The Journal of Theodora Sprinkins

The Journal of Theodora Sprinkins



Twelve o'clock, Noon
2008
March 12th
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Marriott Plaza Hotel
Room Number 270

Dear Journal,

I am extremely excited about being in South America! I have a few leads on the South American Key, and tomorrow we get started!

Theodora Jezebel Sprinkins


The Journal of Theodora Sprinkins
Two o'clock, Afternoon
2008
March 15th
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Marriott Plaza Hotel
Room Number 270

Dear Journal,

I have decided to follow a clue about the coastal Atacama Desert of Chile, the driest desert of the Earth. The clue is a riddle, found in an Art Museum here in Buenos Aires. Here is the riddle:

Find the unlikely, and travel down slightly, there, paradise will you find; And there a path designed.

The unlikely...does it mean weather conditions? Or a river? Well, I suppose the only way to find out is to start making travel arrangements to the Atacama Desert.

Theodora Jezebel Sprinkins



The Journal of Theodora Sprinkins
Nine o'clock, Morning
2008
March 19th
San Pedro de Atacama
Kimal Hotel
Lobby

Dear Journal,

We are in San Pedro de Atacama, a little town just outside the Atacama Desert. This is a tourist spot, as much as I hate to admit it. But they provide all kinds of tours here, including archeological ones. I plan to take a tour to the renowned site of Tulor, a 3,000-year-old ruin. I am an archeologist, as well as a little bit of an architect, and I thought it best to stick with what I know first. My idea is to lose the tour group with my men and hide until they leave. I can inspect the ruins for any clues at night, then will send my second in command, Wilfred, back to the hotel, to get supplies and our means of transportation across the Atacama: the Jeeps I borrowed from Professor Finklegrouber's caravan. I know this is risky, as the Atacama is enormous, and we don't have a very big water supply, but it is the only way we can follow the clue, and find the key.

Theodora Jezebel Sprinkins

The Journal of Theodora Sprinkins

Three o'clock, Afternoon

2008

March 20th

Atacama Desert

Dear Journal,

I have decided that "the unlikely" is probably weather conditions, or a touch between two of the opposite elements. Therefore, we are heading toward the coastline, where desert meets sea (Even though this desert is not blistering, it is still one of the driest places on Earth. I thought it would count more, not as hot meets cold, but as dry meets wet). I think that it also might cause strange weather conditions, but I am not a meteorologist.

Theodora Jezebel Sprinkins

The Journal of Theodora Sprinkins

Eleven o'clock, Morning

2008

March 22nd

Atacama Desert

Nothing so far.

Theodora Jezebel Sprinkins

The Journal of Theodora Sprinkins

Two o'clock, Afternoon

2008

March 23rd

Atacama Desert

No indications whatsoever, but I did learn from our Chilean translator, Antonio, that two Chileans, Gabriela Mistral and Pablo Neruda, both won the Nobel Prize for literature, Mistral in 1945 and Neruda in 1971.  Antonio is part of our South American Key Recovery Team (SAKRT for short).

Theodora Jezebel Sprinkins

The Journal of Theodora Sprinkins

Eleven o'clock, Morning

2008

April 2nd

Atacama Desert

We have been traveling for a while now, and nothing, but...  I see something!  Good Lord!  It's the Sea!  The Sea! 

Four o'clock 

Well, you'll never believe me, but we have found something quite unexpected.  Unlikely, almost.  I have been musing on the riddle, and have had an answer in front of me all along!  Well, they weren't really all THAT close, more like miles and miles in front of me.  We have found PENGUINS along the Atacama Desert's Coast.  They are a special breed called the Humboldt Penguins.  Penguins in the desert?  I know, but it's true!  Up the coast of central South America, there is current that carries warm water and lots of fish.  The penguins followed the fish and live on the coast where the sea keeps them sustained.

