Kiki and Koko Koala woke up with dreams of the Zancudo still humming peacefully in their village,
“Na na nanana na. Na nanana na.”
They both had fallen asleep before hearing the end of Papa's bedtime story. They missed the part where Papa Koala explained the malicious demise of the Zancudo tribe. The betrayal of Leharea and the rebellion of the Mosquito girls was a hazy memory to Kiki and Koko.
What they remembered the next morning was the secret village of the Zancudo. No one had ever seen such wonderfully pure creatures on earth. Although devoid of color they were known to flap their wings creating a glistening prism reflecting the morning dew. They used their long proboscis to drink the morning dew from the mangrove leaves in the swamp at the mouth of the Colorful River .
Kiki and Koko rolled out of bed fresh and ready for a brand new day.
“Time for breakfast!”
They popped into the kitchen to enjoy some Eucalyptus pancakes, a favorite on Kangaroo Island.
Kiki and Koko smiled and ate their pancakes and marmalade with a burst of laughter.
Papa said,
“You two look like the most playful joeys in the world.”
“Daddy…”
Koko said,
“Can we find the lost Zancudo Village?”
Papa replied,
“They are a fragile species. We don’t even know if any of them are left on earth. After Leherea gained the trust of the first mosquitos, he learned the whereabouts of the precious Zuncudo tribe. Legend has it that Lehera has devoured every single Zuncudo and not even one remains today.”
“But couldn’t one or two escape? Like a Kiki and Koko Zuncudo? Isn't it possible Papa?”
Asked, Kiki.
“There is only one way to find out. We are going on an adventure!”
Declared Papa.
Kiki loved the sound of this. She remembered the last adventure they had with Papa in the canola fields. They had solved the mystery of how to catch a virus.
Now she was embarking on a new adventure with Papa and Koko together. This would be something she could write about in her journal.
It’s very far from Kangaroo Island to Playa Zancundo but Papa was resourceful Koala. He managed to get Ferry passage to the mainland. From there they jumped a cargo boat to Panama. In Panama they made friends with a boy named Billy and stowed away in his luggage on a cruise headed to Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica.
Papa Koala said to the taxi driver in his broken Spanish,
“Nosotros queremos ir a Playa Zancudo.”
The taxi driver just laughed and drove the three Koalas to their destination 300 km down the coast. It was a five hour drive. I don’t know how Papa Koala paid him because when they got there the taxi driver asked for 200,000 Costa Rican Colones.
Papa said confidently,
“No price is too small for adventure.”
Papa knew that they would need to borrow a boat from the Zancudo Lodge to get to the other side of the Colorful River. There they could find the Zancudo tribe, that is if there were any Zancudo remaining after their Hive was destroyed.
Papa steered the boat across the river right into the mangrove. He said,
“This is where we will find the Zancundo if we look at listen carefully. Stay alert for Lehera also frequents this area. He is very dangerous and has caused great discord in the Zancudo. He tempted them with the beautiful colors but instead they gave up their innocence. Those who wanted to maintain their innocence were soon too few. They had to leave the hive and find another home.
There was a silence. Just the mention of Lehera out on the boat in the quiet mangrove brought goosebumps down all their spines. They all knew Lehera meant evil.
It has been more than twenty years since I’ve been around these parts. Back then there were no hotels or cafes on this peninsula. It was all virgin Zancudo beach and mangrove as far as the eye can see. More and more of the mangrove was cut down and the Zancundo had to move deeper into the mangrove.
Kiki said,
“The struggle to survive caused a discord among the Zancudos and the mosquitos tore them apart. When Lehera entered they were divided and became week. Like our own people on Kangaroo Island. Discord tore them apart. That’s why it’s not called Koala Island anymore.
“Those were terrible times. Can you imagine a whole war just to spell Koala with a "C"? I love to spell Coala with a "C" but I wouldn't fight over it. If it wasn't for that joey named Joey we would still be fighting."
