by Sheri Vie
The boy turned his palms up. “Aikona, no, Prince, nobody here talks to the animals or birds. Well, Shiana whispers to them all the time, but I don’t hear them talking back. I chat sometimes when I am lonely, but they ignore me.”
Jali squinted even harder. “Can you not hear them talk to me?”
“No, Prince, aikona!”
The fern door to the cave gave way as Jali walked out, and Siya ran behind him.
“Teach me, Prince, to talk to the animals and to know what they say to me.”
Jali smiled. “That is beyond me, Siya. On Zooka, everyone can talk to each other.”
Siya held his head and rocked side to side. “Hayibo.” He lowered his hands. “Yebo, abaningi amandla.”
“Yes, many powers,” Jali replied.
Siya jumped back. “Hayibo, Prince, you can understand Zulu too!”
“Is that the name of your language? But of course. Can you not align your speech?”
“Naaaa, aikona. Prince, tell me about where you come from?”
“You must be specific, Siya. What do you want to know?”
He scratched his head and paced around Jali. The boy glanced at him, paced around once more, and lowering his gaze he whispered. “Do you have superpowers?”
“Define superpowers.”
“Yebo, like a superhero, you know, can you fly?”
Jali lowered his gaze and sighed. “Not yet. My sister Reena, my Grandma, and other Zookians can.”
Siya frowned. “When will you fly?”
Jali twirled his fingers, stared out at the Cosmos, and heaved a sigh. “When I graduate from Level-4.” He traced a circle with his foot. “I tried two times already. Then I created a special bond with Tuttles to help me fly.” He puckered his lips, and his eyes lit up. “When I get back on Zooble, I’ll complete the practice sessions with Guardian 1, and when Reena returns from your planet, I will graduate!”
“Yebo, I wish they taught us to fly at the schools here. And Prince, what’s Zooble?
The boy followed Jali’s gaze to the distant sky. “She is our intergalactic space explorer. Reena, Commander ZW1 and the Magnificent ZW7 warriors travel in her to reach other planets and galaxies for rescue missions.”
“Ay, so that’s how you came here—with your sister?”
Jali turned to the boy, who had a twinkle in his eyes. “Siya, where do you live? Where is your family?”
The boy stooped and gathered a handful of twigs and grass. He sighed, shrugged, and lifted himself onto the large boulder at the cave entrance. Jali joined him, while the fireflies hovered above.
“I have no family, now,” Siya said. “I live in caves when there is no school.”
***
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
GHOSTS FROM THE PAST
SIYA CHOKED BACK A CRY, trying to be strong in front of his new superhero friend.
The prince looked at him. “You have no family, no sister, no brother, no grandmother?”
“Nobody.”
The boys dangled their feet from the rock and stared at the forest below them. Up above, the stars and the fireflies flickered, and around the cave little squirrels scurried, stopped, winked at Prince Jali, and sped on.
Siya let out a deep sigh, grateful for the prince, his amazing buddy from the skies. A petal drifted onto Siya’s lap. He smelled it and shared the sweet aroma from the red rose petal with the prince, who smiled with delight and closed his eyes.
Siya said, “I used to live in Umlazi township with my mommy, daddy, my big brother Vincent, and my uncle—my father’s brother.” His gaze wandered to the treetops as he remembered the forest around the shack where they lived. “My daddy was a taxi driver, and my mommy cleaned the houses of the rich ones, you know, the laanis.”
He swallowed hard. “One day, my mommy didn’t come home. Daddy went all the way to the laanis’ house to find her. The boss’s guards, they threw him out. Said that she won’t be coming home no more.” Siya sniffed and clenched his teeth to stop the sobs.
“Late that night, Daddy went back to the big boss’s house, and he saw Mommy, but it was too late. Before he could drag her out, the guards, they beat him up and threw him in the ditch by the railway lines. My uncle, he found him and brought him home. He was hurt bad, but nobody in our township had money for the doctor. I watched him through the door with the sangoma. He called me and Vincent. Said we must stay away from the big boss, said they were doing bad things with our people. He told us to run away and hide.”
