Special Episode: The Griffward Christmas Bazaar

The twenty-first chapter of the Crusaders of the Constellations Novel, it's about Ranald and his friends raising fund for his parent's church on Christmas.

## Story

25 December 2014, before the end-of-year dimensional Mission.

Bai Tu had already hauled a lot of the stuff that his family did not want in the crate for the Dimensional Shuttle to carry. Recently, Samson, with the help of Kanya the tech genius, and the architect Bauhaus, added a major upgrade to the bus-like spaceship: That it can transform into a '**Train Mode**' to carry goods and students. And with the help of Argus, he managed to repaint the white and royal blue exterior and added some yellow stars on it. From what Delmare learned from her first friend, his parents who were from a rich merchant family decided that this stuff is no longer needed, so they had their son haul it away. "But they are jewellery, gold and silver sculptures, and more. How can they not be precious?" she asked. "Well, they told me and my siblings that there's too much stuff in the house they don't need, so they asked me to remove them. At least we're buddies with Samson." Phrixus and Ranald meanwhile were bringing in some sweaters his the shepherd boy's mom knitted. Some were normal wool dyed in many colours, others were of gold, for they were woven from Chrysomallos's wool. "Thanks for helping me catch Chrysomallos and shear him. Man, that fellow doesn't like the shearing season. I hope he still forgives me..." Phrixus said. "It's alright. It seems that your mom and her fellow weavers made more woollen sweater than ever. We're removing the rest that hasn't been sold back in Hellenos," Ranald said.

Tents and all were also loaded in the train cars. The tents were made of silk. Phrixus was dressed in a woollen sweater and shorts. Bai Tu was dressed in a white and green robe, and snow-white pants. Delmare was wearing a pink scarf, and in a dress that is blue, and white, with her skirt portraying dolphins swimming. Ranald was still in his yellow and red clothes, but with a golden scarf, a gift from Phrixus. "You looking forward to going back to your homeland?" Phrixus asked. "I'm not sure, but I hope so." his friend replied. They went into the Dimensional Shuttle and flew to Earth. "I hope we won't be late." Bai Tu said, resting in the seats.

The Dimensional Shuttle flew to the Philippines and landed on St. Griffward Parish's lawn. Samson pressed a button, turning it back into its '**Bus Mode**' after they set up the tents, and laid out the goods and price tags. Not only were the heroes the only ones. Cassiopeia, wanting to take a break from running the Celestial Hall of Residence's cafe, tagged along, as well as Kibahime, who turned into her human form the moment she landed on Earth. Ranald was greeted by his parents. "Meet Father Tithe and Mother Belem," he said. "Nice to meet you," Phrixus said, and shook Tithe's hand. Now, Tithe is a priest or as the people and their children of the church community calls him "Father Tithe" while the orphan children called their foster father & grandfather "Papa T" while his mother is a retired college professor who is now a teacher of her own school that is attached to her husband's church and orphanage, the children of the orphanage called her "Mama B" which her name is short for "Belem" that's her name. "Your friends must be from overseas, eh? And look at the cute little white-haired boy," Tithe said. Bai Tu blushed. No one has ever called him cute before. In the town he was born in, albinos were considered children of the moon and omens of bad luck, resulting in him being shunned by all, except his parents, who overprotected him, resulting in Bai Tu being quite jumpy and easily spooked at almost everything. But because of Ranald's influence, he has been slowly becoming more confident. Anyway, Samson told them that they want their permission to hold a charity bazaar. "Yes, you can. You see, our church is quite lacking in funds, ever since most of the churchgoers went to the megachurches in the big cities," Belem said. "Never heard of a mega-church before until I entered university. I studied religion once and found that the atmosphere there is quite modern unlike your church, which is traditional, and that their worship sessions aren't that different from secular rock concerts. Explains a lot why they are more popular," Phrixus said. "That's because they want to feel good instead of doing good," Kibahime replied sardonically. Ranald and his friends went to the stalls to sell the goods.