Theodora Jezebel Sprinkins

The Journal of Theodora Sprinkins

Six o'clock, Evening

April 3rd

Atacama Desert Coast

I've found it!  Not the key, but a vital link in the riddle, maybe even the final one!  SAKRT has found a beach near the penguins' coast that is teeming- just TEEMING- with sea lions, fish and bird life!  This is the Paradise the riddle spoke of.  Now all we have to do is wait for a path to be designed.  That, or make one ourselves.

Theodora Jezebel Sprinkins

The Biography of Theodora Jezebel Sprinkins 

Theodora Jezebel Sprinkins has been working in her field beautifully for 41 years, and at 60 has achieved quite a bit.  From Great Britain, she grew up in a splendid little town of Argleton, but at 6 moved to the bustling capital of London, with her sister, Katherine, 4 at the time, and her parents James and Diana Laurenon-Sprinkins.  Her life-long passion has been Archeology, and she has become a master of it.  When she was 22, she finally decided she was ready for college and wanted the best.  Soon she made it into Harvard University.  As soon as she arrived she simply fell in love with the college.  She now teaches Anthropology, History, and most joyfully, Archeology at Harvard, sometimes making guest appearances at Oxford University in England.          

The Writing and Compositions of Zhi Fai Sheng

The Writing and Compositions of Zhi Fai Sheng

The W and C of ZFS
2:00 pm
February 16th
2007
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
The air smells of wood smoke, a luscious smell.
Standing in the Tsaiz Market, in front of a book stall, bright colors of purple, green, yellow, blue, and red adorn the awning of the stall

I am thinking about buying some books to help me on my travels. Maybe "Atlas of the World" or "Complete Collection of Riddles" I might need both, though I am doubting the "Atlas of the World" as I am from Asia and grew up here. I don't know why the others sent me here, I wanted to learn and see something new! But, oh well, not much I can do about it.


ZFS



The W and C of ZFS
5:00 pm
February 16th
2007
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
The air is a little dusty.
Just entered room in hotel for the first time. Looks faded, but owners tried to spiff it up a bit. Walls are gray, everything else except the TV is pink. It has a bedroom, couch, bathroom includes shower, sink and toilet, a TV, chair and desk, two chairs and dining table, small table, fan, lamp, tiny kitchen. Not exactly luxury, but good enough.

I already have a few leads on the key and will be staying up late tonight, figuring them out.

ZFS


The W and C of ZFS
1:00 pm
February 18th
2007
Traveling on Camel, Mongolia
The air smells of Camel.
My Camel is a sandy color, and is quite tall, traveling at maybe 8 mph. Her name is Batachikhan. She is slightly irritable, so I'm going a little bit slack on the reins. She seems happier now.

The key is giving me more trouble than I would have thought. I know that we're looking for a nomad family with a camel named Botok. There is supposed to be a story that they will tell us to help us on our hunt for the clue. It is very specific.

ZFS


The W and C of ZFS
2:00 pm
February 20th
2007
In a Yurt, somewhere Mongolia
The air has a homey smell, the cold and smell of sheep, camel, and goat dung is in the air outside, it is warm and smells like smoke on the inside, though.


The story of the Weeping Camel* has been told, and I will find a clue in the tears that brought frayed bonds woven back together. Luckily the family has kept the tears. As I gazed into them the other day, I knew I had to go to the ancient cities of Cappadocia.

ZFS




The W and C of ZFS
9:00 pm
June 6th
2007
Restaurant, Shanghai, China
The air smells of rice, spices, and noodles

Well. I have been excused from my mission to find the Asian Key, and shamed enough to hide my face from my friends- those who have dismissed me. However, after a close examination, and careful thought, the members of the Seven Keys Club/Arrangement Of Scientific Professors And Searching Party For Seven Keys Myth Or Society Of A Medley Of Theorists (AOSPASPFSKMOSOAMOT for short), have decided not to eject me from the Society, and give me a second chance, giving me a year to prepare myself. I went to Cappadocia, but discovered nothing. Nor anywhere else. Nothing that MY eyes could see. But next time I will look with clearer eyes.

