Chapter 3

To Abdoul's surprise, Coco outran and outjumped him, and even thought quicker than him. But Abdoul had an advantage. He knew the field and his friends. That was a big plus. The aim of the game was to reach the top of the hill first. They set traps to mislead the other children, and before the other team realized, Abdoul, Coco and Abdoula had made it to the top. They laughed, jumped up and down and hugged one another. They had won!

Abdoula ran down the hill because he remembered that he had to go to get fish with his mother.

Coco and Abdoul stayed on the hill waiting for the others.

Abdoul said to Coco, ‘would you go down and run back up the hill if I asked you to?’

Coco looked at him curiously and asked, ‘why would you ask me that?’ ‘But would you?’ Abdoul asked again.

‘Would you come with me?’ Coco asked, still looking into his eyes.

Abdoul was silent. No one had ever said no to him. Well, it wasn't a "no", but it wasn't a "yes" either.

Coco asked another question, ‘do you always get what you want?’

Abdoul wouldn’t say a word. He wanted Coco to go down and climb back up the hill to... he didn’t know very well what for... What he did know was that he would go down and come back up with her... if she asked...

Coco said, ‘give me your hand.’

Abdoul held his hand out towards her. ‘Now close your eyes.’

Abdoul obeyed. ‘What do you see?’ Coco asked.

Abdoul saw himself as an adult. He was standing. It seemed like he was about to talk before a crowd.

He was wearing an elegant navy-blue suit, a sky-blue shirt with thin white stripes, a pink tie with midnight-blue oblique stripes, and brown suede shoes.He raised his arm to check the time. The watch had silver hands, a purple dial, and a brown strap. It was time to talk. His heart started beating so fast.

When he opened his eyes, he was alone at the top of the hill, sitting inside a stone circle of stones that apparently he had made himself. It was strange because there were no stones in that area...

It was dark and everyone in the village was looking for him. Abdoula remembered that he had left him at the top of the hill. When Abdoul was found sitting with his legs crossed and staring into space, he asked, ‘Where is Coco?’ Abdoul’s father hugged him and said, ‘What a fright you gave us! We've been looking for you for hours! Are you all right? Who’s Coco?’

Abdoul’s father hugged him and said, ‘What a fright you gave us!

We've been looking for you for hours! Are you all right? Who’s Coco?’

'Who do you think?! The daughter of the leader of the white people’s expedition,’ replied Abdoul.

‘What expedition? What white people?’ his father asked.

Abdoul stood up, returned his father’s hug, and calmly thought: "The moon really did come to visit me."