This is a series of stories I wrote when I was ten and eleven. I was a little bit too Jesus-freaky, and had no clue how to make a proper character or plot. My narrative style back then reminds me of those people who try too hard to be ~*edgy*~. So, it's pretty good to read for a laugh. Please, enjoy the Mary-Sue-headed cringefest that this is.

Prologue

Once there was a small tribe that lived on a secret island in the south Pacific. The tribe was called the Oahanas. The chief, Osaka, had two wives, and their names were Osaki and Osani. They each had a child. Osaki had a boy, and his name was Kioke. Osani had a girl, and she was called Oshi. Then all of a sudden, a disease spread throughout the tribe when Kioke was two years and Oshi two months, and everyone but the two children died. One day, a clouded leopard found Oshi and adopted her. The leopard’s name was Onah. Onah loved Oshi, and had crept around the tribe so much that she already knew Oshi’s name. But a black jaguar named Anoki found Kioke. Black jaguars were taught to be kind to their own type. So Oshi spent her days watching out for Kioke, for she was told that he wanted to kill her.

Book One (In which the Sue emerges)

A deer grazed in the sunlight. Oshi snuck up to it in a ( )own sari, ( )own sandals, and cocoa bean jewalry. She strung her bow and let the arrow fly. Whap!

 “A direct hit!” She thought to herself, “Onah will be pleased.” She hurried back to the cloud forest where she lived. She had planted it, and took care of it every day. The forest was called “Shelakai.” Shelakai ment “Forest of the sky.” When Oshi got back, Onah was sitting in a tree.

“Oshi, what have you hunted?” She asked.

“Oh, um… Let’s see… A bush deer, and a parrot. They will go well with the sugar-cane I planted a month ago.” Oshi replied. Since she was 10, she was very agile, and had planted a lot of things, including pumpkins, ( )acken, and lots of sugar-cane! A minute later, Onah had a fire burning, (She had used her paws to scratch at the rocks surrounding the wood, and sparks from the rocks had ignited the wood!) and Oshi’s parrot was skinned and wrapped in banana leaves, then thrown into the fire. The deer was saved for ( )eakfast.

Now the parrot was a Kakapo, which is a very large bird, and it fed both Oshi and Onah very nicely. Oshi put some banana leaves down into the middle of an Onoshii tree, which only grows where Oshi lived. It is a tree with ( )anches that grow out from a natural platform, which is held up by the trunk of this rather short, stocky tree. Then Oshi got a Shuula fruit. It is a soft, fluffy, cotton-candy-like fruit that Oshi used for a pillow. She dressed in her azure silk night sari, and fell asleep. The next morning, Oshi awoke to Onah shaking her!

“The black jaguars! They are invading!” Onah cried. Oshi jolted upward, and grabbed her spears, bow, and quiver. Onah noticed that Kioke was absent, and so was Luna, a female black jaguar. She wondered where they were. Oshi threw spear after spear, and her aim was never off. She always hit a jaguar, and they always fell dead. She ran out of spears, and started using her bow and arrows. Finally, the jaguars retreated, and Onah and Oshi were safe.

Onah had a gash down one leg where a jaguar had scratched her. Oshi quickly dressed the wound, but in her hurry, forgot to wash it. They sat for quite awhile. Oshi watched Onah closely that night, but in spite of her great job of dressing Onah’s wound, Onah only worsened.

“Take care, child,” said Onah as her eyes closed.

“No! Onah! What is…” Oshi cried.

“Goodbye, dear Oshi.” Onah said, gasping, “Goodbye.” And suddenly she stopped ( )eathing.

“No…” Oshi said, her voice choked with tears, “No!”

Her sad cry rang out and echoed through Shelakai. A Cotoya woman heard her crying. Cotoya means “The Peaceful People”. The woman had two children of her own, an 8-year-old and an 11-year-old, that were both girls. She had a boy, but he had died very recently, at the age of 5. The woman’s name was Narfeji. Narfeji looked and looked around, and found Oshi on the ground, crying.

“Why are you crying?” Narfeji asked gently.

“Who are you?” Oshi asked, still crying.

“A friend,” Narfeji said.

“My mother died. Her name was Onah.” Oshi sobbed. “Onah?! The clouded leopard? I knew her!” Narfeji said, shocked, “Come with me and live among my people!”

“Oh, you live here, too? But my tribe died out 10 years ago!” Oshi exclaimed.

“I live on the other side of this island.” Narfeji said, “My people are the Cotoyas.”

“Onah told me about those guys.” Oshi remembered, “She said you wore deerskin, not silken saris!”

“That is true… What is your name?” Narfeji asked.

“Oshi.” Oshi said, “After the legendary Oshi the sea-girl.”

“Ah, I see.” Narfeji said, nodding, “Now, are we going to go now? I just signaled several warriors named Hunashi, Celatoni, and Fushani.”

Three men came out of the trees. On the way to the Cotoyan’s land, Oshi told her story. And Narfeji told Oshi that she had two more daughters named Shoshona and Denassi. Denassi was 11, and Shoshona was 8. Denassi was really prideful, though, so Narfeji told Oshi to watch out for that. Along the way, they had to go through a desert, and thus had to stop at many oases.  They made it to the Cotoya village on time, and a scout ran up to them.

“Your highness, (Narfeji was the chief’s wife) we killed the man leading the black jaguar raids. His followers called him Kioke.” He said.

“Kioke was my ( )other! He wanted to find and kill me! Thank you scout!!!!!!” Oshi cried, her gratitude endless, “Now I can live in peace!”

“This is my tent. See how big it is? That’s because I’m married to the chief.” Narfeji said, “Oh, and you need some new clothes. Let’s find you something.”

They went inside, and Oshi gasped. Several huge agate gemstones hung on the wall, and everything was tidy. A minute later, Narfeji held up four dresses. Oshi took them and changed into a blue deerskin dress with Kakapo feather jewalry.

“Oh, it’s time to go to storytelling!” Narfeji cried. Two girls appeared by her side, and Narfeji introduced them as Denassi and Shoshona. They all went down to a huge bonfire, where bowls of ( )ead dough and metal platters on sticks sat. Everyone sat down. The men, however, had recived a call that Brazilians had landed at the beaches, and so the Cotoyas leaped onto their buffalo, grabbed spears, bows, and quivers full of arrows, and sped off. The Brazilians and Chileans had teamed up, and were invading! Oshi started kneading her dough, and flattened it, then rolled it into a long snake.

“What is she doing?” Denassi asked, “I don’t think she knows HOW to make ( )ead!”

“Can I have some sugar, please?” Oshi asked. It was ( )ought to her, and she thanked the scout who ( )ought it to her. She wound the dough snake into a pretzel, and sprinkled the sugar on top. She then laid it in the fire. After a few minutes, she took it out. Denassi glared enviously at the ten year old that had outshone her.

“How did she make that?” Denassi thought jealously. Her face glowed with anger. Shoshona’s face was the exact opposite. She looked at the pretzel and asked, “Will you make me one out of my dough, please?” and Oshi was happy to oblige.

After the story, everyone dressed in their rabbit-fur nightgowns and went to bed. Oshi slept soundly, knowing that she had found a place that was safe. At least, that’s what she thought. Little did the Cotoya men know that the Chileans were planning an attack on the village that very night.

Oshi awoke to screams of terror that nearly deafened her. Cotoyas ran everywhere in their nightclothes. Chilean spears occasionally hit a tent or log, but luckily the Chileans had very bad aim, so no one was even scratched. The men made it home just in time to drive out the Chilean warriors. The Chileans agreed to leave the island and never come back on one condition; they would be given a village girl to be their slave. Oshi was frightened when she heard she was picked. But she went anyway.

Once she was in Chile, she met a missionary named Carlos Lashita. Carlos was Christian, and was a Cotoya! He was only 12, but had a strong heart. Carlos promised to return her to the Cotoyan Island as soon as he could, and that he would accompany her. That night, shattered glass was scattered on the floor. Oshi sighed happily as Carlos led her to a small speedboat that was bobbing in the water near the pier. The two got inside, and sped off towards the island.

Narfeji waited desperately for news of her new daughter. She wondered how the Chileans treated her, and if anyone was friendly towards her at all. Then a little speedboat docked at the pier, and a boy jumped out.

“Carlos?” Narfeji asked, for she knew Carlos’ mother, “Is that you?”

“Yes, Narfeji.” Carlos replied, “I’m afraid my preaching didn’t do much in Chile, though.”

“Oh, that’s too bad…” Narfeji said sadly, “I was hoping it might do some good, but-” As Narfeji spoke, Oshi ran out of the boat, tears flooding down her cheeks.

“Oh, Mama! I thought I’d never see you again!” Oshi sobbed.

“There, there,” Narfeji spoke gently, “I was worried too. Let’s get back to the tent.”

Later, Carlos came to talk to Oshi.

“While we were in Chile, you told me you wanted to accept Christ.” Carlos said.

“Yes, I did.” Oshi replied. After a short prayer, Oshi had fully accepted Christ. Then Carlos’ mom, Lania, called him in to dinner, and Narfeji did the same. Oshi helped cook dinner, which was pork and beans. Oshi had fun at storytelling, for she and Carlos got to tell their stories of their times in Brazil. And Oshi became much loved.

“I LOVE your nightgown, Oshi!” Shoshona said. “Humph.” Denassi grumbled. “Thank you, Shoshona.” Oshi said. Just then, Carlos came in.

“Uh, I just wanted to ask you if you would accompany me to preach to the other Cotoyas.” He stammered.

“Oh, I’d love to!” Oshi was nearly delirious with joy.

“Oh, so, is this all a jest to make our culture look silly?” Denassi asked.

