The days after the great council were the most beautiful the savanna had seen in a long time. Animals greeted each other who normally looked grim. The hippos shared their watering hole with the zebras. Even the termites built their houses smaller so no one would trip over them.
“This is wonderful,” said Kofi, leaning against the baobab tree. “Everything is... peaceful.”
“Too peaceful?” asked the tree whisperingly.
Kofi opened his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Do you remember the voice from the Red Mountains? It said: The test is not over yet.”
Kofi sat up. “I thought that was just an echo.”
“Echoes repeat,” said the tree. “But this voice said something new.”
At that moment, Lamu ran up excitedly. His red scarf fluttered in the wind. “KOFI! KOFI! COME QUICK! SOMETHING IS HAPPENING AT THE POND!”
“What?” asked Kofi, standing up.
“THE WATER! IT’S SPEAKING!”
Kofi and Lamu ran to the lily pond. Felix hopped after them, Gustav circled above, and Zahara followed with her long strides, taking five normal steps at once.
When they arrived, they saw it: The pond was glowing. Not green, not blue – but golden. And bubbles rose from the water, whispering words as they popped.
“The time... has come,” said one bubble and burst.
“Who are you?” asked another bubble.
“What do you want?” asked a third.
Madame Croco sat on the shore, staring at her own reflection in the water. “I FELT IT! THE WATER HAS BEEN WARM FOR THREE DAYS! AS WARM AS SOUP!”
“That’s unusual,” said Zahara, kneeling down carefully. “Madame Croco, since when has the pond been warm?”
“SINCE THE FULL MOON!” she shouted. “SINCE YOU WERE IN THE CAVE! I DIDN’T TELL YOU BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT WAS A FLY DREAM!”
Suddenly Grandfather Kwame appeared on the shore. He came from the direction of the Red Mountains, holding his glowing crystal in his hand.
“I knew it,” he said calmly. “The cave has shown you the truth. But the truth demands a price.”
“A price?” asked Kofi. “What kind of price?”
“The truth is like a seed,” said Kwame. “You have to plant it. And water it. And care for it. If you don’t, it withers. And then something takes its place that you don’t want.”
“And what happens if we don’t... plant?” asked Lamu quietly.
Kwame pointed to the pond. The golden light grew more intense. The bubbles grew larger. And from the water rose a figure – a huge, shimmering shape that looked like an animal that was all animals at once. Elephant trunk. Lion’s mane. Wing feathers. Giraffe neck. And eyes – countless eyes, all looking in different directions at the same time.
Everyone stepped back. Even Mr. Bongo, who had just come running and left a cloud of dust behind, stopped abruptly.
“WHAT IS THAT?” shouted Bongo. “A MONSTER?”
“No,” said Kwame. “That is the Savanna Soul. It has been sleeping for a thousand years. And now it has awakened.”
The Savanna Soul opened its mouth. The voice that came out sounded like all the voices of the savanna at once – deep and high, loud and soft, old and young.
“YOU HAVE LISTENED,” said the soul. “YOU HAVE PROMISED. BUT WILL YOU ALSO KEEP WHAT YOU PROMISED?”
“Yes!” shouted Kofi bravely. “We will keep it!”
“THEN PROVE IT,” said the soul. “I SET BEFORE YOU A TEST. THE LAST ONE.”
“What must we do?” asked Zahara.
The Savanna Soul spread its wings. Seven glowing spheres rose from the pond, each in a different color. They floated slowly above the water and pulsed like little hearts.
“EACH OF YOU MUST TOUCH A SPHERE,” said the soul. “IN EACH SPHERE LIES A QUESTION. ANSWER IT TRUTHFULLY – OR THE SPHERE WILL WITHER.”
“Wither?” asked Felix nervously. “What does that mean?”
“THEN THE PROMISE IS BROKEN,” said the soul. “AND THE SAVANNA FORGETS.”
“Forgets?” repeated Kofi, alarmed. “Everything? The council? The cave? The truth?”