I shall not waste space in this journal, so therefore I will write again on my next expedition to Asia.

Zaijian, ZFS

The Biography Of Zhi Fai Sheng

Zhi Fai Sheng was born in Zhuang, China, a beautiful mountain village. His mother was Li Yen & his father was Chang Tan, but when he was 4 a fever struck the village & they died because of little medicine. His grandmother: Grandmother Nu, took him in after that. When he was 19 he went to Beijing to study to be a linguist. He then got a job as an assistant curator and moved to Boston. At the museum he met 6 colleagues that were equally as interested in the myth of the Seven Keys as Zhi and he joined the AOSPASPFSKMOSOAMOT. He makes his own gray ink out of bamboo & is now 28.




Next in the "Seven Keys To The World" series: "The Journal Of Theodora Sprinkins". In this episode, we follow the travels of Theodora Sprinkins in her trek to find the South American Key!


For more information on The Story of the Weeping Camel, go to http://www.nationalgeographic.com/weepingcamel/

The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber- Part Two

The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber
September 19th, 2006, Maseru, Lesotho
12:00 pm

Our expedition was halted for over a month! Can you believe it?!! One measly car in our caravan breaks down and we have to stop the whole thing for a month?! Absurd! Absolutely absurd! Of course, it was the car carrying the most important artifacts and resources, and none of the others had room. We had to set up camp while our mechanic examined the car. He declared that we needed a new part, that would take 2,000 pounds to get and 3 weeks to replace, (You hear me? Absolutely absurd!). Well, I'm glad that is done and over with. We've been in Maseru, the capital, for 6 days, and are still searching for the clue, or the key itself. I have learned many interesting things about Lesotho (Les-sue-too) that I never knew, and something quite exciting happened yesterday! A new flag was approved by the National Assembly! It has (in order, from up to down): a blue stripe, a white stripe with a black hat, and a green stripe. The new flag reflects their motto strongly, Khotso Pula Nala, meaning "Peace, Rain and Prosperity". The blue represents sky and rain, white is peace, and the green stripe is prosperity. The traditional hat in the center represents a strong African nation, and the Basotho people. I learned that in Lesotho, when visitors come to a home, they knock on the door and say, Ko Ko, meaning "Knock, Knock". The person inside the house can then recognize the voice of the person and know a friend has come to visit. Lesotho means Land of the People that Speak Sesotho. No luck on the clue so far, but we will keep searching, and I have certainly learned much about Lesotho.

Heinrich H. Finklegrouber




The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber
September 21st, 2006, Maseru, Lesotho
6:00 pm

Ahh, I have just enjoyed a large supper of Nyekoe, Mocha-Hlama, Plain Porridge, and a refreshing drink of Mahleu. These are all native foods and are quite delicious, though I didn't touch the Nykoe, because it has cooked animal fat in it and I am strictly vegetarian. Otherwise, everything was quite good. We all ate at a restaurant; the waiter was quite nice, he was friendly and spoke very good English, though I suppose it is an official language. I couldn't imagine having to learn two languages and switch back and forth. Good for that nice young man. Oh, I almost forgot! We have a lead on another clue! An envelope was slipped under the door. It seems there is another player in the game.


Heinrich H. Finklegrouber


The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber
September 24th, 2006, Maseru, Lesotho
2:00

We are packing our things and are getting ready to leave Lesotho. I haven't opened the envelope yet, for fear it might be a trap, but we have discovered a real clue- a riddle, once again- and are following our interpretations of the riddle. It was found in a museum, (a likely place to find an ancient clue), engraved on a bar of Ivory, moved to Lesotho from The Kingdom of Aksum, now part of Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Here is the riddle: "Deep in the heart of Africa, a key, you will find, to answer the riddle you must use your mind, to gain power and wisdom, search through nature's kingdom, in the center, the heart, the middle, you must answer the riddle." Africa has many nations in its heart, so I'm sending a portion of my men to each country that I think is in range of the center. I, myself, am going to Cameroon, and will travel the whole country and search for the key (the riddle said that we might find the key itself!). I and five other men will leave for Cameroon at daybreak.

