Perusina, Perusino and Tupac: The Road to the Next Inca

It was a new school day in the land of the Incas, and Perusina, Perusino and Tupac were strolling excitedly along the mountain path to school as always. They had a huge pile of homework in their bags, most of it about the current Inca, Lloque Yupanqui - Tupac's father. But today there was something very special on the schedule.

“Do you know what we’re learning today?” Perusino asked curiously, glancing in Tupac’s direction.

Tupac shrugged and grinned. "I don't know, but I hope we don't do another quipu knotting class today. Last time, Perusina tied so many knots that even the messengers accidentally sent 'Llama King' to my father!"

"Oh, that was a real adventure!" Perusina exclaimed, laughing. "Maybe today we'll learn how to become Incas!"

"Become an Inca?" Perusino asked skeptically, frowning. "And how is that supposed to work? Do you have to eat a lot? Or fight? Or maybe be particularly good at Quipu?"

“Maybe all at the same time?” Perusina giggled and rolled her eyes.

But before Tupac could say anything, they heard the loud drumming of the Inca guards. A huge, magnificent gold eagle hung over the entrance to the school - the symbol of the Inca. Tupaq Amaru, their teacher, was already standing there and beckoned the three friends over.

The Prophecy of the Next Inca

"Today is a special day," Tupaq Amaru began seriously. "You have now heard of the first three Inca rulers. The wise Manco Cápac, the determined Sinchi Roca and the just Lloque Yupanqui. But today the preparation for the next Inca begins. And the next Inca..." - he paused dramatically and looked at Tupac - "...will one day be Tupac."

Perusino giggled and poked Tupac in the side. "You? The next Inca? I can't really imagine you wearing a crown - or with a serious face!"

"Hey! I can do it!" Tupac pulled a face, trying to look like a mighty king. But he couldn't help but laugh and pulled a face that almost made Perusina and Perusino fall off their chairs.

"An Inca must be able to do many things," Tupaq Amaru continued, looking at the three sternly. "He must love the land, protect the people and always look after the well-being of the community. But that also requires courage, strength and... the art of prophecy."

"Prophecy?" Perusina asked, confused. "That sounds like reading the stars!"

Tupaq Amaru nodded. "The next Inca must be able to recognize dangers and make decisions that protect the people. Today we are doing a prophecy ceremony."

The Prophecy Ceremony – Chaos in the Temple

The ceremony took place in the large temple, and the three friends were already excited when they entered. Candles were burning everywhere, and the light flickered mysteriously on the old stones. The priests put a golden headdress on Tupac and said quiet prayers. It was quiet and solemn - or would have been, if Perusino hadn't suddenly tripped over his own feet and accidentally knocked over a large drum.

“Oops!” he muttered as the echo of the drum reverberated through the temple.

“Perusino!” Perusina whispered, laughing, “you can’t touch anything without it making a noise!”

Tupac tried to remain serious, but laughter quickly crept onto his face. "So much for the quiet ceremony," he whispered.

Tupaq Amaru cleared his throat sternly, but the ceremony continued. "Now, Tupac," he said solemnly, "we are going to give you prophecy training. You will learn to read the signs of nature."

“Reading signs? Like a secret agent?” Tupac asked enthusiastically.

"Something like that," replied Tupaq Amaru. "And today we start with the celestial signs."

The Adventure with the "Thunder Star"

The priests led the three to a mountain peak from which they could perfectly observe the stars. "Up there is the Thunder Star," explained Tupaq Amaru, pointing to the sky. "When this star shines particularly brightly, it means that great danger is imminent."

"A danger?" Perusina whispered excitedly. "Like a giant llama stealing carrots?"

“Or an eagle stealing our provisions?” Perusino added, giggling.

Tupac shook his head. "I think it's more about things like earthquakes or strong storms."

Just as he said that, they heard a loud crash. Perusino looked around in shock. "What was that? Was that the prophecy?"

But it was just a large fallen branch. Nevertheless, the three decided that they should prepare better in case a great danger really did come. "We could make our own prophecies!" Perusino shouted. "Maybe I'll predict that there will be an earthquake tomorrow!"

“And I predict there will be a big llama race!” added Perusina.

Tupac laughed. "And I predict that you two will still know nothing about prophecies in class tomorrow!"

The prophecy comes true – somehow

The next day, Tupaq Amaru came to the school and told them about an upcoming festival in which the people would honor the Inca rulers. He said that this was an important opportunity to practice the prophecies and show what they had learned.

"Aha, so my prophecy was right!" Perusino exclaimed triumphantly. "I said something big was going to happen!"

Tupac shook his head. "The party isn't dangerous, Perusino! You were just lucky."

"Well," said Perusina mischievously, "at least now we know that our prophecies come true, at least a little bit sometimes."

And so the three of them finished their first lesson on prophecy, not quite as wise as Tupaq Amaru had hoped, but with a lot of fun and a new-found excitement for what the future would bring - because soon Tupac would have to learn for himself what it meant to be a true Inca.

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