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Excerpt from Chapter 13 – The newly married couple, Katya and Zolokhan playing Coconut Drops Competition

” You want to play Coconut Drop with me?” Zolokhan asked her excitedly. Coconut Drop was a game where coconuts husks were filled with all manner of things like stones, sand, dirt, dried bush, coal, gold pebbles, etc. It was a deceptive game as many times a coconut could be filled with sand at the bottom but have dried trash at the top. These were then placed in front of the two opponents. 

Each opponent was allowed to observe and choose ten coconuts each out of a large selection of coconuts. The ten coconuts chosen by one player was given to the other player. The opponents were not allowed to touch or hold the coconuts.

Each opponent was given a neutral helper who would place the ten coconuts in a line. Once both players had selected their ten coconuts for the opponent, each coconut would then be cast into clear water to see which would sink the faster. The faster of the two coconuts to sink was the winner.

This would be done ten times and whoever won more times was declared the overall winner. Hence each player when it came their time to choose, wanted to choose the lightest coconuts to give to their opponents. The lighter the coconut the harder it was for it to sink.

“ How are we going to play that game? You sent everyone away remember?” Katya reminded him.

Clapping his hands three servants appeared with filled coconuts and began placing them  in the middle of their grassy camp. Then what seemed like hundred of torches were lit, brightening up the camp ten fold. The servants then brought two wide clear drums cut from crystal. The crystal drums were then filled with water.  When the set up was done, excited faces of servants came to watch the couple compete.

Taking it all in, Katya marvelled at her husband who was always full of surprises. Suddenly what seemed like it would have ended in a quiet night, turned into heated bets and shouts of encouragement for Katya to take Zolokhan down. Calls for quiet, and shouts of

” Let them think”, one said
” Shhhh” , another said
” they’ve played the game before”

were uttered by onlooking servants as each began selecting coconuts for the other.

Read and 🎧 Listen Chapter 13 Here