(Written by Martinique/ illustrated by Sicily )

A long time ago, the twin brother and sisiter Zandar and Naya, lived on Martinique, an island in the Carribean.

Zandar had blue eyes like the sky on a sunny day. He was taller than the children of his age, slender and muscular. His skin was ocher like sand, his hair long and black. Naya was medium sized with a

sporty look. Her caramel skin had

golden highlights, her hazel eyes were

lost in her black, ruffled hair that

made her look like a wild lioness.

They were the children of the chief of the

Caribbean village and had the ability to see

far, to run fast, to mingle with nature,

like the chameleon. Nature protected them and they had the duty to protect it in return.

Their father taught them the art of fishing and hunting, so they knew how to use bows and arrows and the harpoon with great skill.

They could swim

and

breathe under

water.

Zandar and Naya were loved and respected by all villagers, each knew that one day would come , when they would take their father's place as chief.

Zandar and Naya lived peaceful days in the heart of the forest. Spending their day at their father's school .They learned the secret of plants and "magic" recipes to heal and cure all the diseases (snake bites, arrow wounds, anti-toxin etc..)

The other children were their friends, they respected them and also feared them a little.Villagers, meanwhile, wanted to protect them from evil creatures :snake-men and bird-men .But all this tranquility bored them a little.

-

On a beautiful night when the red moon was shining in the sky, Naya said to her brother: -"Would you like to discover the strange worlds that our father has told us about ? The forbidden worlds located beyond our beautiful Caribbean Sea ?

Zandar replied that he would like it a lot, but explained that even if these worlds fascinated him , they certainly might be very dangerous as they are forbidden. In fact Zandar feared that the bird-men and snake-men would pursue and kill them.

But Naya, confident in her powers, said :" Don’t worry, we'll be strong if we stay together forever! Together our powers will be increased tenfold, and neither the bird-men, nor the snake-men , nor any other evil creature of any other world will be able to reach us ...

-"Let's go, little brother, to discover these wonderful worlds of which Father has so often told us about .

-It's okay Naya , we'll go at the next red moon.

but before that we have to strengthen our powers and train so that nothing can happen to us on our way. "

During 28 days they trained themselves, to become real warriors.

They improved their agility and skills, by getting up at sunrise, at the time when the morning mist rises on the

horizon and reveals the emerald green dress of the rainforest and awakens

the Broad-winged hawk that

flies away, and falls under their arrows.

They plunged into the forest to fight the

snake , thinking that they would be faster

and more flexible than snake-men if they caught them.They trained every time they could: in their free time, before or after school. They fought bare hands against each other, then ran against the cheetah to improve their speed and, when the sun was shining too high in the sky, they snorkeled in the mangrove competing with the manatees or in the Caribbean

Sea, swimming alongside the dolphins.

The village was preparing the cassava festival. Zandar and Naya chosed to leave

during the festival.

They had decided: When the

moon would be at the highest

in the sky, they would leave.

At dusk, everyone gathered

at the big carbet, each bringing all kinds of spicy dishes made of cassava to share and enjoy:agoutis, rivers- shrimps , crabs, fish with cassava flour, mashed potatoes, pancakes and cakes.

The red moon was high in the sky, and the cassava festival was in full swing.

While the villagers were dancing to the sound of the drum around the fire, Zandar and Naya took the opportunity to escape and go to the beach where they had hidden their yole, their survival basket, their weapons (bow and arrows) and a magic potion stolen from their father-that would make them invisible,

if ever the danger lurked at them. And, as

discreetly as possible, they put their

canoe in the water.

As they embarked, they asked the spirits

to protect them and to guide them to the

new worlds.

At sunrise, when the morning mist rises on the horizon and reveals the emerald green dress of the rainforest, a powerful cry of distress deafened the entire forest.

Zandar and Naya's father had just realized the disappearance of his beloved twins.

Zandar and Naya had been sailing for hours in the deep blue ocean.They hoped nothing would happen to them, but one night, the god Juracan poured his anger on the ocean and sent them the hurricane Joyce.

Joyce came right on them and encircled them with its powerful swirling winds and let them drifting offshore an island in the Mediterranean.

From Sicily....

The Mediterranean had always been the scene of fighting. When the whirlwind of water disappeared, Zandar and Naya found themselves in the midst of the silent Mediterranean, but suddenly a snake man emerged from the water on the right side of the straight of Gibraltar, and on the left a bird-man who was between the sky and the sea.