Heinrich H. Finklegrouber



The Diary Of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber
October 4th, 2006, Yaounde, Cameroon
6:00 am

We have finally reached the capital of Cameroon- Yaounde. Yaounde is a lovely place and it really is beautiful. The weather around here is actually quite cool, even though it is close to the equator, probably because of its altitude. The city was founded by German traders in 1888 that set it up as a base for trading ivory. It was then occupied by Belgian soldiers in World War II, and was (after Germany's defeat) made the capital of French Cameroon, as the French had become a leading colonial power. Yaounde is the second largest city in Cameroon, (Douala is the largest), and is right in the middle of Cameroon. The city lies about 2,500 feet above sea level. All of these facts I never knew before, so I am extremely glad we visited here! Now I can teach my collage class about Africa more. I am shocked at how I have reached the respectable age of 50 years and never knew all this! I will be sure that my students know it as I have failed to, or the schools failed to teach me, for Africa is quite an interesting and amazing place, full of colourful life and people.


Heinrich H. Finklegrouber



The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber
October 5th, 2006, Douala, Cameroon
9:00 pm


We left Yaounde yesterday, and progressed to Douala. Douala is on the banks of the Wouri River, and is the commercial capital of the country. I'm so excited! I think this city might hold the key! Meanwhile I am learning much about this fantastic place!


Heinrich H. Finklegrouber



The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber
October 7th, 2006, Ngaoundere, Cameroon
1:00 pm


Much to my disappointment, we found nothing in Douala. I was sure the key would be there! Now that we have seen the key is not in a big city, (I suppose it makes sense, the key is an ancient artifact after all), we have decided to visit a smaller city, Abong-Mbang, a town in the east province of Cameroon. We will leave tomorrow. Maybe we will find the key! Oh, I almost forgot, we found out who the mysterious person was, that slipped the envelope under the door. It was one of my own men- my own men!- joking around with his friends. I have dismissed him from my company. Maybe it seems harsh, but this is serious!


Heinrich H. Finklegrouber


The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber
October 10th, 2006, Abong-Mbang, Cameroon
10:00 am


No luck so far. Tomorrow we will keep searching for the key.


Heinrich H. Finklegrouber



The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber
October 11th, 2006, Abong-Mbang, Cameroon
5:00


Discovery! I have found a people in the rain forest next to the town, called the Baka. Among others, the Pygmies. They seem to know something about the key! Tomorrow I will meet with them and discuss the matter of the key.


Heinrich H. Finklegrouber


The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber
October 13th, 2006, Bosquet, Cameroon
11:00 pm

We are staying in the Baka village in the rain forest, Bosquet. They have shared with me their concerns, about deforestation by loggers cutting down their trees for lumber. It has troubled me deeply. How can we have a compromise? On the logger's hand, people need to have shelter, and on the Baka's hand, it is their property, and has been theirs since long ago. For every tree they cut down, the amount of forest around the world dwindles. I am very concerned, and there is no good news about the key either. Only the oldest person in the village could tell me about the key, and even she knew very little. She said there was something about it on a tree in the forest once, and nobody knows which tree, or if it has been cut down and sold. They did give me one piece of information, though, that might prove useful. A man named Annan Cedi, runs a Fantasy Coffins business, and his small company might have chopped down the tree unknowingly. He lives in Accra, Ghana. We are preparing to leave for Accra tomorrow.


Heinrich H. Finklegrouber


The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber
October 17th, 2006, Accra, Ghana
9:00 am


We have reached Accra! It is a bustling and enormous city! I am quite excited to see Mr. Cedi, I have a scheduled audience with him this evening, and I can hardly wait!

