Episode Thirtytwo: To the North Shore!

When Lakia woke up that morning, she discovered that she had been taken to what was once the Northern Palace. She saw the remains of many huts, and no other villagers, except Paco. "Perhaps, the storm washed everything away," she thought to herself. Then she realized that Paco was running around, putting things down in various places around the village.

Suddenly Paco took her by the arm and led her to the alchemy lab of the village. He gathered a couple of jars in his arms. "These are to mark the path of the Great Race." Paco told her. "Up there," he pointed at the worn down hut they had just come from, at the tip top of the mountainous terrain that overshadowed their surroundings. "That's where the great Palace of Prosperity used to be. But you can watch the race from the Amphitheater. Meanwhile, stay here." Paco then offered her to sit down at a beautiful wooden table with several lovely chairs, and then he left again to continue his quest. Lakia watched as he ran about the village setting them down. Where would she go anyway?

In the lab, she saw a large grey kettle atop a small little fire. There were herbs on the table so she thought she would make a stew. She was very hungry, so she looked over the bamboo walls to search for food to put it as well. Bees were building a new hive nearby the shore, but she wouldn't know how to collect it, even if she could get past Paco. There weren't any coconut or fruit trees except the tree that sat way up on the ridge on the other side of the village as well. "Snap!" A large snapping clam, snapped open and closed by the seashore. The coral was beautiful! Lakia considered fishing until she saw the sharks in the ocean. A little nervous, but definitely starving, she decided to mix the herbs at the table where she sat, and taste to see how it was.

The mixture exploded, breaking the kettle and setting the lab on fire! Paco hurried in and carried Lakia out and to safety. He saw that she was a little bit weakened from it and took her to the village hospital. Lakia was very surprised. "That was kind of you to save me like that." she told Paco gratefully.
"Hmph!" Paco pouted. "I'm not trying to hurt you." Then he left again, first to make sure the fire was out, and then to finish putting out his race markers.
The mat where Paco had laid her was merely a wrapped stack of dried leaves and branches. It was much like what she slept on at home. All along the edges of the room were little sacks. Some of them held seeds, and some of them held little herbal plants. The fragrance was delightful. The room didn't have a ceiling, and she wondered what she would do if it started to rain.


Before leaving the Darkened Forest, Dodo thought it wise to ask the Guiding Hand whether they really should take the challenge made by Paco to see who is the fastest runner. The Guiding Hand agreed that anyone and everyone could race to see if Paco is the fastest.

So the group packed up their things and started through the forest. King Ipo led the way, while Queen Iso stayed in the center of the group answering questions. They only stopped for lunch. The forest became thick with shrubs and trees the further north they went. The road slowly changed from grass, to dirt, to stone. They were amazed at how much color surrounded the area. Finally, they approached a range of mountains that were as far as their eyes could see, with a small valley of which their stone road was leading to. The walkway looked new. Up at the top of the mountainous terrain was the large worn out Palace of Prosperity. The King and Queen stopped for a moment to look. Queen Iso began to cry, and King Ipo gave her a warm embrace, holding her head in his shoulder. "A new day is beginning." King Ipo told her. Queen Iso smiled and nodded. They pushed away the branches that covered up the stone steps in front of them. Then the King and Queen led their little group to an area behind a large basin of water.


Shuka watched in awe as the eyes in the waves drew closer to the coast. "Run!" She finally called out. The entire group of villagers came running to the shore. "No! Run away from here!" Shuka shouted at them. The great legendary sea creature swam right up to the shore in front of her and spoke. "Good morning Princess Shuka! Will the King's sister invite me to speak with her?"

While Shuka watched in wonder, she nervously shook her head, "No," and backed away.
Moki then walked over to Blanne, patted him on the head, and said teasingly, "Don't feel bad, Blanne. She didn't remember me either."
"Really?" Blanne replied to his brother. "Oh well. Would you mind helping me out of the water?" By this time a large crowd of villagers had gathered around him, shouting, "Me! Me! I want to go for a ride!" Blanne smiled and told them all that he would be back later.
Kali walked up to Blanne and looked him in the eyes. "It's you! It's really you!" And then she hugged the great creature. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! If it weren't for you, all five of us kids would have starved! And now we all have families. Thank you!"

Moki took Shuka by the hand and pulled her over to Blanne. He placed her hand on Blanne's head. As soon as Shuka's hand touched Blanne he transformed. His coral crown shimmered in the sun. His colorful robe reflected off the ocean water, making him look like he was glowing. And yet, he kneeled down, pulling Moki down with him. "Princess Shuka, the King and Queen want you at the Palace. May I offer you a ride to the north?"

"I thought the King and Queen were dead?" Shuka said in surprise.
"No, Paco made them leave the Palace after taking my father's medallion. But today at the Great Race, we have a chance to take back the throne... your throne."
Shuka stopped for a moment and thought before speaking. "Your throne, Blanne. Yes, I'll go with you. We were getting ready to walk there anyway, because something about Paco didn't seem right. Can you take Kali and Akio as well?"
"Of course!" Blanne said with a beaming smile. "It would be my pleasure!" He held his medallion up to the sun and became the Great Sea Spirit again.

Moki, Tofo, Leia and Weeko, all waved as they sped across the water. For the first time in a long time, Shuka laughed. Before long they could see the beautiful coral reef shimmering in the afternoon sunlight...

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