The members of the Tenda Tribe gathered around a small campfire. What little light that crept into their small village through the shadows of Deep Darkness had faded away as the sun set. The chief beckoned everyone to sit down, for it was story time. When they could build up the courage, any member of the tribe could stand and tell a story. Tendas love a good story almost as much as they love tea.

“Anyone who… who has story… theytellnow,” the chief stuttered. He didn’t do well in crowds, you see.

After a few moments of silence, a lone Tenda timidly stood up. With his eyes locked on the ground he began his tale, “Once upon a time…” He then sat back down and buried his face in his tiny hands. Yes, it seems no Tenda could work up the courage to speak for the others. They were all simply too shy.

The silence continued for a few minutes. The chief decided that no one was going to stand, so he would put out the fire and call it a night- in a few more minutes, just in case. But suddenly a Tenda leapt to his feet, threw his arms in the air and said, “I have a great story!” It was the only villager who was not shy. Others were stronger than he, some were better cooks, or good at trading, or especially good at throwing away broken appliances, but this Tenda had the greatest talent of them all: he was very outgoing.

The other villagers didn’t even look up at him. They either looked at the ground or stared at the fire. But the speaker said, without fear, “This is the story of my favorite food, and I’m sure it’s some of your favorites as well.” This immediately got the other’s attention. They knew exactly what he was talking about: the succulent, delicious, flavorful (if somewhat smelly) food known as Tendakraut. Why, their mouths watered at the mere mention of this tasty treat. Some even looked up at the speaker now, as Tendakraut was so delicious they simply had to get him to continue.

Noticing he now had the audience’s attention, the speaker continued, “Yes, you all know that I speak of Tendakraut! Thinly sliced herbs from the swamp, marinated in the restoring water found in geysers in the Lost Underworld. There is not a Tenda among us that can resist its tempting aroma.” A few of the villager’s stomachs growled now, for it had been entirely too long since they had tasted this delicacy.

“But,” the speaker said, “our favorite meal has been missing from our lives. What has kept this succulent snack from us? What obstacle could be so great that is prevents us from getting our beloved Tendakraut?” A low murmur began in the audience as the villagers whispered to one another, ignoring their quite nature for a moment.

“We can navigate the swamp easily to find the plants we need, and the creatures of the swamp pose no threat to us. So what is it then?” He speaker asked his audience.

After a moment someone finally said, “Dinosaurs. In Lost Underworld…”

“Yes!” The speaker said, “ Enormous monsters that could crush you with one step of their mighty feet! Vile creatures that keep us from the water from the geysers! Our cousins that live there only survive by enclosing them in cages. But we must traverse through their cages to get to the water.”

The murmuring began again as the villagers excitedly discussed this injustice with one another. Surely something must be done. Surely someone could avoid the monsters or, somehow, slay them! Anything for their favorite snack!

The chief, with fire in his eyes, stood once again and said, “We gone too long without Tendakraut!”

The villagers cheered.

“Who willing to brave dangers and return as heroes with water from Lost Underworld?” The chief challenged his people.

And sure enough, some of the strongest and most cunning villagers stood and said, “We go tomorrow!” And others cheered them on.

The next evening, as the heroes returned unscathed from their trip, all the villagers gathered around as the cooks prepared a feast of Tendakraut. They chatted excitedly about the triumphant quest and the spoils they would soon get to eat. As the pungent scent of the meal filled the village, the speaker from the night before smiled to himself, for his friends had put aside their social fears in celebration of their favorite food.