Information

Fredrika has a minion!

Minion the Thirteenth Child

Fredrika
Legacy Name: Fredrika

The

Chibi Experiment #585
Owner:

vetean

Age: 13 years, 10 months, 3 days

Born: June 29th, 2010

Adopted: 6 years, 8 months, 2 days ago

Adopted: August 31st, 2017

Statistics

Level: 412
Strength: 1,200
Defense: 1,102
Speed: 1,027
Health: 1,029
HP: 1,022/1,029
Intelligence: 417
Books Read: 413
Food Eaten: 0
Job: Hotel Chain Owner

High on the shoulders of the Himalayas dwell the dream guardians, a group of benevolent spirits intent on capturing evil thoughts that try to poison the minds of wearyhumans. A human is never more vulnerable to evil than when they are asleep.

Each guardian has an assignment befitting their true form. Fang-hua Rweekew is the guardian of children. She adored the name given by her beautiful mother but thelisping voice of the first boy she visited stumbled over the tricky sounds.

"I will call you Fred." the child announced after struggling to pronounce her name.

"I am not a boy," the fierce-looking beast started to argue.

"Then I'll call you Fredrika!"

She was saddened when her mother began to fade. The guardians of adults are always shifting in a vain effort to capture the attention of those they protect. These guardians must change, though the changes do little good. It is the nature of adults to shun magic. Unlike a child, an adult feels no pang of sorrow when a guardian fades from the world to be reborn into a new form.

She first appears to the village children at the age of two or three when the vague animal cravings of infancy sharpen into true thoughts capable of forming dreams.

â€œFredrika! Fredrika!â€ Small voices raise a cry that brings parents running. It was only a dream, darling. Go back to bed.

Fredrika hides in the closet until the child is alone, fading into an ethereal form that defies the limitations of small spaces. She could sit among the straw dolls and wooden block scattered on the floor, twitching her tail and growlingnursery rhymes if she liked. The adults would take no notice. It wasnâ€™t that she was invisible. It was more like adults refused to see her. She was a trick of the light ora fold of curtain caught in a draft. Mother would grumble to Father that it was high time to fix the window before the dear child caught a chill.

She sees adults as yucky plates of broccoli, a punishment of an early bedtime, and a trip to the awful dentist all rolled into one. Through the eyes of her children shewitnesses every injustice of childhood. She takes their fears and frustrations into herself. Her mind is so synchronized with her body that when she gathers a child intoher massive paws, she is able to fill it with utter joy and contentment transmitted through her purr. The child falls into a peaceful sleep, waking the next morning with ahuge smile and no memory of the dream that woke them.

Parents aren't all bad, Fredrika. Sometimes they take you to the village to watch the fireworks or buy you a toy all the way from Japan. At Christmas they give youall sorts of presents.

Fredrika was not convinced. The next time the boy's parents peeked in to check on him, they shook their heads and chuckled at the notion of the monster in thecloset.

There are times when a bad thought burrows deep. The child will leave the warmth of bed, fearful even with Fredrikaâ€™s comforting presence. Some of these childrenhave no Mother or Father to hold them when they cry. They huddle into the curve of Fredrikaâ€™s body, telling the stories of their day with dolls or showing off thefaded picture book beside their bed with pride. The book is almost always left by some kind missionary or the child of a tourist with books to spare. ThoughFredrika has heard the stories many times, she never tires of listening to soft voices as they puzzle over the words.

Then there are the children with guilty thoughts. They will offer her the roll they stole at supper and she will refuse it. They will show her the broken pieces ofBrotherâ€™s wooden plane or Sisterâ€™s tea set and she will sigh, prodding the mess with a gentle paw. The child never fails to confess their crime when morning comes.They are always forgiven.

The boy held up the two halves of the broken plate with a sheepish grin. "Mama doesn't know it was me. She thinks it was the boy who came over to play and shesays he won't be coming back again. He was no fun, Fredrika. He didn't know any good games."

She growled and prodded the pieces, giving him a meaningful look.

He sighed. "Mama will ground me for a month."

Another growl, another prod. When she came the next night, the dreams of the wolves that chased the boy through frozen trees ceased to come.

Her playful spirit cannot be contained by the few short hours of night. During the day she bounds across the frozen peaks, her dearest friend Shen prancing at herside. She loves to tease the other spirits, pouncing on their tails or giving their ears a tug. Her endless joy is contagious. Even the sour-faced guardian of warriorscracks a smile when she appears.

Occasionally she will startle a traveler, darting past with a giggle as the red-faced adult rubs tired eyes and gives their hooded head a shake. She is a flash of red, astark contrast to the unbroken and perfect snow. The minds of explorers are often similar to the awe-filled minds of children.

It is always sad for Fredrika when one of her children turns thirteen. On the last day of their twelfth year, she comes to them one last time to purr them to sleep.

She stood in front of the boy. He squinted for a moment, as if trying to look in her eyes now that they were at the same level. He was changing, losing the magicthat had bonded them for so many years. She growled low in her throat, a mournful sound. Tomorrow he would leave the village to seek a real education. He wouldbe the first in his family to escape this small village, the first to emerge in a world where spirits were no longer welcome. She reached out with a massive paw, wantingto pull him close and purr him to sleep one last time but her paw went right through him. He shivered and turned away.

Story by Pureflower

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