Sonic’s First Birthday
From @spacemulder
Sonic's first birthday with the family? They go to see Cars 3 I insist
(Changed it to the first Cars because I haven’t seen #3 in a while.)
Sonic bounced on the couch, unable to contain his excitement. Sure they’ve had movie nights before, plenty of them, but this one was different. This one wasn’t just a movie night.
It was a birthday movie night.
His birthday movie night.
It was going to be the perfect ending to a perfect day.
He’d never had a birthday before. Oh, he knew what they were, of course. The park was a popular place to hold parties during the summer, so he’d seen a ton of them when he lived on his own. And one of the first things Tom and Maddie asked when he moved in with them was when his birthday was.
He just didn’t actually know the date of his birth. He’d only been around three-ish when he ran through that ring to this world, after all. And the days and months weren’t the same here as they were there, let alone the length of the year. He’d also never seen snow until he’d come here. So there was absolutely no way to know what his actual birthday was.
So he’d simply picked a day that seemed good. June 23rd. He wasn’t sure why he picked that particular day. Seemed nice enough—it was still warm and nice outside, it stayed light until after 9pm, and Tom and Maddie usually took some time off around then to travel. Perfect weather and a chance to spend more time with his two best friends? Seemed a good choice.
And now that day was today. They’d let him sleep as late as he wanted—a rare treat, as they usually try to get him up at stupid o’clock in the morning when they woke. Then they’d taken the day off and the three of them went out for a nice picnic around lunch. After that was a fun game of Laser Tag at Dale’s Funderland. For supper he chose chili-dogs (of course), and afterward, Maddie brought out a big birthday cake with lots of frosting and candy flowers. They’d sung to him, and he had to turn away to hide the tears.
In all his years on this planet, and all the birthday parties he’d secretly watched, he never thought he’d hear his name in that song. Never have it sung to him, while candles flickered on a cake made especially for him.
He could hardly believe how different his life had become in just a few months.
Then had come presents. A phone so they could keep in touch with him while at work, a new pair of running shoes—ones that lit up when he ran, how cool was that?!--and more markers and paper for his budding artist skills. He’d thanked them and shared hugs and high fives, before moving into the living room for his special movie night.
“Ugh, where is he??” Sonic cried, bouncing ever higher in his sugar-fueled excitement. “Speed is right over there, what’s he looking for?”
“Maybe you’d like to try something a little different tonight?” Maddie asked, gently placing a hand on his head to stop the frantic bouncing. “There’s a movie you haven’t seen yet that we think you’ll like.”
Sonic crossed his arms with an exaggerated pout. “It’s my birthday,” he muttered. “Shouldn’t I get to pick?”
“Sure, sweetie,” she said, scratching behind his ear. A shudder ran through him and he dropped his arms, leaning into her. “But can you please just entertain the idea of watching something that isn’t Speed?”
“Hmm?” he hummed, eyes half-lidded. Her nails hit just the right spot behind his ear and he practically tumbled into her lap.
“Found it!” Tom said as he walked into the living room, holding a DVD before him like the Holy Grail. “We have a lot of movies downstairs. How’d we get so many?”
Maddie laughed. “I think they multiply when we’re not looking.”
Tom nodded, a smile curling his lips as he watched Sonic melt under his wife’s fingers. “Wow. Careful he doesn’t wet himself.”
At that, Sonic sat up straight, brushing down the mussed fur behind his ear. He cast Maddie a shy smile, before turning back to Tom.
“You’re just jealous she likes me more,” he said, hopping down and zipping to grab the movie out of Tom’s hand. “Now what movie do you foolishly think I’ll want to watch instead of the perfection that is Speed?” He arched an eyebrow. “Cars?”
“Yep,” Tom said, that crooked smile on his lips. “It’s just like Speed except there’s no Keanu, no bus, no bomb, and all the cars are alive.” He paused. “Oh, and the main character is a race car who likes to go fast.”
Sonic stared at him. “You’re making that up.”
“No, actually,” Tom said, taking the DVD back. “We think you’ll really like it.”
“Ugh, fine,” the hedgehog said, moving back to the couch. “We’ll watch your weird living cars movie. But! When I don’t like it, I get to pick tomorrow’s movie. Which will be Speed. Just so you’re aware.”
“Duly noted.” Tom slid the DVD into the tray, and grabbed the remote on his way to the couch.
Sonic huffed. There was no way this movie was anywhere near as good as Speed.
~X~X~X~
Almost two hours later, and the credits were nearly done. Sonic had made a few jokes at the start of the movie, but grew quiet the more into the story he became. By the end, when Lightning pushed a damaged King across the finish line, the boy’s eyes were wide and shiny.
“Well?” Tom asked, clicking off the DVD player. “Whaddaya think? Pretty awesome, right?”
