Magic Graffi's speed of light adventure to Africa

And the need for a Baobab booze-up!

Hi there. It’s good to be with you again and if you’re up-to-date with my blogs, you’ll know that earlier this week I

met, for the first time ever, Zouma the African leopard, who is the companion of Serge's godfather, Pâquis. (Since discovering her as an abandoned cub, he has travelled widely with, and protected her.) If so, you’ll know too that later on that same day, Serge learnt that he and I had been invited by the two of them to fly to Africa the following week. The idea being for us to spend some time living with them out in the bush - in the wild that is. (If you don’t know about the two of them yet, you can have a quick catch-up here: https://www.magicgraffi.com/post/zouma-a-playful-leopard)

Of course, you’ll remember from my books that I’m a very organized cat. (You have to be of course when you know that magic can happen around you anywhere, and at any moment.) So, early the following morning, using a MagiCom on the IRIS platform*, I contacted my energy cat friend, Marmalade. This was to ask her if we could meet as soon as possible to discuss the trip to Africa. (*If you don’t already know about IRIS, look at the Book 2 overview here https://www.magicgraffi.com/s-projects-side-by-side, which explains everything nice and simply.)

Knowing that Marmalade is a travel professional – I'm sure that you'll remember from an earlier blog that she’s an intergalactic expert on light, colours and energy – the reason for me contacting her was, evidently, for travel advice. And sure enough, before long, I received a Magicom reply from her, saying, ‘Hi Graffi, I’ll pop over later today.’

So, feeling excited about what she might have to tell me, I went outside and, just as I'd hopped up onto the garden wall to enjoy a relaxing snooze before her arrival, I heard a loud ‘pop’ to my left, and, due to the sudden shock of it, I almost fell backwards into the flower bed below. Why? Because, it was only a few seconds after I’d received her Magicom, that Marmalade was sitting right next to me, with a big smile on her face!

Looking at her in astonishment, I said, ‘How did you do that, Marmalade, as I never even heard you arriving?’

Laughing, she replied, ‘I’ve got a really BIG travel surprise for you Graffi. In just a moment, we’re going to go to Africa together.

‘What, right now?’ I asked, ‘Like today?’ I added, feeling a bit befuddled.

Nodding her head, Marmalade said, 'It'll only be a short visit, but I want you to feel comfortable, that before you arrive there next week by aeroplane with Serge,  you have an idea of what Africa’s like. ’

Not giving me a chance to utter another word, she continued: ‘So, hold onto my paw, Graffi, and don't be surprised that it’ll heat up quickly. Then, shut your eyes, and get into EPIC, (Energy Powered Intense Concentration) mode immediately. As usual when there's magic about, your tail will tingle and become a sparkly, starry blue, and after this, just stay with me and we’ll be in Africa together almost instantaneously.’

Well, after doing exactly what I was told, and concentrating as intensely as I could manage, everything happened so quickly that I can’t even explain it to you. One moment I could feel the warmth of the red bricks of our wall at home under my paws, and the next, it was the hot, red soil of Africa, this as we each landed with a pop, creating two small puffs of rusty red dust as we did so.

And, in between these two events, there was nothing whatsoever that I sensed or saw. ‘Am I dreaming, Marmalade?’ I asked, feeling all fluffy and disoriented. ‘Everything - all the sounds, smells and sights - are so different here.’

‘Of course, Graffi,’ she replied. This is East Africa, and, as you can see and feel, it’s a whole new world, which is why I wanted to bring you here before your arrival next week. Just listen to the beat of the music and look at the joyful jesticulations of the singers. Also, take in all the bright clothing and the amazing smells and colours of the food, of the herbs and of the spices at the market, just over there,' she said, looking out over to our left. And she was quite right. Unusual sounds, smells and new noises were indeed everywhere. It was all quite scintelating and really special, and it gave me a variety of tingly vibrations.

