Illustration: Nella Vilímková
Storytelling: Oana Maroti
Characters: Coco, Sumo and Cosmetea

In the forest, where the kids lived it was a rainy night.
Coco and Cosmetea started a fire into the cave.
They were really hungry.

Each had a stick with mushrooms on it and they were waiting for the mushrooms to brown.
Sumo, the dog, a big one,
larger than the two kids put together
was making a horrible shadow standing up.

He was listening to the seagulls howling, a tremendous choir sound that keeps your nerves in tension.
Cosmetea – It’s splendid that we have found so many mushrooms today.
Coco – We will find even more tomorrow. This is a feast. Eat as much as you can. I will put the remaining mushrooms to dry, so that we don’t starve if we won’t find food next week.

Cosmetea left his mushrooms barbecue to grill on small fire,
checked his bag and started to play with something small,
that looked like Rubik’s cube,
but made from colored stones,
precious ones.
Coco was quietly staring at the fire and had a shiny aura on her face. The beautiful sounds of crackling fire along with the roasted mushroom smell made her feel a sort of comfort, so she was relaxing.
She took her mushroom stick from the fire and got into the big leaves bed, inside the sleeping bag and started to eat.

Coco – Can you cook a dragon’s tongue?
Cosmetea – I guess so. You can cook everything.
Coco – Yeah, in the name of harsh conditions and adaptation…
A dragon’s tongue spits fire, but how can you cook it?
Cosmetea – To cook it…seems pointless to me. There’s plenty of food in the nature, no need to kill if you recognize plants and mushrooms. You must be truly desperate.
Coco – Well if you´re hungry, you might kill…Oh, it sounds terrifying outside, again. I wonder when will this howling stop. Or if it will ever stop.
Cosmetea – It will, you’ll see. One day. Sumo, here boy!
Coco finished her dinner and start to play their instrument, a hang, something from metal that looks like a UFO and makes complex overtone-rich sounds. It was the sound of planets moving on their cave, but it didn’t last.

Sumo left his food unfinished and entered into the alert mode, with his ears up and all the muscles in tension.

Coco – I hear something. Something else than the seagulls.
Cosmetea – Oh, yes, the orange wall of my magic cube is complete! Sorry, what were you saying?
Coco – Robi, there’s something going on. Look at the fire and this sound…
Cosmetea – Maybe the island is moving, you know. My father told me that sometimes big things move and one can feel that.
Outside, a great lightning formed and the rainy air scent changed. Now it smells like burnt meat.
Coco – The fire is bigger, although there is no wood on it and look at the leaves from our beds. Why do dead leaves have such a full color?

Cosmetea – The orange wall from my magic cube is shining.
We have light…singing.
We have light in the night
and that’s my magic cube.
Something strange is going on.
Something like nothing we have ever seen.
Cosmetea – Oh, well, Coco, I hope so. My life was quite boring, lately.
After surviving the mass extermination I´m used to turbulence. Acting tough, you know. I miss mother so very very much.
Coco hold his hand and at the same time started playing a calming melodic line. Her instrument vibrated remarkable sounds.
Basic heart beat rhythmicity.
to be continued…