Luca

Luca's magical Mijas Mission

It was 7am in Marbella Luca's heart was beating fast. He had just opened his eyes, and there was a huge feather floating in the air right in front of him. The feather was as long as his bed. He blinked. So, THAT was what had been tickling him! It sounded like there was someone calling his name. But there was no one else in the room.

3 The feather fluttered downwards, and landed on top of a small today parcel close to the foot of his bed. He sat up. A Birthday Present?! Today was the 18th Jan - his 3 birthday! He reached forward. From just outside his bedroom window came a strange duck- like sound: Weck, Weck!! Weck, Weck!!! Weck, Weck!

With each call, the feather lifted. Up, with the first \"Weck!\". Back down again, in time to the second \"Weck!\". Luca ripped the parcel open. The wrapping was a glossy leaf, far bigger than anything he had ever seen in any garden, park or forest in Spain. Inside the parcel was a tiny pouch, along with a parchment sealed with a wax circle so red it almost glowed. As he reached for the parchment, he knocked over the pouch. Three small brown beans tumbled out. Was it his imagination or did the monkey on his duvet cover jump as if to grab them?!

Breaking the seal, %VAR_he% unrolled the parchment.Inside was a letter. It wthaesMwOritSteTnHinorrible spidery ScriBbLE heseehnad. ever He couldn´t understand a word!

Not yet fully awake, he marched to the bathroom to wipe the sleep from his eyes. No change: the letter still was as illegible as before! The worst speller in his class wrote better than that. Even the monkey on his bed could have done better! What?!!He squinted at the glass again. The letter winked. Wait.... ....MIRROR WRITING!!! The scrawl had transformed into words he could read..... htiw.ruehoyt.awte”ifea,ne!eewkWahap,yaeatoylWathapgI,mrDugenlEt,rleoniao“lelyoraihtoteBheirTkdnscswtueesnieelpheaaenSheWrcetaebrbluselpsroelyewhoy,praaucrduouoyLotynraOeD

Dear Luca, apOlolwnheotrposdeaairsyegsyotonruoenr. gS,pIencieaeldDyaoyu,rwhheelnp byeocuaur se YtihWot“IruEtfaUohhrWluyeeslfn,geowrWyuhithyeho!nttiou,ehal”sudekee,kyOlewpbnoilcaeoauoeakllawsalnks.ilypnsey.TofooahtuoowunercrmduheyliasIaompvuaksaeawneankfandaoeeiuedtdtadhnrywinitdnonoaouankkit,sr.t,wyeatalonaiykdndereaiwnl.lk P.S. Bring the feather with you!

Chewing his lip as he got dressed, Luca carefully slipped the feather into his back pocket. Trying to figure out the message and wondering who on earth Oolal was, he picked up the pouch, and counted the beans inside. Twenty-one beans and a crazy rhyming riddle, which could only be read through a mirror... ...Now what??? Catching his reflection in the glass, Luca noticed that his frown was gone. A new expression looked back at him... Curiosity or Determination? Or maybe, a bit of both!



Luca snuck into the kitchen on tiptoe, and closed the door ever so quietly behind him. It was strictly forbidden to cook without adult supervision. \"Think, Luca, think!\" That´s what that Oolal had said to do! He carefully divided the beans into three equal portions.

Thinking “ENERGY”, Luca made a smoothie from coconut water, spinach and seven of the small brown beans. !!!BWAAAH He spat the beastly brew out, and watched as it splashed down the front of the fridge. The fridge door slammed open and shut wildly. He thought it best to try again...

Take II. Thinking “MAD SCIENTIST”, Luca concocted a potion from seven more beans, apple juice and the rest of last night’s roast chicken dinner. Alas, it tasted truly FOUL!

Oh NO!!! No sooner had the loathsome liquid hit the bin than all the rubbish raced right out. As if seeking shelter, the homeless scraps banged wildly on cupboard doors. What a mess!

Take III. Thinking “HAPPY”, and aware this was his very last chance, Luca reminded himself to breathe slowly in order to calm his mind. He carefully poured his last seven beans into the popcorn popper, and turned it on. Soon, the kitchen smelled of... CHOCOLATE!!!

Well, how about using some normal ingredients this time? Something like.....SUGAR and WARM MILK! Luca blended both things with the hot beans, and took a sip...... A little crunchy, but...WOW! He had made hot chocolate from scratch, and it was..... DELICIOUS!!! Luca beamed. And, that is the moment his feet lifted off the ground!

It took Luca a second to notice he was floating towards the kitchen wall. Are you kidding me?!!, he shouted. The wall looked like it was MELTING. And then, he found himself on the other side.

He gasped as he looked down and saw Marbella far far below. Seriously?!!! By the time La Concha had faded into the EdiXstaCncIeT,EthwDeasyostouonfignvdcehhroimycosVleaEltfeRYmaker flying that he forgot to feel afraid at being that high up in the sky. It would have been good to have had a jacket on though!