Sonic sat quiet, his brow slightly furrowed.
“Bud?”
The hedgehog blinked, and turned to him. “He was like me.”
“Yep, but honestly you could probably beat him in a race.”
Sonic shook his head. “No, I mean . . .” His brow furrowed deeper. “He was . . . alone.”
The smile slipped off Tom’s face, and he felt Maddie stiffen beside him. Sonic was still sensitive about his time alone, and the fact that Lightning didn’t have any friends or people who cared about him didn’t even occur to them.
“Oh, honey,” Maddie said, reaching over to rub a knuckle down his muzzle.
“He was alone, but convinced himself he wasn’t,” the boy said, but he leaned into Maddie’s touch. “That . . . I did that. For a long time.”
Maddie moved her hand to take his, and gave it a squeeze. Tom reached over to place a firm hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“He even got scared and caused damage before making friends, like me.”
“And now he has a family who love him,” Maddie said, stroking his quills. “Like you.”
Sonic turned his large green eyes to the two people next to him, and they turned watery as the first tears trickled down his muzzle.
“Happy birthday, Sonic,” Tom said, wiping the tears from the boy’s cheeks.
“We’re so glad you’re here,” Maddie whispered, planting a kiss on his forehead.
Chest hitching, Sonic threw himself forward, wrapping his arms around these people who helped him when he was in danger, took him in when he was alone, and loved him when he needed.
Best. Birthday. Ever.
~~~
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Dinoland Buleleng, Suguhkan Pengalaman Edukatif Serta Dukung Ekonomi Lokal
BALIPORTALNEWS.COM, BULELENG - Upaya untuk meningkatkan kunjungan ke Daerah Tujuan Wisata (DTW) terus diintensifkan oleh Pemerintah Kabupaten Buleleng melalui Dinas Pariwisata, dengan tujuan meningkatkan Pendapatan Asli Daerah (PAD).
Salah satu strategi menarik yang diterapkan oleh Dinas Pariwisata bekerja sama dengan Funderland adalah penyelenggaraan Dinoland, yang akan berlangsung di Plasa Kuliner Pantai Penimbangan mulai dari tanggal 31 Januari hingga 29 Februari 2024.
I Gede Dodi Sukma Oktiva Askara selaku Kepala Dinas Pariwisata Kabupaten Buleleng, Selasa (30/1/2024), menjelaskan bahwa Funderland, yang sebelumnya telah sukses mengadakan tour di Bali pada liburan Natal dan Tahun Baru, kini memilih Buleleng sebagai lokasi kerjasama, khususnya di Pantai Penimbangan.
Tujuan pemilihan ini adalah untuk memberikan hiburan dan menjadi daya tarik baru bagi DTW Pantai Penimbangan, sekaligus mendukung peningkatan daya jual pedagang di Plasa Kuliner setempat dengan jumlah wahana Dinosaurus yang ditawarkan sebanyak 17 ekor.
"Event Dinoland ini akan menjadi angin segar sebagai media hiburan, dengan fokus pada segmen anak-anak di Buleleng, sehingga dapat berperan sebagai sarana edukasi," jelasnya.
Untuk memastikan kelancaran kegiatan Dinoland, pihak penyelenggara akan berkolaborasi dengan berbagai stakeholder, termasuk Dishub, Pemerintah Desa setempat, dan Kepolisian. Hal ini bertujuan agar pelaksanaannya sesuai dengan harapan dan menciptakan lingkungan yang aman dan kondusif.
Adapun selain miniature dinosaurus yang dapat bergerak, Dinoland juga akan menawarkan berbagai wahana dino kecil, telur dino, photobooth, kemudian ada juga kereta dino, dinosaurus besar setinggi 15 meter termasuk playground dan panggung pembelajaran perosotan, juga ada itu untuk permainan anak-anak. Semua ini dirancang untuk menarik perhatian anak-anak yang berkunjung, sambil memberikan pengalaman edukatif yang menarik.
Berdasarkan informasi, Wahana playground Dinoland ini dibuka mulai pukul 14.00 hingga 22.00 WITA saat hari kerja (weekday) dan pukul 10.30 hingga 22.00 WITA pada akhir pekan (weekend). Adapun Harga Tiket Masuk (HTM) yang di tentukan mulai dari Rp30.000/orang pada saat hari kerja (weekdays), dan Rp35.000/orang pada saat akhir pekan (week end), tidak lupa juga khusus balita di bawah 80 cm tidak dipungut biaya alias gratis.
"Dinoland diharapkan memberikan dampak positif pada perekonomian lokal di Buleleng, dan pendapatan dari tiket masuk akan menjadi kontribusi untuk PAD Buleleng," tutupnya. (adv/bpn)
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