(Written by Sicily/illustrated

by Greece)

The snake man was very long, half snake and half man and was longer than normal snakes, scaly and black. His skin shone like a mirror, his small head with brown, shoulder-length hair, blue eyes like ice and a mirror, it was scary to look at him. His eyes were strong and tremendous, but at the same time fragile and weak because they could not stand the sunlight.

While the bird man was half-bird and half-man and had long wings full of colorful feathers, a big strong and yellow hooked beak, a big head with wavy hair like the waves of the sea and speckled with white like the foam of the sea. He had long legs and big feet with very long toes.

Zandar and Naya were immediately enveloped by the spiral of the long black tail of the snake man and stuck, while Naya found himself before the bird's emerald green eyes and almost all wrapped in its huge wings and blocked by his hooked beak.

Nature came to the aid of Nadar and Naya, suddenly a wave overwhelmed them and sucked them so the snake man and the bird man disappeared into thin air . Zandar and Naya thanked the nature and moved away to the eastern part of the Sea and they found themselves

in front of a wide gulf when they felt the earth tremble beneath their feet and suddenly the snake man emerged, pushing out from the immense gulf, leaving a great chasm from which the incandescent lava began to come out.

Zandar and Naya prayed for nature to come to their aid, in fact dawn broke out, the sun rose high and strong and the snake's ice eyes could not bear the light of the sun, so in that moment of confusion, the snake man let them go and Zandar and Naya struck him straight in the heart with a flint arrow.

The huge snake fell back into the abyss from where it had come, while the two large plates, whose movement had made the earth tremble, closed forming a mound of earth and a mountain was born, from which emerged a glowing liquid from the hole that the body of the snake had formed. Here Etna was born with a huge crater from which the lava came out.

Zandar and Naya were amazed by the power of nature. But still they were in danger, in fact they suddenly found themselves wrapped in the wings of the bird that brought them quickly to another Mediterranean island in the sea of Crete.

(Written by Greece /illustrated by Martinique)

In reality, the bird dropped them and they found themselves on a ship. When they opened their eyes they saw the black sails of the ship and they were unable to move. They were in chains. They looked around. Six young men and six young women were also in chains. But where were they and why were they in chains?

While they were trying to figure out what was going on, they beheld a beautiful green island with huge snow capped mountains. It was magical. It was breathtaking. Mother nature had not spared her gifts. She had offered many beauties to this island.

No sooner had they looked around than they felt being pushed to stand up and get off the boat. Where were they being taken? They overheard the other young people, who had been silent until then because they were very gloomy and sad, talking about a beast.

They were forced to walk blindfolded so as not to recognize the route. But their senses were tense. Fabulous odors from the flowers were filling the air

and the birds were chirping.

A sea breeze was waving their hair. What a glee! 

Unfortunately this euphoria did not last long. Before they could realize it, they were taken in a dark place. They heard calling it a labyrinth. At that moment the blindfolds were removed from their eyes and they were faced with tall walls around them. The young men and women who were with them, started shuddering, crying and praying to the mighty Olympian gods. ‘Oh, Zeus ,help, us!’ they cried.

Zandar and Naya were terrified. They tried to find out what was going on. Then, a young man, called Theseus explained: every year the city of Athens was obliged to send six young men and six young women, to the king of Crete, Minos. The Minotaur would devour them. That was a kind of tax that had been imposed on king Aigeas . But this time, Theseus, his own son had come to Crete to kill the beast and give an end

to this ordeal.

And while Theseus was recounting the story, a roar was heard. It was so dreadful like the earth trembling. They recalled the eruption of Etna. What kind of beast was that? There was a thunder bolt and under its light they saw a huge shadow rising above the walls of the labyrinth. It was Minotaur’s shadow.

 The kids started to run around the endless corridors that led nowhere. A pair of golden horns appeared above the walls.

The head of the beast showed up.

Minotaur had a bull’s head and a man’s  body. Steam was coming out of its nostrils and sparks from its red eyes that glistened in the dark.

Theseus went forward, ready to attack the beast. Right then Zandar , with a quick move pounced on the beast and helped Theseus. They fought for long. After the shock, the rest of the young people attacked the beast, too. Zandar and Naya’s flexibility and mastering of martial arts proved very definitive. The beast showed signs of exhaustion. It hadn’t eaten for a year and it had almost burned out. Finally, the beast collapsed and it was given the deathblow.Unfortunately, some of the young people were injured but Naya took some of the herbs and medicines , she had hidden in her clothes when they left Martinique, and treated them.

The local people were so thankful when they heard the news. They decided to make a present to Zandar and Naya. They offered them a piece of land to stay. The kids gladly accepted the present and stayed there for three years.

