Kakama and rebels. PART I

Once upon a time there was a woman named Ruthopara. Ruthopara was a single mother. She had a nine year-old son named Kakama. Ruthopara and her mother, Namori,ran an orphanage in a rural village. There were 10 boys and 15 girls in the orphanage. Namori and Ruthopara called the children sons and daughters. Kakama called the orphans brothers and sisters. Kakama took good care of his little brothers and sisters, and he loved to play with them.He was good at carving wood, and he often made wooden toys for the children such as wagons, fish, and lions.

Early one Sunday morning, Kakama and his little sister,Taladavana, went down the hill to fetch water. Kakama had a big plastic water can and Taladavana had a smaller can.

When Kakama and Taladavana got to the village well, it was covered with a big wooden cover. Thismeant people were getting sick from drinking the water. It wasn’t the first time Kakama and Taladavan had come to the well to find it was covered. However, the two knew about another well in the next town, but it would take two hours to walk there through the jungle. The two looked at each other and sighed knowing that they would have to walk a long way to the other well.

Kakama and Taladavana usually sang songs or told stories when they had to walk in the jungle because it would help them feel less afraid. During this walk, Kakama told his little sister a story about a lion and snake. “Once upon a time there was a lion in the jungle and a snake…”

While Kakama and Taladavana were walking through the jungle, a truck stopped and asolider got out. “Hey, you two! Where are you going? How old are you?” the strange man asked.Kakama and Taladavana got scared and didn’t say a thing. “You, get in here.” The soldier grabbed Kakama by his arm and pulled him into the truck.

“No. who are you?” Kakama replied. “Just get in,” the man said and almost threw Kakama in the truck. Taladavana started to cry. The man quickly pulled his handgun and pointed it at Taladavana’s head and shouted, “Stop crying or I will shoot you.” Taladavanastopped crying and Kakama was speechless. “Let’s go. We are late,” the other man in the truck shouted. They took Kakama, and Taladavana was left alone in the jungle.

The truck was gone and there was nobody in the middle of the jungle.Taladavanawas so scared, but she had to find a way home. She needed courage to walk back alone in the jungle.

She remembered hearing about lions, snakes, and hyenas in the jungle. It was not a safe place for a little girl. She prayed that God would help her. As she walked home, she ran into a man lying down on the ground bleeding.

He was wearing a military uniform, so she thought perhaps he was bad and had a gun too. “Hey kid. Do you have some water?” the soldier gasped. Taladavanastayed far enough away so he could not come grab or harm her.

Questions

  1. Why were Kakama and Taladavana walking in the jungle?
  2. to fetch wood in the jungle
  3. to meet friends
  4. to fetch water from another town
  5. to deliver water to their parents
  6. Why do they need to fetch water from a well?
  7. Their water faucet is broken
  8. That is the only way to get water
  9. Their plumber is out of town
  10. They don’t like water at home
  11. What happened in the jungle?
  12. They met lions
  13. They met friends
  14. They met Tadaho
  15. They met rebels
  16. Who was kidnapped?
  17. Jomopirab. Taladavanac. Namorid. Kakama

Kakama and rebels. PART II

The man told Taladavana that he had been shot last night by the rebel group that took Kakama away. Taladavana stayed with him to hear more about the soldiers. The man told her that the rebel group will try to make Kakama a soldier and send him to fight for their army. Taladavana was sad and scared. She asked the man how she could get Kakama back safely. “I know where they may be keeping him and drugging him to make him their fighter,” said the soldier. “Please save him. Please,” Taladavana begged the soldier.

The man told Taladavana to bring some sticks and something to tie his wound. Taladavana helped him care for his wound, and she also found him some cassava roots and figs because he was hungry. After one day, the solider felt well enough to walk with Taladavana through the jungle and back to her house. When the two finally arrived at home, Ruthopara, Namori, and all the kids at the orphanage were shocked and could not believe what happened to Kakama.

“Oh my Lord. Please save him. Please help him. Please…please,” Ruthopara and Namori sobbed. The soldier’s name wasWakanabone, and he was actually a lieutenant in the government army. He lost all of his squad in a jungle ambush, and he was the only one who survived to tell the story. “I know where Kakama is. How could I not help him when his sister saved my life?” said Wakanabone.

A few days later, Wakanabone came back to Namori, Ruthopara, and Taldavana at the orphanage. “We are going to go to the rebel’s camp tonight to rescue Kakama,” said Wakanabone. “Please save him and bring him home. Please…,” said Namori.

It was dark in the jungle when Wakanabone’s soldiers reached the rebel’s camp. The soldiershid behind a large oak tree and watched the camp in the dark. In the middle of the camp, there were about 25 rebels drinking around a fireplace and laughing loudly.

The other soldiers seemed to be out hunting for more boys to turn into rebel fighters.Their rifles were set aside, but close enough to grab if needed. There were a few boys in dirty military uniforms carrying dishes to the rebels. The boys seemed scared and weak. There was also a boy tied to a tree trunk close to one of the huts. “That must be Kakama,” Wakanabone whispered while pointing his finger. Kakama seemed unconscious. His hands were tiedto a chain hooked to a tree branch. Wakanabone told his men to go about 50 meters west of the camp and quietly pile wet wood on top of dry wood and wait for a signal. The soldiers arranged the wood quietly, and then Wakanabone told them to set the wood on fire. When the dried wood caught fire, it started to burn quickly and caused the wet wood on top to smoke. Soon, the camp site was filled with smoke and the rebels were running around like chickens without knowing what was happening. The smoke got into their eyes and they couldn’t see.

Wakanabone quickly ran to Kakama, untied him, and got him out of the camp. Wakanabone told his men to escape into the deep, dark jungle. The next day Wakanabone and Kakama came back to the orphanage safely, but Kakama seemed very ill.

Namori and Ruthopara thanked God for Kakama’s safe return home. Wakanabone told them never to go back to the other town through the jungle to fetch water or walk at night. He said the rebel groups are uneducated, merciless, and horrible terrorists, and they are roaming around mountains and jungles to terrorize small villages. “Are you OK?,” asked Taladavana to Kakama. “Y…yes… I….a…m…O…K.,” said Kakama very weakly. “Thank God,” Taladavana said. Everyone at the orphanage thanked Wakanabone and said good bye. Namori and Ruthopara closed the gate tightly and gathered everyone to pray for their safety. They also prayed for their country to be peaceful without merciless rebels. Since Kakama’s kidnapping, no one goes to the jungle.

It now takes six hours to fetch water from another town, but the village is still thankful that God protected Kakama and the orphanage. The village prayed for rainso they could have water to drink close by. Not long after they started praying, a strong rainstorm came and filled the village well.The village was happy that they did not have to walk six hours to fetch water.

Kakama looked at the sky over the jungle and remembered the time he was kidnapped. It was a scary moment for him, and he felt angry as well. He sighed and decided to forgive the soldiers who kidnapped him. He prayed that the rebels would put down their guns and stop kidnapping children. When he opened his eyes and looked at the sky after praying, there was a ray of sun coming through, bathing the village in beautiful light.

Questions

  1. Who was the man saved by Taladavana?
  2. rebelsoldierb. postman

c. teacherd. government soldier

2. Who saved Kakama from the rebels?

a. Ruthoparab. Tadahoc. Saramad. Wakanabone

3. What did the children pray for?

a. their country will be peaceful b. their country will be rich

c. they will have gunsd. they will build schools

4. What did Kakama do at the end of the story?

a. gave food to rebelsb. caught lions

c. forgave the rebelsd. built his own well