The sun was just coming up when Billy opened his eyes, stretched and yawned. He lay in bed listening to his Grandpa snore. He felt happy and content. He loved him more than he could ever put into words. He thought he was being quiet but Grandpa must have sensed he was up and opened his eyes. "Good morning Sport, how did you sleep?" asked Grandpa.

"I slept like a log. I can’t remember when I had such a peaceful sleep" replied Billy.

"I know what you mean" said grandpa.

"It must have been from all the excitement we had last night. We better get ourselves together and see what have become of our guest. I still can’t believe it. I can’t wait to see what our day has in store for us" said Billy.

Billy jumped out of bed and ran into the washroom. He had a quick shower, brushed his teeth, combed his hair and got dressed. He was about to leave when Grandpa knocked on the door. "Hurry up Billy I need to get washed up."

"Just coming out" replied Billy.

"Thanks sport. I will be out shortly and then I can make us some breakfast" said Grandpa. "Could you go and see to our guests? I will be out as soon as I can" said Grandpa.

Billy ran into the living room but there was no one there. He scratched his head and wondered where they could have gone. Suddenly he heard a voice. "Hi Billy, my main dude what’s happening? You look well rested. Where’s your Grandpa'" asked Shaker.

"He’s getting dressed. He will be out soon and then we will have some breakfast. Where are the others?" asked Billy.

"They are on the way. Here they come now" replied Shaker.

"Good morning Billy. We hope you had a good rest" said Mr. & Mrs. Oopsey.

"Did I hear something about breakfast?" asked Cookie.

"You sure did and it is coming up right now!" chimed in grandpa as he entered the room. "I hope you are all hungry. Billy will you please set the table?"

"Yes, I will do it right away" replied Billy. "Please sit down and help yourself to some juice while I help grandpa with breakfast" said Billy.

"Thank you very much Billy" replied the Thumb Buddies.

Cookie, Shaker and Mr. & Mrs. Oopsey sat down at the table and took a sip of their orange juice. "Wow, this juice is as wonderful as it was last night. It is so refreshing and cold, the taste is amazing. I can’t wait to try breakfast. I bet our taste buds are in for a treat" said Cookie.

"We certainly agree chimed in Shaker and Mr. & Mrs. Oopsey!"

"Our first day on Earth, Wow. I can’t think of lovelier people to share it with. Thank you Monty, we will not let you down. To the future and all it brings. May we be the instruments of hope for all" said the Thumb Buddies.

They were just helping themselves to some more juice when Billy appeared carrying a plate full of pancakes. "I hope you are hungry; grandpa makes the best pancakes in the world. We also have some maple syrup and strawberries to go on top. Wait until you taste them. You are in for a real treat" said Billy. He placed the pancakes, strawberries and maple syrup on the table and was just about to go back into the kitchen when grandpa called out, "Sit yourself down Billy, I will be right out with the coffee!"

Billy sat down took a sip of his juice and looked over at the Thumb Buddies. "Wow, was this great. Here I am, sitting across from these beautiful creatures. I am truly a lucky boy" he thought.

Finally Grandpa came out of the kitchen with the coffee. He dished out some pancakes and strawberries on each plate. "Help yourself to some maple syrup. You are in for a treat. It is sweet and goes well with the pancakes and strawberries. Would anyone like to try some coffee? It is a hot beverage and I think you will like it?" asked grandpa.

"Yes, it smells wonderful, we would love to try some please" said Mr. & Mrs. Oopsey. Grandpa got up and poured them each a cup.

"Please start eating. I hope you enjoy your breakfast" said Grandpa. You didn’t have to say it twice; the food was gone in an instance!

"Wow, that was fantastic. I love pancakes. Pancakes are great. Give me a pancake any day of the week"; sang Shaker.

"Oh no, here we go again. He is going to start dancing and singing about pancakes. Forever the entertainer" said Cookie.

"What can I say, I love pancakes. When I love something I tend to dance and sing about it" replied Shaker.

"Well I am glad you enjoyed your pancakes" chuckled grandpa. "You will be trying many other foods just as good."

"It will be our pleasure to help you clear the table and wash the dishes" said Mr. & Mrs. Oopsey. "Cookie, why don’t you take Billy and Shaker outside to get some fresh air. We will join you as soon as we are finished in here?" said Mrs. Oopsey.

"Is there anything we can do before we leave?" asked Cookie.

"No thanks we have enough help for the moment. Go on take Billy out and have some fun" replied Grandpa.

Billy, Cookie and Shaker opened the door and went outside. It was a beautiful day, the sun was warm and the water on the lake was sparkling. Billy took in a deep breath of air and sighed. "We will be leaving today to go back home. Will you be coming with us? I really would like you to meet my mother. She is wonderful, you will really like her and I’m sure she is going to love you. Please say you will come. I really need a friend and some advice" said Billy. Shaker and Cookie looked at Billy; there were tears in his eyes.

"Of course we will come. It will be our pleasure. Is there something you want to talk about Billy? Is something bothering you? Come here and let us give you a big hug."

Cookie and Shaker held out their arms and Billy went over to them. They embraced him with such tenderness that Billy felt safe and warm. "Tell us what is wrong and we will help you" said Cooke and Shaker.


"I don’t know where to start" Billy said. "It has nothing to do with my mother or Grandpa. They are great and I love them with all my heart. There are so many problems in school. I am very confused and sometimes I find it hard to sleep at night. I don’t want to burden grandpa and my mother with it. They have a lot to deal with already. I feel that I can confide in you. I would really appreciate your help and advice.