“EVERYTHING,” said the soul. “JUST AS IT WAS BEFORE. SILENCE. ORDER. BUT NO TRUTH.”
Silence.
“We must not allow that,” said Lamu firmly.
“THEN BEGIN,” said the soul.
The first sphere floated to Kofi. He touched it and a question appeared in his mind:
“Why do you want to help?”
Kofi swallowed. He thought of all the moments – of Felix who wanted to eat the moon. Of Lamu who lost his laughter. Of Madame Croco and her flies. Of the cave. Of the mirror.
“Because... because I am nothing without the others,” he said quietly. “I am not special. I am just a boy. But if I listen, I can make a difference. Not alone. Never alone.”
The sphere glowed brighter. And stayed.
The second sphere floated to Lamu. The question:
“What do you do when no one is watching?”
Lamu hesitated. “I... I tell jokes. To myself. And if no one laughs, I wonder if they are good. But then I remember that laughter is not for others. It is for me. Because joy comes from within.”
The sphere glowed. And stayed.
The third sphere floated to Zahara. The question:
“What do you see when you look beyond everyone?”
Zahara closed her eyes. “I see... the same as everyone else. Just from above. That doesn’t mean I know more. It means I have a different perspective. And that is valuable. But not more valuable than that of the ant below.”
The sphere glowed. And stayed.
The fourth sphere floated to Felix. The question:
“Are you more than a donut?”
Felix laughed. “HAHA! Yes! I am a frog! But sometimes I am also a donut. And sometimes I am a moon-eater. And sometimes I am just... Felix. And that’s enough.”
The sphere glowed. And stayed.
The fifth sphere floated to Mr. Bongo. The question:
“Can you be quiet?”
Bongo lowered his big head. “I... I am always loud. Because I am afraid no one will hear me if I am quiet.”
Silence.
“BUT...,” Bongo continued, and his voice actually became quieter – so quiet that everyone leaned forward, “...maybe it is enough that I hear myself. When I am quiet, I can hear what others say. And that... that is better than any roar.”
The sphere glowed. And stayed.
The sixth sphere floated to Gustav. The question:
“What is more important: knowing or understanding?”
Gustav straightened his feathers. “I have spent my whole life eating books. Chewing words. Swallowing sentences. But I never understood what they meant. Knowledge is something you have. Understanding is something you become. And I want to... become.”
The sphere glowed. And stayed.
The seventh sphere floated to Professor Pimbua. The question:
“Who owns your story?”
Pimbua shifted from one foot to the other. He looked at his notebook. Then he looked at his friends. Then he tore a page from his notebook and let it fly in the wind.
“Everyone,” he said quietly. “It belongs to everyone. And if someone wants to change it, then everyone must agree. Not just me.”
The sphere glowed. And stayed.
Seven spheres. Seven answers. All truthful.
The Savanna Soul spread its wings and smiled – if a being with so many faces can smile.
“YOU HAVE PASSED,” it said. “THE TRUTH REMAINS. THE SAVANNA DOES NOT FORGET.”
The spheres rose into the sky and turned into stars. Seven new stars shining brightly and never withering.
The Savanna Soul slowly sank back into the water. But before it disappeared, it said one last time:
“PLANT THE TRUTH. WATER IT. CARE FOR IT. AND REMEMBER: THE GREATEST POWER IS NOT WHAT YOU SAY. BUT WHAT YOU DO.”
Then it was gone. The pond was normal again. Green. Still. With lilies.
“That was,” said Felix, wiping a tear away, “more beautiful than any donut.”
“That was more beautiful than anything,” said Kofi.
Aunt Nala stepped beside him and put her hand on his shoulder. “You did well, my boy. All of you.”
“BUT,” said Bongo quietly – really quietly –, “what now?”
Kofi looked up at the sky. The seven stars shone above the savanna.
“Now we go home,” he said. “And tomorrow we start planting the truth.”
“How do you plant truth?” asked Lamu.
“By living it,” said Kwame, smiling.
(To be continued in Part 10...)