It is said, in some far and distant lands, that speaking the name of a place connects you to its heart and can breathe it into being. Bo-hibba. Within the song of the word is the scent of ripe fruit and vanilla and the fertile musk of a jungle. Can you smell it? Bo-hibba. Can you hear the high-pitched call of parrots and the faint crackle of long grasses drying in the sun?

Bo-hibba. An island floating in a vast sea, alone in the waters of the world. And on this island is a village called Kattakuk. And in this village, there is one who changed the lives of all who lived there then and all who live there now. Bo-hibba. Say it out loud and breathe it into being... Bo-hibba.

On a day when the sun sent dusty spears of light slashing through the majestic baobab trees, lemur kits gathered gifts for the storyteller who had just arrived from his secret home in the darkest part of the jungle. They collected bunches of sweet bananas -- short as a nose, thick as a tail -- and baskets of plump berries. And the gift of all gifts: fat black figs, so ripe they were arranged on beds of soft grass so they would not burst open in a wonderful, gooey mess. These gifts were piled in the cool shade of the huge baobab in the center of the lemur village. Then the young lemurs raced to sit as close as possible to the storyteller. Though his eyes were closed, they all knew he was waiting for the quiet that comes only when excited kits are listening very carefully. After a long pause, he began: "In a time many seasons past, lived a young lemur. He was smaller than most but more courageous than many. His name was Katook.

"Life changed forever on Bo-hibba because of what Katook saw and what he did, but most importantly because of how he followed the calling in his heart to bring about a miracle that ended the Long Winter. If not for Katook, none of us would be here now, safe and warm in this tree with our bellies full of sweet figs. Was Katook chosen for his adventure, or did his adventure choose him? Only the great Fossah knows. What I know is that Katook began hungry and shivering with cold, just like all the other lemurs on Bo-hibba. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Close your eyes. I will tell you the story of the Long Winter..."

Excerpt from The Katurran Odyssey
Text by David Michael Wieger

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Text excerpts from "The Katurran Odyssey" Copyright ©2004 David Michael Wieger