'And look too at that giant Baobab tree towering above the other trees,' she continued, pointing a paw at a ginormous tree that looked as if it had been planted upside down, with its roots sticking high up in the air. 'Never forget that its trunk is full of water. So, if ever you're thirsty, all you have to do is to go to the trunk, scratch off some bark, and drink the delicious, pure tangy water that's underneath it.' Well, I can tell you that transforming myself into an energy cat, and then travelling cosmic distances at what seemed to be the speed of lightning, was really rather an exhausting occupation, so straight away, I bounded enthusiastically over to the tree and gave its trunk a serious scratching. In part, this was to sharpen my claws, but also because suddenly I realised that I was longing for the taste of a fresh natural drink. A baobab booze-up you could call it.

However, just as I was about to lick up some of the water droplets which had started to dance and chase each other down the ribbed, pinkish-grey bark, there was a loud 'Go-way!' squawk from up above me. This made me tense, but, roaring with laughter as she heard it, Marmalade shot up the tree after the culprit, to shoo it away. 'It's a type of lourie bird that lives in trees all across East Africa,' she said from way up above me. 'They're known as go-away birds, and they're real pests, especially when one - meaning, like one of us - is hunting, or trying to creep up unnoticed on someone, or something. So, make sure you don't forget this, otherwise you might find yourself in a seriously tricky situation in no time at all, just because of one of them.'

Still puzzled by our extraordinary journey and all the new sights and sounds around me, I turned to Marmalade after my yummy drink and said. ‘It's really strange, but I can’t recall anything at all about how we got here.’

‘That’s because we’ve travelled at almost the speed of light. And, to give you an idea of what that means, at this speed one can circle our earth 7.5 times in just one second.’

‘W-o-w,’ I said very slowly, not at all sure of what to say, or think even. ‘Did we really do that?’

‘Yes, absolutely,' she replied. 'So now you're officially a rare creature . . . a cosmic cat, like me!' (Strictly between us - you the reader, and me - I feel that being a 'cosmic cat' sounds rather cool. But, I'll leave that for you to decide, before I order myself a 'Magic Graffi, cosmic cat' T-shirt. Think of the potential for a great image, not to mention the possibilities for planetary partnerships and possible promotions!)

After lots of chitter cattering between us about all sorts of fun and fascinating things, we noticed that behind the baobab, the sun had started to set, so off we wandered together, out into the bush. Along the way, Marmalade gave me some helpfull hints about what I should, and should not do, to ensure that I could look after myself properly out here in the African wild. Perhaps the two most important things she told me were: 'Transform yourself into an energy cat as soon as you scent, or feel, any serious danger around you, especially at night. And also, if ever you want to scare away anything or anyone at night, be sure to make your eyes shine extremely brightly using your energy, like you did when we were looking for Tina Turnip. You'll be amazed by the effect that it'll have!'

And then she added, 'Graffi, one last thing  . . . I know that this may sound stupid to you, but please, make sure that you never, ever travel anywhere - and I mean, anywhere - with, or around humans, when you are invisible. It doesn't matter whether you're waiting for / or in, a bus, a boat, a train, or an aeroplane. If you do so when you're invisible - and almost certainly when you're visible too - there's no doubt whatsoever that, even if it is only by accident, you'll get kicked, troddden on, tripped over, or even sat on by a human. And, whatever it is that happens, it is likely to be extremely unpleasant, and probably painful as well. Humans are dreadfully careless and dumb about doing these things, and often they don't even notice that they've hit you, or hurt you! So, make sure that Serge keeps with him at all times on your trip, the special cat harness and backpack that he has for you, and do not hesitate in using it / them!'

And, as the light slowly faded and the colours of the evening sky glowed gorgeously, the bush gradually began to come to life. And as it did so, Marmalade, who with her colouring was now almost invisible against the stunning orangey colours, began to identifying for me many different sounds: those of lions grunting and roaring; of a leopard coughing; of wild dogs giggling and hyenas laughing; not to mention the sharp noise of a branch snapping, just near where we were sitting, which made our fur stand on end. 'That's a warthog who's made a mistake, by accidently standing on a branch,' she said, having a good shake. 'He'll be someone's supper tonight if he continues to make stupid noises like that.' That sounds really rather nasty, I thought with a shiver.

