Once Upon a time, in a small country called Smirftopia, there lived a girl named Zuri. Zuri had shoulder-length purple hair and emerald green eyes...and...uh...oh, never mind! Hi. My name is Zuri and yes, that's what I look like. I moved from Smirftopia back home to Sunshine Island a while ago. I'm not sure why they call it Sunshine Island, though. I mean, it rains every day. It was raining the day I got here. But one day, it almost didn't rain...(take it away invisible narrating voice person!).

"Sunshine! Sunshine! Sunshine!" yelled a colourfully dressed dancing clown on Zuri's alarm clock. Slowly a small hand raised from the mountain of bundled blankets that hid Zuri from the world. Once at full height, the hand paused, then slammed itself down so hard on the 'off' button that it also sent the clock tumbling to the floor.

"I's naweven sunny!" Zuri slurred, tiredly. Her head poked out from under the blankets, hair in disarray and covering most of her face with one eye completely closed and the other barely half open. She yawned, stretched, and rolled off her bed, joining her alarm clock on the floor. It was a moment before she actually got up. Stumbling into her kitchen, Zuri realized that there was actually sunlight coming through the window. She didn't have time to let her jaw drop before the phone rang.

"Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring! Bananaphone!" it blared. Zuri rushed over to pick it up. "Hello?"

"Zuri!" her friend Addie chimed excitedly on the other end. "It's not raining today, so I am getting everyone together for a picnic! Wanna come!?"

"Sure." Zuri replied.

"You don't sound very excited. You don't want to come, do you!?" Addie began to sound like she was going to cry, before it changed completely and she started on some kind of rant that Zuri wasn't going to let her finish.

"I really do want to come." she interrupted Addie, happily. "You said under the Sunnyblossoms tree on Rainaway Hill, right?"

"Yeah." Addie sounded happy again, just the way she had started the conversation.

"Okay. I'll see you all there in an hour. Bye." and she hung up her phone.An hour later it still wasn't raining, which Zuri found odd, as she made her way to Rainaway Hill. At the very top she saw all her friends: Addie, Isamuchi, Katie, Keeran, Malaree, Melissa and Zack playing around and waiting for her. She scrambled up the big hill and was huffing when she finally reached the top.

“Zuri!” Addie screeched as she glomped her tired friend.

“Hi Zuri!” Malaree called, running over and making the glomp a group hug. Katie and Keeran followed close behind. Isamuchi wasn’t exactly sure what to do. Joining the group hug seemed awkward but not joining still felt awkward as well. Zack finished fixing his laptop and was about to join the group hug, when it suddenly dispersed and he was left standing there with his arms open as if expecting the air to give him a hug.

“What are you doing?” Zuri asked him.

Zack turned around to see Zuri standing there with her head tilted to the side and a puzzled expression on her face. Zuri wore a moderate length plad skirt with different shades of brown. These were accompanied by knee-high rainbow striped socks and dark purple Chappy-themed rain boots. Her deep purple hair was pulled back into it’s usual ponytails and held with two black ribbons. “I was…uh…just…nothing.” he wasn’t sure what to tell her. “But you look pretty.” he added quickly.

Zuri’s face fell slightly. “You tell me that every day.”

“But it’s true.”

“You even said that the day that my hair discovered static electricity and I tried to put make-up on. It took me two days to get the lipstick off my forehead.” Zuri pointed to said spot on her forehead.

Zack opened his mouth to reply-“Lunch time!” Katie called to them.

The pair turned to see the rest of their friends sitting on a sprawled out blanket and passing around food. Katie waved them over. Her bright purple hair had a small braid on one side and she wore a vest that was black on the top but changed to grey on the bottom with a grey and whit polka-dotted long sleeved shirt underneath, paired with a long dark brown pleated skirt and dark blue socks. Zuri skipped happily over and plopped down next to Keeran, Zack taking the spot to her right. Zuri took a piece of sandwich and delightedly munched on it, soon moving on to the other goodies that had been packed.

“Karaoke!” Addie chirped as everyone was beginning to get full. “I brought karaoke! Who wants to go first!?” Zuri was about to volunteer but Addie didn’t give anyone enough time to answer. “Okay, then. I’ll go first!” Out of thin air Addie pulled out a microphone and began to holler notes in what could have possibly been a tune and jumping around in what was her attempt at dancing.

“But it’s good, Isamuchi! Try it!” Zuri turned to see Melissa trying to get Isamuchi to eat a mini cheese-filled hotdog.

“Noo.” Groaned Isamuchi. “I already ate too much.”

“Come on. Try it. Choo choo! Open up for the choo choo train then!” Melissa yelled in a joking tone as if Isamuchi was two.