They had a terrific time and they discovered the Minoan civilization. Soon ,though, they felt homesick. They also missed their beloved father. They wanted to go back home. But how could they return without getting into trouble again?

The islanders asked Dedalus, the great architect, to build two pairs of wings for Zandar and Naya.

And that was what happened. The kids were ready for the return journey.

They left Crete.

As they were flying above Sicily they felt their wings melting. The sun was scorching hot. They started diving. 

The moment they thought they were about to drown, the bird-man appeared. It grabbed them with its yellow beak

and took them on its back.

They soared again and headed

towards Martinique.

Zandar and Naya were puzzled. Then the bird-man explained that he had regretted for what he had done and had decided to help them for one and only time.

It didn’t take them long to arrive in Martinique. They were travelling at amazing speed.

As soon as they cast their eyes on their homeland they saw smoke and a fire that was coming out. Their village was burnt.

 Fortunately, the villagers were well.

They saw their father. He was sorrowful and exhausted from the fight with the fire. When he saw his children he cried. It was the same cry in distress as the one he had let out when he had discovered his children missing. He couldn’t endure it!  

He passed out!

What a pity!  What a sorrow!  How unfair!

Nobody could believe what had just happened. Zandar and Naya were stunned. They mourned their father. But at the same time they remembered what he had always told them. Life must go on!

That’s what they were going to do to honor him. They gathered around the dead body of the chief and they swore to remember and honor him for the rest of their lives.

They would rebuild their village and Zandar and Naya would be the chiefs now!

And the new chiefs of the village made their decision. They were going to fix their canoes and rafts and take all the supplies they could. They would also get some cassava roots to grow in the new land. They were going to make a fresh start at the land that the Cretan people had offered to Zandar and Naya. They were going to built a new homeland called Cretinique!

THE END

Les élèves de l'école "Léon Lin" Ducos, Martinique ,de l'école de "Amicis" , Comiso , Sicile et de la" 8éme école primaire " de P.Faliro, Athènes , Grèce, sont fiers de vous présenter leur livre. Ce travail collaboratif s'est déroulé cette année scolaire 2017-2018 , dans le cadre de leur projet etwinning , intitulé"islands of legends".

Passez un bon moment en lisant les aventures des deux héros Zandar et Naya .....

French version /version Française

(Partie 1 écrite par la Martinique, illustrée par la Sicile.)

Il y a longtemps, sur une île de la Caraïbe, vivaient des jumeaux, un garçon et une fille appelés Zandar et Naya.

Zandar avait les yeux bleus comme le ciel d’une belle journée ensoleillée. Il était plus grand que les enfants de son âge, élancé et musclé. Sa peau était ocre comme

le sable, ses cheveux longs et noirs.

Naya était de taille moyenne à l’allure

sportive. Sa peau caramel avait

des reflets dorés, ses yeux couleur

noisette se perdaient dans sa

chevelure noire et ébouriffée qui lui

donnait l’allure d’une lionne sauvage.

Ils avaient 10 ans et étaient dotés de pouvoirs

qu’ils ne maîtrisaient pas très bien tant ils

n’avaient pas conscience de leurs qualités exceptionnelles.Ils étaient les enfants du chef du village caraïbe et avaient la capacité de voir loin, de courir vite, de se confondre avec la nature, comme le caméléon. La nature les protégeait et ils avaient le devoir de la protéger en retour.

Leur père leur enseignait l’art de la pêche et de la chasse, aussi, savaient-ils utiliser les arcs et les flèches,

le harpon avec grande habileté.

Ils nageaient et pouvaient

respirer longtemps sous l’eau.

Zandar et Naya étaient aimés et respectés de tous les villageois, chacun sachant qu’un jour viendrait où ils prendraient la place de leur père en tant que chef.

Zandar et Naya vivaient des jours paisibles au cœur de la forêt. Passant la journée à l’école de leur père.Ils appre-naient le secret des plantes et les recettes « magiques » pour se soigner et guérir de tous les maux (piqûres de serpents, blessures de flèches, anti-poison etc).

Les autres enfants étaient leurs amis.Ils les respectaient et les craignaient aussi un peu.

Les villageois quant à eux, voulaient les protéger des créatures maléfiques : les hommes-serpents et les hommes-oiseaux.

Mais toute cette tranquillité les ennuyait un peu....

Par une belle nuit alors que la lune rousse brillait dans le ciel, Naya dit à son frère :

« N’aimerais-tu pas découvrir les mondes étranges dont nous a parlé notre père ? Les mondes interdits situés au-delà de notre belle mer des Caraïbes ?