Koko replied.
Yes. It was all the work of Lehera to divide them. And Lehera too had gotten into the heads of the Zancundo. He tempted them with the colors they would see if only they would use their proboscis to suck blood instead of nectar.
I remember how he would sing that song,
De colores!
De colores mi cola de color arcoiris!
Oh the Colors
The color of the rainbow in my tail!
“One by one the Zancundo turned into blood sucking mosquitoes. That was the real end of their…”
Papa was interrupted,
“Hive!!”
Kiki screamed.
There in the mangrove under the bushes you could see a glimmering in the afternoon light. This had to be the old Zancundo hive. They had to get out of the boat for a closer investigation. Yes, this was it. The handiwork of Zancundos was still there after twenty years. The weavings of the Zancundos' six sided cell was unlike an other insect in the world.
Twenty years had past and this hive had endured too much damage. The cover of secrecy was torn making it visible to the open. Kiki and Koko and Pappa stepped inside the Hive. There they could see the remnants of tiny mushroom houses that had been torn to shreds. On the other side of the Hive was a field for playing Zanball and the stadium around the Zanball field was still intact.
Papa Koala remembered,
“This is where the Zancudo would sing the most amazing melodies. Back then it wasn’t only,
'Na na nanana na. Na nanana na.'
But sometimes you would hear a,
'Deee dee deeti deeti. Deee dee deeti deeti dee!!'”
Everything was quiet and then they all heard it.
“Dee…”
It was a faint sound but seemed so close.
“Dee…”
What was that?
Koko asked
“Shhhhhhh….”
They all said.
Now they all heard it as if it was right next to them,
“Dee…”
“You’ve got to be smaller if you want to see me…
Here, eat one. But not three.”
Suddenly Papa and Kiki and Koko started to have the same feeling. It was not fear. It was a churning of the stomach that comes from hunger.
They hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast at the lodge. Now right before their eyes was a tiny feast of three mushroom muffins.
“Papa. Should we take one?”
Said Kiki.
“They look so delicious,”
Answered Koko.
“You heard the voice, ‘not three’.”
Said Papa.
"Well what if we just ate a little of one?"
Said Kiki.
Alright. Let’s try it.
Said Papa.
Koko jumped right in and took his portion, then Kiki and then Papa until one muffin was completely finished.
Kiki looked up,
"Papa!! The Hive!! It’s getting bigger."
"Daddy, It’s ginormous!!"
Kiki and Koko and Papa stood amazed as the walls of the Hive grew and the hexagons expanded. It now looked as if they were in a crystal palace.
As Kiki turned she came with the most peaceful and innocent creature they had ever seen. He was the size of a kangaroo to them yet he was much more graceful. His feet were light and his wings buzzed a little with a peaceful sound of..
Dee
Dee
Deee dee deeti deeti. Deee dee deeti deeti dee.
Papa smiled.
The “Dee” thing smiled too.
It was a kangaroo sized Zancudo.
He said,
“My name is Diego Zancudo. Mucho gusto."
Koko said,
“You’re ginormous.”
Diego answered,
“No, you’re tiny. When you ate the mushroom muffin you shrank to the size of a Zancudo.”
“Oh no!”
Said Papa
Oh, Yes!
Said Koko.
Oh, can I have more muffin.
Said Kiki.
Notes:
The story is best understood in context:
Kiki and Koko 1 (How to catch a Virus)
@mcsagel/first-story-book-live
Kiki and Koko 2 ( Koala With a "C" )
@mineopoly/koala-with-a-c
Kiki and Koko 3 (Malicious Mosquitoes)
@mineopoly/malicious-mosquitos
"Lehera" is derived from the Hebrew "רָעַע" meaning evil.
"Zancudo" is an old Spanish word for mosquito.Zancudo beach is a real place and has become popular with tourists in Costa Rica.
My drawings for this story came from pencil and pen and colored in Paint 3D and finally edited through Deep Dream Generator.