Some tourists from the USA, China, Singapore, France, etc. splurged their money on Bai Tu's stuff, like the jade rabbit sculptures and the clothes and jewellery his mother and his aunts don't want. "So, do people adopt any of the orphans?" Delmare asked Belem. "Very few," Ranald's mother sighed, "The last adoption was seven years ago, by a childless couple from the city near the town we live in. The mother of the adopted child rarely meets me for lunch nowadays because of her business schedule." Most of the European tourists and some locals bought Phrixus's sweaters. Cassiopeia cooked some delicious casserole for the orphans, and Delmare helped clean up. "Does this place have superheroes like the ones in movies and comics?" Bai Tu asked Tithe. "I've heard of superheroes before, but all I know that in other countries, they are either an existence akin to urban legends or something like vigilantes," Ranald's dad said. "In here, there are very few superheroes in the city near my son's neighbourhood. They rarely come here, and I don't get to hear much about them very often. All I know that some are rich, and among these, there are some who are actually fine with having no powers and that the ones with powers can be a bit haughty, but overall, they are well-meaning," he added. "Then again, maybe those supers in the USA or wherever are that good at hiding themselves," the albino boy joked. Ranald's parents went to bring some money earned into the church's treasury.

Some of Ranald's bullies went to where Bai Tu and Kibahime are and asked them why is it that they are not selling St. Griffward Parish's orphan children. Kibahime glared at them, yet not wanting to transform into her fox spirit form in front of Earthlings, said through gritted teeth, "Because it is not... a slave house." Bai Tu, remembering being called a bad omen by his hometown back in Wu Dai, stared at the bullies with his red eyes. One bully ran away, probably having never seen a human with albinism before. The leader of the bullies stared back at Bai Tu and told him that they want some money to buy drugs.

Thing here is, to the people in his town and neighbourhood, they called the rich and successful business people of the big city "Super powerful" as in his town thinks that the people from the big city have the power to get rich fast just because they have power over them, and as some of the rich and powerful were supers, they not only revered them as being like or as gods, but they judged Ranald 'cause they thought that there's no way he can fit in the city just because he's human while the city people are powerful rulers akin to the superheroes from other nations and even deities of world mythology, and though he and his family will be one of them but little did they know that Ranald not only helped his family but his own town and neighbourhood too. Those people from his neighbourhood may treat him and his place so badly but that doesn't mean he can let them live poorly or letting them live in a place like this but Ranald will show his town that he doesn't need to be powerful to overcome the city and he'll be a great example to them that being human is what makes you powerful enough and he will help both his family and people. That's the Golden Rule his Papa used to say to him when he first read the Bible with him.

"But that's illegal here! If this is the land of Singapore, the police will haul you to rehab or something!" Bai Tu protested. "You. Will. Give. Me. The. Money. Or else..." "Sorry, doggie, I have principles, unlike you," Bai Tu said, tossing his head at the leader bully. Kibahime may be in her human form by now, but she can notice the differences between normal humans and super-powered people. She observed the bully carefully and noticed that something was very, very unnatural... and that the 15-year-old albino (his birthday is on March 3) may be in serious trouble...

The bully's face was elongating into the snout of a canine. His eyes turned golden yellow, and his ears turned pointy. Brown fur grew on his arms and legs, and his teeth sharpened. A low growl, like that of an angry guard dog issued from his throat. His hands curled into paws with claws as sharp as knives. Some tourists and locals seeing the sight of the bully transforming, ran away, with one blaming himself for watching too many werewolf movies. I thought that Geri is the only werewolf I know. But that ain't a werewolf, but a type of super-human I learned about in King Athos's courses on superheroes of Earth, Kibahime thought. She signalled to Delmare and company, but to no avail. She looked at Bai Tu, and he looked back and understood.