Zandar lui répondit que cela lui plairait beaucoup, mais que ces mondes, même s’ils le fascinaient étaient certainement dangereux puisqu’ils étaient interdits.

En réalité Zandar craignait que les hommes-oiseaux et les hommes-serpents ne les poursuivent et ne les tuent.

Mais Naya, certaine de ses pouvoirs lui dit : « Rassure-toi, nous serons forts si nous restons toujours ensemble!Ensemble nos pouvoirs seront renforcés et, ni les hommes-oiseaux, ni les hommes-serpents, ni aucune autre créature maléfique de l’autre monde ne pourront nous atteindre.Partons petit frère, partons découvrir ces mondes merveilleux dont père nous a si souvent parlé. »

«C’est d’accord Naya, nous partirons à la prochaine lune

Mais avant nous devrons renforcer nos pouvoirs et nous entraîner pour que rien ne nous arrive en chemin. »

C’est ainsi que pendant 28 jours, ils s’entraînèrent en secret, pour devenir de vrais guerriers.

Ils améliorèrent leur agilité et leur adresse en tirant à l’arc dès le lever du soleil, à l’heure où la brume du matin s’élève sur l’horizon et dévoile la robe vert émeraude de la forêt tropicale et réveille le malfini

qui, en s’envolant , s’abattait sous leurs flèches.

Ils s’enfonçaient dans la forêt pour combattre

le serpent, pensant qu’ainsi, ils seraient plus rapides et plus souples que les hommes-serpents s’ils venaient à les surprendre.Ils s’entrainèrent, à chaque fois qu’il leur était possible de le faire : Pendant leur temps libre, avant ou après l’école. Ils combattaient à mains-nues, l’un contre l’autre, puis couraient contre le guépard pour améliorer leur vitesse et, lorsque le soleil brillait trop haut dans le ciel, ils plongeaient en apnée dans la mangrove se mesurant aux lamantins , ou dans la mer des caraïbes, ils nageaient aux côtés des dauphins.

Le village préparait la fête du manioc.

Zandar et Naya choisirent de partir

pendant la fête du village.Ils l’avaient

décidé : Quand la lune rousse sera au plus haut dans le ciel, ils partiront.

À la nuit tombée, tous se rassemblèrent auprès du grand carbet, chacun apportait toutes sortes de plats épicés à base de manioc à partager et à déguster : agoutis, ouassous, crabes, poissons à la farine de manioc, purée, galettes, gâteaux.

La lune rousse était au plus haut dans le ciel, et la fête du manioc battait son plein.

Pendant que les villageois dansaient au son du tambour autour du feu, Zandar et Naya en profitèrent pour s’échapper et regagner la plage où ils avaient caché leur yole, leur panier de survie, leurs armes (arc et flèches) et une potion magique dérobée à leur père –celle qui les rendrait invisible, si jamais le danger les guettait.

Et, le plus discrètement possible, ils mirent

leur yole à l’eau. En s’embarquant, ils

demandèrent aux esprits de les protéger et

de les guider vers les mondes nouveaux.

Au lever du soleil, à l’heure où la brume du

matin s’élève sur l’horizon et dévoile la robe vert

émeraude de la forêt tropicale ,un puissant

cri de détresse assourdit la forêt toute entière.

Le père de Zandar et Naya venait de se rendre compte

de la disparition de ses chers jumeaux .

Zandar et Naya navigaient déjà depuis des heures, sur l’immensité bleue de l’océan.Ils espéraient que rien ne leur arrive , mais une nuit, le dieu Juracan, leur envoya

l'ouragan Joyce.

Joyce arriva droit sur eux , et les encercla de ses puissants vents tourbillonnants et les transporta jusqu'à une île de la Méditerranée où ils s'échouèrent.

(Partie 2 écrite par la Sicile, illustrée par la Grèce, traduite en Français)

La Méditerranée a toujours été le théâtre de combat.

Zandar et Naya se retrouvèrent au milieu de la Méditerranée silencieuse, mais soudain un serpent émergea de l'eau, du côté droit du détroit de Gibraltar, et à gauche, entre le ciel et la terre, se trouvait un homme-oiseau.

L'homme-serpent était très long, moitié serpent et moitié homme et n'était pas plus long que les serpents normaux, écailleux et noirs. Sa peau brillait comme un miroir, sa petite tête aux cheveux bruns mi-longs , ses yeux étaient bleus comme de la glace et comme un miroir. c'était effrayant de le voir. Son regard était puissant ses yeux étaient énormes et tout à la fois, fragiles et faibles car ils ne pouvaient pas supporter la lumière du soleil.

