Chapter 1:  Domo Comes to Live with The Kid

Once upon a time, in a cold and bitter land called Ohio, there lived a boy.  A boy whose name was The Kid.  A boy of relatively short stature and strange tendencies.  A boy with strange likes and dislikes.  A boy who loved pizza and soda … A lot.

Domo lived in a very different place.  Domo hatched from an egg in the sunny warmth of Japan and stumbled into a cave with Mr. Usaji, an elderly rabbit.  Mr. Usaji was a good rabbit and decided to take Domo in.  Domo made many friends.

Domo, who looked very scary but had a heart as soft and squishy as he truly was, loved to watch TV with Mr. Usaji and have wild and exciting adventures with Hee and Haw, two pixie twins from a flower that only Domo could see.  Unfortunately, it was those daydreams that led Domo into trouble.

One day, Domo daydreamed that the moon was made of cheese. He dreamed that pigs could fly.  He dreamed that the Earth was actually round.  These thoughts by themselves and left in his large, block-of-a-head may have been harmless, but Domo had a difficult time separating his imaginative world from the real world.  He also had a difficult time keeping his daydreams to himself, and he began telling people of his crazy dreams.

These thoughts did not go over well with Mr. Usaji, and he and the rest of Domo’s friends decided that Domo must be kicked out of Japan for his crazy dreaming.  He would be sent to a deserted wasteland where no one would have ever have to listen to his crazy talk every again.  And so they sent him to Ohio, a far away land in a place called America.

Domo was dropped from an airplane high above the clouds onto what Mr. Usaji had thought was a deserted wasteland. It may have been a wasteland, but it certainly wasn’t deserted.  It was where The Kid lived!

The Kid found Domo shivering in the snow, crying to himself.  The Kid’s initial reaction to Domo’s less than pleasant figure was shock and horror, but after realizing that Domo was alone and scared and had a sensitive side, The Kid decided to take him in.

This is how Domo came to live with The Kid.

Chapter 2:  Domo’s First Day Out

Rather than staying in the room all day, Domo decided he would like to go out with The Kid.

It was decided that Domo would go to class and chapel with The Kid that day, but The Kid told Domo he could not come with him to work.

“It’s all boring computers, Domo.  You wouldn’t like it,” The Kid said.

They bundled Domo up in quite a few layers since he was used to the warm weather in Japan.

After opening the window and looking out over the campus, Domo felt the bitter wind and thoughts of Japan swept over him.  He hated the cold, and he missed his home.

Not wanting Domo to be sad, The Kid wrapped a scarf around him before allowing him out into the snow.  Domo disliked the gloves because they were too big, so he gave them back to The Kid.

It didn’t take long before Domo realized that the campus was a lot bigger than he had thought.  Domo had short legs.  The Kid scooped Domo up and tucked him safely into his backpack, making sure to leave his head poking out the top so he could still see and breath.  Domo was very happy because this was much easier on his legs and he was snug and warm!

After attending The Kid’s early morning class and understanding none of it, Domo went to chapel.  Unfortunately, it had been quite a while since he had watched TV, daydreamed, or …

… had a nap.  Domo fell asleep right in the middle of chapel!

Domo received a severe scolding and, of course, demerits from an RA for his lazy actions.  He promised to never fall asleep in chapel again!  The Kid wasn’t so sure Domo would be able to keep his promise.

Domo was sure that The Kid’s mail was actually his own, so he opened it all.

Domo toldThe Kid that he was very popular back home in Japan.  Domo was sure the mail would be from Mr. Usaji or Hee or Haw saying that they wanted him to come back.  It wasn’t, and Domo became very sad.

To help Domo to feel better, The Kid let Domo sit on top of a guitar case, saying “Hi” to all the people as they passed.  Domo liked this very much.

After the demerits and Domo’s lack of mail, The Kid wished there were some way he could cheer up Domo.

“I’ll tell you what, Domo,” The Kid reasoned, “You can come to work with me.  Do you know how to use a computer?

Domo said that he had never even heard of a computer before, but as it turned out he was a very quick learner. So The Kid taught Domo all the basics of computing and took him to work.

Domo wrote himself a nametag and stood on The Kid’s desk at work.  He answered many questions that people had about computers, and Domo was very glad that he could be helpful.

Soon he had forgotten all about the demerits, Mr. Usaji, and even Japan!

After work, The Kid took Domo to the cafeteria.  Domo found that he loved pizza just as much as The Kid did!

Domo had never had soda before, but after trying it he decided it was not something he loved as much as The Kid.  He decided to stick with water.

Domo was very tired, so he was happy when The Kid said they were going back to the room.

Domo was very excited that he had gotten to go out for the day, but he slept very soundly.  And while he slept, he dreamed about shoes and ships and sealing wax.  Of cabbages and kings.  He learned why the sea was boiling hot and whether pigs had wings.

When he woke up, he didn’t tell The Kid any of it.