Siya wiped the flood of tears off his face and sniveled. “After a day, he died. Vincent and me, we walked all night. We jumped on trucks and hid in the trains. We heard my uncle disappeared. I was frightened and tired, and I held Vincent’s hand so tight. In Chatsworth, we lived with the Unit 1 street beggars. Vincent said I must hang around the schools and build my brain—maybe then we can escape. Every day he found food, and we slept in drain holes and caves.
“One day, no Vincent.” Sobs overpowered Siya. “I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know where to go. I started walking, and walking, and stopped in Arena Park.” He wiped his face again. “I stuck around the schools, hid in the labs. I wanted to learn so when Vincent came back he would be proud of my brain. One day, Shiana, she saw me digging for food in the school bin. She saved me. Shiana saved me!” His sobs racked his entire body, and he bent over.
He wept.
Small hands rested on his shoulders and tenderly pulled him close. He leaned his head on the chest of his space prince. They both cried.
***
While he opened his heart to the prince, Siya had woven a holder of twigs and grass.
“Prince, I think you like this cup.”
He sprang up and returned with the food bag that Kriaka had packed. He emptied the water bottle into the prince’s new cup. Siya handed the prince the best yellow mango. His friend analyzed the skin, sniffed, and nibbled. His green eyes beamed. In the middle mountain range of the Draco, outside their little cave lit with fireflies and surrounded by forest beings, the two boys ate their first meal together under the glittering stars.
***
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
ALIEN LANGUAGE
“WHAT ABOUT YOUR MOMMY AND DADDY, Prince? Are they on Zooka?” Siya asked.
Jali’s breathing slowed, and he shrugged. “The details remain unclear. I have been counseled by our Royal Guardian that two weeks following my birth, my parents were called on a rescue mission and did not return.”
He tried to sound brave, turned to Siya and continued. “My Grandma, Queen Vraka, reared my sister and me. That is all I know.”
Jali’s super-hearing activated and he blurted, “A vehicle approaches.”
Siya clawed his way up the tree, alighted on a thick branch, and strained his neck. He looked down at Jali and disagreed, but waited and watched through the forest.
Within a few minutes, doors creaked and slammed below. Meosic ran to the edge that sloped down the plateau and jumped onto sleepy-eyed Shiana as she slogged up.
“Hello, Meosic,” she said with an energized voice.
Shiana’s gaze met Jali’s and she tripped, fumbled, and curtsied.
Rama Adi’s head emerged from below, and he looked at Jali. “Kid, you okay?” He ripped off his cap and wiped his forehead. After ruffling Jali’s hair, he dug into the bag of food.
Kriaka Adi smiled when she ascended. “Prince Jali.” She bowed.
Shiana rubbed Meosic’s neck. “Meo, you like P-Prince Jali, I see.” She sat on the boulder, and the cat curled on her lap. “Go f-find your dinner, then come back for some water.” Meosic ran behind the cave.
Doctor Herby, the last one off the trail, held rolls of papyrus and grinned at the sight of Jali.
“Prince Jali, how has Siya been treating you?” He touched Jali’s forehead. “Your temperature is stable now.” And he patted his cheek.
Rama threw Herby a food pack and looked at the entrance to the cave. “Hey, what’s going on here?” He lif
ted the fern door. The troop followed him into the cave where fireflies glowed like a bright summer morning.
Siya responded in a high-pitched voice. “I told you the prince is special. He talks to animals. They love him!”
Rama frowned and squinted, letting out a grunt, while Herby stared all around.
“But of course Prince Jali does,” Kriaka said, cheering up Jali.
Siya filled them in on the Zookian Glass and failed attempt to beam Jali.
“So, Princess says we must gather at the Mont Aux Sources—28°46′21.07″S 28°52′21.72″E—in seven days, with pure beings. The Portal will open and Prince Jali can beam to their spaceship Zooble, and Princess Reena and the Magnificent team can help rescue us and our planet!”
Rama devoured his sandwich. “Heh, don’t tell me you saw them in the hologram again!”
“Yebo, and they can fly on their planet!”
“Okay, I get it,” Rama said. He grabbed Siya and tickled and pinched his sides.
“Hayibo!” The boy giggled.
“Rama!” Kriaka said.