Quant à l'oiseau, lui, il était mi-homme , mi-oiseau , et avait de longues ailes pleines de plumes colorées, un gros bec crochu fort et jaune, une grosse tête aux cheveux ondulés comme les vagues de la mer et tachetés de blanc comme l'écume . 

Il avait de longues jambes et de grands pieds avec de très longs orteils.

Zandar et Naya furent immédiatement enveloppés par la spirale de la longue queue noire du serpent, et Naya se retrouva devant les yeux verts émeraude de l'oiseau et presque entièrement enveloppée de ses énormes ailes et bloquée par son bec crochu.

La nature vint au secours de Zandar et de Naya. Soudain une vague les submergea et les aspira si bien que le serpent et l'homme-oiseau disparurent dans les airs .

Zandar et Naya remercièrent la nature et s'éloignèrent vers la partie orientale de la mer.

Ils se retrouvèrent devant un large golfe,

quand ils sentirent la terre trembler sous leurs pieds. Mais soudain l'homme- serpent émergea, hors de l'immense golfe, laissant un énorme gouffre d'où commençât à s’écouler de la lave incandescente.

Zandar et Naya prièrent pour que la nature leur vienne à nouveau en aide. C’est ainsi qu’à l’aube, le soleil se leva si haut et,il brillait si fort dans le ciel, que les yeux de glace du serpent ne purent supporter la lumière du soleil.

Zandar et Naya le frappèrent droit dans le cœur, avec une flèche de silex.

L'énorme serpent retomba dans l'abîme d'où il était venu. Tandis que les deux grandes plaques, dont le mouvement avait fait trembler la terre, se refermèrent et formèrent une montagne. De son cratère s'écoulait un liquide rougeoyant qui provenait du corps du serpent.

C'est ainsi que naquit l'Etna : pourvu d'un énorme cratère d'où s'écoule la lave.

Zandar et Naya furent émerveillés par la puissance de la nature.Mais ils étaient encore en danger .

En effet, ils se retrouvèrent subitement enveloppés par les ailes de l'oiseau qui les emmena vers une nouvelle île de la Méditerranée, dans la mer de Crète.

(Partie 3 , écrite par la Grèce, illustrée par la Martinique , traduite en Français)

En réalité, l'oiseau les laissa tomber et ils se retrouvèrent sur un bateau. Quand ils ouvrirent les yeux, ils virent les voiles noires du bateau et ils étaient incapables de bouger. Ils étaient enchaînés. Six jeunes hommes et six jeunes femmes étaient également enchaînés. Mais où étaient-ils et pourquoi étaient-ils enchaînés ?

Pendant qu'ils essayaient de comprendre ce qui se passait, ils virent une belle île verte avec de grandes montagnes enneigées. C'était magique. C'était à couper le souffle. Mère nature n'avait pas épargné ses cadeaux. Elle avait offert nombre de beautés à cette île.

Ils eurent à peine le temps d'observer  ce qu’il y avait autour d'eux, qu'ils se sentirent obligés de se lever et de descendre du bateau.

Où étaient-ils retenus prisonniers ? 

Ils entendirent les autres jeunes, qui jusque- là s'étaient montrés silencieux car ils étaient sombres et très tristes, parler d'une bête.

Ils furent forcés de marcher les yeux bandés

afin de ne pas reconnaître la route. 

Mais leurs sens étaient en éveil. Les odeurs fabuleuses des fleurs remplissaient l'air et les oiseaux gazouillaient. Une brise marine agitait leurs cheveux.

Quelle joie!

Malheureusement, cette euphorie ne dura pas longtemps.

Avant même qu'ils ne le réalisent, ils furent emprisonnés dans un endroit sombre. Cet endroit s’appelait un labyrinthe.

À ce moment, on leur enleva leur bandeau des yeux et ils furent confrontés à de grands murs qui les encerclaient. Les jeunes hommes et les jeunes femmes qui étaient avec eux se mirent à frémir, à pleurer et à prier les puissants dieux olympiens. « Oh, Zeus, aide-nous! » Criaient-ils.

Zandar et Naya étaient terrifiés. Ils essayaient de découvrir ce qui se passait. Puis, un jeune homme, appelé Thésée, expliqua : "Chaque année, la ville d'Athènes est obligée d'envoyer six jeunes hommes et six jeunes filles au roi de Crète, Minos. Le Minotaure les dévorera. C'était une sorte de taxe qui avait été imposée

par le roi Égée."