As Zuri turned, she locked gazes with Katie and they both seemed to think that Melissa’s ‘choochoo’ line was pretty funny because they both burst into a fit of giggles at the same time.
Malaree and Keeran seemed too entranced by Addie’s ‘performance’ to notice. Keeran applauded wildly and Malaree seemingly content with silently watching and eating her rice. Zack was pre-occupied with whatever he was doing on his laptop to notice.
“I have a question.” Zuri told Katie. “What’s Addie’s microphone plugged into and don’t you need music for karaoke?”
“I don’t know. Good point.” Katie nodded.
“Then where’s the music coming from?”
“Well, maybe it’s…” Katie began, pausing to think. “I don’t know.” she finished slowly. Both girls looked around, confused.
After a few more songs, Addie had retired from her singing career and sat down. A wild applause was heard from Keeran. Malaree and Isamuchi also gave a small applause each, but not as big as Keeran’s.
“So what do we do now?” Melissa asked, shoving the small food into Isamuchi’s mouth, causing him to sputter.
“I wanna roll down the hill!” Zuri blurted.
“I’m in!” Malaree exclaimed and threw a hand in the air.
“I’ll go.” Keeran nodded.
“Me too!” Addie yelled before she took off to roll down the hill.
“But what about packing up the-” Zack began. It was too late. Addie had already disappeared behind the hill. “…stuff…” He finished.
“I guess we’ll have to pack it up.” Katie told them.
Isamuchi and Zack took care of the plates and containers while Katie, Keeran and Melissa took care of the cutlery, leaving Zuri to attend to the blanket.
“Get your stupid butt off the blanket, Zack!” Zuri yelled.
“Hold on.” Zack said as he turned his attention back to trying to stack the plates.
“No! Get up now!” Zuri yanked at the chequered cloth. I’ll break those plates if you don’t get up.”
“They’re plastic.” Zack replied confidently.
“Then I’ll break them on your thick head!” Zuri snapped, yanking so hard that the blanket flew out and it sent Zack tumbling over. “There we go.” Zuri happily chirped. “Now.” She held up the blanket. “How do I fold it?” With help from Keeran, Zuri managed to fold the blanket.
Since Katie Melissa and Isamuchi weren’t going to roll, they split the picnic luggage as they watched the others tumble down the hill and stumble when trying to get up at the bottom.
“I can’t believe that it’s still sunny out.” Isamuchi stated once they were all gathered together again.
“Yeah.” Zack agreed.
“I liked the rain.” Zuri pouted. Malaree patted her head.
“What are we going to do now.” Isamuchi was the second person to ask that question.
“No idea.” Malaree replied.
“A better question would be, what’s wrong with them?” Zack pointed to Melissa and Katie who looked like they were both having panic attacks.
“The Jonah Brothers!” they both squealed.
Zuri and Malaree tuck’n’rolled in opposite directions in order to avoid being trampled on as their friends dashed over to the poster, causing many cars to swerve as they ran across the street without looking. Keeran made her way over as well, looking both ways before crossing the street. Malaree joined them.
“I hate the Jonah Brothers.” Zuri grumbled. “It’s not like they’re talented or good looking.”
“I’m with you there.” Isamuchi nodded in agreement.
“I’m not a fan.” Zack shook his head.
“Where’s Addie?” Zuri asked.
“Over there.” Isamuchi pointed to where the others were standing.
“Wait. When was she over here?” Zack asked.
“No idea.” Zuri blinked.
The three turned back around to see Katie and Melissa fighting over who was going to hug the poster.
“Should we go over?” Isamuchi inquired.
“Would it be smart if we did?” Zack wondered.
“Purple flying monkeys from Uranus that like Cinabuns. Zuri stated with a firm nodd.
“What?” the two boys asked, turning to look at Zuri.
“You heard me.” Zuri said as she walked over to join their friends, Isamuchi and Zack following suit.
“Give me my Noah Jonah!” Melissa yelled.
“I want my Jonah Jonah!” Katie hollered back.
“I feel sorry for Konah Jonah. No one seems to want him.” Malaree said to no one in particular.
“But Konah Jonah has a wife, right? She wanted him.” Keeran replied thoughtfully.
“True.” nodded Malaree.
“Melissa. Katie. Stop fighting. It’s a stupid poster.” Zuri said as she approached, clearly annoyed. She reached out and tried to tug the poster from her friends’ grips. Instead, the poster tore into three different pieces as Katie and Melissa flew in opposite directions. Both retaliated quickly and ran back to yell at Zuri.
“You ripped him!” they yelled, both holing up their pieces of the poster.
“Oh well. You’ll find another poster.” Zuri shrugged.
“No! Now you have to go to their concert!” Melissa yelled, grabbing Zuri’s hand, dragging her over to a parked car and shoving her in the back seat. She ran around and got in the drivers seat, stomping on the gas pedal, frantically turning the wheel and making unnecessary screeching noises with her voice.

“Eeeeeeeee! Eeeeeerrrrrrrrrr! Ssssssscccccccrrreeeeeeeeaaaacccccchhhhhhh!”

Zuri flailed around in the back seat for a moment before she managed to kick the door open.
“Melissa! Why aren’t we moving!?” Zuri yelled.
Melissa halted her antics and looked at Zuri. “Oh.”
Zuri crawled out onto the sidewalk, in slight disarray as a raindrop fell on her nose. More slowly following.
“It’s raining!” Malaree announced happily.
“Great. There goes my hair looking nice.” Melissa grumbled.
“Hurray!” Zuri cheered. Soon it was pouring and they were enjoying themselves as they danced in the rain and splashed in the puddles. Well…Katie and Melissa had run off to get their Jonah Brother tickets, Zack ran off to get shelter for his laptop and Isamuchi preferred to stay dry under the shelter of his umbrella. So really it was just Keeran, Addie, Malaree and Zuri enjoying the rain.
“I have an ocean in my boot.” Zuri said, removing her footwear and dumping out all the water. A fish also fell out and began to flop around on the cement.
“Oh no! The poor fish.” Malaree ran over.
Zuri quickly put more water in her boot and scooped the fish back in, happy when it swam around. “I’m going to name him Philip Fishytail the first.” Zuri announced.

THE END