The Sacred Tea | My entry for the contest of Cinnamon Cup Coffee

Passion is the engine that forges talents, dreams and hopes. Without passion, we would have no purpose or goal to accomplish, for it is up to passion to keep going even with bare hands crawling on the ground. It was passion that compelled Jonathan to continue his grandfather's dream of finding the lost city of Kantara. Sources consulted indicated its location in the rainforest of Cameroon, close to the Gulf of Biafra, but so deep in the jungle as to be found by the inhabitants of the region themselves.

Jonathan decided to continue, regardless of the taunts and threats from the arrogant academics who shattered his grandfather's dreams. He went in the company of Ester Write; one of Cambridge's best cartographers and also the youngest. And in the company of both experts was Michael Connintong, a specialist in geology and botany. Jonathan was a young archaeologist who had entered the profession on the strength of his grandfather's stories. As a child he had been enthralled by tales of this lost city and its extraordinary characters.

The young man knew he had to finish his research by finally finding that place. They went into the jungle with a well-prepared expedition team. They traveled the place for hours, but an imposing rain made them stop. Fortunately they found a huge hut made of mud and branches on a path in the middle of the jungle. The entire expedition team took refuge there, and to their surprise, the place was inhabited by a wise Baka elder. Jonathan spoke the Baka language perfectly, so he communicated with the elder. The man kindly offered them his hut and allowed them to stay as long as they wished.

While they rested the old man lit a fire and began to speak to his guests. Jonathan translated what he said, revealing that the expeditionists were looking for the lost city of Kantara. Everyone was astonished that no one had mentioned the city to their host, and the old man continued with his stories.

The sage told them of that clandestine place, how magnificent its grandeur and power was. It is said that it was inhabited by bird men who came down from the sky and decided to settle there, until the sudden fall of the city occurred and both the buildings and its inhabitants disappeared.

It is also said that there is a sacred plant in the jungle, that by extracting its essence you can brew a bitter tea, which, when you drink it, shows you through a vision the way to Kantara. The old man got up from in front of the campfire. He walked over to a sack that was a few feet away from him. He took out a handful of herbs that were there and showed it to his guests.

"You want to find Kantara? This is the only way," he finished by saying. Everyone was perplexed as the old man boiled the leaves inside a cauldron. He prayed prayers so ancient that even Jonathan himself could not understand. He poured some tea into a wooden cup. He bowed his head in respect and then offered the vessel to Jonathan. The young man also made a gesture of respect as he received the cup. Ester and Michael advised him to be cautious and not to drink from the unfamiliar liquid, but Jonathan ignored them and took a huge sip of the tea.

After a few seconds, he began to feel dizzy. Everything spun around until he finally collapsed to the floor. Jonathan looked like he was in a coma, but in reality he was just sleeping. In his dreams he was levitating through the Cameroonian jungle. The path thick with vegetation led him to a strange, golden gate. A pair of birdmen greeted him and lifted him over the walls. The young man spotted the structure of the place, it was like a restless bird city with inhabitants flying back and forth. Jonathan laughed, spun around and in the end cried, for he finally found the city that his grandfather only visualized in dreams.

Meanwhile, Ester and Michael were trying to revive Jonathan. His pulse was dropping and his breathing was almost imperceptible. The old man raised a whisper that did nothing to restore Jonathan's vitality. His last words were: "Leave him! He is now living his dream. The dream he always wanted since he was a child".