Mais cette fois-ci ,Thésée, son propre fils était venu en Crète pour tuer la bête et mettre fin à ce malheur.

Et pendant que Thésée racontait cette histoire, un rugissement retentit. C'était si terrifiant que la terre se mit à trembler. Cela faisait penser à l'éruption de l'Etna.

Quel genre de bête était-ce ? À cet instant ,il y eut un coup de tonnerre et sous les éclairs les jeunes virent une ombre énorme qui s'élevait au-dessus des murs du labyrinthe. C'était l'ombre de Minotaure.

Les jeunes commencèrent à courir dans les couloirs sans fin et qui ne menaient nulle part. Une paire de cornes en or apparut au-dessus des murs. La tête de la bête apparut elle aussi.

Le Minotaure avait une tête de taureau et un corps d'homme. De la vapeur sortait de ses narines et des étincelles de ses yeux rouges , luisaient dans l'obscurité.

Thésée s'avança, prêt à attaquer la bête. À ce moment-là, Zandar, avec un mouvement rapide, bondit sur la bête et aida Thésée. Ils se battirent longtemps. Après leur combat, le reste des jeunes attaquèrent aussi la bête. La flexibilité de Zandar et Naya et la maîtrise des arts martiaux s'avérèrent efficaces.La bête montra des signes d'épuisement. Elle n'avait pas mangé depuis un an si bien qu'elle était presque morte. Finalement, la bête s'effondra et on lui donna le coup de grâce.

Malheureusement, certains jeunes furent blessés mais Naya prit les herbes et les médicaments, qu’elle avait cachés dans ses vêtements à son départ de la Martinique et les soigna.

Les habitants étaient si reconnaissants qu’en entendant les nouvelles, ils décidèrent d’offrir un cadeau à Zandar et Naya. Ils leur donnèrent un morceau de terre afin qu’ils puissent s’y établir. Les enfants acceptèrent ce présent , et y vécurent pendant trois ans.

Ils y passèrent un moment formidable et découvrirent la civilisation minoenne.

Cependant, ils ne tardèrent pas à avoir le mal du pays. Ils manquaient à leur père bien-aimé, aussi voulaient-ils rentrer à la maison.

Mais comment repartir sans avoir à nouveau, des ennuis?

Les Insulaires demandèrent à Dedale, le grand architecte, de construire deux paires d'ailes pour Zandar et Naya. Et c'est ce qui arriva. Les enfants étaient prêts pour le voyage de retour.

Ils quittèrent la Crète.

Comme ils volaient au-dessus de la Sicile, ils sentirent leurs ailes fondre. Le soleil était brûlant, alors ils commencèrent à plonger dans la mer.

Au moment où ils pensaient qu'ils allaient se noyer, l'homme-oiseau apparut. Il les saisit avec son bec jaune et les prit sur son dos. Ils descendirent et se dirigèrent vers la Martinique.

Zandar et Naya étaient perplexes. Alors l'homme-oiseau leur expliqua qu'il regrettait ce qu'il avait fait et qu'il avait décidé de les aider juste pour cette fois.

Il ne leur fallut que peu de temps pour arriver en Martinique, car ils voyageaient à une vitesse incroyable.

Dès qu'ils virent leur village natal, ils virent de la fumée et un incendie qui venait juste d'être éteint .Leur village s’était embrasé .

 Heureusement, les villageois étaient tous saufs.

Ils virent leur père.

Il était triste et épuisé d'avoir combattu le feu.

Quand il vit ses enfants, il poussa un cri de détresse, le même que celui qu'il avait poussé le jour où il avait découvert que ses enfants avaient disparu.

Il ne put le supporter!

Il mourut !

Quel dommage! Quelle tristesse! C'est injuste!

Personne ne put croire ce qui venait de se passer. Zandar et Naya restèrent là sans même pouvoir réagir. Mais tandis qu'ils pleuraient leur père, ils se souvenaient de ses paroles et de ce qu'il leur avait toujours dit :

La vie doit continuer!

C'est ce qu'ils firent pour l'honorer. Ils se rassemblèrent autour du corps de leur père et ils jurèrent de le respecter pour le restant de leur vie.

Ils devaient reconstruire leur village car maintenant, c'était Zandar et Naya qui étaient les chefs!

Et les nouveaux chefs du village prirent leur décision. Ils réparèrent leurs canots et leurs radeaux, prirent toutes les provisions qu'ils pouvaient prendre. Ils prirent aussi des racines de manioc pour les cultiver dans leur nouvelle terre.