“Come with me, Denassi.” Carlos said, “I want to talk to you.” He took her into his tent, and when they came out, Denassi was a believer. Shoshona was also a Christian, Oshi had told her about Jesus already. Narfeji and her husband Jiam also were converted, and when news spread that the Chief was a Christian, everybody became believers. Soon the Cotoyas were a Christian tribe.

Oshi was happy. Having a great friend and a strong desire to love Jesus to the very end were the icing on the cake to her. The cake was everything else she had been through the moment Narfeji had found her. She set up her cot, and soon fell fast asleep, dreaming the best dreams she had ever dreamed in her life. She knew Jesus and his angels were watching over her. And that was the best thing ever. But, she didn’t know that Denassi secretly wasn’t a Christian!

Book Two (In which a battle isn't even enough to make it exciting.)

Oshi laughed happily. She had just turned 13, and had gotten many lovely presents, including a beautiful African necklace from Carlos. (He had gone on another mission trip!) Oshi loved the Cotoyan people, and had really grown used to the customs. She touched the engraved cross that marked the middle stone of the African necklace and sighed. She had on a lovely white deerskin dress that everyone that was haughty envied. Denassi was no exception. Denassi grew more jealous every day, and had finally gotten so envious that she couldn’t stand living with Oshi. She moved into a little tent on the outskirts of the village. But, of course, she had to go into her tent whenever she heard Oshi and her friend Leila coming.

Leila was a girl that Carlos’ mother, Lania, had adopted. Leila also was a Brazilian, and was 13, like Oshi, and had shimmering black hair down to her feet. Well, I do suppose I should get back to the story, now, don’t you think? Oshi walked down the dusty road to Shelakai. The cloud forest had grown a lot it the past three years, and had more exotic foods than before. Oshi was going there to gather yams, coconuts, watermelons, and sugarcane, and to spear a bush deer. She had her basket with her, of course, and a few spears.

Denassi was singing softly to herself when Oshi came by.

“Oh!” thought Denassi as she ducked into her tent, and closed the flap, “I need to hide!”

 “I wish Denassi wasn’t so incredibly haughty.” Oshi said to herself, “Or I might’ve been able to convince her to not be jealous.” She sighed, and walked past Denassi’s tent, and continued to Shelakai. Once there, she saw a bad sight. The Brazilians were invading! She ran back to the village and told everyone the news, and then ran home.

She went into her part of the tent, sat down on her woven reed mat, and prayed. After she prayed, she ran to see the men getting ready for battle. The chief, Jiam, dipped his finger in red paint, and drew crosses on the cheeks of the men. On the boy warriors, however, he painted phoenixes, the symbol that they used for Jesus. The ceremonial spear was handed to Jiam, and he raised it over his head.

“Dear God, we thank you and praise you. Please, forgive us for the gory, violent work we are about to do. Protect us and deliver the enemy into our hands. In Jesus’ name, Amen.” He lowered the spear and handed it back to one of the Cotoyan Baptist Church’s elders, Golin. Next, Jiam handed out the battle spears, which had special tips on them, and the bows and arrows. They were engraved with one word, “Godspeed”.

Oshi hurried over to Carlos, for now the women and girls had to say goodbye.

“Carlos, I wish you could stay…” She sighed, “But I know it’s your duty as a warrior to go fight.”

“I wish I could stay too. But these Brazilians are a bad lot, and I suppose we’ll have to drive them out of our beloved forest. In fact, I think we’ll drive them from the island itself.” Carlos said. But Oshi still worried. Carlos hopped onto his white horse and rode off. Oshi didn’t have a chance to say farewell to her father, but instead shouted to him when he rode away. Narfeji (Remember, she’s the chief’s wife, and Oshi’s mom) waved to the warriors as the rode off. She turned to Oshi and said, “Well, let’s get a stew roasting.”

“Mother, we can’t go to Shelakai! That’s the battlefield!” Oshi cried. Narfeji managed a weak smile.

“I planted a garden a month ago, and I accidentally forgot to tell you. Now go spear some fish. Fish stew will be delightful!” she said. Oshi smiled in return, grabbed her spears, and ran off to the beach.

Meanwhile, Denassi peeked out of her tent, only to see the battle that was going on. It was a bloody scene, the mangled bodies of men and boys, all Brazilian, on the path, and Cotoyas with blood streaming down their legs, faces, and arms.

“Gruesome, just gruesome!” Denassi disgustingly exclaimed. A few moments later, a Cotoya fell to the ground in agony. Denassi recognized him as Lokaa, her friend. All of a sudden, she rushed out onto the battlefield and picked him up, struggling to hold his weight. Then she sprinted into the village, and took him to the medicine woman.

“Is he going to be ok?” Denassi asked worriedly. Konola, the medicine woman, calmly replied, “Yes. He will live, though he will have several scars.”

“Oh, good!” Denassi said with relief. Then Oshi stopped by with Shoshona, who had a severe stomachache. Oshi said goodbye to her, and walked away. She had not noticed her jealous sister, who closed her eyes as Oshi walked past.

Oshi walked back to the cooking-fire and sat down, awaiting orders. Leila sat down next to her, and showed her the hummingbird nest she had found.

“I found it near Oahana.” (Oahana was a river, and its name meant lucky.) Leila explained. Oshi giggled, “Hey, I was going to tell YOU about it!”

“Oshi,” Narfeji said walking over to the girls, “Come with me. I have a job for you.”

“Yes, Mother.” Oshi said, and obediently followed. Her job was to clean the big cooking spoon, as the stew was done. She easily finished, and sighed. Just then, the men returned from battle, and Narfeji called to them, ringing the dinner bell. Oshi sat down next to Leila and Carlos, and then everybody started to tell stories around the fire. Oshi laughed. Even Denassi couldn’t ruin her love for Jesus and her strong desire to serve Him.

Book Three (In which Oshi wins an award she shouldn't have, if what Jiam said had any truth to it.)

Oshi was happy. She had turned 15 two days ago and had been glad that Carlos had returned from a war he had been fighting. They had spent the day together, collecting bananas, star fruit, and other fruits.

“You were kind to come with me, Carlos, you didn’t have to spend the day with me.” Oshi said. Carlos just laughed.

“Oh, I wanted to spend some time with my friend, you.” He said, “This setting is absolutely perfect.”

He tossed an orange to Oshi, and she caught it neatly.

“I understand. You are going to the awards ceremony, aren’t you?” She asked softly, “I overheard your mother say you wouldn’t be there.”

“Uh…” Carlos blushed, “I-I never said I wouldn’t be there. M-my mom had a misunderstanding. I was telling my friend, Jacob, that I wouldn’t be at his banquet because I had the ceremony to attend, I said it was my duty to attend.”

“Oh.” Oshi said. Then they lay down on the grass and rested awhile before heading back to the village with all their fruit. Narfeji met them at the edge of the village.

“Oshi! There you are! Thank you for ( )inging this fruit! Oh, and thank you too, young man.” She looked at them with a smile on her face. Oshi smiled back, and so did Carlos. He smiled at Oshi and turned to Narfeji.

“I suppose she’s needed, anyway, Jiam is getting the warriors together now, so I must be going.” He said, winking. They watched him run down to the warrior’s hut, a special hut for getting ready for ceremonies. Oshi sighed.

“Where do we need to go, mother?” She asked, ( )ightening up. Narfeji smiled again.

“We need to go put some chicken on a skewer. Did you get the dried oregano I put out yesterday?”

“Yes mother, I did.”

“Then get the seasoning ready. I’ll prepare the chicken.” They started down the road to the cooking-tent. Lania met them once they approached.

“Goodness me!” She cried, “Where’s the chicken?”

“Right behind the tent. I told you!” Narfeji said, rolling her eyes. Lania looked.

“It isn’t there!!! Oh dear me!!!”

“Relax. It’s right there.” Narfeji said, pointing to the top of the tent where the chicken was perched, “Oshi, shoot it for me, please.”

“On it!” Oshi said confidently. She strung her bow and let fly at the bird. WHAP!  The bird fell, lifeless, to the ground. Narfeji clapped.

“Good job! A direct hit!” She said excitedly. Lania put her hand to her head.

“Dear me. That chicken was the pride and joy of the chief.”

“Lania! Jiam was raising that bird to EAT!!!” Narfeji erupted, “I took care of it so we would have a feast at the ceremony!”

“Mother, I’m done with the seasoning.” Oshi said calmly. This helped calm Narfeji down, and she started plucking the chicken. Lania helped.

Oshi’s next task was to chop off the bird’s head. When the plucking and execution of the chicken was done, a skewer was poked through it, and it was seasoned, then put over a blazing bonfire. Soon the chicken was done, and pork was then placed over the fire. Soon the fruit arrangements, carved watermelons, soups, fig cakes, and meat were all done. The feast was all ready!

The women placed the gold plates around the fire, and the forks and spoons beside the plates. Soon the drums started playing. Boom-bam-boom, bam-boom-bam. The warriors came out, whooping war chants and sparring with one another. This dance was called “The dance of the Warriors”.

After this dance was done, Oshi gulped and tugged at the collar of her Sea-Girl dress. This was her dance. Six girls twirled into the clearing where the dances were done. Oshi, meanwhile, was on top of a special platform, fastening a rope that was tied to a bendy tree to her waist. She prayed silently, and then leaped at the first beat of the drums. She soared above the audience, doing moves like the graceful arch, the dolphin, and the white horse, which is what the Cotoya call the wave. The white horse was the most complicated move in the dance. To do it, you had to bend your body back and forth, and then do a series of flips. The dance was over in about thirty minutes, and Oshi sighed with relief. Her dance, “Oshi the Sea-Girl’s dance”, was over. She and her “Maidens” backed into the crowd and watched “Leila the Parrot-Girl’s Dance”.

