship was as strong as ever and life was good. When the night sky was clear, they would each bring a blanket down to the boat, climb on board and lay on deck looking at the sky. Milk and Cookie talked about their adventure on the ocean. It had been wonderful and they were glad they had shared it together.

      “You and me. We are a great team,” Milk would say.

     “Yes, Milk! We belong together,” Cookie would say.

The End