Heinrich H. Finklegrouber


The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber
October 18th, 2006, Accra, Ghana
1:00 pm

My audience with Mr. Cedi has gone exceedingly well. He doesn't know a thing! So, we wonderfully just wasted valuable time and money for nothing! Bah! Oh, well at least it was worth a try, but I'm now sure that it the key is in the rain forests of Cameroon. Or neatly ornamented in the wood of someones home. Bah! I am certainly in a bad mood.

Heinrich H. Finklegrouber


The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber
October 26th, 2006, Bosquet, Cameroon
6:00 pm

We arrived back at the Baka village of Bosquet yesterday, and are continuing to put our heads together about where the key might be. Chances are, it will be in a ancient tree that might even not be still standing, so ancient, it was planted at the creation of the world. Let me recount to you this old legend of the Baka people, so old that even the oldest person in the tribe's great great great great great great great great great great grandfather had not heard it since the day he was born, a tale so old that the Tapirs and the Shadow Leopards and the Buffalos of the forest hadn't even been thought about being created:

There is a tree in the forest, one so ancient, so old that even the earth itself had not been birthed, the tree was in its prime, resting in sacred soil-the first ever-, in the mighty spirit-god's realm. One day the Spirits-strong, gentle, life-giving Jengi, Forest Spirit, and leader of them all. Proud, powerful, stern, Water Spirit, Baki. Moody, just, some-days-joyful-and-witty, some-days-sullen-and-restless, Kashi, Wind Spiritess, protector and punisher. The wary, and kind healer Spiritess, Hatatta. The motherly Animal Spiritess, Deginja. The Day Spirit, Lejek, bold, brave, and loyal. Lejek's older sister, Ibijjea the Night Spiritess, cold, imaginative, beautiful, self-keeping, mysterious. Fire Spiritess, Jala, free, happy, and wild. Bati, twin of Jala, Spirit of Home, serious and quiet, but sometimes warm and compassionate, last born of the Spirits- decided to make the Earth, and placed the tree, to honor the Spirits, Earth, and Life. They then took a key that their mother, Zazja, mother of all, and hostess of all religions and gods, spirits, heroes, stories, and legends, had given them and engraved it into the tree. This tree still stands in our forest. Protect it. It has been there since the beginning of time, and it always will be. Its boughs grow strong and tall. Its trunk-30 people could join hands around the trunk, yet would not reach all the way around-stands towering and mighty. Its bark has the power of healing, take any wound and rub the bark upon it, it will heal! Its leaves give warmth and shelter. The earth around it is soft and fertile. It is a symbol of life. It is a symbol of death, a mother, a protector, gentle and kind, but if the forest is ever threatened, one-who-threatens, beware. The tree still stands, the tree still protects those take care of the forest, and keeps balance. The tree still stands.


Tomorrow we search the forest to find such tree-if it exists.



Heinrich H. Finklegrouber



The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber
October 27th, 2006, Rain Forest of the Baka
11:00 am

I have taken my diary with me on our expedition today, (I will document and take notes with it).


1:00 pm
The expedition is starting now. I'm so excited! We're starting through the forest. We walk, maybe 9,000 feet, then cross a small stream. We keep going.

2:35
We have found an Ossiculum Aurantiacum orchid. It is quite beautiful, with bright red and yellow colours mixing together. Its petals stick up and look hard and sharp. We had to keep going, so I didn't have time to touch it or make a study of it. I shall look into it when I get back to Wales. It is a species unique to Cameroon, and specifically the rain forest.