Then came “The Hero’s Dance”, a dance full of vigor. Two boys, one dressed in white and the other in black, came into the clearing. Oshi saw that Carlos was the white clad one, and smiled. Carlos was the warrior boy chosen to be the hero! The two boys clashed fake spears and did acrobatics on the ground, such as a triple back flip performed skillfully by Carlos. Soon the black clad boy fell to the ground, and Carlos slid his spear over the back of the boy’s neck. The hero had won! Then came “The Dance of The Tropics”, the dance that the grown women did.

The women, including Lania, parted, and Narfeji, clad in a beautiful flowing scarlet garment, walked through. Then the dance began. Narfeji spun, her dress elegantly circling her. In ten minutes, the dance was over.

All of the dancers laughed, for the dancer awards were being awarded. Jiam stepped into the clearing. “As our custom is, no dance is better than the other. The dances are equal. Now, for the awards. For skilled performance in the Parrot-Girl’s dance… Leila! For the best performance in the hero’s dance, Carlos! And now, for the best performance of the evening…” He paused, “Oshi, the Princess of Cotoya! And also, I would like to award my wife, for the great job she did on the costumes. Will the persons mentioned please take their places beside me to receive their awards?” Jiam finished, and scanned the crowd.

Oshi gasped, and walked up to take her place. Her award was beautiful purple velvet imported from Turkey! Then all the warriors were given awards for their ( )avery. Carlos received two awards, a new war spear for his performance in the hero’s dance, and a new warhorse for being so incredibly ( )ave in battle. Leila received a parrot-feather necklace, and Narfeji was given a headdress to use for her dance. Oshi was so happy she did a fountain spin right then and there! Carlos high-fived her, and Leila hugged her so hard that Oshi could hardly ( )eathe.

“This has been the best day ever!” The three exclaimed joyfully. Then they heard a loud clanging.

“The feast!” some random person cried. Oshi, Carlos, and Leila ran as fast as they could- and they could run fast... and I mean fast- to get to the feast. The food was utterly delicious, and afterwards, Oshi said that she had never tasted a finer meal, for the feast was prepared unlike any other, and it had the most exotic foods on the island prepared for it. But the highlight was the music.

The most skilled musicians played the most beautiful music on the instruments native to the island. First they played “Corruna’s Song”, then “Dolphin Destiny”, and then finally, “Feathered Love”. Oshi just couldn’t resist dancing to the litha, the mokaii, and the anahia. Everyone stopped to watch. Soon Oshi could hear a pattern of feet on the ground as others got up to join her. She smiled. Being able to ( )ing joy to others was her specialty. She thanked God that very night for her dancing ability. She was thankful for her friends and family, and that she was found by Narfeji, and became Christian.

 Book Four (In which Oshi gets healed because she's speshul)

A seventeen-year-old girl with long black hair and tanned skin ran across Shelakai. She leapt up into a nearby tree and waited. Another girl soon followed, but didn’t climb the tree like the first did. The clouds were lower than usual today, and the girls were both silent, one in the tree, one on the ground. But then the second girl spotted the first, and she yelled. “I see you, Oshi! You can come down!”

“Nope.” Oshi called back, “You’re going to have to catch me first, Leila!”

“Alright.” Leila started to climb. But, like a squirrel, Oshi jumped from ( )anch to ( )anch. Leila couldn’t keep up. “Hey, wait up!” She called.

Oshi stopped, and climbed to the highest ( )anch. Leila blew a small whistle, and a flock of parrots flew her to where Oshi was.

“I can see the palace from here!” Oshi gasped, “They’ve set the last ( )ick of marble!”

The parrots flew the girls back to the Cotoyan village, whose people had grown more advanced. The housing went from tents to stone houses, the men’s hairstyle from short to tied in a warrior’s bun, the clothes from deerskin to cotton and imported cloth, the gems from not much of a variety to a huge variety, and the tools from wood to all sorts of things, like amethyst canteens and jade forks, for Oshi had discovered a secret mine that had an infinite amount of gems and metals.

Oshi had also discovered a secret door that only she could go into that led to a private island. Oshi’s island, to be exact. And she discovered HORSES on that island! They were better than the native horses. So she ( )ought a horse for every Cotoya back from the private beach, as she called it.

As the parrots set Oshi and Leila down about a mile from camp, they heard footsteps… tens of thousands of millions of footsteps. Oshi gasped. “Chileans!” She cried to Leila. They ran the whole mile back to camp and told everyone. Everyone wondered what the Chileans wanted. Oshi gasped again. “The horses. They want the horses.” She whispered fearfully, “The horses.”

Suddenly, she had an idea. She would fight! She cut her hair to shoulder length and tied it in a warrior’s bun, then put on men’s battle clothes and washed off her makeup. When she was done, she looked like a teen boy. She rushed to the battle ceremony, and pretended her name was Tilran. She explained, carefully disguising her voice that she was the Cotoya spy that went to Chile. Jiam, her father, nodded in agreement. (The real spy had been killed, but Jiam didn’t know)

Jiam was the chief of the Cotoya people, and Oshi knew that he could kill her, but she wanted to fight so badly that she decided to fool him. The battle ceremony was completed, and the Cotoyas went to the corral and each grabbed a horse. Oshi mounted Wind, her horse, and rode into battle. Oshi told Wind where to go by talking, and so she rode while shooting the Chileans.

Jiam was in the midst of fighting a general named Alfonso when he noticed that Tilran (Oshi) was a perfect marksman that shot like Oshi did. He became suspicious, and almost forgot the #1 rule of battle: “STAY ALERT”.

Alfonso stabbed him in the chest, and several soldiers took him back to the Cotoyan village. Oshi shot Chilean soldiers left and right, and suddenly felt something sharp graze her leg. A Chilean poison spear had almost hit her! She remained in the thick of the battle for a while, and then headed out to the village.

Once there, she yanked the tie out of her hair, put her tea length silk dress back on, and put her makeup back on. Narfeji came into the palace in a hurry. She had come from the hospital, and had bad news. “People of Cotoya,” She announced from a balcony, “Your Chief is dead, and Oshi is now ruler over you.”

Oshi was still in her room when Narfeji was done with her little speech. Then, before she knew it, her Mother was leading her out of her room and instructing the servants to move her furniture into the chief’s rooms. Then, Narfeji ordered the royal robes of the chief to be placed around Oshi’s shoulders. Oshi didn’t understand. She asked why she deserved this treatment.

“Why, you’re the new ruler! Didn’t you hear the speech?” Narfeji exclaimed.

“I…I don’t deserve this high place. I don’t even deserve to live here! I’m adopted.” Oshi stammered. Narfeji smiled. “But I found you. This is all God’s will! You were born to rule!”

Oshi looked down at the swarming mass of Cotoyas and sighed. What will I do about Denassi? She thought, She’s already married, although she’s 18, and is the firstborn. I wonder just where she is. She sighed again and pushed open the royal blue velvet curtains. “People of Cotoya, hear your leader! I have to be married this year, and men who love me may come to the palace and try to win me!” She announced. Several men rushed to the door of the palace. Carlos wasn’t one of them. He was on a mission trip, and would return the next day. The guards let the three men, Rugan, Yoli, and Kirato, in. Each one held a bouquet of tiger lilies, but Oshi respectfully declined each one of them.

“DINNER!” Narfeji called, ringing the dinner bell. Everyone rushed to the bonfire. Dinner was bush deer, yams, papayas and roasted almonds. After that, they told stories and made pretzels, as Oshi had made after Narfeji found her. It had become a tradition.

A note about the sisters of Oshi:

 When Denassi had married Matheus, a Brazilian, she had moved to Brazil. No one but Matheus knew that she wanted to murder Oshi. And Matheus said he would help her do the job. Shoshona was growing quickly, and was almost as agile as Oshi was. She was fifteen, and excited about her 16^th birthday, which is called the “Arumotia Kilteea Rensik”. (The aromatic sixteenth birthday) It is called that because when you turn sixteen, you start to wear perfume, whether you plan to wear a little or a lot. Oshi usually wore lotus flower perfume, imported from Egypt. Shoshona wanted Japanese cherry blossom perfume.

After the big meal, Oshi and Shoshona danced in the festival. It was the annual Five Stars festival, which happened whenever a certain five stars appeared in the sky. Oshi was Oshi the Sea-Girl, and Shoshona was Shoshona the Palm-Girl. They danced for quite awhile. Even though they were Christian, the old Cotoya traditional dances hadn’t been abandoned, just modified so that they were giving thanks to God, not fake gods. And the legendary figures were real, just not magical, as the Cotoyas thought at first.

When all of the dances were done, Oshi, Shoshona, Narfeji and Leila all trooped back to the palace. Oshi had invited Leila to spend the night, so they could talk about different styles of leadership, and how Oshi was going to rule. Leila had accepted, and so they sat in the indoor pool that Oshi had acquired when Jiam had died. They chattered about this and that, and Narfeji said that they sounded like two little birdies, chirping away on a ( )anch. Then they fell asleep, Oshi dreaming about battle, and Leila about flying with the parrots.

The next morning, Carlos hopped off his speedboat and checked his pocket for something, then sprinted towards the palace. “This place has grown!” he said aloud. He then noticed a tombstone, engraved with the name “Jiam”. Then he really hurried to the palace to see if Narfeji and Oshi were O.K. “Hello, Carlos! Have you come to see Oshi?” a guard asked pleasantly. This particular guard was Carlos’s dancing partner in the Hero Dance. Carlos nodded, winded from his long sprint. The guards opened the door and saluted. Carlos walked slowly towards the Master Bedroom, where the leader slept. He knocked softly, and a gentle voice answered, “Come in.”