Ils prirent un nouveau départ vers la terre que le peuple crétois avait offert à Zandar et à Naya.

Ils décidèrent de construire une nouvelle patrie appelée Crétinique!

FIN

Tanto tempo fa, sull’isola dei Caraibi, vivevano due gemelli, un maschio e una femmina di nome Zandar e Naya. Zandar aveva gli occhi azzurri come un cielo in una giornata di sole. Era più alto dei bambini della sua età, magro e muscoloso. La sua pelle era ocra come la sabbia, i suoi capelli lunghi e neri. Naya era di medie dimensioni con un aspetto simpatico. I suoi riflessi dorati color caramella, i suoi occhi nocciola erano persi nei suoi capelli neri e arruffati che la facevano sembrare una leonessa selvaggia.

Italian version/ versione italiana

Avevano 10 anni e avevano poteri che non conoscevano molto bene. Erano i bambini del villaggio caraibico e avevano la capacità di vedere, di essere confusi con la natura, come il camaleonte. La natura li proteggeva e avevano il dovere di proteggerla in cambio. Il loro padre ha insegnato l'arte della pesca e della caccia, conoscevano come usare archi, frecce e l'arpione con grande abilità. Nuotavano e potevano respirare a lungo sott'acqua.

Zandar e Naya erano amati e rispettati da tutti gli abitanti del villaggio, quando prendevano il posto del padre come capo.

Zandar e Naya vivevano giorni tranquilli nel cuore della foresta. Conoscevano il segreto delle piante e delle ricette "magiche" per curare tutti i mali (morsi di serpenti, ferite da freccia

anti-tossina ecc.). Gli altri bambini erano i loro amici e li temevano un po'. Gli abitanti del villaggio, nel frattempo, volevano proteggerli dalle creature malvagie: uomini-serpenti e uomini-uccello.

Ma tutta questa tranquillità li annoiava un po'.

Una bellissima notte quando la luna è rossa era splendente nel cielo Naya disse a suo fratello:

“Ti piace scoprire lo strano mondo di cui ci ha raccontato nostro padre?" Il mondo dimenticato che sta dietro l’isola dei Caraibi?

Zandar rispose che gli piaceva molto, ma spiegò che anche se questo mondo lo affascinava, esso doveva essere pericoloso e proibito.

Infatti nella realtà Zandar temeva che gli uomini-uccello e gli uomini-serpente li inseguissero e li uccidessero, ma Naya, fiduciosa nei suoi poteri, disse: "Non ti preoccupare, saremo forti se resteremo insieme per sempre! Dieci volte, e né gli uomini-uccello, né i serpenti-uomini, né altre creature malvagie dell'altro mondo saranno in grado di raggiungerci ... Andiamo, fratellino, a scoprire questi mondi meravigliosi di cui nostro Padre ha così spesso parlato "." Va bene, Naya, andremo alla prossima luna rossa, ma

dobbiamo rafforzare i nostri poteri e allenarci ". Durante ventotto giorni, praticarono in segreto, per diventare veri guerrieri.

Quando la mattina all'orizzonte rivela l'abito verde smeraldo della foresta pluviale e il risveglio

del falco dalle ali larghe. Si immergevano nella foresta per pensare che sarebbero stati più veloci e flessibili degli uomini-serpenti se li avessero catturati. Si allenavano ogni volta che potevano: nel tempo libero, prima o dopo la scuola. Aggrottavano a piedi nudi verso l'altro, poi corsero contro il ghepardo per migliorare la loro velocità e quando stavano brillando troppo in alto nel cielo, facevano snorkeling tra le mangrovie e si misuravano con il lamantino o nel Mar dei Caraibi, nuotando al fianco dei delfini.

Il villaggio stava preparando la festa della manioca. Zandar e Naya hanno scelto di andarsene durante il festival. Avevano deciso: quando la luna raggiungeva il massimo nel cielo, se ne sarebbero andati. Al tramonto, tutti con tutti i tipi di piatti speziati fatti di manioca da condividere e gustare: angusta, gamberi di fiume, granchi, pesce con farina di manioca, purè di patate, frittelle e torte. La luna rossa era nel cielo e la festa della manioca era in pieno svolgimento.

