The Secret of the Third Inca

It was a warm summer night and the moon shone brightly across the sky. Perusina and Perusino lay under soft blankets in their cozy room, but they couldn't sleep. Their thoughts turned to the country they loved so much - Peru. The two were curious explorers and loved to research old stories and fairy tales. Today, however, they had a very special question that wouldn't let them go.

"Do you know who the third Inca was?" Perusina suddenly asked. She leaned on her elbows and looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. Perusino, who was lying next to her, frowned. "The third Inca? That's a good question... I've heard of the first two, but who was the third?" His eyes lit up. "Let's find out!"

Before they could continue speaking, something magical happened. A warm, golden light filled the room, as if the sun itself had come in. From the light emerged a small figure, clad from head to toe in a shimmering golden cloak. It was Inti, the sun god of the Incas, with a radiant smile on his face. "You want to know who the third Inca was?" Inti asked in a soft, soothing voice. "Then follow me and I will take you to the land of the Incas."

Before they knew it, Perusina and Perusino took off as if they were floating on a cloud, and in a moment they were standing in the middle of the majestic Andes. Before them stretched the vast, green land of the Incas, with mighty mountains rising into the sky. Above them the sun shone brightly and cheerfully.

"This is the empire of the Incas," Inti said proudly. "And there in front of you you can see the Sun Temple of Cusco, shining in golden splendor." Perusina and Perusino marveled at the magnificent temple made of gleaming gold and shiny stones. The walls shimmered in the sunlight, and the air was filled with a mysterious whisper, as if the walls themselves were telling ancient stories.

But as they got closer, a large, powerful condor fluttered down from the clouds and settled on a rock in front of the temple. "Stop!" the condor called in a deep, powerful voice. "You want to enter the Temple of the Sun to learn the story of the third Inca. But before you can do that, you must answer a question: Who was the third Inca?"

Perusino and Perusina looked at each other, a little perplexed. "We don't know yet," Perusina answered bravely, "but we want to find out. Can you help us?" The condor looked at the two of them, his sharp eyes sparkling, and then he nodded.

"The third Inca was Lloque Yupanqui," said the condor in a serious voice. "He was a ruler who did a lot for his people. He was not as famous as the first two Incas, but he had a great impact on the people. He was clever, wise and peaceful. He made sure that the Inca empire became stronger and that the people worked together to solve their problems."

Perusino was curious. "But what exactly did he do? How did he unite the people?" The condor nodded in agreement and spread his mighty wings. "Come with me and I will show you," he said and took to the skies. The children followed him as if an invisible force carried them, and soon they were flying over the beautiful green valleys and high mountains of the Andes.

They finally landed in a small, peaceful village. The people there were busy tending their fields. Everywhere the children saw smiling faces and hard-working hands working together. "This is one of the many villages that Lloque Yupanqui helped," explained the condor. "He taught the people how to bring water from the mountains to their fields. He built canals and irrigation systems so that the harvest was always good. Under his leadership there was no more hunger because he made sure that everyone had enough to eat."

Perusina and Perusino marveled at the clever water channels that meandered through the fields and ensured that the plants grew magnificently. "Wow!" exclaimed Perusino, "Lloque Yupanqui must have been a really clever ruler!"

Just as they were about to explore the village further, a loud thunder sounded. A large, dark boulder had broken away from the mountains and was now blocking the way to one of the fields. "Oh no!" cried a small lama who came running. "This boulder is blocking the water! If we don't get rid of it, the field will dry up and the crops will be destroyed!"

Perusina and Perusino looked at each other. "What would Lloque Yupanqui do?" asked Perusina. Then Perusino remembered what the condor had said: "He knew that together we are strong!"

The two children quickly ran off and called the villagers together. Together with the lama and the people, they put their hands on the huge rock. "All together, now!" shouted Perusino, and with all their strength they pushed the boulder. It was heavy, but slowly the rock began to move. With a final, powerful push, the stone finally rolled to the side, and the water flowed again through the channels to the fields.

"Hurrah!" shouted the villagers, and the llama jumped for joy. "You helped us, just like Lloque Yupanqui would have done! You showed us that together we can do anything!" Perusina and Perusino beamed with pride, knowing that they had learned something important.

The sky slowly turned pink as the sun set and disappeared behind the mountains. At that moment, the friendly sun god Inti appeared again. "You have learned a lot today," he said with a smile. "Lloque Yupanqui was not just a ruler, he was a teacher. He showed people that cooperation and caring are the most important things to create a strong community."

Perusina nodded thoughtfully. "It is really important to care for people and find solutions together." Perusino added: "And that no one is strong enough alone - together we are stronger!"

Inti beamed with joy. "That's exactly what Lloque Yupanqui knew. And now it's time to go home." With a gentle beam of light, Inti brought the two children back to their cozy room.

The moon was still shining softly through the window, and Perusina and Perusino snuggled under their blankets. "Lloque Yupanqui was truly a special Inca," Perusina whispered. "And I'm glad we learned that today," Perusino added.

With a satisfied smile, the two friends fell asleep while the stars sparkled above them and they dreamed of further adventures in the land of the Incas.

"Sleep, my child, in Peru,
Llamas rest, clouds close.
The moon shines brightly on mountain and valley,
Sweet dreams in the starbeam. 🌙✨"

(c) by ToPet