1: The Cursed Harvest
On the sun-drenched island of Solara, where the ocean sparkled like shattered glass and the air smelled of salt and sugarcane, pineapples were more than just fruit—they were treasure.
For generations, the villagers of Solara had grown the sweetest, juiciest pineapples in the world. Their golden flesh was said to hold a sliver of the sun’s magic, a gift from the island’s guardian spirit, Tala.
But this year, the harvest was rotten.
One by one, the pineapples blackened on their stems before they could ripen. The villagers whispered of a curse. Old Manuel, the eldest farmer, knelt in the field, holding a shriveled fruit.
"Tala is angry," he murmured. "But why?"
2: The Stranger’s Bargain
That night, a ship arrived—a sleek, dark vessel with sails like storm clouds. From it stepped Captain Dario, a trader with a smile too sharp to be friendly.
"I hear your crop has failed," he said, tossing a gold coin in the air. "Lucky for you, I have seeds that never wither. A single planting, and your fields will overflow with fruit—enough to make you all rich."
The villagers hesitated. The deal seemed too good. But with hunger gnawing at their bellies, they agreed.
Only Lani, Manuel’s granddaughter, noticed the way the captain’s shadow didn’t move with him.
3: The Poisoned Fruit
The new seeds sprouted unnaturally fast. By the next full moon, the fields were heavy with pineapples—larger and brighter than any before. But when the villagers bit into them, the fruit was bitter as saltwater, and those who ate it fell into a deep, fevered sleep.
Lani, who had refused to taste the fruit, ran to the sacred grove where Tala’s stone altar stood. The carvings of pineapples on its surface were cracked and oozing dark sap.
"Dario tricked us," she realized. "He didn’t bring seeds—he brought a curse!"
4: The Spirit’s Trial
That night, Lani dreamt of Tala. The spirit appeared as a woman woven from sunlight and vines, her voice like wind through palm leaves.
"The outsider stole a piece of my heart—a golden pineapple that holds my power. Without it, the land sickens. You must bring it back before the next high tide, or the island will wither forever."
Lani woke with a start. She knew where Dario would be—loading his ship with the last of the cursed fruit, ready to sail at dawn.
5: The Theft at Dawn
Lani sneaked aboard Dario’s ship, hiding among the crates. Below deck, in a locked chest, she found it—the Golden Crown, a pineapple that glowed like trapped sunlight. But as she reached for it—
"Thieving little rat," Dario hissed, stepping from the shadows. His eyes gleamed unnaturally in the dark. "Did you really think I’d let you take my prize?"
He lunged, but Lani was quicker. She grabbed the Golden Crown and jumped into the sea.
6: The Tide’s Judgment
The ocean roared as Dario’s men chased her in rowboats. But the waves themselves seemed to aid Lani, pushing her toward shore. As she reached the beach, she placed the Golden Crown on Tala’s altar just as the sun rose.
A pulse of light exploded across the island. The cursed pineapples crumbled to dust, and the villagers awoke from their fevered sleep.
Out at sea, Dario’s ship sank like a stone, dragged down by the weight of his greed.