\*PUNCH\* His fist went to the bully-turned-wolf's face and sent him flying into some locals and Japanese tourists. "Seriously?!" one cried. Bai Tu walked out from the stall, and shouted, "Keep your hands off the precious!" The wolf shifter lunged at him, only for him to run away. The other bullies followed the pack leader and chased the young boy to where Ranald and his friends are. "Jumping Jackrabbits! I'm going to be lunch todayyyyyyyy..." the albino screamed. Ranald then got up, and told Phrixus, "Looks like it's wolf-stopping day, aside from Christmas." The bully-wolf was about to attack Bai Tu when his head got smacked by a hand wrapped in a scarf. "Paws off the kid!" Ranald cried as he pulled the wolf's tail and flung him away.. The creature whimpered and attempted to bite him. But Ranald dodged and punched its sides.

After a few fights later, some expats from overseas came upon the sight. They thought that it was some kind of performance, so they threw coins. Kibahime had an idea, and grabbed a cardboard box, threw the coins she got into it, and yelled like a circus ringmaster, "Step right up and watch as some young man tames a wolf into submission!" Ranald used Tai Chi to dodge the wolf shifter's blows.

Another bully wanted to help but was told by another one to stay away. The other bully threw himself on the ground and grew a reptilian snout and tail. Scales grew on his skin, and his eyes turned into those of a crocodile. "Wow, more shifters!" Cassiopeia mouthed as she rushed to the scene wearing her apron. Some children followed her and watched Ranald wrestle a wolf and crocodile to the ground, and laughed. Some tourists took photos with their smartphones, and Ranald let the animals go. Kibahime ran off to St Griffward Parish, while the animal shifters chased after Bai Tu. Ranald's parents were alerted to what happened with their son, so they ran to the bazaar.

"What's going on here?" Tithe and Belem asked as they watched their son defend Bai Tu from the wolf and crocodile. The two animals were exhausted from the fight, yet they stared at Ranald, waiting for chances to attack him. Ranald stared at them and remembered something from his childhood: A wolf and a crocodile, along with his bullies chasing him down the town alleys. Maybe that's them? He walked away from them and joined his parents.

Two men and two women went up to them and apologized for the mess. "The wolf is my son who inherited my shapeshifting powers," said the man wearing a brown and orange superhero costume with a wolf symbol on it. The other one, wearing a jungle-green superhero costume with armour and a crocodile symbol told then that he and his partner are partners, and that the crocodile is actually his son. The women married to the superheroes apologized to Belem, who said, "No worries." The man in the brown and orange costume introduced himself as the superhero Lobong Ligaw while the armoured superhero introduced himself as Buaya. They looked at Ranald and said, "That's your son? Hmmmm...he looks like he's been working out a lot. Anyway, I find his skills at fighting impressive."

Ranald managed a small "Thank you." from his mouth. Buaya asked about the bazaar, and Belem said that their son's friends want to help raise money for their church, school, and orphanage. Lobong Ligaw, who is rich, then walked up to Phrixus and the woollen sweaters with him. He paid a handsome sum of money to buy the sweaters for his family. He called his son, who transformed back into his human form, to him. Buaya did the same thing his partner did. Some locals in Ranald's neighbourhood complained to the costumed men about Ranald's ambition to work in the city to support his family, and that he talks to his stuffed toy and such. Lobong Ligaw then said, "Do not judge him. I see that he has a lot of potential. If a great disaster befalls your town one day, I don't know what will happen...but he would save it someday." The people groaned, and as soon as one blurted out that they would rather let their city be destroyed than let Ranald and his friends save them with or without powers, Buaya shook his head and sighed, "I'm afraid that if that's what you want, there will be no one left for you to turn to. Look, he and his parents work very hard to care for orphans, and this is how you treat them." The people walked away after hearing the superhero's words, arguing among themselves. His sons told their parents that Ranald is too perfect for them and that he has been telling children wild stories. "Why let that bother you?" Buaya's wife asked, "Even he has his own problems to deal with in the future." The superheroes and their families thanked Ranald and his parents, then left, carrying some sweaters, jewellery and stuff they bought. The bullies left, some glaring at Ranald and his friends. "Don't let em affect you," Samson advised.

