I'm sorry I always begin with with a picture of Ren's hair. It's just so...fluffy. 

 

 

 

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"This is a hologram. Like Tupac's hologram." Ren pointed at Craw and dully noted, "Craw? What kind of name is Craw? Crawlogram."

 

Craw was still giggling as he held Ren's face close to his own. The boy reminded him so much of his late father; Ren's every movement had telltale signs of his father's teachings. Craw and Ford had been hovering above him ever since that fateful day when Ren's father unfortunately fell trap to a long-time nemesis. From those four months, Craw was sure that Ren inherited his father's poker face. No matter what emotions were boiling on the inside, the expressions hinted at nothing. 

 

Feeling sentimental, Craw can only smile sweetly at the face he held with his chubby little fingers. "Your face is burning up, Ren-sshi."

 

Ren's hands slowly took hold of Craw's. They felt so cold, Ren thought. He tried to pry them off. But he found he could not. 

 

Craw was still smiling; his eyes were in the shape of half-moons. "Ren, it's an honor for a god to touch your face. Don't you think so?"

 

Ford piqued: "Especially the face of a mere mortal."

 

"Heehee, I think's Ren's face is godly, even if everything else about him is mortal. Right, Ford?"

 

"Feh. It'll rot with time. It's mortal."

 

"Fordy!!"

 

Ren watched the two toddlers on the puffy clouds. Everything was just too surreal. Not just the clouds. Not just the 'gods.' Not just their awful fashion sense. (They were practically wearing rags. Colorful rags flung across their litle shouders, showing baby fat now and then.) No, the oddity that unsettled Ren was their speech. Their warbling, yet articulate speech. Thier lisping, yet eloquent speech. Ren peeked at Ford. Are five year-olds allowed to be cynical little flappers?  

 

"You guys aren't real. This is a dream." 

 

"We're real." Craw and Ford said in unison. 

 

"Prove it. Prove that you're 'gods.'" Ren searched his room and found the book about Hitler that he didn't finish. "Write my report for me. Using the powers that gods should have."

 

"Learning to use us already?" Ford gave a loud 'Ha-ha' and then tapped his cloud with his cane, twice. A glare of white light. A drop of something on Ren's lap. 

 

He looked down and saw a stack of papers, titled: Hitler's Reign, the True Rags to Riches Story. 

 

"No ing way," whispered Ren, amazed and terrified. Ren concluded that these two were either magnificent magicians or...actual gods. Gods. 

 

"Don't curse in front of us. It's sacrilegious." Ford tapped his cane two more times and Ren found himself gagging on a bar of soap, one that suddenly materialized in his mouth. 

 

Craw tapped his cane twice and the bar of soap was replaced with a dry towel. "That's not nice, Fordy."

 

Ford shrugged in response, all the while a devious little smile played on his lips. 

 

Ren's face darkened. He had the horrible aftertaste of soap in his mouth because of that little son of a... 

 

"Hey? Ren? Yooohooo. Galaxy bunbun calling Ren!" Craw flailed his little arm in Ren's face to get his attention. 

 

"Uh, yes?"

 

"I asked, do you know why, when you started high school, your father forced you to change your name?"

 

Ren rose to the defensive; he hated this topic. "Doesn't concern you." 

 

The regret hit seconds after the words rolled off his tongue. He gingerly scratched his nose, wondering if it'll be okay to disrepect the gods. Karma works in mysterious ways, Ren reasoned. Karma also plays favorites. Karma, does not always care about petty things like inappropriate language, Ren told himself. 

 

So, he thought, it's not like I'll be struck by lightning. 

 

"Oh, no, no, no, child. Lightning would not affect you at all," said Craw. 

 

"Not at all." Ford nodded, a bit melancholic. "Sadly."

 

"You can read my mind?" Ren questioned.

 

"Since we completed the ritual, of course we can. Our minds are now connected. Well, actually, it's more of a one way thing. We can read your mind, but you can't read ours." Craw sheepishly scratched his head. 

 

Ford, on the other hand, had to be a bit nasty about it. "We're gods, you mortal child. Of course it would be one way. Our minds are deeper than the oceans and wider than the skies. All these centuries of existing, child. Can you imagine? No. I thought not."  

 

Ren heaved a sigh. Here he is, sitting in his bed, listening to a five year old atop a cloud telling him about how 'deep' and 'wide' his mind is. The worst part was how adorable these toddlers were. Even Ford, with his scowling face and judging glares, was one cute, chubby, wobbly-bobbly baby. "Craw, what ritual?"

 

"When we gave our little speech?"

 

"The ritual doesn't need my consent? I didn't ASK for the speech. You guys just started reading out of nowhere."

 

"Nope. We're gods, not lawyers," Ford drawled. "Remember, gods. Consent can kiss my tushy."

