Lake nona office space for rent

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Art by u/HaajaHenrik
Memory Transcript Subject: Carlos Jose Rodriguez, Mechanical Engineer, Florida Man
Date [Standardized Human Time]: November 28, 2136
[Basic Medieval Music Plays on Speakers]
“We continue the adventures of Finn the Human boy and his quest to save the beautiful Princess Chalta! We meet our hero at the castle of terribleness, but he must tread carefully. Lest he face the wrath of the evil beast guarding the castle, behold Salisek! The great furred beast!”
Salisek quickly jumped out from behind the treehouse tree and gave the cutest growl I’ve ever heard, prompting a delightful giggle from the kids.
I love play time.
“Grr,” the terrifying beast said. “You come for the princess? Well than brave warrior, if you are so brave, come and face a true beast!”
Finn drew his sword… it was really a stick he found on the ground but who cares. “Move aside beast! I know how to use this! If you leave now, I will spare you, but you will never get in the way of me and my beloved Princess!”
Princess Chalta waved her handkerchief (a washed dishtowel), from the top of her tower (the old treehouse). “Save me brave Finn, the beautiful beast has captured me and placed me in this tower!”
Finn swiped his sword as the beast dodged and ducked. Salisek tackled the adventurer to the ground and proceeded to swipe at his face. Finn held on to his sword and swiped the beast’s side, causing her to miss. Before the beast could draw a second wind, Finn plunged the sword into her “heart”.
“Ahh, I have been bested! Curse you… brave… Finn…” Salisek the Beast was no more.
Finn limped up to the tree and held out his hand. “Princess Chalta the beast is dead! I have saved you!”
Chalta, using her magic wand (also a stick), escaped from the dreaded tower (she climbed down the stairs). “Brave adventurer, you have saved me. I am forever in your dept. By royal decree I pronounce you, Sir Finn, Protector of the Happy Kingdom! Alas, I only have one more thing to give, my hand.”
The princess reached out her hand, and the adventurer accepted. The two embraced in an adorable hug.
“AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!” We all yelled. Well… all except the parents who were watching the performance from the backyard. My narration clearly won them over as they gave us a standing ovation.
“Aww! So cute!” Talice said, giving a delightful tail motion indicating extreme affection.
“¡Una lindo princesa y su valiente caballero, AY QUÉ PRECIOSO!”, Mom said with a high pitched squeal.
“Oh, my brave baby knight!” Marleen was clapping ecstatically, clearly proud of her son’s performance.
Tarvik and Dad were sharing banter. “They were great weren’t they Dennis?” “Eh, the Narrator could use some work.”
Okay, I know he was joking but that still hurt.
We all laughed together until mom’s watch rang, indicating the food was done.
“Okay everyone time to eat!” Mom said, allowing us to go back for another wonderful family dinner.
We all sat at our respective seats with a small additional table for the kids. Mom decided to serve them first. I never questioned mother’s cooking but seeing her plate up the kid’s food made my blood boil… WHY THE HECK DO THEY GET NUGGETS! Wait… aw hell no, friggen DINO NUGGETS!
“Mommy, mommy! What are these? They have funny shapes,” said the Princess of the Happy Kingdom.
Her brave knight replied, “They’re dino nuggets! They’re shaped like dinosaurs.”
“What’s a dinosaur?”
Finn and I shared a collective gasp as he tried to explain Dinosaurs the best he could to Chalta. He named all the dinosaurs he knew; Pterodactyl, Brachiosaurus, Mosasaurus, Tyrannosaurus Rex (the best one), and Stegosaurus. He would even match up the dinosaur to the nugget he picked up.
“They were like- HUGE animals that lived a LONG time ago! They were so cool!”
The Venlil’s looked on in wonder.. In their time here they had been reading on Earth history and Science. One thing that they all agreed on was that Earth simply had more knowledge of everything other than practical medicine, and other advances in technology. One thing that really fascinated them, Tarvik especially, was the amount of information we had on wildlife and how nature worked.
Even thought Tarvik was an exterminator who had to learn about predators the Federations tempering made it nearly impossible to learn anything of value other than they eat meat. Many herbivorous creatures were even made into “predators” because of certain characteristics such as being aggressive or territorial. The knowledge of just how ignorant the Federation made him left him in a sour mood for a while. He constantly wondered how many creatures he set ablaze that simply didn’t need it.