After almost all of the goods have been sold, Ranald's parents thanked him and his friends for helping them. The children thanked them too, and Phrixus said that they can keep whatever has not been sold. The parents thanked them, not knowing that somewhere in Dreamland, their Dimensional Mates were smiling from above. As they packed up, Tithe told Ranald that he prepared a gift for him, and told his son to open it when he and his friends reached school. Ranald thanked his father, placed the gift in his schoolbag, and replied that he's already in school. Upon hearing that, his parents became overjoyed that their son's now studying. They helped their son and his friends pack up the tents and all, and after that, Ranald and his buddies bade Tithe and Belem goodbye. "See you someday," he said. Together, he and his boarded the Dimensional Shuttle, which is in its **Bus Mode**. When it drove away from Ranald's town, it flew off to Aether World Cosmic University.

When they landed, Ranald told Phrixus that it's hard to imagine that there are rich people, even if they are superheroes, who don't judge him for his social standing. "That's how they become heroes. It is ultimately their kindness and willingness to use their superpowers to do good not for fame or for money, but for the people's sake that makes them heroes. And they're not arrogant just because they have powers." Phrixus said. "Sadly, in Earth and other dimensions, people think that only havin' powers make you entitled to be a hero," Samson remarked. Bai Tu asked if they have received any gifts. "Let's go to our respective Halls and find out," Kibahime said.

In the Hall of the Moon, Bai Tu and Kibahime have already opened their gifts. As Bai Tu's studying Herbology and Medicine, he received a green jade mortar decorated with a moon and clouds and a white jade pestle. Kibahime received a pink silk scarf. She looked for Mayari and found her chatting with a white reindeer with golden antlers. The lady turned around to see the fox spirit stare at the deer, and said, "Meet Cerynitis, my foster mother. She has just given me a gift." Cerynitis looked at Kibahime and said, "Nice to meet you. I was busy encouraging her regarding what is to come in the final battle." Mayari showed the fox spirit her gift, which is a pair of silver gloves. Kibahime the fox spirit then pointed out that they are perfect for someone into archery like her.

At the Hall of Neptune, Delmare was glad to find out that a new pearl necklace was her gift. She wore it and asked Wallfisch if she looked pretty in it. "Why yes, of course," he said. He went to his waterproof bed to open his gift there. Delmare asked Ichiguen if he has already received a gift. The merman popped out from the indoor swimming pool with the floating beds, and said, "I received two whips for a Christmas gift. I want to give the extra to Ranald. Hope he likes it." At the Hall of the Sun, Phrixus found out that he has four gifts: Three are golden woollen sweaters for Delmare, Bai Tu, and Kibahime, and the other is a silver woollen sweater, all made by his mom. Ranald also has two gifts: A golden woollen sweater from Phrixus's mom, and a jacket dyed yellow, with a griffin on its back from Tithe. How the golden woolen sweater ended up in his bag is a mystery. Ranald thought that Santa Claus did it.

A note from his Earth father attached to the jacket read: "*In heraldry, the griffin is used to denote strength and leadership. It has courage and boldness, and it is always drawn to powerful fierce monsters. Being both part eagle and lion, it indicates traits a leader must have: strength and intelligence. They were said to guard gold in ancient times, but as friendship is more precious than all the gold in the world, I hope that you may guard your bonds with the friends you made, and have the courage and boldness to defend those you love. From, Tithe and Belem.*"

Ranald smiled. It may have been a tiring day, but he sure got to help his parents out in raising money for their church and orphanage. He told Baby Little that he's happy to have done a good deed on a holiday. 'That's wonderful. Your parents and friends really love you and want the best for you, and I see that you love them as well. Keep it up, and have a good night's sleep." Ranald smiled, and he and his friend went to their respective rooms to sleep peacefully for the holiday night.