Rubber Ducky

Juri Skywater watched as his beautiful mother leaned over the edge of the bath tub. She turned the handles on and tested the temperature. The tub began to fill with luke warm water. His mother picked up a blue bottle filled with a gel like substance and poured it under the running water. Right before Juri’s little eyes, bubbles foamed up and hid the crystal water. He looked at his mother in joy. 2

“Mommy!” He cried. “How did you do that?!” Juri tugged on her elbow. 4

“Easy, my son. I used about two cups of soap flakes along with a gallon of water and half a cup of glycerin and with two cups of shampoo. I also added your favorite scent- cocoa butter.” his mother answered. 6

Juri stared at her. He hardly understood what glycerin was, much less soap flakes. He blinked dumfounded at her. 8

His mother tilted her eyebrow and looked back at the filling tub. “I’ll explain later Juri. For now, go get the toys you like to play with.” She told him. 10

Juri yelped out happily and ran to his bedroom. He grabbed as many little action figures and toys his little arms could carry and came back. 12

“Put them in the tub.” His mother spoke as she felt the water once again. When the tub was full, she turned the knobs off. 14

Juri did what he was told and dropped all his toys into the bath tub at once. 16

“Juri, you’re becoming a big boy now. So that makes you allowed to do what big boys do.” She stood up and looked down at him. “Today, you will be allowed to take your own bath; all by your self.” 18

Juri’s eyes lit up with delight. “I can?!” He exclaimed. 20

“Yes.” 22

“Yippee!” Juri threw his arms up in excitement and jumped about the bathroom floor. His mother could only grin and shake her head slowly. He started to pull his shirt off only to have a button tangle in his hair. Juri whimpered and looked up at his mother. She chuckled at him and crouched carefully to his level. Her left leg gave a soft snap of pain. She quickly winced the pain away. “Are you okay mommy?” Juri asked. 24

“Yes, I’m fine. My leg is only being a brat again.” She responded as she reached into his hair to untangle the button. 26

“Mommy’s leg is always a brat!” Juri exclaimed. 28

“Yes. It’s never a good little boy like you.” His mother lifted the shirt off him and smiled. Juri bore the biggest smile he could conjure. “There’s my boy.” She reached out and tickled his sides gently. Juri squealed loudly in laughter and tried to escape her; he failed miserably and ended up scooped into her arms anyway. The tickling fest continued until a knock was heard and the two looked up at the door way. 30

His father stood there with his arms crossed and a wide smirk. An eyebrow tilted upward as his head cocked sideways at the two. “Having fun?” He asked. 32

Juri’s mother placed him back on the ground and stood up. “Finish undressing Juri.” She told him and walked towards her husband. 34

Juri finished undressing and looked up at his parents. He stuck his tongue out and made such a distort face one could mistake him for a gold fish. His parents were kissing right in front of him! “EW!” Juri cried out. 36

His mother looked back at him. “Alright, I’m going to leave you now. If you need anything, just holler for me, understand?” She smiled. 38

“Yes mommy!” Juri turned around and climbed over the bath tub wall. His parents watched him for a moment as he went SPLASH! Juri came back up and gave them a reassuring toothy smile. They closed the door. 40

“Are you sure you want to leave him alone in there?” His father asked his mother. 42

“He’s five years old. He’ll be fine.” She assured him. He only grinned and leaned towards her. 44

“If you say so.” 46

~ 48

Juri looked around the mountains of bubbles. He’s had plenty of baths with his mother before. She would always sit on a stool next to the bath tub and play with him. Now, since he was a big boy, Juri had the entire bath tub all to himself! He smiled widely and reached for an army man action figure hidden in the bubbles. 50

With one toy in one hand, he reached for another. Then he looked around the bubbly hills for the yellow ducky. His yellow plastic friend was all the way on the other side, stranded and very alone. Juri stared, almost afraid to venture there. Usually, mommy would reach in and grab the small duckling if it drifted away from her son’s tiny little fingers. He never swam to the other side all by himself; that was the side where the hole that sucked up all the water was. Juri always thought that if he went near the hole he, too, would be sucked down. 52

