Rosie of Kokonahara

It was a blustery day in the small riverside town of Kokonahara. The sky was faded and the people huddled deep within their little stone houses. Several men trudged into the town, their clothes damp from sweat and rain, coming home from a day at the mine. A silver bird swooped toward the town, weaving in and out of the houses, looking for a place to dry off.

In one house, a family was gathered around the fire. A tall, stoic man with long, woven hair and a short beard was sitting in a carved wooden seat. His wife, an older woman with long green hair and dark features, sat in a carved chair beside him, while four little children were sprawled on a woven rug in front of the fireplace.

“Charles, won’t you get the wine?” asked the woman, Elka. The man rose and retrieved an old bottle from the cabinet, poured it into goblets and offered it around.

Sounds of heavy boots and grunting voices were heard passing from behind the stone walls.

“Daddy, the miners are back!” cried Alisha, the eldest child.

Elka’s face became drawn up in worry. “It’s getting dark” she said, “and Rosie still isn’t back from the river!”

“I could go fetch her!” offered Juniper, the younger son.

“No,” said Charles, “Alisha shall go.”

Alisha grimaced. She did not like the cold or the rain, but did not dare disobey her father’s orders, so she grabbed a coat and a torch and pushed open the wooden door against the wind. It slammed shut behind her, and she took off down the little cobblestone road.

“Rosie!” she called as she bounded past the yellow-lit windows, “Rosie!” She could hear nothing but the howl of the wind and the rush of the river as she drew nearer and nearer to it.

The river, whom they called Kona, descended from the nearest mountain and cascaded in falls a few miles north of Kokonahara. Today she was more swollen than usual.

Alisha was a responsible child and checked all of Rosie’s favorite spots -- the hanging tree, the miniature wetlands, the frog stones, but did not see her sister in any of them. It was getting quite late, and she could no longer see the black clouds through the black rain. She tried to calm her panic by setting her hand on her stomach and chanting a special phrase. It went like this:

Oh my Darci, oh my Darci, bring my sister to Kokonahara

Let us be nearer, and never farther

At once, she remembered Cave Akamo, the small cave that sat half a mile south of the town, and she hitched up her skirts and headed toward it. The mouth of the cave was mostly closed; only children could squeeze in, but once you were inside, it became large and cavernous. For this reason, elves were rumored to live there. There had been no proof of this, but village kids would always look for them. Today, however, the river had risen so high that waves crashed against the mouth of the cave every few seconds. Terrified that her sister may have gotten trapped in there, Alisha decided to stay near the cave until the waves subsided. She clambered onto higher ground, where a small grove of trees overlooked the cave. At once exhausted, she layed her weary little head on the ground and fell right asleep.

While sleeping, Alisha dreampt of little voices guiding her down a long tunnel. At the bottom of the tunnel was a house unlike any she had seen before. The house had a large mouth with pointy teeth on one side and windows on the other. It glowed with a bright light. A voice from inside the house beckoned her in, and Alisha did not dare refuse. Ripping her skirts a little, she climbed into the giant mouth, holding the slimy sides for support. She felt a strange wind, as though the house was breathing. Inside, there was the strangest sight: a group of tiny people, no taller than her knee, were eating a large chocolate cake on a lengthy wooden table, laughing and singing in merriment. They had dark skin, long, dark hair, and slanted eyes. They seemed blind to the giant, soaked child standing before them, because they did not change their behavior when she appeared; in fact, they took no notice of her at all. Alisha cleared her throat, but still they paid her no mind. Finally, she bent down and said loudly, “where in heaven’s name am I?!” But no sooner had she spoken than all of the little people disappeared into thin air, leaving the half-eaten chocolate cake on the table.

Alisha realized at once how hungry she was, and took a bite of the cake. How delightful it was! How warm and gooey and chocolatey! The cake seemed to fill cracks in her that she never knew were there. It melted like lava in her mouth. It was the best thing she had ever eaten. She took another bite and let out a sigh. In a moment of greed, she succeeded to cram the entire cake into her mouth.