“Hi Oshi!” Carlos said, and told her all about his trip to China. Oshi smiled, and told him about her first battle and how she became the leader. After the tales were told, Carlos handed her an index card with a message in Chinese on it. “I hope you know Chinese!”

 He grinned. Oshi studied it hard. “Will…you…Oshi…marry…me? Oh! Will you, Oshi, marry me! YES!!!!!” She was ecstatic. Carlos handed her a beautiful diamond and peridot ring with a rose gold band. Then the happy pair rushed to Oshi’s mother and told the whole story. Narfeji was happy for her daughter and called for a scribe to write the story down in the history books. Then Oshi and Carlos started planning the wedding.

It was decided that the wedding should have an orange-blue-white theme. The flowers were all lilies and roses, and Leila agreed at once to be the Maiden of Honor. Shoshona was made a junior ( )idesmaid, and two more girls who had danced with Oshi were the ( )idesmaids. The invitations were sent out, and the swift messengers ran to the nearby Cotoyan towns to deliver the beautiful scrolls.

The big day came and went, and the happy couple set out on their honeymoon in Rome. They danced, ate noodles, and talked about a treaty. The Italian leader agreed heartily. Oshi got a lovely purple Roman dress that had a gold shoulder clasp molded in the shape of the sun. Carlos got a handsome toga that was also purple, the dye of royalty. After a week of fun Italian festivities, the newlyweds went back to the Cotoyan territory.

But in Chile, Denassi’s plan was slowly progressing. An assassin named Adelmo was on his way to the same territory that Oshi and Carlos were arriving at. He was a skilled killer, with deadly accuracy and a barbaric nature. But it was a five-day journey to Corrocia, the territory’s capital, where Oshi reigned alongside Carlos. He hopped on his speedboat with a bunch of supplies and set off. He grinned. This was going to be so incredibly devastating!

“Whoa, Lopita!” Oshi reined in the young mare that she had just been riding. It was being ( )oken in, and the little horse had a feisty personality to match its fiery red coloring. Oshi looked over at Carlos, who was desperately racing around the training ring after a young red stallion, Lopita’s twin ( )other. His name was Firestorm, and he was very, very fast. Carlos tripped and fell. Oshi couldn’t help laughing at her husband’s actions.

“The horse just got a lap ahead of you!” she called to him.

Carlos grinned and rubbed his back.

“Yeah, but I just crossed what I call the finish line.” He called back. Firestorm trotted close to him and whinnied, as if laughing at him. Lopita whinnied back at her twin. When Oshi found a horse that she thought would be useful, she ( )ought it to the Royal Stables to be ( )oken in. This time, however, none of the stablehands could control Lopita and Firestorm, and so Oshi and Carlos had the job all to themselves. A yong* (*a yong was ten minutes) later, Carlos had Firestorm’s reins clenched in his fist.

“If that horse gets away one more time, he’s going back to your island!” He fumed. Oshi called back,

“Alright…But won’t Lopita be lonely without her ( )other?”

“I…I guess…” Carlos scratched his head.

“I have to tell the lumberjack to chop some wood for the bonfire tonight. It’s the ‘Tia’ festival tonight. Don’t forget!” Oshi said. Carlos grinned. How could he forget the Tia festival? It was one of the biggest cele( )ations of the Cotoyan culture! Tia was the cherry-blossom girl of Cotoyan history. She could control cherry blossom petals, which she dropped whenever a person married. When she died, she was made a casket out of cherry wood, and cherry blossoms covered her still body. The old Cotoyas believed that a cherry tree grew from her heart, but they were wrong. Someone had planted a cherry pit over her grave in reverence, and it’d grown over the years.

The old Cotoyas had believed that Tia, Oshi and all the other magical people were gods, and that they would rise from the dead someday. But since Carlos’s teachings, the new Cotoyas became Christian. The old Cotoyas were banished to the left side of the island, where Onah the clouded leopard had found Oshi 18 years ago. They wanted revenge, and Denassi had, sadly, after believing in Jesus, turned back to their teachings. The “Elders of the Spirits of Good”, as they called themselves, moved to Chile soon after. They found husbands and wives there, and taught them all about the “Spirits of Good”. So now the “Elders” were spreading their religion among the Chileans. Oshi told the children of Cotoya that they should never be messed with.

After a long day, Oshi finally was ready for some leisure time at the festival grounds where they traditionally held all of the ceremonies and festivals. As she went into the grounds, she heard all sorts of Cotoyan dialects. She spoke the Corrocian dialect. There were 10 dialects: Corrocian, Livenian, Ralkion, Elderian, Jilushian, Polosian, Deraliain, Garthisian, Sasheolan, and Yoanian. Only one was not spoken on Cotoya, the territory of the Cotoya Peoples. That was Elderian, the name given to the dialect that the “Elders” spoke.

The ten main villages of Cotoya were Corrocia (The capital), Livenia, Ralki, Jilushia, Polosia, Deral, Garthis, Sasheol, and Yoan. There were smaller villages, too, but all villages spoke one of the ten dialects. Oshi headed for the Yoanian market, where everything looked Asian. An Asian missionary had gone there recently. But, to his surprise, everybody was already Christian! But he found Cotoya so likable that he decided to live there. He ( )ought his family with him, and an Asian village began, minus the language. The Yoanian dialect had a slight Asian burr to it.

After buying a parasol for shade and a bonsai tree kit, Oshi went to a rotatimi show. Rotatimi means “Imitator” in Cotoya. Rotatimi travelled village to village, claiming to speak all ten dialects. In other words, they detatimied. (Detatimied means imitated in Cotoya) It was quite exciting to have a rotatimi in town. He or she would call on a random person from the crowd and ask them to speak. Then they would imitate the person’s voice. Usually they mimicked the voice exactly. The rotatimi was very fun to listen to and watch. After the rotatimi show, she went on to the Jilushian market. A moment later, Carlos came up to her.

“I need you to come! The dances are starting!” He yelled over the noise.

“Just a minute…” Oshi said, handing a Jilushian tree vendor two niocs. The vendor handed her a Chinese Juniper. Niocs were the Cotoyas’ money. She loved Chinese Juniper, and wanted to make a bonsai tree out of it. Then she hurried to a tent and got her Oshi the sea girl dress on. She then went into the crowd and watched the Leila the Parrot Girl dance. Leila was fantastic. She spun with both grace and agility, and leapt like a deer leaps over a ( )ook. Then it was time for the Hero Dance. Carlos spun and turned with total masculinity. The “Enemy” did the same. The dance ended with Carlos prevailing. Then, it was Oshi’s turn. She buckled the rope that she used around her waist and jumped. She soared high above the crowd. Doing a dolphin, and a white horse, she landed and unbuckled her rope. Then the dance really started. As Oshi and her maidens twirled, Leila noticed a suspicious man in the crowd. He didn’t look Cotoyan. He looked Chilean. It was Adelmo! He drew a knife and went into the changing tent. When Oshi went into the tent, he stabbed her in the arm. She screamed. The doctors rushed her to the infirmary. Carlos spotted Adelmo and ran after him. He caught up with Adelmo quickly.

“Why have you done this, ( )other?” He asked.

“Why, Carly! Or was it Carrie? I can’t ever remember your name. Why are you here?” Adelmo greeted him wickedly.

“WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS?” Carlos stormed.

“Well, only to cause complete and utter devastation, why else would I?” Adelmo cackled. He drew his knife again. Luckily, Carlos still had the sword that he used for the hero dance, and was able to block the oncoming blow. Leila stood by, watching helplessly. She was scared. What would happen if this evil, evil man got away? What if Carlos was killed? What if Oshi, her best friend, died? It was too much to bear. She ran back to her house, sobbing. Carlos heard her and looked away from Adelmo for a split second. And in that split second, Adelmo dove in for the kill. Carlos stepped away just in time, but got cut on his arm. Blood streaked down his white shirt, which Oshi had so lovingly sewed for him. Adelmo’s knife shattered, and Adelmo ran away. Carlos went to the infirmary and got treatment for his arm. Then he asked to see Oshi. The nurse said she had lost a lot of blood, and was unconscious. But they let him see her. She was hooked up to an IV, and looked very pale. There was a bandage wrapped around her arm, and blood showed through. The doctor took Carlos aside.

“We’re not sure if she’ll live. She’s very weak, and her ( )eathing is irregular. I hope you can live without her.” The doctor said, shaking his head.

“Doctor, please! She can’t die! She just can’t! I don’t know how I’ll live without her ( )ight eyes and charming smile and sense of humor!” Carlos blinked back tears. The doctor just shook his head, and Carlos held Oshi’s hand in his. He felt angry. His own ( )other, turned against him! He just couldn’t believe it. He wanted revenge against Adelmo.

Leila was in her house when her mother, Lania walked in.

“What’s wrong, honey?” Lania asked. Sobbing hysterically, Leila relayed the whole story.

“I…Just… I just can’t lose her! She’s my best friend! Why did that evil man target her of all people?” Leila wept. Lania calmed her, then told her to hurry up, because it was time for the banquet to begin. The two got there just in time, and saw Carlos sitting alone and depressed by the fire. He made a pretzel, and then sprinkled sugar on it, just like Oshi did. Then he choked up and cried. Everyone could tell that he was deeply saddened by the stabbing of Oshi. Then, out of the blue, someone started singing a Cotoya hymn.