 

"Anyways, back to the question!" Craw pulled out a scroll from thin air and began to explain. "Ren, your birthname is Choi Minki. On November 3rd of two years past, your father gave you your sobriquet—Ren. Now, a hoja would often do that to protect the child. You see, your dad made—"

 

"—a ton of enemies," interjected Ford—

 

"—and thus he wanted to make sure you won't be victimized. Your name had to be changed so that you won't fall—"

 

"—into evil hands, and be tortured, mutilated, and the other things that your father's enemies could think of to do to you," interjected Ford, again—

 

"—because there is this very useful spell, called Name-maiming. The person only need a string of your hair and your name to inflict pain on you. Think of it like a voodoo doll type of thing." Craw smiled, revealing rows of awkwardly cute baby teeth. "But you don't have to worry about that now, do you?"

 

Ren sighed. This was going in one ear and out the other. He felt tired, hungry and confused. 

 

"Can I asked a few questions?"

 

"Of course, ask away!" Craw generously nodded. 

 

"Your names are weird. Why?"

 

"Together, we're Crawford, get it? Crawford? Hehheee. It's wordplay. We translated it from our chinese title. Since, you know, we didn't want to be called Tu-di 1 and Tu-di 2."

 

Ren nodded, even though he did not really understant. "What is a hoja?"

 

"A protector of the galaxy. Dumb-dumb." This time, it was Ford who answered. 

 

"What do you mean by powers?"

 

"Supernatural, superhuman capabilities, Dumb-dumb." Again, it was Ford who answered. 

 

"I don't have any."

 

Craw patted Ren on the back and said, his voice full of hope, "Not to worry, child. Powers awaken slowly. We still have 49 days to mull it over. It'll definitely be realized by then." 

 

Ren nodded, not too invested in his powers anyway. What he really wanted to know was...

 

"Can you tell me more about my dad?"

 

"We..." Craw began. He looked at Ford, unsure what to say. 

 

"Can't." Ford finished for him. 

 

"Why??" 

 

"We're not allowed. We've been forbidden." Craw looked down to the floor. 

 

"You could always learn about your dad from the other protectors that you meet. You're not gonna like the things you hear though." Ford snuffed his nose very haughtily. "The man was a beast."

 

 

 

Time slowly ticked by until it was finally 6AM. Time for school. Ren got out of his bed and dragged himself to the bathroom. Like a robot, he mechanically brushed his teeth, washed his face and changed his clothes. 

 

When Ren finally noticed his reflection, he shrieked (like a lady.) His hair shone like gold! White gold!

 

"WHAT HAPPENED?" he roared, his eyes clearly indicating the question at Ford. 

 

Ford gave a mischievous smile. "You're a hoja. You're special. You're unique. So you get blonde hair. Problem?"

 

"CHANGE IT BACK! CHANGE MY HAIR BACK!"

 

"You no like? This is the doing of karma."

 

"NOOO! YOU PUNK!" Ren's spit flew like small atomic bombs, because he was just that angry. 

 

"How about if I did this." A thud of Ford's tiny cane and suddenly, Ren felt a tug at his hair. When he looked back at his mirror, it was horrifying. His hair, not only was it blonde now, was also long. Long and blonde. (Like a lady.)

 

"Ooooh, pretty. Pretty noona." Ford did a spider fingers routine as he hovered around Ren's head. Then came the maniacal cackle. "Here, let me tie it up for you." 

 

When Ren stumbled out of the bathroom, his ashen face and platinum hair shocked Aaron, who had scrambled to his feet when he heard the blood curdling scream. 

 

"Minki! Your hair!" Aaron looked at his baby cousin with his mouth wide open. Ren had always been cute and pretty for a boy, but with this new hair style, Ren became downright androgynous. But still beautiful, of course. "Wow. Baby cous, you look just like a girl!"

 

"Piss off!" came Ren's angry reply. "I'm riding to school!" 

 

Ren stormed into his room, grabbed his backpack, stormed back out, yanked the door open and rode off on his bike in a madden rush. 

 

Ford sniggered lightly. Watching Ren fume while Aaron stood confused was amusing, he thought. It was a pity that Aaron couldn't see him. Ford rather liked Aaron and his odd displays of affection. Craw drifted over on his cloud and eyed him suspiciously. 

 

"You didn't change his hair color." 

 

"I didn't," confessed Ford. "But I did make it long."

 

"Why didn't you tell him that his sudden upwelling of power was the thing that change his hair color? Fordy, you know we're not suppose to lie...as gods...you know." Craw looked genuinely worried. 

 

"I didn't lie. I just didn't tell him the entire truth. Besides, he'll eventually learn how to change his hair back. Heh." An evil face lighted on his cherubic face. "Craw, should you stay with him?"

 

Craw nodded. "I'll follow him. You'll go and report to the higher ups. Tell them: Choi Minki has awoken." 

 

 

 

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Credits on pic; image does not belong to me.