2:50
Some of the Baka people of the village have come with us, as they know the forest better, and to be honest, I'm quite grateful. As we walk, to break the silence, I suppose, they are telling a story. They are telling me of a young man, whom the whole tribe depended on, and a single bullet. The tribe, the village had run out of food, and needed fresh meat. And they only had one bullet. ONE bullet. So the young man set off with the greatest tracker of the village. After a long time, it began to rain, covering up the scent of the hunters. That was good news for the hunters. The bad news, though, was it would wash away any tracks. Nevertheless, they found some, and followed them and found a water buffalo. As they only had the one bullet, they had one chance. The hunter took careful aim...and fired. The bullet sailed through the air and hit its mark. The thing that amazed me most was they did not give a cry of celebration when the buffalo died, not even a smile, for knowing they would eat plentifully. Instead, they held a moment of silence, as if giving a prayer for the animal to pass on in peace, and that they were grateful, and would not starve because of its kindness, asking for forgiveness, and saying thank you. I thought that very...modest, and very good. I know these people's hearts are good.

3:20
We have been traveling, examining each tree in its own turn, for 3 hours and twenty minutes, but still nothing. I am growing very anxious-if we don't find the key here, then where?!

4:00
Bah! BahBahBah! We're getting nowhere! I'm beginning to think this is just and old wives' ta... Oh! Oh!!!!!!!!!!!!

4:10
I found it! I found it! WE found it! It's-it's...amazing doesn't begin to describe it! Aweing...maybe. Well, first, how we found it. I was writing notes, and looked up and there was a waterfall. And a stream, that others were crossing. The waterfall wasn't big, but it was at least twelve feet high, and had a good steady stream of water falling. But something wasn't right. It seemed to resonate, almost to echo. I looked a little closer. I found that soft, wet earth wasn't underneath it, but something hollow, when I plucked up my courage, and stuck my arm through the waterfall. There was a cave beneath it! I closed my eyes and walked through the waterfall as fast as I could. There I found a cave, just as I had suspected. I called to the others and told them to come. We continued through the cave. Deeper, we found a tunnel just large enough for a man to crawl through. We went through that, and found another part of the jungle. And there stood a mighty tree. The legends were right. Its boughs are strong and tall. It's true-not thirty men could join arms and reach all the way around the trunk. The leaves DO have healing powers, many of my men had gotten cuts and rashes trekking through the jungle, but the Baka who came with us pulled some bark of the tree, said a silent prayer of thanks, and rubbed it against my men's wounds, and they healed! Apparently it sped up the process of healing, so it healed the right way. The branches seem to cover the sky, but they are comforting. The tree is everything that the legend said...and more!


5:00 pm
Right now we are facing the problem of finding the key in the tree. I have absolutely have no idea where it might be. I always think I catch glimpses of it, but then when I look harder it's gone.

5:30 pm
The most amazing thing happened! WE HAVE THE KEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My jubilation is too hard to describe! Now we must find the answer to the riddle, oh! I'm almost out of good old Splotchinblot ink! And pages in my diary. Well, this calls for a new diary, so I'll write the riddle down later. But so much to tell! Well, first how we found the key.

We were searching and searching. Then we saw it. High in a branch, a metal & wood leaf, shaped like a key rested with the rest of the leaf-leaves. The key-leaf disappeared. It appeared then in a different branch. As a leaf. "There it is!" I shouted, along with some of the Baka and my men. We immediately started to try to climb the tree. But we couldn't. We tried. And tried and tried! But we just couldn't climb that tree. Then a little girl from the village darted out and began to climb that tree. I learned later that she had followed the men when she was told she couldn't go with us. Well, she climbed the tree like a monkey! She saw the key, and- according to our calculations each appearance of the key had 5 seconds each- and stopped. Waiting for it to disappear, as she knew she only had a couple of seconds left and couldn't reach it in time. She was right, and it vanished a second later. She only took a little bit to find the new home of the key, and she leaped into action. Swinging on branches, stepping, turning, hanging. Then, with 2 seconds left, the key a number of feet away, and no branches in between, she leaped. It was an agile leap, full of power and grace. The jump was as quick silent, and flawless as a leopard's leap. Then she landed, on all fours, perfectly, and just before the key could dissipate, the girl grabbed it. We cheered! Oh, we cheered! But then, the key vanished from the girl's hand! The tree shook. The poor girl had to hang on to the branch for her life. Then it stopped. half of the massive trunk swung open like it was on hinges. The key was embedded in the middle. Everybody let out a sigh of relief. But it was still to high for us on the ground to reach. The girl would have to get it. I saw her leap. And another leap. Then a step down. Then a swing. A drop. And one more leap. But that leap went wrong. she landed and rolled her ankle, collapsed, and fell off the branch. Everyone was holding their breath for her, but she didn't fall all the way, she was hanging on with one hand. She put her other hand up, and pulled herself back on the branch, and scooted because of her ankle. And she grabbed the key. Then the girl collapsed onto the branch, breathing heavily. When she got the key, I'm sure we let out such a whoop of joy, that we frightened quite a few birds.