Then, after we'd moved on and were standing near the edge of a large, rugged rock that had a wonderful, panoramic view of the sky above us, and the plain below, my friend stopped and said: 'It's time to leave now, Graffi, so that we're back home before the sun sets there. Are you ready now?' she asked, gently.

'Just a quick moment,' I replied. 'I want to take one last, deep breath to help me take all of this in before we leave.' And after doing this very slowly, feeling the evening energy circulating within me as I did so, I reached over and took hold of Marmalade's paw. Instantaneously, there was a double pop, and before we knew it, we were once again sitting on the warm, garden wall at home, just in time to watch the sun slip silently down below the horizon.

And finally, only a moment before she left me, Marmalade said, 'Graffi, as you've become a cosmic cat, from now onwards you'll be able to travel at the speed of light all by yourself - so, between here and Africa for example. Therefore, I expect a visit from you soon after you've settled in out there, as I want to hear about your exploits, and what you think about Africa.' And . . . before I had a chance to open my mouth, to say goodbye and thank you, there was a pop, and she was gone.

What an amazing, African adventure the two of us had had, and what a happy holiday I had to look forward to, next week. And, remembering that Serge was brought up in Africa, I was all twitchy-excited now, as I knew for sure that we were going to do lots of fun and interesting things together. So, see you again soon for the next blog, about my first ever flight to Africa.

Your friend,

 Graffi

Magic Graffi meets a playful Leopard called Zouma

Recently, on a cold and windy afternoon, my friend Hiccup and I were curled up together in his basket, which is near our front door, when I received a sharp nudge in my ribs that woke me up. If you haven’t met Hiccup yet, he’s Serge’s springer spaniel who, a long time ago, found me almost dead in a snowy forest, after I’d been abandoned there. (See Book 1 - The Adventures of Magic Graffi: https://www.magicgraffi.com/s-projects-side-by-side)

Opening an eye sleepily, I spied Hiccup sitting beside me, almost fully upright, one ear sticking straight up, with just the very furry end of its flap bent over at right angles. This gave me the strong impression that it was ready to suck in sound, so I gave H a nudge back and asked him why he'd woken me up.

‘I think that Serge is about to call us over to his office, Graffi,’ Hiccup said, looking down at me, with his ear still in its listening position.

‘Why?’ I asked, having a bit of a stretch to help me wake myself up.

‘Well, I've got the impression that he's got something important to tell us.’

‘Like what?’ I asked with some cautious curiosity.

‘I'm not sure,’ he replied. ‘I heard him talking on the phone a short while ago, although I didn’t hear exactly what the conversation was about. But I’m sure we’ll find out sometime soon.’

And sure enough, just as Hiccup said this, we heard Serge call out from his office. ‘Hiccup, Graffi. Please can you come down here for a moment? I've got some unexpected news for you both.’

Chasing each other playfully down the corridor, it took us no time at all to arrive in front of the office door. I whizzed in immediately and hopped onto Serge's desk, while Hiccup jumped straight up onto his lap. Looking at Serge eagerly, we asked him simultaneously. ‘What have you got to tell us that’s so special then?’

‘Ah ha! I have a truly unusual surprise for you both,’ said Serge. ‘A few moments ago I was on the phone with my godfather, Pâqui. You know, he who is an actor, an author, and a racing driver of old automobiles. What's more, you may remember too that not only is he an African adventurer, but also an amazing aviator, who at one time was the world aerobatics champion. And to add to all of that, he was an Olympic medal winner quite some while ago in the world of showjumping.