After learning about how we handled dangerous animals, especially in Florida, he was starstruck. Not only had we lived with predators but tamed them into becoming our useful servants and family. Once he realized how little he knew he decided to do some “human research”.
Salisek and Talice also wanted to get into the lesson, but where would they start? They found that answer when we left the other day and found some of my old educational children’s books. Like many kids my age I loved animals, but one thing I loved most was dinosaurs. After they had done some snooping Tarvik found one of my old books and almost had a heart attack. I don’t know how that conversation when down, I can guess that seeing a large Arxur-like creature on steroids was probably not a good image to find.
It was probably funny though.
It was definitely funny.
Still, he had once again overcome his fear and did his best to learn all he could about Earth’s prehistoric wildlife. Hearing Finn name a bunch of facts instilled a feeling of wonder at the knowledge he was learning from an individual passionate on the subject, but also envious at how he wished he grew up, with books about actual nature instead of propaganda. Hearing Finn and Chalta talk about it instilled a sense of hope in all of us that it will be different.
“-and for a long time we thought they were related to lizards, but guess what!”
“What?”
“They’re actually related to birds and had hollow bones and feathers!”
“Really?! Could they fly?”
“Some of them did, but others used their feathers for insulation and hunted like most other animals. That is assuming they hunted.”
The kiddos were eating their Dino nuggets contently when I got a message on my phone… from Samuel.
“Hey mom, can I be excused? It’s urgent.”
My mother looked at me with concern. Usually, we don’t skip family meals, but she knew about my situation. Ever since dad told me about Samuel, I wasn’t sure what to think. Now that Vraka’s given me another chance I need to see what’s up.
Is he okay, why hasn’t he talked with me?
I got up from me seat and Chalta seemed to notice my mood.
“Big brother, are you okay? Is it about Samuel?” she asked, concern present in her voice.
Mom answered for me so I could take my leave. “Don’t worry my bebé, big brother just needs privacy right now.”
“Does he want a dino nugget? I got a ty-rhino saur-us rex.”
“Yes I would,” I said slickly yoinking the dino nugget out of Chalta’s claws before I went upstairs to my room. I closed the door and read the message in private.
Hey man, it’s been a while. A lot’s happened with me. I got a girl now! An Arxur as you could probably guess. You know Vraka and her sister Akara. They really like you. When you get the chance, can we talk? I can explain why I was silent for a while.
I took a deep breath and pressed the call button. It rang for a moment before picking up. I didn’t have a plan on what to say. What would be the plan? I decided to just wing it. He was technically still my friend after all.
“Hello?”
“Hey it’s Carlos. H-How are you?”
There was a pause before he continued. I could guess he was probably tense too. “Fine actually. I assumed you wanted an explanation.”
“Bro, I was worried about you! I assumed that after I left the Gator Land to work for Disney, which is the most Florida thing I’ve said all day, that we just lost touch. That was two years ago, what happened?”
Samuel took a deep breath before he responded. I had a feeling whatever he said next was gonna hit hard.
“About a month after you left my parents got in a car accident. They… didn’t make it.”
I was silent for longer than I probably should have been. I didn’t know what to say.
“Oh my God. Is that why you cut contact?”
“I was a wreck. I lost the only real family I had. My grandparents weren’t that close with us.”
“I remember. You said it had something to due with how your Catholic mom married your Jewish father? That’s what upset them right?”
I didn’t know the whole story but one time I was talking with his parents while they dropped off his lunch. We ended up on the topic of family and religion, that’s when they told me their situation. However, I could imagine they left certain private details out. It made sense, after all, it was sensitive family drama.
“Yeah, they where old traditional nut cases, at least I think they were. When they heard about the accident, they tried every day to check on me. I would say it was because I hated them, but that would be a lie. I knew for all their faults they still loved my parents… and me. I pushed them away because I was broken and scared of loving someone again. After that it was a downward spiral.”
“What else happened?”
“Without my parent’s income I lost the house. That is arguably my biggest regret. Sure, I don’t think I could have afforded the monthly payments anyway, but I still should have tried. I stopped showing up to work and eventually became homeless.”
“You were homeless! If my parents knew we would have taken you in no questions asked!”