“The Lord, He is so good, so good. Even when everything goes wrong. The Lord, He is so good, so good. That is exactly why we sing this song. The Lord, He is the best. And that is why the seventh day is the day of rest. The Lord, He is so good, so good…” Everyone joined in. Carlos was the only one that didn’t take part. “So Good” was his favorite hymn, too. Then, he threw a gourd into the fire. He was mad. When Adelmo had stabbed Oshi, he had also stabbed Carlos’s spirit with the knife of depression and anger. Carlos felt like that knife had taken a piece of his heart. That piece would heal, but if Oshi died, would leave a horrific scar on his heart that would never heal until he had revenge on Adelmo.

Five days later, Oshi awoke, very groggy, to see the doctor looming over her.

“She’s awake! Oh, the joy! She has a chance!” The nurse cried.

“Hold on, Alicia. Don’t ( )eak the news. Then people might rush in to see her, and that wouldn’t be good.” The doctor, Roberto, calmed Alicia, the nurse, down.

“May I, good doctor, have a bite to eat? Oregano chicken, if possible?” Oshi asked.

“Oh, the joy! She feels well enough to eat!” Alicia cried again. But strangely, a blue glow seemed to radiate from her wound, and as she ate, it glowed ( )ighter. Then she drank a glass of water. The glow ( )ightened until Roberto and Alicia were bathed in blue light. It started as a faint pastel blue, and then got ( )ighter until it was vivid neon blue. It shot through the roof without ( )eaking it, and it looked like a blue pillar was on top of the infirmary. Every Cotoya stopped and looked at it. Then the light subsided, and Oshi looked at her arm in amazement. Her arm was completely healed!

“Oh, the joy! She’s HEALED!” Alicia cried.

 Very suddenly, Carlos burst into the room, panting.

“Are you OK? I saw a blue glow emitting from the roof and I thought…” Carlos stopped short. Everyone was looking at him curiously. Then, he saw that Oshi’s arm was healed, and he suddenly felt very woozy. He plopped down on a chair very heavily, and stared, deep in thought.

“PRAISE THE LORD!” was his sudden outburst. Everyone cheered. They sang “So Good” twice. Everyone was happy. But outside, Adelmo frowned in frustration. His perfect little plan hadn’t worked. Denassi would be furious. “Oh well,” his conscious reassured him, “You did in fact create sorrow until that devilish light had to come up and heal her!” He sighed. He would have to go back to Denassi.

“You did WHAT?” Denassi raged.

“I-I’m sorry, your Grace.” Adelmo quivered.

“The Tia festival is a sacred time. According to the Law of the Elders, you have committed a serious crime against Tia. You must, must pray to Tia and leave her a sacrifice of lamb and sacred parsley. Only then will she forgive you. If not, she will whisk you away to Damatii (Damatii means “The place of everlasting sorrow” in Cotoya) in a cloud of sharpened cherry blossoms.” Denassi glared at him.

“I will, Madame. Right away.” Adelmo bowed low. Then he hurried off to the Tia Temple to leave his sacrifice. He checked in with the Elder of Tia’s Gate, the entrance to the temple, and went to the altar. After lighting the sacrifice on fire with the sacred Elderian Stick, he prayed aloud.

“Oh, Great Tia of pale, radiant beauty, Hear my desperate plea! Please forgive me of the terrible wound I have inflicted on your immortal heart! I vow that I shall never, ever commit this horrific sin I did again. And also, Great Tia of beautiful smooth Auburn locks, help me be strong of heart! I solemnly pray from the deepest part of my heart, and I swear by the Tear of Revalia (The “God” of Sorrow) to never deny the last statement I made. I swear it by the Petal of Tia. Misgah. (The ending of Elderian prayers)” He cried.

“Feeling better?” Denassi’s husband, Anxo, came up beside him with an offering of wheat. He was going to pray to Tia for a plentiful cherry crop.

“Yes, thank you. May Falhia bless you with bountiful crops this year.” Adelmo replied. Falhia was the “god” of crops. Anxo and Adelmo got together every day at noon in some temple. Maybe they met at the Temple of Oshi the Sea-Girl, or the Temple of Falhia. But they always met in some temple. Adelmo walked down the steps in silence. He was thinking about Carlos. Carlos had always been the weird one in the family. He worshipped some odd “One True God” and never set foot in a temple. When Adelmo had moved to Chile to work as an assassin, Carlos had been preaching to some girl. That girl was Denassi. Denassi had pretended to be Christian, then married Anxo and moved to Chile. She had told Adelmo that there was this annoying girl who didn’t measure up to her name. (Oshi) Denassi wanted her dead. But now it seemed that Carlos had married that annoying girl and went to form an alliance with Italy. But Adelmo hadn’t known that Carlos would be at the Tia Festival. Adelmo grimaced as he thought of his ( )other. This was going to be hard to forget.

Oshi and Leila chatted over Green Tea.

“I can’t believe you’re better!” Leila cried.

“I don’t know how I did that blue glow thing, but it sure works. ‘Oh the Joy!’” Oshi mimicked Alicia. The girls giggled. “Oh the joy” was Alicia’s signature statement.

“Hey, ladies. You talking about Alicia the Happy Homely nurse again?” Carlos stuck his head through the door.

“Oh, just imitating her. How’d the men’s bible study go?” Oshi questioned.

“Well. But Adelmo was there.” Carlos scowled.

“Adelmo? The man who tried to stab me?” Oshi asked in amazement.

“Just kidding! Mom saw him hightail it off the island!” Carlos laughed. Oshi gasped in delight. The three sat in a circle on the floor, chatting happily. They knew that God took care of everything, and that everything would be ok.

Book Five (In which Oshi discusses her three mothers)

“Shi-Shi’s hungry again!” She called to Carlos, who was working in the garden. The 19-year-old walked into the nursery. Little one-year-old Oshi (Named after her mother) was awake and crying. Her parents just called her Shi-Shi. Oshi fed Shi-Shi, then looked at baby Carlos, sound asleep in his hammock-crib. She smiled. Getting Carlo, as was his nickname, to bed was tough, but once in his hammock-crib, (Cotoyas call it a kcommahbirc) he slept like a little angel. Oshi ( )ought Shi-Shi outside and put her in her playpen. Then she went to help Carlos in the garden.

“These yams look pretty ripe for the picking, Carlos.” She said. Carlos looked at the red tops of the sweet vegetable peeking out from the ground.

“We can probably pick them today.” He said, feeling a yam carefully. Oshi was already digging one up.

“Yep, these are definitely ripe!” She held up the big tuber. Carlos grinned. He was glad that Oshi knew so much about gardening from her days at Shelakai. She still went there often, sometimes to pray, other times to check on her personal garden. Carlos’s train of thought was interrupted suddenly.

“I’m going to take Shi-Shi to see Shelakai. And it is the Oshi The Sea Girl Festival today. She’ll love the excitement.” Oshi said. Carlos consented, and Oshi lifted Shi-Shi back out of the playpen. Shi-Shi toddled towards the door of the palace. Oshi smiled. Shi-Shi knew that she had to change her dress. Oshi picked up the little girl and took her to her nursery.

“Shi-Shi want to be Sea Girl.” Shi-Shi said. Oshi gasped. This sentence was Shi-Shi’s first time talking! Oshi put the miniature Oshi The Sea Girl on Shi-Shi, and Shi-Shi giggled. The little dress was a perfect replication of Oshi’s, and Shi-Shi loved it. Then mother and daughter set out for Shelakai. As parrots sang to one another, Shi-Shi picked a hibiscus from a bush, and sniffed it. Oshi smiled. Shi-Shi had a love of nature, just like her.

“This is my second mother’s grave.” Oshi said, pointing to Onah’s final resting place, which was under what was her favorite tree, where she would lie and twitch her tail lazily or look for prey.

“Gramma’s not dead!” Shi-Shi said, her eyes crinkling up in concern.

“No, Shi-Shi, she isn’t. I have had three mothers. My first one I can’t remember, the second was Onah the clouded leopard, and the third is your Gramma.” Oshi said, her eyes dancing with laughter. Shi-Shi looked confused, and then laid her hibiscus on the grave. She walked over to Oshi and tugged at the skirt of her dress.

“Mommy, can we go into the town?” Shi-Shi asked, still holding onto the skirt.

“Yes, Shi-Shi. It’s almost time for the dances, anyway!” Oshi consented. Shi-Shi lead the way to the palace, and Oshi got her Oshi the Sea Girl dress on. As they walked to the festival grounds, Oshi told Shi-Shi about the history of Cotoya, and why the dances were done every festival. They soon arrived, and large crowds of Cotoyas were gathered already, waiting for their turn onstage if they were dancers, or just waiting for the dances to start. They were all different cultures; Yoanian, Jilushian, Corrocian, Livenian, Ralkion, Polosian, Deraliain, Garthisian, and Sasheolan. But Oshi was able to pick Carlos out from the crowd. She headed towards him and passed a group of children. She suspected that they were with a daycare group. She was relieved to join Carlos and Carlo and get away from the crowd.

“I’m going up now!” Carlos said, grinning like a cat that had just eaten a bird or a mouse.

“Good luck!” Oshi kissed him. Shi-Shi was grossed out.

“Eeeeewwww!!!!!” She squealed. Oshi stifled a laugh. Shi-Shi was so funny. They didn’t notice a black, shadowy figure moving through the crowd. It was another ally of Denassi.

Her name was Hayfa, and she had been sent to do something terrible. She was a stealthy, savvy, ninja-like, slender (Hence her name! {‘Hayfa’ means ‘very slender’}) Arabian girl. She was also a master at hand-to-hand combat, so she could easily fight on without a weapon. She snuck up on Shi-Shi, who was imitating her mother’s every move, and grabbed her. Shi-Shi was totally vulnerable and had no clue that Hayfa was evil. And Oshi didn’t notice that Shi-Shi was gone. Carlos came back, and took Carlo from Oshi. Oshi went up and started dancing.

