Book One, Story One
The Drum That Would Not Sleep
A drum in the corner of the workshop keeps a rhythm all night, and Ntikuma is the only one who hears it.
Opening excerpt
The rain had stopped hours ago, but the roof kept counting drops, one, then two, then a long pause, as if it were thinking.
Ntikuma lay still. Under the counting, quiet as a held breath, something else was keeping time.
It came from the workshop, where nothing should be awake.
This is a sample excerpt written for this build. The full story is not yet published.
Talk about it together
- What sounds do you hear at night that other people miss?
- Ntikuma was scared and went anyway. When have you done something like that?
- Why might a story give a drum a voice of its own?
Keep reading
- A Bargain of Riddles
Kwaku offers to carry a heavy basket for the price of three riddles — and Tikenenkenen accepts far too quickly.
- The Map With One Corner Missing
Ntikuma finds a map in the back of her notebook that she is certain she never drew.
- The Quiet of Nana Abena
An evening telling that stops halfway, and the children who must finish it themselves.