“But that’s not the issue. Being homeless wasn’t a problem, it was a symptom of my problem. I could have called you, other friends, or even my grandparents. Instead, I just ran.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I never knew Samuel was going through so much all these years. Does that… make me a bad friend? Could I have done something differently?
“How long were you homeless?” I asked.
“About a month. I can’t really say why but one day I was just… sick and tired of everything. I was tired of being homeless, of being depressed, of being drunk, of letting my fear and anger control me, but most of all I was sick of living a life I KNOW my parents would never have wanted for me.”
I could hear Samuel tearing up through the phone. I also started to feel a lump in my throat as he continued speaking.
“I went back and contacted my grandparents. I don’t know think I would have stayed homeless much longer since I found out they were looking for me. They contacted police and everything. The look on their faces when I showed up on their doorstep is something I cherish even till this day. After that it was a matter of building myself up again. I started going to therapy and a special club for men like me trying to recover from alcohol abuse. Hell, I even started going to the gym.”
“Was it hard?”
What kind of question is that? Of course it was!
“Yeah. I talk like it happened in a day, but in reality, it happened over the course of a year. I got rehired at Disney of all places and slowly started rebuilding my income. I eventually worked my ass off, and I’m telling you I really did, to earn back my parents’ house. It helped since they left a small inheritance in their passing. It’s where I live now. Actually you also worked at Disney, how come we never saw each other?”
“I worked as an apprentice with a lot of their Imagineers in Lake Nona while I went to college. Still can’t believe they had that program.”
“I worked with the animals at the Animal Kingdom Resort before getting moved to Magic Kingdom.”
“That’s awesome man! I’m really happy that you were able to bounce back, but how did you meet Vraka?”
“After the bombings I decided I needed to get out their and make my parents proud. Helping people regain hope and seeing the light of day made me smile. I’ll admit though, Nazi space crocs where not at all on my list of reasons to go. Not to mention they always gave off a menacing vibe, but after some time I realized they’re not so bad. I even got friendly with a certain Arxur and even thought she was cute. She had this way of making me laugh, even if it was by accident, and she always had this odd personality. Like you know how cats pretend they don’t love you and act cold to show affection? Like that.”
“So, what you’re telling me is that Vraka is or was… as tsundere. Heh, like your favorite character in that Anime we use to watch as kids?”
“HA, I blame Asuka and Neon Genesis for my taste in women.”
We laughed together, taking in the much-needed humor before I asked him the question bugging my mind the most.
“So how did you two… you know…”
“Right, heh, so one day she was talking passionately about all the new things she’s learning about the different ways we cook our meat. She looked so cute I almost instinctually asked if I could pet her. I know it sounds rude, but she’s a sentient gator and I grew up in Florida, sue me! Anyways she must have taken it personally since she challenged me to a hunt of old. We would hunt prey until the day ended without weapons and I could pet her if I won. Now I don’t mean to brag, but I’ve been learning to hunt with my dad back in the day AND I’ve gotten a lot stronger since then. Now she said no weapons, but a rock isn’t a weapon. Even if it is, she still had an unfair advantage with her claws, so I call that balanced. Now I’m no MLB player but I could pitch back in high school.”
That was true, Samuel was known for his powerful throws, and since then he said he’s worked out so it might be stronger.
“Before the buck knew it, I threw the rock so hard and so accurately that it nailed him in the skull long enough for me to snap his neck.”
“Wait I’m sorry, did you say you HUNTED A DEER WITH A ROCK AND IT WORKED!?”
“Yup, and as it turns out Vraka didn’t do any better. She brought back a young white-tailed deer with a good couple scratches while the worst I got was mud on my hands from the rock. Since I won fair and square, she owed me my pets. She brought us to a private room, and I got to scratching. Turns out Arxur are so touched starved that a couple of scale scratches and belly rubs where enough to send her into heat, one thing led to another and…”
“You’re now the infamous Arxur Layer! You shall bring peace to the galaxy with the Excalibur in your pants!”
“You laugh but just ask Vraka, it was a one to six ratio.”
“Pftt, Jesus Christ!”
I started laughing so hard my sides started hurting. I hear Samuel dying on the other end too. Our collective wheezes filled the room with childlike noise not found since our childhood. We laughed until we couldn’t laugh anymore and once the room was quiet, I asked Samuel another question.
“Samuel, why did you never call?”