“Well, Siya, did you pinch yourself when all this was happening?” Rama asked.
Siya clicked his tongue. “Hayibo. How do you think the fireflies came, heh?” He rolled his eyes and rocked his head left and right.
Fireflies plastered the ceiling and haloed Jali. Rama moaned, pursed his lips, and stood behind Kriaka who watched Jali.
“Prince Jali, is what Siya saying right?”
“Yes, Kriaka Adi.” He walked closer to her, with the fireflies following his gait.
Kriaka asked, “We have to take you to Mont Aux Sources and gather with pure beings so that the Portal opens for you to exchange places with Princess Reena?”
He confirmed her summary. Squirrels rallied at his feet, and Meosic jumped onto his shoulder, licking his face. One squirrel ran up Jali’s arm and leaped onto the cat’s back. She must be Brela’s cousin.
The troop stared at him as Siya danced up and down and plonked himself close to Jali.
“Kriaka Adi, Siya’s report is correct. Queen Vraka, my grandmother, received an SOS from someone on your planet. My sister, Princess Reena, and the Zookian warriors left on a mission to rescue your planet. Through an accident in the Transporter, I beamed over instead of them.”
Kriaka let out a gasp. “You were not supposed to be here, Prince Jali?”
He confirmed her deduction.
“SOS from whom?” She turned and looked at each of the troop. “Who sent the SOS?”
They shrugged.
A shiver ran down Jali’s spine. “Kriaka Adi, your team did not transmit the SOS?”
“No, Prince Jali, we did not.” She frowned. “Princess Reena and the Zookian warriors have been sent to rescue our planet?”
“Yes, Kriaka Adi, the Peace-Keeping Force spreads bliss in the Cosmos,”
“Prince Jali,” Kriaka whispered. “This Zooble, is it now close to us?”
“Yes, Kriaka Adi, due to damage to the Transporter, they can beam to your planet precisely at the ordained spot on the specific time after extracting me.”
A stunned silence filled the air.
Herby rushed to Kriaka’s side. “But this is great! They can find the GIFT!”
Rama placed his hands on his hips. “They can zap the whole of the Dragons gang, and kill that Chan and his evil following once and for all.”
Siya whispered. “They can find my brother.”
The excitement changed when Rama sneered, locking his arms behind him. “Wait a minute, now. For one thing, this hologram stuff only happens when we’re not looking, and only the kids have seen it, right?”
“S-Siya says th-th-they speak another language!” Shiana said.
Rama’s eyes widened. “Heh, gotcha now.” He approached Jali. “I say, kiddo, is this true? You can speak another language?”
Jali frowned. “All languages.”
Rama spun around and chuckled. “Well, let’s hear it then, and we’ll know for sure, yeah. Let’s hear you speak your alien lingo!”
Okay, they want me to talk in Zookish—sure, why not?
Shiana and Siya edged close to Jali and prompted him to disprove Rama’s skepticism.
“On planet Zooka, this is the language we speak. It’s called Zookish!” Jali spoke, with assurance.
Laughter echoed through the cave. Shiana and Siya pouted, and Jali’s ears tingled.
Herby looked down as Kriaka rushed to Jali and hugged him. But Rama continued to laugh and snigger.
“Well, here on planet Earth, kid, we call that English!” He kicked a pebble and turned his nose up at Jali.
Siya agreed with a look of disappointment. “Yebo, Prince, only English coming out!”
Oh no! Jali squeezed his eyes tight and remembered Reena’s report from her first intergalactic mission that Zookish was hidden from non-Zookian natives!
Comfortable with the truth, he nestled in Kriaka’s loving embrace.
“It’s okay, Prince. You’re under great stress. Who wouldn’t be if they were stranded and trapped on an alien, unfriendly planet like ours?”
Rama’s laughter stopped, he plonked onto the bed and stared at Jali.
Fireflies haloed Jali’s head, and his troop of squirrels and birds rallied at his feet. The lead squirrel stood tall on Meosic.
Everyone looked at Rama and waited.
He rose, extending his muscular arms and adjusting his cap, and he shot a glance at Jali.