No sooner than she had devoured it than the entire house began to move, rocking from side to side. Alisha shrieked a little. She wished there was more cake. She was afraid. The house began to rock harder and harder, and when Alisha looked out one of the little windows, she could see an enormous tail moving back and forth. Terrified, she attempted to run out the way she had come in, but the mouth had closed, trapping her inside.

“Help me!” screamed Alisha, “somebody help!” but it was no use. The house was moving so fast by now it would have been impossible for anyone to hear.

After about 10 minutes of terror, it seemed the house was moving upwards. The sensation was strange, the outside sounds became longer and more pronounced. The house settled into place, and the mouth opened. Alisha limped out and looked around. It was a large, still, dark space. It was almost familiar, and above her she saw...not stars, they were…

Alisha awoke with a start! The rain had stopped, and the twinkling stars gave her some visual advantage. Sitting up slowly, Alisha looked around her and realized she had fallen asleep in the middle of a mushroom circle, affectionately called “faery rings” by the villagers. She got out as quickly as possible, and looked down at the river Kona. Without really knowing why, she knew where her little sister was.

Oh my Darci, oh my Darci, bring my sister to Kokonahara

Let us be nearer, and never farther

She took off running onto one of the high, jutted rocks, and dove into the dark, frothing water. It was colder than usual, and hit her body with a kind of pain. Alisha was a strong swimmer, but even the best adult swimmers of the village would not dare to swim in water this treacherous. Alisha was immediately taken down by the current and slammed onto the sandy bottom. She then felt something big and slimy underneath her. At any other time, she might have freaked out, but she was so tired that she relaxed and let it lift her up and up and up. At last her head broke above the water and she was lifted onto some rocks. Taking a few moments to catch her breath, she looked down to see who or what had saved her life, but nothing was in the water. When she looked around, she realized she was in a cavernous space. It was the cave, but she had never been to this part of the cave before. Several tunnels ran different directions, and she paused for a moment, uncertain which direction to head in. Very slowly, a cacophony of sounds, like tiny voices, seemed to becon her down one of the tunnels. They were very familiar, as though she had known them all her life. As they got louder and louder, Alisha knew the source of the voices lay around the corner. She did not dare look, and instead pressed her cheek to the cave wall to listen. She realized she could hear her sister’s voice among the voices of the little people. They were all singing and laughing, and she almost did not want to disturb their gaiety.

Eventually curiosity became too much for Alisha, and she sprung from behind the cave wall to look. But all she saw was her little sister Rosie, bent over a pool, twirling a stick in the water.

“Rosie!” Alisha called, and her sister turned with a delighted look on her face. They ran to each other and embraced. “You’re all wet” Rosie laughed, and Alisha realized her sister’s clothes were completely dry, not a scratch or scrape on her skin. Only a smudge of chocolate on her cheek, which Alisha was quick to wipe off. “We better get you home” she said, “mom and dad are probably worried sick, I was supposed to take you home hours ago!”

Above their heads the walls were sparkling with crystals and gemstones. Alisha looked around in wonder. She decided not to mention this part of the cave to anyone at home. She grinned at Rosie: “ready to go for a swim?”

Together they dove into the pool, beneath a wall of stone, and re-surfaced on the other side. Here was the main part of the cave, the part everyone played in constantly, unaware of the treasure that lay only a rock wall away. Rosie and Alisha climbed out of the cave’s mouth and into the dawn light. The water was high, but it no longer bashed against the opening. When they were fully out, they were astonished to find a crowd of people calling their names:

“Alishaaaa!” Rosieeee!” and they ran forward to greet their parents, who embraced them soundly.

And that is how Rosie and Alisha found their way back to Kokonahara.

Oh my Darci, oh my Darci, bring my sister to Kokonahara

Let us be nearer, and never farther

The End