Kosi and the Listening Drum — Beside the cocoa trees, Kosi shook her counting jar: click, click, not enough. She wanted one more shiny bean before supper. Read the full story →
Beside the cocoa trees, Kosi shook her counting jar: click, click, not enough. She wanted one more shiny bean before supper. A soft boom rolled from the old talking drum by the path. Boom-boom…come. The air smelled of dry grass and sweet pods. Kosi stepped away from her cool leaf shade, past two quiet huts and a palm that scratched the sky. A burr stuck to her sock, and she had to stop and tug it free.
At the foot of the huge stone hill, a masked traveler sat tapping the drum with gentle hands. “This bean is not for counting,” he said, placing one speckled cocoa bean in her palm. “It is for asking.” Kosi held it to her ear. Inside, she heard rain far away, birds over warm rock, and her own feet wanting to wander again. She carried the bean home without dropping it in the jar. Next time you see the big drum, can you guess which quiet boom called Kosi from the cocoa trees?