“All right, let’s focus,” he said to Herby and Kriaka. “Tonight, we instructed the First Ones to scout underground for the GIFT’s location. These two hundred troopers are loyal and determined. I’ve no intention of calling them off, let alone telling them about a make-believe Zoob hanging out in space waiting to rescue us.” He drew a circle with his hand. “They’ll think I’ve gone cuckoo!”
He waited for a response then continued.
“I ain’t gonna call them off, and I’m not sure about this great rescue mission by the Zooks! I’ve not seen any hologram and definitely no superpowers. Heck, there’s not even Zookish. Yeah, and who sent the SOS?”
He drew more circles in the air and wrinkled his forehead in response to the silence.
“If it was one of our troops, we’d know. Something’s fishy! I say we continue with our plan, and find out where the GIFT is. The GIFT is all we have.”
He sat on the boulder and stared at them.
Jali’s heart sank at Rama’s skepticism.
Kriaka wandered over to Rama. “I agree—we don’t stop the troop’s plan. Brother, we all want to get the GIFT back for the sake of our future.” She knelt and held his hands. “I know if Mom and Dad were here, they too would want us to hunt for the GIFT.” She turned to Jali. “But they would also want us to help a lost child to find his way home.” She laid her hand on Rama’s chest. “We can do both.”
Rama listened without interrupting.
“Brother, I know deep down you feel the way I do about the young one who’s been trusted in our care. I’ve lived my life rescuing those who need help.” She looked at Shiana. “I think we must help Prince Jali return to his family.”
Kriaka rose and looked at each of them. She clasped her palms together and closed her eyes.
“I know the location of the Mont Aux Sources Portal to which Prince Jali refers.”
***
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THE GIFT OF LIFE
JALI CAUGHT HIS BREATH.
Herby edged closer and touched Kriaka’s shoulders. “You do?”
She nodded. “The Portal is within the strongest vibrating spot in South Africa. How would the Zookians know about it? Nobody has figured it out.” She looked at Rama. “And I haven’t revealed it to anyone, not even to the ones I love.”
She placed a hand on Rama’s chest and stroked Herby’s face with the other.
The men appeared mesmerized by her words.
“I’ve had a good feeling about Prince Jali from the secon
d I saw him hunched over Siya.”
Jali felt a calmness descend over him.
She turned to him and smiled. “Us finding the GIFT is somehow linked to us helping him. We must reunite him with his family. Agreed?”
Herby consented without hesitation.
Everyone turned to Rama.
“Agreed,” he whispered.
Siya grinned, Meosic purred, and Shiana winked at Jali, who smiled with happiness.
Kriaka pulled out a cloth from Herby’s bag. “Why don’t you men figure out the plan? I want to speak to Prince Jali.”
Siya had rearranged the fireflies on the ceiling. “Look!” He tugged at Shiana. “Come on, I’ll tell you all about the hologram and what the prince can do.”
Jali and Kriaka parted the fern gate, and a bunch of fireflies followed them out, into the hum of the forest. Meosic curled her tail around Jali’s leg.
“Hello, are you Brela’s cousin?” Jali asked the lead squirrel atop the cat. “I’ll call you Brelize.”
Kriaka held out the clothing item. “Just in case, Prince Jali, this hood will cover your ears and dot.” She smiled and helped him. “Fits well. See this hood?” She pulled it over his head. “There, now you look like any other Earth boy.”
Jali’s heart bloomed with delight. I look like an Earth boy!
Kriaka touched his cheek. “Prince Jali, how are you feeling?”
“I am fully recovered, Kriaka Adi,” he replied, but his mind was fixated on what had transpired in the cave. He needed clarity on the point of extraction. “Kriaka Adi, would you clarify your secret insights about the Portal at Mont Aux Sources. Have you visited there previously?”
She smiled. “Prince Jali, from the time I was little, I’ve dreamed of strange numbers—28 46 21 07 52 21 72. They made no sense until I became a teacher of science and learned to read maps. No, I’ve not yet been to the spot, but I can picture it clearly. It’s in a hidden area of the ancient mountain. I’ve never dared draw it, or write it down, or even know why I feared doing so. I didn’t understand till now.”
The chirp of the birds infused the silence as they walked the stony path near the cave.
“Kriaka Adi, do you miss your parents?”