Within minutes, the temperature warmed, and Luca could hear donkeys bray. He was hurtling downward towards a little white village tucked on top of a mountain. “Happiness Lab”, he read, as he Apart from a kid at the next table, who looked weirdly crash-landed onto a, thankfully at him, nobody else empty, chair. seemed to have noticed his arrival. What is this place?, he wondered. And then, just inside the front door, a monkey fell A café, an ice-cream parlour or off a shelf, right onto the a...... Chocolate Factory?! floor!

Rushing to pick it up, Luca realised the monkey was actually a soft toy! It looked so lifelike! And then, it spoke!!! “Luca, you took AGES! Hurry - we have work to do! Oh, yes, I nearly forgot...my name is Oolal. I´m a baby spider monkey. In case you can´t tell the difference, I´m a girl! Welcome to Mayan Monkey Mijas Chocolate Factory”. You’re the Oolal from the message, right?”, Luca asked cautiously. The monkey smiled, and instructed him to shuffle forward slowly, with his head bent to one side and his cheek resting against her. “Luca, you and I have been assigned a Rescue Mission. If we are to succeed, I need you to keep your head down and pay very close attention to everything I say.”



Before Luca could figure out whether it even was a good idea to take orders from a stuffed toy that looked like a monkey (or a monkey that looked like a stuffed toy!), he looked up to find a man grinning at him. “Hola! I´m Jason. I´m the chief chocolate-maker here at Mayan Monkey Mijas. Nice to meet you. Looking from Jason down to his own hand, Luca realised he had flown all this way whilst still holding his hot chocolate. Even crazier, the cup was still full!



So, Luca, most kids visit us in order to LEARN how to make chocolate. You are the first one to actually BRING some with you!” Jason threw his head back, and chortled loudly. “Would it be ok if I tasted it?” Unsure of what to say next, Luca handed over the cup silently.

As Jason sipped, his eyes lit up.... “Luca your chocolate is truly AMAZING!!! Where did you get the beans from??? I need some YESTERDAY!

Luca swallowed. How could he explain how a bunch of beans had landed magically on his bed, that he had made hot chocolate with them, that this hot chocolate had caused him to fly from his home all the way here and that it looked like a stuffed toy monkey belonging to this very chocolate factory might have something to do with the answer to the question?! Before he could figure out an answer, Oolal pinched him and whispered in his ear: “No problem at all, Jason! I can totally get you some beans. I’m going to need a REALLY Big cheque though\". Luca blushed bright red. Doing as you were told was all well and good, but who was going to take a kid seriously saying something as crazy as that?!? Feeling a bit embarrased now, he repeated the words just as the monkey had told him to.





Oolal winked at him. Jason smiled. “Sure! Make some chocolate whilst I go fetch my cheque book. On me. This is Inés”, he said. A cheerful lady in a pink uniform opened the door to the factory, as the yummiest smell of fresh chocolate raced up his nostrils. Inés handed him a hairnet, and Luca took his place with other people at a table set with tall bottles full of ingredients. Mango strips, candied strawberries, honey almonds, salted peanuts, toasted coconut, pineapple chunks, chocolate drops...mmm!!! Luca´s mouth watered as he read the labels, one by one.

Each person took their mould and, guided by the chocolate master, filled it from the taps flowing with milk, white and dark chocolate. What if the taps at home had chocolate flowing from them instead of water?! Back at the table full of moulds overflowing with liquid chocolate, Inés called for silence: “IGNuCysR, yEouDr tIaBskLhEercehtoocdoalayties to create the most ever. creative!Get delicious!Think YoLu heatv´es10Gmoinu!tes.

different....Luca felt curious to try something He created a jungle scene with the different toppings. Chewy kiwi strips became leaves, whilst milk chocolate drops cAsmrtercaaaurwsttehebdmemrtarroleylnoetkowtenryuag,nnmudkesad.daanerdkopcf hcehoeockoecodlaltafertoebmsuptttrhoiennksbl.easr,wstituhckeyoeust a fat of made

“Guys, look at these bars!”, said Inés, as everyone gathered round him. “WOW!,” was the last thing he heard, as Jason handed Oolal the cheque. His feet lifted. This sensation was beginning to feel familiar. Where was he off to now?!!!

Getting closer to the ceiling, he put his hands over his head, and suddenly found himself on the other side. With the strong sun in his eyes, he couldn´t see the chocolate factory anymore. The little white houses on top of the peaceful Spanish mountain shrank to the size of tiny ants, and were replaced by galloping wild sea horses. He was airborne again, and over the ocean.

To“AahrliRlosbgeureaoiGnghgcodlhhiiodndthil,n,ddiinhLsgehguiasniicnsrdwambteo?oieda.”w,aLresn.cu-ahwecieyadaes'rstddahpsnegodtalociztckwteoelaectwr,omdOanssooulnmaltakngeledrtpyob,auvsgylelneaasuid.ngg,ogrtiulnhitnnetgyihnpeagnafOesdsaoectlhudaerl.ltriun, ragqnuhdoepirsoteapiwlpaetderist, WOW! Are we hanging out THERE?!, he couldn´t resist shouting. What an adventure this was!