Now, I have to admit to you that this was rather a lot to take in all at once, and while I was still trying to do so, Serge added:

'And, you may be surprised to hear that he spends about 6 months of each year living out in the wilds in East Africa - or in the bush as they call it out there - accompanied by his pet leopard, Zouma. For the rest of the year they live together in a flat in Paris.' (At this point, Hiccup and I turned our heads to look at each other in surprise.) 'Anyway, what's special is that Pâqui and Zouma are coming to visit us here a bit later this afternoon, which I thought you’d enjoy! Apparantely she's lovely and very playful, but you'll have to be on your best behaviour of course. Oh, and if you look over there, on the bookshelf, you'll find a book that Pâqui wrote about her which has lots of photographs in it. Have a look sometime, as I think it'll amuse you.’

Dumbfounded by this news, the two of us padded back to Hiccup's basket and spent a considerable amount of time discussing what having a 'lovely and very playful leopard' around the house might be like. But, despite our best efforts, eventually we came to the conclusion that neither of us had a clue. Not until I had a brill idea that is!

'Hiccup,' I said excitedly. ' I'm going to go out into the garden to find Jeep. My logic for this is that, as he's an Africa tortoise, perhaps he's already had experience of dealing with leopards, which could be useful for us.'

'Great idea, Graffi,' said Hiccup, wagging his tail, and, boosted by his encouragement, off I scooted down the passageway at top speed, and charged out into the garden.

I'd no idea at all where I was likely to find Jeep, as often he's well hidden away amongst the bushes, nor what to expect when I did find him. But, what I did find - and to use an unusual expression in this context - was enough to knock my socks off. Because, there was Jeep, plonked out in the middle of the lawn, rubbing heads with a leopard - obviously Zouma. It was a super sight seeing them sharing the alignment of some wonderfully, peaceful and positive energies. Let's call it, a Zouma Zen moment.

'Hello Zouma,' I said. 'Lovely to meet you.'

'You too, Graffi,' she replied, giving me a gentle head bump, and a funny tickle with her tail. 'I've just been finding out a little bit about Jeep's life in Africa; of how he got to be here, and also how he gradually became the village philosopher.'

'Oh! Then you must already know much more about him than I do,' I continued, smiling at Zouma. 'Something we need to catch-up on sometime soon, Jeep,' I added, giving him a wink and a swat on the top of his head with the tip of my tail. After this, I shared a hug with them, which I have to tell you was a really special, magic moment.

Before too long, Pâqui and Zouma had to leave us again, and after saying goodbye with a heavy heart, I went and curled up in Serge's office feeling rather empty. Not long afterwards, he arrived and, while giving me a comforting stroke from my nose down to the tip of my tail, he whispered in my ear. 'Graffi, I've got a really special surprise for you. Have a guess what it is.'

This made me perk up immediately and, even though I'd no idea what the surprise was, I pretended that I was deeply in thought on the subject, which seemed ot impress Serge.

After a little while I said, a bit lamely, 'I give up,' which brought a broad smile to his face, and he replied.

'Well, next week we're going to fly to Africa to spend some time out in the wild with Zouma and Pâqui.'

This made me jump so high with excitement that I banged my head on the ceiling and fell into Serge's arms, feeling rather woozy.

'Tomorrow we'll talk about getting ready for the journey,' he said. 'But now it's time to go to bed.' This I did without hesitation, and I have to tell you that I had some absolutley amazing dreams about bouncing around in the clouds. You can't even imagine!

So, just that you, the reader, knows, my fun adventures with Zouma will be starting in the next blog. Definitely not to be missed!

Your friend,

Graffi

www.magicgraffi.com

Copy by Serge Cantsper

Illustration by @flowoolgarbarrington

Magic Graffi’s Aurora Paw-realis

Aurora Paws

My first 'energy cat' adventure.

Hello, and it’s good to have you here with me because I have a question for you. Did you see the aurora the other evening? You know, when the night sky lights up and shows off all sorts of beautiful colours.

