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Maita gave me a surprised and confused look. I believe he thought I was either mocking him or not quite sane. I was undaunted. I bid Maita farewell with a sharp nod of my head and immediately set out to climb the volcano and confront this Huacachella. I must admit, the journey towards the pinnacle of the volcano was not simple. The ash and soot choked me and I barely managed to dodge the lava flows. The heat singed my cotton. After a time, however, I arrived at the pinnacle. Lava spewed from the great crater and snaked down the mountain like rivers of light. The earth rumbled beneath my feet."Hear me Huacachella, my name is Lucius M. Monkey and I demand you stop this tantrum! These fine people do not deserve this type of treatment. Do you not understand that it is unethical to kill sentient life for nourishment? I must say, I am very disappointed in your behavior!" I exclaimed in admonishing tones.A deep growl began to emanate from the crater. Slowly, the growl became a deep, gruff voice. |
I remembered that I still had the box of chocolate truffles that had been meant for Amelia. I felt bad that I had not had the opportunity to present her with the gift due to the emergency, but it now appeared that the gift would serve a greater good. I threw the box into the glowing crater. I could faintly smell the aroma of melting chocolate over the scent of sulfur."These are really quite excellent" Huacachella stated delightfully. "They are much more satisfying than past offerings!"Almost immediately, the eruption began to abate."Lucius, thank you for taking the time to straighten this matter out. I would be grateful if you would inform the people that I would much prefer a box of truffles in the future. And please let them know that I am always here to discuss issues should they arise." |
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Maita shook his head. "The things we do because custom dictates. We never thought to compromise or converse with the god of the volcano. We were all weaned on the idea that Huacachella must be appeased and that there was only one way to do so. Lucius, thank you for opening our eyes. Surely, there is something we can do to repay you.""Well," I said, "I do seem to find myself without a Christmas gift for my dear friend Dr. Gutierrez . . ."The next evening, after a quite enjoyable day-long celebration, I returned to my helicopter, bid my new friends adieu, and began the journey back to the mainland. |