Oolal, the mind-reading monkey, looked at him with gentle black eyes... Not this time, Luca. You´ve got more important work to do. We are now on our way to the REAL challenge.

The sandy beaches disappeared and, as they swooped downwards through leaves and branches, Luca instinctively closed his eyes. When he opened them again, Oolal and he had landed in a sunny clearing with pretty little trees full of multicoloured fruits. Tiny monkeys, with loveheart-shaped faces and hairstyles like Mohawk warriors, hung by their tails and jumped from the branches.

Oolal looks just like them!, thought Luca, as the tiny primate leapt from his arms, and grabbed a purple fruit. Throwing it against the ground, Oolal cracked the fruit open. Inside was full of white seeds, and the monkey popped one in her mouth. Looking closely, Luca thought the seeds were about the same size as the beans he had made chocolate with this morning. Wow! This morning seemed so long ago.....

Oolal looked him straight in the eye: “Luca, chocolate was born in this jungle, right here on these trees. They are called Cacao trees. We Spider Monkeys were the very first cacao farmers. We eat the jelly that covers the beans. When there is no more jelly left, we throw the beans on the earth. And, from each bean, a new tree grows. We have done this work for thousands of years. But now, the human farmers who own this jungle, make so little money from cacao that they need to sell the land. If that happens, everything will get cleared away to make space for palm oil trees, and all that live here will die. Your mission is to keep the jungle alive.” We have done this work for thousands of years. But now, the human farmers who own this jungle, make so little money from cacao that they need to sell the land. If that happens, everything will get cleared away to make space for palm oil trees, and all that live here will die. Your mission is to keep the jungle alive.” Luca gulped hard. Up to now, it seemed he was on a fun adventure. What was a kid like him supposed to do to help?

Fidgeting in his pockets, with the sound of chainsaws in the background, he discovered the bars he had made earlier.

In the sky above him, a Resplendent Quetzal circled, slowly and songless. Watching the bulldozers march, orange and black, like an army of roaring gigantic jaguars, the bird frowned. There was only 2% of the thousand-year old jungle left now. He thought of his friends, the spider monkeys, in the cacao trees below. They wouldn’t stand a chance.

Jaguars they could outmanoeuvre, but the machines were destroying everything in their path. They would clear away every single tree, bush and plant to make space for the palm oil trees, leaving the spider monkeys and other jungle creatures orphaned, homeless and starving. He really hoped Oolal was right, and that it had been a good idea to send the letter to this boy called Luca. There was no more time left.

A breeze whistled through the trees, and the feather behind Luca´s ear danced against his skin. He shivered lightly. As the sensation of being tickled made him giggle, a group of glum- faced farmers trundled out of the trees.

Spotting him, they stopped suddenly. Looking at the feather, they bowed their heads towards him. Luca gulped again as Oolal shoved him forward. He noticed how old their shoes were. When there was no response to his shy “Hello!”, he remembered his chocolate. Breaking the bars into small pieces, he offered it around.

There was silence whilst the chocolate melted on each farmer’s tongue. The bulldozers had stopped, and no chainsaws could be heard. A new sound came from beyond the treetops. It sounded like a dog barking. Or a duck! And, it was accompanied mmm!!!by a huge

Oolal poked her fingers into Luca’s ribs. He suddenly remembered that Jason had handed Oolal something just before they both had left Mayan Monkey Mijas. Ladies and Gentlemen, said Luca, returning the bow. I shall need on a regular basis a VERY large quantity of your truly EXCELLENT Cacao for a chocolate factory in Spain. How can we arrange this?

Dazzling emerald green and ruby red, an exquisite bird landed on the lowest branch alongside Oolal. With a green tail almost one metre long and crested head feathers, he looked like a bird cousin to the spider monkeys. The bird barked. Oolal whinnied. And Luca jumped, as the feather flew from his head, and attached itself to the bird´s tail. My name is Quetzie, said the bird. A pleasure to meet you, Luca. The men bowed deeper. It would be an honour, said the group leader. \"Let us talk.\"

Oolal flung her arms around Luca´s shoulders. THANK YOU for dedicating your special day to this rescue mission. This cacao jungle is safe, at least for now. Happy Birthday, Luca!!

Hearing the kitchen door open, Luca grabbed the mop, and stuffed the feather into his pocket. Quetzie had said to hang on to it for the next mission. He started to clean the floor, knowing it was too late.. “WHAT THE HECK IS THIS MESS?!!”. His mother stood in the doorway, hands on hips. “I hope you have a pretty good explanation for the state this kitchen is in, kiddo!” Luca took a deep breath. He would have to wait for the right moment to tell her exacly what had happened...