“Shi-Shi, do you want to get a flag?” Carlos asked, looking down at where the little girl was supposed to be standing. Oshi was done dancing, and came over to where Carlos stood, puzzled by the sudden disappearance of Shi-Shi.

“Carlos, where’s Shi-Shi?” Oshi asked, befuddled.

“I…I don’t know, Oshi! She was with me just a second ago!” Carlos stammered, looking around him. Oshi grabbed his arm worriedly.

“Did she go off to the market? We should go look!” She ran towards the thick crowds of people. Meanwhile, snickering, Hayfa snuck away, unnoticed, with Shi-Shi riding piggy-back on her back, giggling happily all the way to a small boat that sat on the edge of a dock. Leila was the only one who saw the wicked woman’s escapade. She gasped.

“I must tell Oshi!” She cried softly. She raced towards the festivities so quickly that she thought that she was skimming the ground. She finally found Oshi after thirty minutes of searching.

“Shi-Shi… woman took her… just left island…” Leila gasped, out of ( )eath. Oshi’s hand flew to her mouth.

“What? How?” She cried. Leila nodded confirmatively.

“I suspect that this woman is in league with your sister. She wore the sign of the Elders on her back. I don’t know who she is.” She stated. Carlos’s teeth gritted and his fist clenched.

“Why does your sister always have to target us?” He asked Oshi. Leila shrugged.

“She hates us and Christianity, plus, she was going to be the leader of Cotoya until I came home with mom and mom decided I was more capable of ruling. It’s a long story…” Oshi explained. Carlos thought for a moment.

“We’ll go after her. Come on!” He motioned for the two girls to follow him.

“What about packing? And Carlo?” Oshi inquired, pointing to the baby that was crawling everywhere.

“Oh, yeah…we should probably pack…and your mother can take care of Carlo.” Carlos a( )uptly stopped and turned around. Leila laughed and ran towards her house. Oshi and Carlos raced each other back home, Carlos carrying Carlo on his shoulders.

“MOM! I need to talk to you!” Oshi called when she opened the door.

“Yes, Oshi?” Narfeji came out of her room.

“Can you babysit Carlo for about a month? Shi-Shi has been kidnapped!” Oshi said worriedly.

“Kidnapped? My dear Oshi! You must be worried sick!” Narfeji gasped, and her hand flew to her chest. She hummed a couple verses of ‘So Good’ to herself to remind herself that God had planned this for a reason.

“I have to pack.” Oshi ran towards her room.

“Why?” Narfeji questioned.

“Carlos, Leila and I are going to Chile!” Oshi announced. Narfeji gasped again.

“But…Denassi! And her husband, Anxo!” She cried.

“We have to get Shi-Shi back, Mom.” Oshi dragged out a packed suitcase.

“How did you…?” Narfeji narrowed her eyes at Oshi. Oshi shrugged.

“I keep a packed suitcase at bay in case of emergencies. And this is a huge one!” She replied ( )ightly. Carlos came out of his room with a suitcase 15 minutes later.

“Wish I had thought to do that!” He groaned. Oshi and Narfeji giggled.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of little Carlo while you’re gone.” Narfeji laughed.

“Thank you so much, Mom!” Oshi thanked her mother sincerely. Narfeji smiled as Carlos and Oshi headed out the door, lugging their suitcases.

“Good luck on your daring rescue!” She called after them. The couple turned and waved, and then set off on what they have called to this very day their grandest, most adventurous adventure yet. Oshi and Carlos caught up with Leila on their way to the pier. A small ship floated on the water.

“Ah, yer majesties! Where d’ya want ta go this fine day?” The captain, a Deraliain named Berach with a distinct sailor’s burr from being at sea too much, greeted the three.

“To that group of islands off the coast of Chile that my sister rules.” Oshi said. (These islands are usually just called ‘Chile’ by most Cotoyas.) Berach gasped.

“Not that dreadful heath’n country!” He said, stunned. Carlos nodded.

“Yes. Shi-Shi, our beloved daughter, has been kidnapped.” He said firmly. Berach gulped.

“Jumpin’ Jehoshaphat! I ain’t gonna refuse help to me leaders, least I get killed. I’d do anything just to stay alive ‘n ( )eathin’ and keep close to me beauty; the good ship ‘Bird of Paradise’! She’s a sound ship, me pride and joy. Ain’t she a gem?” He motioned for them to climb aboard.

“Thank you, Captain.” Leila thanked him. As they walked down the halls of the ship, Berach talked on about the ‘Bird of Paradise’.

“And here’s yer cabin. It’s the roomiest cabin in the whole ship. I shore ‘ope yer majesties like it. Well, I gotta go get me crew! See yer majesties later! Get nice ‘n comfy now, d’ya hear?” He smiled as he opened a cabin’s door. Oshi gasped in delight. The ‘Bird of Paradise’ was a very exotic, fancy ship, and her captain was the opposite. Berach wasn’t messy; his speech was just rough. The cabin had two bedrooms, and the trio immediately loved it. Leila took the room with the twin bed, and Oshi and Carlos had a king sized bed. They all had feather beds and pillows, and the sheets were of fine white Chinese silk. The comforters were a beautiful green and tan floral print. As they sat and discussed the quality of the silk, a maid came into the room. She was Garthisian, and had a French accent.

“Do you need anything, misses and sir?” She asked.

“Adrienne! How are you? And we don’t need anything right now.” Oshi exclaimed.

“Oshi? How?” Adrienne was surprised, but happy.

“Leila, Carlos, this is my pen-pal, Adrienne. Adrienne, this is my husband, Carlos, and my best friend, Leila.” Oshi introduced everyone, and everyone shook hands.

“We’re here because our daughter, Shi-Shi, has been kidnapped,” Carlos explained.

“She has been kidnapped? This is horrible news! I will help you on your search.” Adrienne exclaimed. Oshi gasped.

“No, Adrienne! You need to keep working! You need the money!” She cried.

“I will help you.” Adrienne was determined.

“But…”

“I will talk to Berach.” She was unstoppable. She walked out the door of the cabin.

“I hope Berach stops her. She really needs to keep working. She started working because she is poor, and only has about three hundred niocs.” Oshi sighed. But Adrienne came back in, beaming.

“He said I could help. And he has given me 20,000 niocs!” She said excitedly. Oshi’s mouth hung open.

“That’s a fortune! You are one of the richest people in Cotoya now!” She ( )eathed. Adrienne just smiled.

“And I promise I won’t waste it all on fineries like new clothes.” She said.

“Good! But you may need some.” Oshi smiled. Adrienne looked down at her ragged clothes.

“Yeah…I’ll be like Cinderella! I have always admired that faerie tale.” She beamed back. Berach peeked into the cabin suddenly.

“You folks ‘ungry? Cookie is out there cookin’ up a storm!” He boomed. The four looked up from a map they were studying.

“YES!” They shouted in unison, leaping to their feet.

“Well, troops, let’s git on over to the mess ‘all and eat some grub!” Berach bellowed heartily. Everyone hurried to see what Cookie had made.

“Greetins to ya all!” Cookie was Berach’s wife.

“Yer food smells dee-lightful, darlin’!” Berach pulled out a chair for her and seated himself. Everyone else sat down.

“I made mashed taters, Italian pasta noodles, homemade punkin’ pie…” Cookie listed off the menu choices. She had made everything from roasted antelope to ze( )a cake, and from the time she was done, everyone’s mouth was watering. They prayed, and then dug in. Oshi had some roast crab, tofu, and red velvet cake. It was all very delicious.

“Ya still hungry, me guests? Yer welcome to as much chow as yer stummicks kin hold.” Berach grabbed a duck wing and took a big bite.

“I’ll have some rainbow trout, please.” Oshi said politely.

“Mmm! More peacock, please!” Leila requested dreamily.

“Umm…I’ll have a tiny bit more roast zucchini. Your exotic cuisine is delicious, Cookie!” Adrienne complimented the plump, jolly woman.

“Well shoot…it really ain’t nuthin’.” Cookie blushed.

“She speaks fer us all, darlin’! Yer cookin’s the best in a decade!” Berach laughed one of his rich, hearty laughs. Everyone laughed with him. After their dinner feast, they got out their nightclothes. Oshi loved the feel of her soft merino sheep wool nightgown, which was em( )oidered with clouded leopards around the hems. Carlos put on his flannel lounge pants; Leila got out her nice double-sided velvet nightgown, and Adrienne borrowed some silk pajamas from Oshi.

They all sank into their beds, which were the softest feather beds in Cotoya, as they all agreed afterwards, (A feather cot had been ( )ought in for Adrienne) and fell asleep.

“Wake up, sleepyheads! Time to git on up ‘n eat a hearty ( )eakfast!” Cookie roused them in the morning by clanging a cowbell. Leila yawned.

“Good morning, Cookie.” She greeted her.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat ( )eakfast this morning after that big meal you cooked last night.” Carlos stretched.

“Would it help if I told y’all if I made my homemade pancakes?” A smell wafted through the air, as if on cue.

“PANCAKES?” All four comrades jolted up in bed immediately.

“Race you to the mess hall!” Oshi was out the door in a split second. Everyone else followed eagerly. Cookie smiled.

“Dontcha eat ‘em all ‘fore Berach gets there! He’ll be awfully mad!” She called to them.

“We won’t!” They all called back. They got to the mess hall and sat down. A man, nicely dressed in a tuxedo, put a steaming plate of pancakes in front of each person in turn.

“Enjoy your meal, ladies and gents.” He had an English accent that sounded very fancy.