All'alba, nel momento in cui la nebbia mattutina si alza all'orizzonte e rivela l'abito verde smeraldo della foresta pluviale, un potente grido di angoscia assorda l'intera foresta. Il padre di Zandar e Naya aveva appena realizzato la scomparsa dei suoi gemelli. Zandar e Naya navigavano da ore nel profondo oceano blu. Speravano che non sarebbe successo niente a loro, ma una notte, il dio Juracan versò la sua rabbia sull'oceano e mandò loro l'uragano Joyce. Joyce venne loro incontro e li circondò con i suoi potenti venti turbinanti e li trasportò in un'isola del Mediterraneo dove si incagliarono.

From Sicily/ Dalla Sicillia

Il mediterraneo era stato sempre teatro di combattimenti. Quando il turbine dell’acqua sparì Zandar e Naya si trovarono in mezzo al silenzioso Mediterraneo, ma improvvisamente nello stretto di Gibilterra spuntarono dall’acqua a destra un uomo serpente e a sinistra un uomo uccello che era tra il cielo e il mare..

L’ uomo serpente era lunghissimo, metà serpente e metà uomo era più lungo dei normali serpenti, squamoso e nero. La sua pelle lucida come uno specchio, la sua testa piccola con capelli bruni e lunghi fino alle spalle, occhi blu come il cielo e lo specchio, faceva paura a guardarlo! I suoi occhi erano forti e tremendi, ma nello stesso tempo fragili e deboli perché non sopportavano la luce del sole..

Mentre l’uomo uccello, era metà uccello e metà uomo, aveva delle lunghe ali piene di piume coloratissime, un becco adunco,grande forte e giallo, la testa grande, con capelli ondulati come le onde e brizzolati di bianco come la schiuma del mare. Aveva gambe lunghe e piedi grandi con dita lunghissime.

Zandar fu subito avvolto dalla spirale della lunga coda nera dell’uomo serpente e bloccato, mentre Naya si trovò davanti agli occhi verde smeraldo dell’uomo uccello e quasi tutto avvolto dalle enormi ali e bloccato dal suo becco adunco.

La natura venne in soccorso a Zadar e Naya, ad un tratto un’onda anomala li travolse e li risucchiò, così l’uomo serpente e l’uomo uccello scomparvero nel nulla.. Zandar e Naya ringraziarono la natura e si allontanarono nella parte est orientale dell’isola e si ritrovarono davanti

ad un ampio golfo, quando sentirono tremare la terra sotto i piedi e improvvisamente si erse l’uomo serpente che spuntò dall’immenso golfo lasciando una voragine grandissima dalla quale cominciò ad uscire la lava incandescente.  

Zandar e Naya pregarono la natura che venisse in loro aiuto, infatti spuntò l’alba, il sole si erse alto e forte e gli occhi di ghiaccio dell'uomo serpente non riuscirono a sopportare la luce del sole, così in quel momento di smarrimento, l’uomo serpente li mollò e Zandar e Naya lo colpirono dritto al cuore con una freccia dalla punta di selce.

L’enorme serpente ricadde nella voragine da dove era uscito, mentre le due grandi zolle, il quale movimento aveva fatto tremare la terra, si chiusero formando un cumulo di terra e nacque una montagna da dove usciva un liquido incandescente dal buco che aveva formato il corpo del serpente.

Ecco che nacque l’Etna con un enorme cratere dalla quale usciva la lava.

Zandar and Naya rimasero sbalorditi dal potere della natura, ma ancora erano in pericolo! Improvvisamente, si ritrovarono avvolti nelle ali dell'uomo uccello che li portò velocemente in un'altra isola del Mediterraneo, nel mare di Creta.

In realtà, l'uccello li lasciò cadere e si trovarono su una nave. Quando aprirono gli occhi videro le vele nere della nave, non erano in grado di muoversi. Erano incatenati. Si guardarono intorno. Sei giovani uomini e sei giovani donne erano anche in catene. Ma dove erano e perché erano in catene?

Mentre stavano cercando di capire cosa stava succedendo, videro una bella isola verde con enormi montagne innevate. Tutto era magico e un paesaggio mozzafiato. Madre natura non aveva risparmiato i suoi doni. Aveva offerto molte bellezze a quest'isola.

Non appena si guardarono intorno si sentivano spinti ad alzarsi e scendere dalla barca. Da chi erano stati catturati? Avevano sentito da altri giovani, che erano stati in silenzio fino ad allora, perché erano molto cupi e tristi, parlare di una bestia.

Furono costretti a camminare bendati in modo da non riconoscere il percorso. Ma i loro sensi erano tesi. Odori favolosi di fiori che riempivano l'aria e si sentiva il cinguettio degli uccelli.

Una brezza marina agitava i capelli. Che gioia!