9:45 pm
The village doctor has pronounced the girl's (whose name is Morjja) ankle sprained, but that's all. Morjja couldn't stand on it, so one of the men from the village, her Grandfather, it turned out, had to carry her home. Though she was given a tongue-lashing, she had become the hero of the village, finally being able to use her talent of tree climbing. I have taken a liking to her, and have nicknamed her Leopard, because of her grace in the trees. I have even offered to take her on as an explorer's apprentice, (does have a nice ring, doesn't it?), when shes older. Morjja and her family are both thinking on it.



The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrounber
October 28th, 2006, Bosquet
6:00 pm

We are leaving Africa now. One should think I might be happy, overjoyed, even. But somehow, even though I'm excited at being back home, I can't help thinking about all the friends I've made here, and places I've visited, and things I've learned. This will most likely be my last entry in this diary, as I am almost out of ink, and most certainly this is the last page. Morjja has said that when she is older she would very much like to be an explorer's apprentice, but she also would like to devote some of her time to her people and be what she's always wanted to be in her village, a tracker and healer. See, she's got some ideas about domesticating and befriending wild animals to... Well, that's for later, but I suppose she'll be half an explorer's apprentice. (She turned out to be twelve, so in 6 years she can be my half-apprentice!) I promised to visit Morjja in the spring. Now we are heading to the closest airport, in Yaounde. I'm a little worried about how we'll get the key through customs, but I'm sure we'll be alright. We've reached the airport. Thank heavens! We've gotten through the customs line, and are boarding an airplane. You know, I really have learned a lot in Africa, and not just about the continent. I've learned about life, and the life of others, and that people keep pushing on, no matter what. When I get back to my classroom, my first lesson is going to be that Africa isn't just "The Lion King", it's much, much more. It's where the first humans emerged, and diversity is common. Think about how many different environments we've visited. How many strange, wonderful animals that we must coexist with, if we want balance. The sun is setting now, casting shadows of aspiration and hope. Maybe with the key, we might bring on world peace, end animal cruelty, get rid of corruption, and make the world a safe, happy, and prosperous place. Now I am thinking of all the people I met. How different they were, but how they all shared one thing in common: Africa.

Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

The Biography of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

Heinrich H. (Hieronymus) Finklegrouber was born in 1956 in Berlin, Germany, and at the age of 6 moved to Cardiff, Wales with his family.

See "The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber Part One" part one for full biography.


By Maya Johnson

*Please note that, though most of this is non-fiction, there are many untrue qualities. Example: The Baka have only ONE spirit, the Forest Spirit, Jengi. Example:We have no proof that such tree exists and the story of and the keys is a figment of the author's mind. As most of this is true, the author has researched much of this to make sure it was true.



Coming next in the "Seven Keys to the World" series: "The Writings and Compositions of Zhi Fai Sheng" In this episode, one of Heinrich's six colleagues, Zhi Fai Sheng, searches for the Asian Key.