“We will, sir.” A chorus of voices replied. The man bowed and walked away, carrying a silver platter. Berach arrived soon after the man had left.

“Ahoy, me friends! Did ye landlubbers leave any food fer me?” He teased, sitting down.

“Yes, Berach, there’s plenty.” Leila giggled.

“Well, there’s great news fer ya all.” He leaned over the table, like it was a secret.

“What?” Carlos copied him.

“We all arrive today in Elderian territory. Luckily, I’ve been ‘ere before ‘n know the land like the back of me ‘and.” Berach answered.

“Oh! How soon?” Oshi inquired.

“Five minutes, as the crow flies. Are ya sure ya want ta do this, friends?” He asked.

“Yes. Oshi’s daughter may be in grave danger!” Adrienne straightened up.

“We will do this, even if it costs us our lives.” Carlos stood up, wiping his mouth.

“Then on with the quest, me friends! And let us laugh heartily in the face o’ danger!” Berach boomed.

“Yes, on with the quest!” Everyone shouted in agreement. Nothing could stop them. Or could something? For on the pier, Hayfa was watching the little ship closely…

Book Six (In which Oshi technically re-kidnaps a bunch of children)

A sextet of people stepped off of a small ship onto the shores of Elderian land. The first was a girl, aged 19, with black, shimmering hair that reached just above her waist. The second was a young man, 21 years old, with short black hair and a handsome smile. The third was another 19-year-old that had floor length black hair. The fourth was an 18-year-old ( )unette whose shoulder length hair was neatly in a bun at the nape of her neck. The fifth was a plump, jolly-looking woman who reminded her companions of a kind grandmother, for her gray hair was always in a nice bun, and she was never without an apron. The final person who stepped out of the ship was the captain. He had a gray beard, and always kept his uniform stark white. And with that, the travelers sank down to their knees and thanked the Lord.

“Oshi, do you know where the castle is?” The ( )unette girl asked. Oshi shook her head.

“No, I don’t, Adrienne. But the locals do.” She confirmed.

“Eh, if I might inquire, Carlos, ya seem to ‘ave spent a fair amount o’ time ‘ere.” The captain said to the 21-year-old.

“Yes, I have, Berach. I was a missionary. When they weren’t Elders like they are now.” Carlos replied.

“I made some o’ the food fer our stay here.” The plump woman held up a basket.

“Oh, Cookie! You didn’t!” Everyone cried.

“Aw, shucks. It’s true.” Cookie blushed.

“But you said we could sample the food here!” Adrienne put her hands on her hips in a mock scolding.

“But what if ya don’t like the food ‘ere?” Cookie retorted quickly.

“Oh.” Adrienne said softly. Cookie nodded smugly.

“I…I hadn’t thought of that.” Adrienne finished shyly.

“Well, guys, one thing. Elderian food is sort of good.” Oshi said hesitantly. Carlos looked at her questioningly.

“Well, let’s gather some clues.” He started to walk forward. But suddenly, a sleek, skinny woman who was dressed in a tight black outfit jumped in front of him.

“Not so fast…” She hissed cruelly.

“What?” Carlos was taken aback.

“I am Hayfa…you are not permitted to enter this territory.” The woman said cattily.

“We are too!” Oshi cried.

“Yeah!” The other 19-year-old, Leila, yelled angrily, her heart beating furiously.

“Well, you aren’t! So head back to Cotoya. NOW.” The woman laughed evilly.

“No.” Adrienne said firmly. Hayfa gasped. She wasn’t used to being told ‘no’. She was angered.

“You DARE defy me?” She got into a fighting stance immediately.

“Yes. I do.” Adrienne retorted and walked towards the stunned woman.

“Wh…you…you…you little ( )at!” Hayfa stood up, hands going to her sides. She stomped off, storming furiously. Everyone laughed. Hayfa whipped around suddenly. The laughter stopped instantly.

“Don’t think I won’t be back!” She spat as she turned back around and leapt into the bushes.

“Who is that Hayfa woman?” Oshi asked. Everyone shrugged.

“She probably works for Denassi.” Carlos reasoned.

“Well, I ‘ave one thing to admit.” Berach’s voice boomed out.

“What?” Everyone asked, wondering what his secret was.

“That woman is ‘eadin’ to the palace. We kin follow ‘er and go rescue yer sister, Oshi.” He said. Everyone sat down.

“Let’s have lunch first.” Said Leila.

“No. No waiting. We go now. We wait, we lose Shi-Shi.” Carlos stood up. Everyone except Oshi and Berach groaned and grudgingly stood up.

“Let’s go, my friends!” Oshi cheered. Everyone sprinted after Hayfa. Hayfa looked behind her to see the little group of Christians chasing her.

“Those idiots! They will not mess with Denassi!”  She thought, running even harder towards the palace. She led them to the courtyard, and then disappeared around the corner. The whole company stopped to catch their ( )eath.

“Where is she?” Oshi panted.

“It doesn’t matter, we’ve arrived.” Adrienne staggered backwards to get a better view of the giant structure. Carlos straightened from his bent-over position.

“Ok, everyone. We have got to disguise our voices and pretend we’re regular Elderians.” He said.

“The market is over there.” Cookie pointed out. They all went to different shops to buy their disguises. Oshi bought a prettily em( )oidered Elderian dress, which had real starfish sewn onto it. She also bought a starfish tabard to cover the immodest neckline. Adrienne got a simple purple dress that featured long, floor-sweeping sleeves.

Cookie wore her apron over a baker woman’s outfit. Berach didn’t have to change. Carlos got a white shirt with a hood and blue silk pants. Leila got a parrot dress, which was shaped like a parrot and em( )oidered like one. She wore a long sleeved red dress under it. Satisfied with their disguises, they decided on Elderian names for themselves. Oshi was “Ofelia”, Leila was “Luzia”, Adrienne was “Andrea”, Cookie was “Carme”, Carlos was “Cecilio” even though Carlos is a Portuguese name anyway, and Berach was “Breno”. They went inside the palace with seashell masks on, for it was the Oshi Festival.  The guards quickly barred the palace door.

“Whaddya want?” The taller one growled.

“We’re here to see the Queen.” “Ofelia” (Oshi) said.

“To ask her what?” The shorter one sized up the travelers.

“Never mind that. Her Majesty doesn’t like us minding her business.” The first one reminded the other.

“Oh yeah. She always says, ‘Mind yer own business!’” The second imitated Denassi.

“Y’all kin go on in.” The tall one said. The group of disguised Cotoyas thanked them, and went in. Denassi was sitting on her jewel-encrusted throne, holding an empty wine glass.

“Why are you here?” She snapped demandingly.

“Why, we’re just humble commoners that your husband summoned to stay the night.” Cecilio (Carlos) said humbly.

“What? Anxo summoned you? Oh, all right. You have access to every room except mine. Oh! And I almost forgot! You can’t visit the nursery. That is a room that no one but I goes in.” Denassi gave in, her eyes snapping like co( )as as she detailed the rules.

“We will not mess in your affairs, your Grace.” Andrea (Adrienne) said shyly. Denassi nodded gracefully. (Oshi later said, when detailing this moment, “How can a nod be graceful? My sister is such a perfectionist!”) A servant showed the six to their room. It had two king sized beds and two full beds; the perfect amount, a squadron of servants to wait on them hand and foot, and a beautiful bathroom. They made plans to visit the nursery at midnight, for they had overheard Denassi say that she was going to a party with her husband at that time. They, while waiting, spent their time exploring. After a while, Oshi gasped. Everyone stopped.

“I can hear Denassi! Listen!” She whispered. Denassi was speaking to Hayfa, of all people!

“She has to go. That will make Oshi come to her rescue. Kill her at one. She must not be rescued, or you will pay with your LIFE.” Denassi hissed.

“Why? Why not ( )ainwash her instead? Like you did with all of the other babies?” Hayfa asked.

“Hmm…I could make her my daughter instead? Oh! Glorious idea! You will do it at one o’ clock tonight. Simply BRILLIANT!” Denassi laughed wickedly.

“Other babies?” Carlos looked startled. Adrienne fainted. Oshi gasped. Berach clenched his fists. Cookie started to cry softly. Leila’s eyes widened with fear. It started to storm.

“We’ve got to rescue the poor little ‘uns!” Cookie cried.

“I agree!” Leila added. Everyone nodded. Soon, it was midnight. They all dressed in black and went down the dark corridors until they found the nursery. They snuck inside the dim room that had a heavy iron lock on the door.

“Shi-Shi, where are you?” Oshi and Carlos called softly, as not to arouse suspicions.

“Mommy? Are you coming to get me?” Shi-Shi popped out of a bed.

“Oh, Shi-Shi! I was so worried about you!” Oshi got down on her knees, tears in her eyes. Shi-Shi ran over and hugged her mother tightly.

“And can you ( )ing all my new friends, too?” She asked. Other three-to-five-year-olds popped out of their beds.

“Please take us! Our mother is mean!” They cried. Oshi softened up, and looked at Carlos with pleading eyes.

“Oh, all right.” Carlos gave in.

“We’ll adopt them.” Oshi stated dreamily. Shi-Shi clapped her hands. Then she hugged everyone. But lightning flashed suddenly and everyone looked to the doorway. Hayfa stood there, silhouetted against the white wall behind them with a sword in hand. Everyone gasped.

“Hayfa…” Adrienne glared at the thin, lean woman.

“You will not get away with this!” Hayfa hissed back. The two backed off into the hallway. Adrienne grabbed a sword from a suit of armor. The armor crashed to the floor. The enemies circled, and clashed their swords.

“Go now, while you still can!” Adrienne cried, bent over from the force of Hayfa’s sword pushing hers.

