Chief Indigo's Choice , livre ebook

Andrews UK - Teresa Atallah Maria

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43 pages

English

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In a dream Maia receives a summons from the King to return to the Tree of El in El Dorado City. The beautiful unspoilt rainforests of Guyana are under threat from a powerful international logging company in their search for ever bigger profits. When the representatives of the Log-Rip-and-Go Corporation arrive in Central Guyana with their tempting promises and reassuring smiles, Chief Indigo has a choice to make that will affect the tribe for ever.This is the second in a series of exciting illustrated books about the young Guyana explorer Maia and her adventures in and around the fabled City of Gold.

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Publié par	Andrews UK
Date de parution	22 novembre 2018
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780722348680
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0100€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

The Secret of El Dorado City
Chief Indigo’s Choice
Maria Teresa Atallah
Illustrated by
Eshara Hewawasam
ARTHUR H. STOCKWELL LTD
Torrs Park Ilfracombe Devon
Established 1898
www.ahstockwell.co.uk

2018 digital version converted and published by
Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
First published in Great Britain, 2018
Copyright © 2018 Maria Teresa Atallah
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

Thanks
Thanks to my Abba Father, Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who are continually at my side through the good times and all of the challenging seasons. I am grateful, for I have an eternal future with You all in heaven.
To my dear niece Cheyenne, who introduced me to Eshara, the illustrator, and my dear friend Fiona.

Special Dedication
I dedicate this book to my beloved family - Abdelaziz, Omar, Adam and Maia. My dear children have been always been excited whenever my books have been published. Thank you all for your support, encouragement and belief in my abilities.

Prologue
There had been great joy and excitement when Maia, fondly know as My My, her family and the tribesmen had returned to the Guardians’ village, in the interior of Guyana. Chief Indigo and Queen Mace had welcomed them warmly. The following days were spent retelling the adventures of the visit to the mighty Tree of El, in the majestic city of El Dorado. The villagers had embraced them into their community and they had observed these Amerindians, who were simple but extraordinary people.
In the weeks that followed, Queen Mace and Maia’s mother had developed a warm friendship. Maia, her cousins, Princess Potaro and Prince Sage had also become firm friends. Maia had promised to keep in touch with them when she returned home to Georgetown, the capital city. Maia also had to make a decision concerning the seven golden nutmegs she had been given by the golden-barked Tree of El. Each nutmeg was worth thousands of dollars outside the city of El Dorado. Maia wisely had prayed about it, and to her great relief she had received clear instructions in answer to her prayer. Maia had asked to have an audience with Chief Indigo and he had agreed to her request.
Accompanied by her mother and her cousins, Dew, Paul and David, they met in the Place of Meeting. This was the large house with the beautiful brown thatched roof, which had no doors. Everyone sat on the huge hand-woven rainbow-coloured mat that filled the entire floor space. It was immaculate, not a trace of dirt on it.
“Chief Indigo, the Tree of El has impressed upon me that you should be given four golden nutmegs. This will enable you to build a larger school to teach the children up to eighteen years old. The children will no longer have to travel to Georgetown from the age of eleven, to be educated, and will no longer be separated from their families during term time,” said Maia, her deep-jade-green eyes fixed on the Chief’s noble face.
“Maia, you would not know this, but it has been our wish that our children could have their entire schooling carried out in the village. I thank you for giving us this precious gift from El. It will help us to achieve this,” replied Chief Indigo.
With an outstretched hand and a grateful smile he received the solid-gold nutmegs from her.
“My chief, there is indeed a need for a larger school building and we, your village advisors, are happy today for the acceptance of the Tree of El’s gift,” announced Councillor Condor, head of Chief Indigo’s advisors.
Each tribesman smiled in unison with the King and they nodded their heads in agreement.
Maia, her mother and her relatives travelled for two or three days along the Cuyuni river on their way home to Georgetown. Maia’s cousins, Paul, David and Dew, stopped at the town of Bartica, where they lived. The head of their family was Maia’s beloved oldest cousin, Apple. Maia gave him and his family one nutmeg to thank them for accompanying them on their journey. She would give the other two to her parents.