But his rubber duck was down there in need of desperate help. Juri took a deep breath into his cheeks and looked down at the bubbles. The mountainous bubbles threatened to keep him away. The tall bubbles popped every time Juri moved around. Soon, a mountain of bubbles hide his ducky friend away. 54

“Ducky!” Juri cried out. He had to save his friend. The young boy gathered what toys he could. “Alright! Listen up! We have a rubber ducky captured by the hole. It is our job to save him.” Juri ordered the toys. He had once seen a movie on television with little green men fighting other little green men. “Some of you will not make it. But, you will not die in vain!” Juri looked at the toys in his arms. “Here we go men! For Ducky!” 56

Juri began moving his frail body through the battle field of bubbles. The bubbles popped at him like guns. Two of his action figures were consumed by the enemy bubbles and dragged into the water. Juri pouted his lips and kept moving toward that mountain. Another green man was swallowed by the deadly bubbles. He had to keep moving. He just had to! 58

Finally, with just two of his toys left as his only defense, Juri arrived at the Mountain of Bubbles. He stopped and stared at it in fear. His tiny fingers gripped his two soldiers as tight as they could. What was waiting for him on the other side would be worse than this terrifying hill of gloom. He bit down on his lower lip and whimpered. His mother wasn’t there to help him now. She wouldn’t be able to pull him out of the enemy territory. Juri wasn’t going to back down now though. No. His friend was in dire need of his help. The young boy wasn’t about to abandon his best friend in the whole world in the evil clutches of that Hole. 60

Juri looked down at his two soldiers. “You’ve been great men, men. Now I need you the most!” he threw the two toys at the bubbles and quickly swam through the gaps. The bubbles popped and hissed at him. He escaped in one piece. Although he did not realize there was a pile of bubbles in his hair. 62

The yellow ducky was in his view. Juri smiled widely with glee. There wasn’t very many bubbles on this side of the bath tub so he had safe passage. The boy swam to the rubber duck and reached out for it. His eyes drifted into the clear water and there it was. The Hole in the tub. Juri froze with his arm stretched out, above the Hole. His heart beat ran faster. 64

Juri gulped hard in his throat. He looked back at his yellow friend. Slowly, as careful as he could, he reached out and grabbed the duckling into his tiny hands. Juri pulled the plastic duck close and smiled with pride. 66

“Don’t ever do that again.” Juri looked at his friend. He stretched his little legs.
Now he had to escape the Hole’s territory before he was caught. He turned his body around and felt his toe get caught in a metal ring. Juri turned his head to see what made him stuck. His eyes bugged out with fear. The Hole had caught him! Juri jerked his foot away. GOOSH! The water was beginning to be sucked in. 68

“MOMMY!” Juri cried out. He splashed and threw his limbs about. The Hole continued to suck up the water, pulling on Juri’s little foot. 70

His mother lifted her head up and snapped to her legs. She stumbled around a little. Her leg was giving her such grief at the moment. 72

Juri continued crying out for his mother. He tried swimming away but had no success. He stopped splashing about and looked down a this foot. The plug that kept the Hole shut was still attached to his foot. The little boy looked at the rubber ducky tight in his hands. He couldn’t allow himself to be defeated like this! He just rescued his friend and lost all his toys. Juri had to do something. 74

He reached for the plug and moved toward the Hole. Juri got closer and closer. He readied the plug in his hand. With his eyes closed and his teeth biting his lower lip, Juri shoved the plug into the mouth of the Hole. The sucking stopped and the water remained with the bubbles. 76

Juri sat there and stared at the water. His smile widened brightly. He defeated the great Hole! The boy began to yelp in joy. 78

His mother limped  down the hall as fast as she could, hearing her son’s yells. She threw the door open and looked at Juri. He stood up in the water, holding the plastic yellow duck. 80

“Mommy! I did it!” Juri shouted happily. “I defeated that hole!” 82

His mother stood in the door way with a grin. “Wonderful, Juri. I’m so proud of you.” She said. She brought a towel out and walked to him. He reached out and felt the dry warmth against his wet skin as his mother wrapped the towel around him. She picked him up and began to dry him off. 84

Juri looked back at the bubbles and hole. He smiled happily. Though many green men were lost, his rubber ducky and himself was safe and in the arms of his mother. 86

The End88