You may be aware that this happens because of monster, magnetic energy storms on the sun’s surface, which are called sun spots. And sometimes the energy from these is so powerful that during a really severe storm, the invisible particles around our earth vibrate, and even glow. Normally I would have been fast asleep that night and so missed the aurora, but as luck would have it, I got a fascinating and unexpected surprise that evening. Let me tell you more . . .

Do you remember that I have a marvellous friend called Marmalade? She’s a small, orange marmalade coloured cat, who’s absolutely extraordinary. Why? Because – no kidding – she’s an intergalactic expert in Light, Energy and Colour (LEC). And after the Honky Donk Ball (in Book 3), it was she who joined me in the Woods of Wisdom and Wonder, when we went looking for Tina Turnip. (You’ll find the story about our search for Tina in Book 4. Once it’s published that is!)

During that particular adventure, something truly unexpected happened that led Marmalade to explain to me that the two of us are extremely rare and highly unusual magic creatures. ‘Energy cats,’ was her description. In this blog, you’ll find out about how being an energy cat lead to extraordinary things happening to one.

On that lovely, warm Friday evening several weeks ago, Marmalade and I were lying, stretched out on the red brick, garden wall at home, chattering away while staring up at the lovely twinkling stars. We were talking about the forthcoming arrival of a comet in the sky this month, when, all of a sudden, I got the urge to have a really relaxing stretch. (You know, like when you really want to have a big sneeze!) And, just as I’d got up onto my four paws and was easing myself gently backwards, Marmalade asked, ‘Graffi, can you feel a strong, tingling sensation in your body right now?’ And it was as if, by saying this, she’d turned on a vibration switch within me.

‘Strange that you should ask that right now,’ I replied in a wobbly way, as I started to feel one of those long and unbelievably trembly stretches coming on. ‘Because, I was just about to ask you exactly the same question. Yes, is my answer to you, and now I'm feeling all tickly around my whiskers, my tail and my paws.’

‘And just look at your paws, Graffi,’ Marmalade said. ‘Can you see, they’ve turned a bright orangey colour. And that your tail and whiskers have become sparkly yellow, while your fur is now almost entirely electric blue?’

Looking down at my paws, and then at Marmalade, I replied, ‘They feel all hot and are vibrating, as if they’re rocket motors. And my fur, tail and whiskers have a strange sensation of wiggly waves running through them.'

‘And do you know why?’ she asked, pointing a paw up towards the sky, and laughing. ‘Have a look up there.’ And, following her gaze, I realized, to my astonishment, that I was lifting up off the wall and rising upwards towards the different colours of the dark, night sky, which seemed to be shivering around me.

Looking down at Marmalade, I noticed that her paws and whiskers had suddenly turned a bright mauve, while her nose was a sort of flashing orange, like a roadworks warning light. And then she lifted off too, flying upwards to join me. Not only was this fascinating, but it was really fun as well!

'Can you now feel how light and magic it is being an energy cat, Graffi?' she asked. 'And can you sense the power and amazing energies that we're getting from the sun, even though we can't see it at all right now? You could say that, with our own bright and changing colours, we are Aurora Paw-realis cats up here. And if my predictive energies are correctly aligned right now, I think that we can expect this to happen to us again quite soon. I can sense it in me, like mini-tingles. Can you too?'

And strangely, it was true. I could feel some minute vibrations, but only in my claws. This was really odd and made me giggle quietly. And, once Marmalade had come close to me, we wizzed off together, down and around the field next to our garden, like two coloured drones. But what was was incredible was that while over the field, our eyes had become like very bright spotlights, seriously surprising the bunnies and brighten up their evening no end! After this, with a fireworks-like, fizzy-energy-feeling coming from our paws, we landed happily back on the wall, two contented and colourful, energy cats.

This was my first ever true, energy cat adventure and I can tell you that I've had many more extraordinary and exciting ones since, which I'll tell you about over time.

Your friend,

Graffi

www.magicgraffi.com

Copy by Serge Cantsper

Illustration by @flowoolgarbarrington