 As the fighting got more and more intense, Oshi and the others snuck away. As the group ran towards the entrance, Oshi looked back. Adrienne was on the ground, slain by Hayfa, who glared furiously at them.

“Let this be a lesson to you, Cotoyas! Whosoever defies Hayfa dies by the sword!” She called to them cruelly. Everyone was in grieving as they exited the palace.

“She was a good friend and companion.” Carlos put his arms around Oshi and Leila, who were both sobbing hysterically. Cookie’s head was lying on Berach’s shoulder, and her choked-up husband was desperately trying to comfort her. Shi-Shi was wailing along with the rescued children, and even Carlos was getting emotional. They made their way to the “Bird Of Paradise”, and boarded immediately. It reminded Oshi of her rescue from Carlos nine years before, and that made her cry even harder. They all went to their rooms, and went to sleep, mourning all the while. In the morning, Shi-Shi and the other children stood alongside the deck. Oshi looked each one over to make sure they were unhurt.

“Tell me your names, please. Well, everyone besides Shi-Shi.” She laughed.

“We don’t have names.” A 5-year-old boy with tousled, ( )own, curly hair said sadly. Oshi looked at each child with sympathy.

“But we…we want to have names.” A little girl with sparkling green eyes tugged on Oshi’s skirt.

“Very well. You shall all take on the names of your favorite mythical or biblical character, like Tia or Peter, or a hero, like Carlos.” Oshi laughed again. Instantly the deck was in a hubbub. Kids were talking, laughing, and running up and down the ship. There were 16 unnamed children, and Oshi asked them again what their names were. The boy with the curly ( )own locks was Ramos, after Ramos the Shepherd, and the green-eyed girl called herself Esmeralda, after the Emerald-Girl. A girl with a sophisticated air, even though only four, said her name would be Zipporah. A young boy the age of three with a lisp called himself John, and his adorable sister, aged five, was Abigail. A sweet, sweet girl, the very image of the late Adrienne, took that name in remem( )ance of her, for the poor child had been almost killed by Hayfa as she saw the children escaping, and she was the last one in line, cut off by the evil woman. Adrienne had jumped in front of the little one just before Hayfa ( )ought her sword down. A boy who looked like he would make a good 5-year-old boxing champion chose the name Paul, and his younger twin sisters were Leyla and Cookie. Another boy named himself Arafo, after Arafo the Lion-Man, and his sister chose the name Arafa, as in Arafa the Lioness-Girl. And then there were the triplets, which were all boys. They were Firo the Fireman, Aquas the Waterman, and Airus, the Airman. And finally, a pretty four-year-old chose the name Lovlia, after Lovlia, the Beauty of Beauties. As Carlos and a servant struggled to keep the boys off the railings, Oshi shared her beauty secrets with the little girls, telling them that she would make them all princesses in Cotoya.

Meanwhile, in Elderian Territory, Hayfa picked up a book. It was a bible, dropped by Carlos on the mad rush to exit the palace. She opened it, and her jaw dropped like a coconut from a palm tree. Isaiah 55:6-7 was staring her in the face. She started to read aloud.

“Seek the LORD while He may be found; call upon him when He is near; let the wicked forsake His way, and the unrighteous man His thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” Just a coincidence, she thought. She closed it, but something drew her into this strange book. She reopened this and gasped. There was Luke 7:47-48. She read some more.

“‘Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven-for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.’ And He said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven’.” Hayfa gasped again. Something was going on here. Could this god of her enemy be calling to her? She started reading at the beginning of Genesis. As she read, she secretly set a goal to read the whole bible behind Denassi’s back.

“LAND HO!” Berach boomed. Everyone rushed to the front of the “Bird of Paradise”, shouting “Where?”

“It’s tiny right now, but it’ll grow inta a whole country. It’ll grow inta a whole Cotoya, at that!” Berach answered, raising his spyglass to his eye. And he was right. Pretty soon, they landed, and the children all looked around with awe. Narfeji came running from the docks, with baby Carlo in her arms.

“Oh, Oshi!” She cried.

“Ma-ma!” Carlo squealed.

“Carlo is…talking?” Oshi was surprised, but happy.

“Yes, he learned from me.” Narfeji laughed. She surveyed the newly named children.

“These are some children that Denassi took captive and…and…did something horrible to them.” Oshi explained, leaving out the ( )ainwashing bit.

“They’ll have to introduce themselves.” Narfeji said, looking kindly at the youngsters.

“I’m Lovlia.” The four-year-old blushed prettily.

“We’re the triplets! Firo, Airus and Aquas!” The threesome, also four, giggled unanimously.

“I’m Arafo. ROAR!!!” The little lion-man roared like his namesake.

“And I’m Arafa! Grrr!” His sister growled.

“I’m Zipporah.” Zipporah smiled her sophisticated smile.

“I’m Abigail, and this is John.” Abigail said shyly.

“My name is Esmeralda.” Esmeralda’s green eyes sparkled.

“I call myself Ramos.” Ramos gave Arafo a sly look.

“I’m Adrienne.” The sweet girl looked down. Narfeji gasped.

“I thought Adrienne was 18!” She said confusedly.

“No, Adrienne…died.” Oshi looked sad. Narfeji looked shocked.

“I’m Paul, and these two twins are Cookie and Leyla.” Paul finished up the introductions.

“Well, you all will reside in the palace. As Royals!” Narfeji said confidently. The little girls gasped and squealed with delight. The boys showed no emotion whatsoever. 

“If I have to act like a fairytale prince, no thanks.” Paul looked disgusted.

“No, no! You will be trained to be warriors of God.” Oshi laughed. The boys’ eyes all widened, and they all reacted happily.

“Let’s GO!” Ramos led the way to the palace. The others followed him happily, and Oshi ran over all of their names so she wouldn’t forget.

“I wonder how Hayfa is?” Carlos asked. He had purposely dropped the bible so Hayfa might realize her mistake.

Meanwhile, Hayfa was crying very, very hard. Her head lay on an open page of the bible, and the thin paper was wet with tears. She had read through John, and stopped when she read John 3:16.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son; that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” She had read, and that’s when the tears started flowing. Suddenly, Denassi slung the door open hard.

“Well?” The Queen yelled loudly. Hayfa quickly hid her treasure, stopped crying, and jolted to her feet.

“I didn’t do it.” She answered firmly and confidently.

“What…did…you…say?” Denassi drew a knife from her side.

“I didn’t do it. They all escaped…alive. Except for Adrienne, and I deeply regret killing her. I will, however, not regret killing YOU!” Hayfa’s sword met Denassi’s knife with a tremendous CLANG, and Hayfa was suddenly filled with hatred for the Elders.

“You dare to tell me you would MURDER YOUR QUEEN?” Denassi raged, parrying for all she was worth.

“Yes! Because of THIS!” Hayfa pulled out the bible, well worn and torn in a few places. Denassi gasped, and in a moment of weakness, let her guard down. Hayfa stabbed her in the chest, narrowly missing her heart, and leapt out of a nearby window.

“I’LL GET YOU FOR THIS! I SWEAR BY WERALI, GODDESS OF REVENGE! I WILL FIND YOU!” Denassi shrieked, running to the castle doctor and surgeon. Hayfa knew that she had to get to Cotoya before Denassi recovered. She took off toward the docks, her journey beginning.

“Oooh!” Arafa gasped, taking hold of a tan dress that sparkled like the stars. Oshi smiled. The new princesses were picking clothes, and Arafa had found a favorite.

“Is this dress O.K. with my hair?” Zipporah held up a professional looking red and white dress with pearls around the hem.

“I think it looks fine, Zipporah.” Oshi laughed under her ( )eath. Carlos came in the door, and picked up Arafa, who pretended to growl.

“Oh, Carlos! How are the boys doing?” Oshi kissed him happily.

“They’re picking out armor. Arafo wanted to see his sister.” Carlos returned her kiss.

“How romantic!” Adrienne sighed dreamily.

“I can’t wait to find my fairytale prince like Mother has.” Esmeralda batted her eyelashes. Cookie and Leyla, the babies, gurgled happily in their stroller.

“My prince will have blue eyes and an enchanting smile that will make me fall in love…” Lovlia looked off into space blissfully.

“Well, girls, it shouldn’t be hard to find your princes in Cotoya! Here, Adrienne, try this dress on. It enhances your eyes.” Oshi smiled, holding up a dress made from blue silk and embellished with darker blue bird-of-paradise feathers. Adrienne gasped, and took the dress in her hands.

“It’s beautiful!” She whispered, stroking the sleeves tenderly. Soon, all of the princesses were ready, form the oldest to the youngest. Dinner was ready, and they met Carlos and the princes out in the hall.

“What’s for supper?” The triplets asked unanimously.

“I honestly don’t know. But it’ll be good!” Oshi replied.

“Not as good as Cookie’s food, though. They went back to life at sea.” Carlos added sadly.

“Nothing’s better than Cookie’s food!” Shi-Shi cried. A servant escorted the Royal Family into the dining room. The table was laden with food. It was a feast fit for…well, royalty. Narfeji, Shoshona, Leila and Lania were already seated.

“Oh, Oshi! It’s been ages since I last saw you!” Shoshona shouted out excitedly, getting up from her chair and pulling Oshi into a big hug.

“I’ve missed you too, sister!” Oshi answered happily.

“Oh, I’ve been so WORRIED! And…oh! Who are all of these handsome boys? And such beautiful young ladies!” Shoshona pulled Adrienne into a hug.

“Kids, this is your Aunt Shoshona.” Carlos announced. Arafo “roared” in delight, and Arafa joined in, making growly noises. The other kids laughed and hugged. Meeting their new relatives was an exciting start in a new family.