I could hear Samuel exhale, likely thinking about what to say next.
“The longer I was gone, the harder it was. I guess I was afraid of how you would react… if you’d care.”
“I do man, I missed you, and I’m glad to know you’re okay.”
“Thanks man. Hey, I heard you’re going to Magic Kingdom this weekend. For Chalta right? I should be working that day.”
“That’s awesome man! Maybe I’ll see you then, we’ll be eating Cinderellas Royal Table around two in the afternoon. We want to get early so Chalta can take pictures with Cinderella.”
“You know, I can get you a little something better.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll send you a number and tell them you know me and send the code, Princess Tea Party. Just trust me bro.”
I didn’t know what to think of this arrangement but what I did know was that Princess Tea Party sounded like something Chalta would love. However, given the nature of the name I was going to have to show her A LOT more princess movies.
“Alright man I’ll do it. We’ll talk some more later but I gotta get back to the family. Thank you for talking with me man, we’ll set up a boy’s night one of these days, okay?”
“Heck yeah man! I’ll see you around.”
I hung up and breathed a sigh of relief like no other. It was good to know Samuel and I were on good terms. Still, it was sad knowing all the things he went through. I knew his parents; they were good people. Making peace with his grandparents was a nice turn of events. I knew they were at odds but sometimes tragedy brings the best or worst out in us. I’m glad it was the former for him.
With a triumphant smile on my face I went down the stairs, only to find Chalta waiting for me outside my room with her hand stuck in… oh my God.
“Hello big brother!”
“Hello Chalta. Watcha’ got there?”
“A peanut butter jar.”
“That’s interesting, why is it stuck to your hand?”
“Well, mommy wanted Talice to try it and she gave some to me to try too. It was so tasty! I got a little carried away and stuck my whole hand in.”
“So why are you going up stairs?”
Tears started to flow in Chalta’s eyes as she started cry talking like kids do when they get into funny situations that seem scary to them.
“M-momma said you had t-tools. *sniff* A-And you kn-knew *sniff* what to do. P-Pwease big broder I don’t want a peanut budder for a hand!”
I took all my willpower not to laugh. This was so astronomically cute.
I carried the baby into my room where I keep a small selection of tools I used to use in case I had a home project. Scissors that are used to cut thin sheets of metal might work for plasic. I decided this would be better than a sharp knife and reduce the risk of hurting Chalta. After a minute, I was able to cut her hand out.
Chalta’s eyes widened, and a big toothy smile formed. “YAAAY! I don’t have a peanut butter hand anymore! Thanks, big brother! …I’m gonna lick my hand now.”
Chalta did in fact lick her peanut buttery hand and went back downstairs to rejoin the family dinner, practically skipping down the stairs while licking the consequences of her actions.
She’s so precious!
When I sat down at the dinner table mom plated my food for me.
“Here you go, me hijo.”
“Thanks mom!”
Mom handed me my plate and gave me a motherly kiss on my cheek. “Thank you! Chalta wouldn’t stop crying, also how did the talk go with Samuel.”
“Great actually and he says he has a surprise for Chalta.”
Chalta looked up from her peanut butter indulgence and focused all her attention on me.
“Surprise? Like what?” Chalta said with excitement and curiosity.
“I don’t know yet, but I promise this weekend we’re going to have so much fun!”
“Are we still going to see Cinderella?”
“Not just her, but tons of other things too! That’s why we’re going early. We got a whole day planned out.”
Chalta had a big smile on her face and was practically shaking with excitement. I also had a surprise up my sleeve, courtesy of dad who helped pitch in. Chalta has had a hard life, but this weekend will be the greatest weekend of her life.
Finn raised his hand like he was in a classroom. “Are we going too?”
Chalta was the one to answer this time, “Yes and Akara should all be going. We’ll all be in the same place!”
“Salisek, I know you’re fine with Vraka but are your parents okay with being around more Arxur than their use to?” I asked.
The Venlil couple looked at each other and intertwined their tails.
Talice spoke first, “We’ve talked with Salisek, we’ll be fine, if not a little shaky at first.”
That was good to know. Last thing we want is for Venlil to pass out when we promised the staff they wouldn’t. As much as their confidence left me skeptical, I could trust their judgment.
“I can’t wait to see all my friends and family together!” Chalta said.
I couldn’t wait either.
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