Chapter One: The Dream
It was the rainy season in Guyana. It poured relentlessly during the day and the night. The hot droplets thundered down. If caught in the downpour, within seconds you would be wet through, as if the sky had literally poured whole buckets of water all over you.
It was on such a stormy night that Maia awoke suddenly from a scary dream. The dream began with a huge stone of the purest honeycomb yellow, with veins of red intertwined, which rolled through the lush green savannah grasslands into Chief Indigo’s village, on to the Place of Meeting and all the familiar places that she had visited. A faint voice could be heard saying, “It’s an Amberyst stone - the foundation stone of our great city.”
The dream moved on to show a desolate, parched land, unrecognisable except for the familiar hand-woven rainbow-coloured mat. The Amberyst stone now lay shattered into pieces on the mat. The dream had disturbed Maia and she felt deep in her heart that Chief Indigo and his tribe were in danger and their homeland was the key to the dream.
Maia tossed her head, her coppery curls drenched with sweat. She shook off her remaining sleep, sitting up in bed and rubbing the sweat from her brow. Her mind raced with numerous unanswered questions. Making a small opening in her mosquito net, she reached over and turned on her bedside lamp.

“What is happening to dear Chief Indigo and his land? Why did the land look bleached, barren and dry? Please, God, help me to see!” Her green eyes flashed to the deepest jade-green colour.
Maia felt a sudden calmness. In her mind’s eye she saw herself transported back inside the spectacular mansion of the Tree of El. She was seated in her pyjamas on the crystal steps of the familiar ornate pearl staircase with the golden bannister, which glittered with encrusted jewels of beryl and topaz.
As she sat quietly, taking in her surroundings, she began to hear the still quiet voice that was familiar to her, but this time it was overlaid with a deeper tone. The voice appeared to come from behind her. As she gently closed her eyes, in her mind she could see the outline of a man standing on the upper steps. She could make out his shoulder-length coppery hair, and he was wearing a tailored snow-white linen suit. His face was hidden and she could not see his features.
“Maia, I would have you return to visit me in my city of El Dorado. Chief Indigo has been very ill and he has not fully recovered. He had to make some hasty decisions and now his whole way of life has come under threat. Aid him by returning to visit me.”
“Are you who I think you are?” asked Maia as her eyes deepened to their darkest emerald green.

“Yes, Maia, I am the King and Master Builder of El Dorado City.”
“My king, I would gladly help Chief Indigo, who is a Guardian of your city, and who has become my friend,” replied Maia with a sudden understanding of whom she was addressing.
“You are just like your Granny Harriet - always willing to help. I await you, my child. Bring your father with you.”
With that, the voice of the King was gone.
Maia sat back against her pillows, pondering her conversation with the King. Glancing at her small alarm clock, she reasoned that her parents would not be happy to be awoken so early in the morning. Fluffing up her pillows, Maia lay down. Turning off her lamp, she settled down to go back to sleep, and drifted off to sleep thinking about the King. The city of El Dorado was a place of continual surprises.
Maia awoke that morning to the sound of a heavy downpour of dark crystal-coloured rain, beating down without mercy on her window. She lay under her cream-coloured mosquito net. Pushing a small section of it aside, she reached across to her clock and saw that it was 9 a.m.
Thinking she had overslept, she pushed the net and her bed sheets aside and jumped quickly out of bed. As the last traces of sleep left her, she realised it was Saturday morning.
‘No school today!’ she thought.
However, she did remember that after getting washed and dressed she would need to speak to her father. Maia hoped he was home because sometimes early on Saturday mornings, whatever the weather, he would walk to Stabroek Market. Here you could find butchers, traders selling fruit of varied kinds, vegetables and drinks, and jewellers. There Maia’s father would buy a selection of fresh fruit and other goods.
The family always looked forward to him returning with dark-emerald spice mangoes, honey-coloured star apples, prickly skinned pineapples, furry brown tamarind balls, freshly baked pine tarts and other tasty treats. Father happily prepared the fruit and fine pastries for lunch or dinner, and sometimes he would make a delicious purple cherry juice using a family recipe passed down from his Aunt Edmay.
After she got dressed, she went down the stairs to the large well-equipped kitchen where her mother would be usually preparing breakfast. By the smells reaching her nostrils, she knew breakfast was definitely being made.
“Morning, Maia. It looks like I’m not the only one who slept in late today.”
“Morning, Mum. I had a strange dream last night about Chief Indigo, and I went back to sleep after two. I need to talk to Dad. Has he gone to the market?” asked Maia.
“Yes, your father is enjoying a morning stroll today. I think it reminds