The village sat quiet under the red earth sky. But the elder sat alone and sad. Something was wrong.
The elder wept over the empty pedestal. The sacred stone was gone. Tunde wiped his eyes and froze — he saw something shiny in the grass.
Tunde crawled into the tall grass. Leaves scratched his arms but he did not stop. Something was hiding there.
There was a muddy footprint in the grass. Then another. Tunde followed them straight to the old baobab tree.
He pushed past a sleeping goat and ducked under a low branch. The footprints led to a dark hole in the roots.
Tunde reached into the cold dark hole. His fingers closed around something hard and grey.
He pulled out a rough grey stone. It buzzed against his palm — strange and alive.
Tunde ran back to the village. The sacred stone was in his pocket. He could not wait.
Tunde knelt before the elder and placed the stone on the pedestal. She gasped.
The stone glowed softly. A gentle blue light filled the clearing. The elder smiled through her tears.
The stone hummed, warm and steady. Tunde sat beside the elder and watched the light dance.
The sacred stone was home again. Tunde's dirty hands glowed in the blue light. He had done it.