The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber: The African Key

The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber


Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

July 15th, 2006, Bamako, Mali

6:00 pm

On my search for the African key, I have discovered many new and interesting things. My trip to the pyramids, though was quite brief, due to my knowledge of the culture.

Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

July 21st, 2006, In the Sahara Desert

7:00 am

I have had to leave Mali quickly, to my disappointment, I feel I have not learned enough about it, because of a sudden news that a most intriguing culture, called the Tuareg, had a clue to the Key. When I visited them, I learned of a boy, Adam Ilius is his name, who, (At nine years old! In their culture he wouldn't be old enough to wear a hat! In the burning sun. Not that I blame them for their traditions, but for a boy, in the heat of the desert, there should be some bending of rules.) crosses the desert in a caravan of camels with some few full grown men, on a rite of passage, a trading mission for salt, competing with heavy duty trucks. I was amazed at how brave and tough Mr. Ilius was for a young man of nine. As for a clue, the Tuareg knew, by word of mouth and rumors, that the Maasai of Kenya, know something about the key.

Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

July 26th, 2006, N'Djamena, Chad

2:00 pm

After meeting with the Tuareg, I decided to continue my expedition east to Djibouti, where my men and I can stock up on food and get water, which is almost gone. I must remind myself and my men that we must adjust to the climate and resources, and not use and drink so much water. We had such liberties back in Wales, but not in the Sahara Desert. After that, we plan to head south to Kenya.

Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

August 8th, 2006, Nairobi, Kenya

5:00 am

Tonight, I cannot sleep. I'm so excited at the prospect of a clue to the Key! I've learned many things about Kenya from our 3 days. Did I know Kenya had 41 MILLION people and 42 ethnic groups? No. Did I know that Collard Greens are called Sukuma Wiki? No. Did I know that Swahili is actually called Kiswahili? No. Did I know Kenya covers 224,961 square miles? Well, yes, thankfully, or else I'd turn in my degree in Geography, Culture AND Archeology!!!

Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

August 9th, 2006, Traveling to the Reserve where the Maasai live

9:00 am

The savannas are beautiful here. Thank heaven I knew one fact the driver told me: Every Zebra's stripes are different. The other ones he told me, I didn't know. The Nyatiti is an 8-string lyre that an ethnic group called the Luo play. The Ngoma is a homemade drum made from cowhide and a hollowed out tree stump. Kenya is made up of 47 counties, and they all have their own government. The bright side though, is that at least I'm learning something. We're almost at the Maasai's village. The only thing I'm worried about is the language barrier between us. It was too expensive to hire an interpreter, so I hope all goes well.

Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

The Diary of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

August 11th, 2006, Nairobi, Kenya

1:00 pm

What an exciting discovery!!! The Maasai gave me a riddle. I think it was wise of them, I certainly wouldn't just hand out sacred information to anybody off the street claiming to be chosen to find the Key, they'd have to prove their worth first. The Riddle: The Rains of Africa, a surprise. Surrounded in a sea of land, the tip, the bottom, the middle, the side. I have been studying it on our way back to camp. I believe it is referring to Lesotho, landlocked in South Africa. We will begin travel immediately.

Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

Biography of Heinrich H. Finklegrouber

Heinrich H. (Heronimus) Finklegrouber was born in 1956, Berlin, Germany and at the age of six, moved to Cardiff, Wales. His parents, Albrecht and Minna-Kriefa Leiger, had three children, Heinrich, Rudolph, and Stefan (in order of age). Heinrich is an Archeologist, Geography Professor, Humanities Professor, Explorer and World Traveler. Ever since he heard the myth of the Seven Keys from an Aztec priest, on a vacation in Mexico, he has been searching for them with his six colleagues. He likes to write in a special gray-blue ink, that only the company Splotchinblot makes. Splotchinblot is run by a 106-year old (his name is Bobald Hickery but he goes by Bob) retired explorer, and Heinrich is good friends with him. To find out more about Splochinblot, go to splotchinblotweirdink.whales.com.

To Be Continued

Maya J.