created with dreamlike art ai.
Elmina missed her mother deeply. She sat by the kitchen counter reminiscing the great conversations they had over a hot cup of chocolate just after dawn. It was everything about the moment. They would sit watching the sunset as they immersed themselves in the moment, taking in each other's presence. That was all Elmina lived for. She sat pondering about her decision to sell the house and travel abroad. She wasn't sure she was making the right decision.
Elmina sat alone watching the sun rise through her window. Although she wasn't grieving her mother now, she missed her greatly. Her mother had always been a firm believer in the afterlife and a world full of possibilities. “Grieve not when I'm gone Elmina. We are merely souls in this earthly body. This world is greater than what meets the eye.” Elmina smiled as she recalled her mother's soft yet regal voice. “So long Mama,” she whispered. Just then, she heard the soft ruffling and swaying of leaves. It was like the morning winds were having a playtime with the trees outside. Her eyes then darted to the cacao tree just in front of her kitchen window.
Her mother had taken great pride in nurturing the plant into the great magnificence it had bloomed into. She named the tree Koko. She used to harvest her own cocoa beans and process them into chocolate powder. She had a mini lab in her basement where she tried all her recipes and experiments. Everyone loved her hot chocolate. They just couldn't get over the delicious taste and aroma even the biggest brands didn't have. Friends, family, and acquaintances would die for some cacao. To Elmina, her mother was an adventurer, a perfect human, and the best mother. Elmina smiled again at the thought of her mother. She was indeed blessed to have had her.
Elmina blinked. She thought she saw a statuette among the trees. Her mother kept more than a dozen statuettes around the house. Now that Elmina looked closer, she recognized Lana holding on to a rope that seemed to be from very high above. Lana was her mother's favorite statuette. “This one is our charm, Mina. She is great friends with Koko and she makes it rain.” her mother would always say in a tone that displayed endearment.
Mina also liked Lana because she thought the caramel and chocolate-colored wood used to carve the little statue was excellent. She appeared bold, supple, and witty. With that constant smirk on her face, Elmina always thought she would make an interesting character.
Elmina moved closer to her window blind when she saw that Lana appeared to be moving. Her eyes widened.
“Hello, Koko. It's always a reckless journey down here but a pleasure to meet you in one piece every year.” Elmina became startled hearing a tiny melodious voice. Lana's mouth was moving at the same time.
“Open up the roots now and let us make it rain. It is time for the greatest harvest of all times.” Elmina watched as Lana let go of the rope. She jumped down, twirled around for a bit then sprinkled something brown on the roots of Koko. Suddenly, the tree began to tremble and its roots opened up. At that moment, a liquid that looked like thick dark chocolate descended from up above, straight into the roots of the tree. The moment was euphoric as lumps of chocolate spattered in the air. The smell of fresh chocolate filled Elmina’s nostrils. She took a deep breath and filled her lungs with the ecstatic scent around her. For a moment, she forgot the shocking fact that she was witnessing a statue interact with a tree.
“There you go. Have a great harvest this year.” Lana turned around and made to leave. She jumped and grabbed the rope she had descended on. Koko ruffled her leaves and bent her branches to form a bow.
Elmina became enthralled and something sparked inside of her. She quickly ran outside. She made it just in time to grab the end of Lana's rope. Mina didn't know what came over her but she hopped on the rope as it ascended back to where it came from.
“It is the final call for all the sprinklers. The gates close in a minute.”
Elmina heard an announcement as they ascended. The voice sounded sweet and cheerful.
“Oh no. Could this rope go any faster?” Lana shrieked.
“What in the world of chocolate are you carrying back up with you Lana? Did you drag a human with you this time?” The cheerful voice announced.
Lana glanced down. Behold, Elmina was latched to the bottom of her rope.
“You? What in the choco...you followed me? I can't believe you.” Lana yelled, almost letting go of the rope. When the rope was fully back up and Elmina emerged, a handful of little wooden surprised faces and opened mouths greeted Elminas presence. She was equally awestruck.
“You did bring a human back up this time.”
Mina put a face to that cheerful voice. “Umh! What in the world are you and what is this place?” Elmina blurted out glancing all around her. She was taking in everything she saw at once. There were little brown statues everywhere. Chocolate fountains were stationed every ten feet apart. Leaves on the trees were brown and dripped with chocolate. The smell in the air was refreshing and nostalgic. Just like her mother's hot chocolate.
“Ummh this is the cacao republic. Here we chose to gift special humans with the best flavor there is. Humans who know the true essence of life and understand that there is more to the world than what meets the eye. You've seen enough. Go home and forget you ever came here.” The statuette with a happy voice spoke faster than Elmina could grasp. She sprinkled some chocolate on Mina and shoved her down together with the rope.
Moments later, Mina was standing in front of her kitchen window. She wasn't sure how long she had been there or what she was doing there staring at the cacao tree. However, she was now sure of one thing. She didn't know where the conviction came from but she knew at once that she would not be selling the house. She would stay back and make yearly harvests as her mother did.