"Where do I start? There are so many problems in school. The most disturbing one for me is bullying. There is a new kid from the Caribbean who joined our class. His name is Joshua and he is very nice, we have become good friends. The problem is the other kids are picking on him. They call him nasty names and are pressuring me to drop him as my friend. I keep telling them to leave him alone but they just keep bullying him. They say he speaks funny, he is not the right colour and he smells. I don’t understand. So what if he is another colour. I don’t care. I think he is great and I really like his accent. I can’t stand them picking on him. He tells me not to get involved, but how can I not. He is my friend. What should I do? How can I help my friend?" asked Billy.

Cookie and Shaker looked into Billy‘s eyes. They felt his pain and confusion. They saw his inner beauty, his innocence and pure of heart. They felt the love for his friend. Cookie and Shaker reached out and held Billy’s hand.

"First let us tell you that a bully is a coward. They prey on others so they can feel better about themselves. The sad truth is they are only hurting themselves. In life there will be many obstacles in your way. You must pick your own path. Colour is just that a colour. Look at us. We are not all the same. Yes, we are created in the image of thumbs but we are of different colours as well. If there was no diversity in this world, it would be boring. People are not so different. If people open their minds and hearts to the little differences in each other, imagine how wonderful it would be. In order to help your friend you must first come to terms with your conflicting emotions.

"Go to your teacher and explain what is going on. Ask your teacher if she can bring in someone from the Caribbean. Maybe Joshua can persuade his parents to share their culture and experiences with the children. Acceptance and tolerance comes from understanding. This will help them to understand that people are all the same. They must be judged not for their colour or culture but for their words and deeds. You must start by always telling your mom and grandpa what is going on. They will be able to guide you as well. We will come to school with you. We will show these kids what your friend goes through. They will see and feel your friends fear and his pain. These are one of our many gifts given to us to help mankind to stay on the right path - the path of peace, tolerance and acceptance of each others diversity. The beauty of an individual does not stem from the outward appearance but from the inner light that shines through in ones personality. Yes this is why we are here. Put your mind at ease" said Cookie and Shaker.


"Thanks, I really appreciate your words of encouragement. I feel better already. I can’t wait for you to meet my friend Joshua. I know he will love you" stated Billy. The tears in Billy’s eyes were gone. He gave Cookie and Shaker the biggest hug. His face shone with such beauty and innocence that it could have brightened up the darkest night.

Meanwhile inside the camper Grandpa along with Mr. & Mrs. Oopsey finished cleaning up. "Well that was great. Thanks for all the help Mr. and Mrs. Oopsey. Would you like to go outside and enjoy some of that wonderful sun? We can discuss what plans you have in mind. By the way where did you go last night? I heard you leaving the camper. Is there anything we can do for you? I know this must be as strange to you as it is to us. We will be honored if we can be of any assistance to you" said Grandpa.

"You are most kind and thoughtful, but no, there is nothing wrong. We went outside when you went to bed. It was such a beautiful night and we needed to contact Monty. We will be reporting back to him every night. He has shown us where our journey must begin. It starts with you and Billy. I hope that it is okay. Can we accompany you back to your home"; asked Mr. & Mrs. Oopsey?

"You are most welcome, it will be our pleasure to have you as our guest" replied Grandpa.

"Thank you, but every night we must leave. We must return to our home, our resting place. It is located in a different dimension. A place where we can rest and report our experiences to Monty. He will guide us. But never fear all you have to do is call our names and we will appear" replied Mr. & Mrs. Oopsey. Grandpa looked at these beautiful little creatures and smiled. It sure turned out to be a beautiful day. Full of excitement and promise.

"Well let’s join the others for a few minutes of sun and then we will start our journey home. You will meet my daughter Lilly, Billy’s mother. We also have a cat. His name is skittles and he is lovely. Just a big ball of fur and love. He is Billy’s cat but he loves all of us. I’m sure he will love you too" said Grandpa.

"Thank you very much for your kind words. We look forward to meeting your daughter Lilly and of course skittles. We can talk to Skittles for you. We have the ability to communicate with all living creatures. This is but one of our many gifts given to us. Every living thing has a purpose in this life. We are here not to judge but to guide mankind on to the right path. Come let us join the others"; said Mr. Oopsey.

Grandpa opened the door of the camper and they went outside. It was indeed a beautiful, warm and sunny day. Grandpa looked at the lake. It was sparkling and there in the light was Billy, Cookie and Shaker skipping stones across the water. It was a peaceful and beautiful site. He hadn’t seen Billy that happy and care free in such a long time. His heart felt light and free. He looked at his grandson and these beautiful little creatures and laughed.


"Well, well what have you three been up to?" asked Grandpa. Billy looked over at his Grandpa and smiled.

"We were just talking and skipping stones. Would you like to join us?" replied Billy.

"Thanks sport but we should get going. The traffic will be awful if we get caught in it. I promised your Mom we would be home by four o’clock. She wants you to have a good rest before you go back to school tomorrow. By the way guess what? Our friends are joining us. Isn’t that wonderful?" said Grandpa.

"I know Grandpa, Cookie and Shaker have already agreed to come. I can’t wait until mother meets them. She is going to be so exited. We better call and let her know we have guest for dinner" said Billy.

"That’s a great idea sport. Let’s go we will call her on the way" said Grandpa.

They all got into the camper and Grandpa started the engine. "Okay everyone, safety first. Please put your seatbelts on and thank you for flying air Grandpa" he chuckled. There was a roar of laughter as Grandpa drove away.

Off they went, to the beginning of a new adventure - filled with promise and an exciting future!