The Adventures of Fugaru

By Raji Abuzalaf

"The Adventures of Fugaru" is a book for kids that was borne of a father's need to entertain, educate, and edify his young children.

The author concocted these stories on the fly for his three children between the ages of 4 and 10.
Now in written form, the concensus is that the book is appropriate for children between 6 and 12.

Fugaru (pronounced foo'-ga-roo) is a fictional character who becomes an unlikely hero.
Due to circumstances beyond his control, Fugaru winds up living and thriving in the forest.
His adventures are filled with trials and tribulations that deal with morals and ethics.

The author utilizes slightly advanced vocabulary and relates information about the forest and certain cultures meant to help cultivate young minds.

There are twenty (20) exciting episodes.
Each episode features an original song stored on the internet.
These songs, also composed by the book's author, depict a theme relevant to each episode.
Links are provided to each song recording on Sound Cloud – a free website.

So join our hero, Fugaru, as he finds harmony with nature and assists others in their challenges.

Many adults have thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, as well as utilizing it for "story time" with their children.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483501291

Book preview

EPISODES

1.    Beginnings

2.    New Ground

3.    The Lost Children

4.    The Creepy Crawler

5.    The Unbearable

6.    The Bullies: Part I

7.    The Bullies: Part II

8.    Junior’s Quest

9.    Dakota’s Treasure: Part I

10.   Dakota’s Treasure: Part II

11.   Staying Green

12.   No, Nay, Never

13.   Magic Buttons

14.   Angel’s Voice

15.   Truth and Justice

16.   Mother’s Nature

17.   Fool’s Revenge

18.   Father’s Day

19.   Angel’s Life

20.   Home Sweet Home

Episode 1 – Beginnings

p5

Once upon a time in a land far, far away, lived a poor peasant boy named Fugaru.

Fugaru lived alone with his parents in an old straw shack at the edge of the Secluded Forest. His parents were uneducated, but came from a long line of honest, hard-working people. They were friends with God and nature and knew well how to live off the land. They loved their son very much and taught him everything they knew about the earth, sky, and water – how to grow things, how to nurture animals, and most importantly, how to love and respect human beings.

Everyone deserves respect, his father would say. When people lie, steal, or hurt someone else for no good reason, then and only then do they lose that respect. You don’t need schooling to know that much.

But dear, don’t forget that everyone deserves a second chance, Fugaru’s mother would add with a gentle smile. If someone makes a mistake and is willing to make amends, we must be quick to forgive and forget.

What if they don’t make amends? Fugaru would ask. What if they keep hurting you and aren’t sorry for it?

Well dear, we have to be strong. We can’t go around hurting them back. People are still our neighbors, so we must learn to live with them and tolerate them.

This was extremely difficult for Fugaru because he had a lot going against him. His parents could not afford to buy him shoes or clothes, so every day he wore the same shirt and pants that he had inherited from his father. His mother knit a jacket from old burlap sacks to keep him warm on cold days. Although his clothes were always clean, people only noticed how ragged they appeared.

Fugaru was a pathetic sight in bare feet and torn and tattered clothes that didn’t even fit him properly. And to top it off, he was eleven years old when his parents finally decided to send him to school. The principal had no choice but to place him in third grade where the other children were three years younger and much smaller.

Children can be so cruel! They constantly made fun of Fugaru. They called him all sorts of names and played mean tricks on him. He became the laughing stock of the school and struggled with the wounds their insults caused him. Fugaru found it very hard to love others as he had been taught. But somehow, he was able to forgive them, though the deep hurt remained.

Fugaru’s father was a rice farmer and his mother was a seamstress. Both worked from dawn till dusk, barely earning enough money to buy food and maintain their broken-down home. By the time they finished supper and cleaned up every night, they were always exhausted. They went to bed early, hoping to find the rest they needed to get them through the following day.

One night, when everyone was especially weary, a thunderstorm struck the village. Fugaru and his parents were fast asleep when a lightning bolt hit their home in the middle of the night. A fire started near the front door and spread quickly throughout the shack!

Fugaru woke up coughing. He could barely see in front of him. The smoke was thick, filling the whole shack. He screamed! No one responded and he screamed again! He fought his way through the smoke and flames to where his parents lay asleep. He shook them hard – first his father, then his mother. Dad! Mom! he cried. But they couldn’t answer. It had been too late.

Fugaru didn’t know that his parents were already with God in heaven. He kept trying to wake them, shaking them and screaming over and over! The flames licked up at his arms and face, but he continued, ignoring the immense pain. When a nearby neighbor finally broke down the front door, he found Fugaru badly burned and leaning over his parents, still screaming.

The village doctor couldn’t do much for Fugaru. His hair was singed and his body was badly scarred. The authorities decided that the only place for him now was the orphanage. But the other children could barely stand to look at him and cried, You look like a monster!

The sad truth was that Fugaru was not pretty to look at. His skin was charred and his facial features were deformed. He could accept the fact that he was ugly on the outside, but he could not tolerate the finger-pointing and name-calling. It didn’t take long before he made up his mind to run away from the orphanage. So one night, he snuck out just after midnight and ran and ran and ran.

He ran all the way to the old shack, now just a heap of charcoal. He looked down at where his home used to be and wanted to cry, but his eyes refused to produce any tears. He kicked around with his feet for a while amidst the rubble, hoping to find something – anything – to serve as a reminder of his family. But there was nothing to be found – only ashes and broken memories.

He kept on shuffling and muddling through the remains until he heard a clank. He quickly brushed away the soot and cinders and spotted his mother’s old cooking pot. It was the only one she ever owned, but she had used it to prepare everything – rice for every meal, coffee for every morning, and of course, all the different nature teas for every evening. He picked up the pot and clutched it to his side – his only memento.

He now looked out towards the Secluded Forest. No one had entered there in years. People were too frightened from the scary stories they had often heard. It was said that little girls and boys had wandered into the forest never to be seen again. When the moon was full, one could hear chilling noises from inside the forest. It was said that there were monsters roaming the dark woods.

Now as he stared into the night, Fugaru thought to himself, All the children say I look like a monster, so nothing in the forest can hurt me. In fact, that’s the only place I can ever belong. He breathed a deep sigh, looked up at the stars one last time, and then darted into the forest. It was to be his new home from now on.

For Fugaru, his need to escape – run far away from the village, the cruel children, and the other villagers – far outweighed any hesitation or thought of leaving.

Episode 2 – New Ground

p9

Anger and remorse filled Fugaru.

Moments before, Fugaru had stood in front of his family’s burned-down shack. This experience compelled him to embark on this new journey. Now his feet propelled him deep into the Secluded Forest and a new feeling began to overcome him – fear. He was on new ground – unknown, unexplored, dark and foreboding.

He was overwhelmed with emotion. He was heartbroken after the loss of his mother and father. He also felt shame – not because his face and body were disfigured from the fire, but because he had failed to save his parents. There had been no one to explain to him that none of it was his fault. How could he know that he had shown more courage and loyalty than most, causing him to be burned beyond recognition? His sense of honor and protectiveness had been rudely awakened, but he was a confused boy, mercilessly forced to grow up too soon.

His first impulse was to stop running, maybe even return to the village. But he could not turn back. His sense of necessity was stronger than his sense of fear. He slowed down just enough to get his bearings, and then continued down the forest path, his eyes now adjusting