Sunstroke & The Epiphany
an excerpt

“Do you know where Punt is on the map?” asked The Shadow.
Katarina looked closely at the continents and scoured all the territorys, but she could find no trace of Punt. “I can’t find it!” she said, and turned the page. “Maybe it’s behind this map somewhere.”
“No, that map shows everything. There’s nothing else.”
“So where’s Punt?”
“No-one knows,” said The Shadow. “We used to know, but nobody’s been in so long that we’ve forgotten how to get there. Have you heard the story of Punt?” Katarina shook her head. “Well then, let me tell you how it all happened. One of your ancestors a long long time ago was named Mikhail Magnetron, and he ruled the kingdom very wisely. His scientists pioneered a lot of genetic science, which means he knew how to keep the royal line pure and unsullied. And under his guidance the people grew rich and the nobles grew richer, and everyone was happy at this newfound golden age.
“But King Mikhail had ignored other parts of his country, and soon a famine began to grip the land. Everyone was going hungry and they needed to find food desperately. For all the kingdom’s riches could not buy them one ounce of food, and our kingdom’s neighbours were unwilling to trade. So Mikhail descended to the shores to find a trade route with the outside world. He loaded up a ship with all the riches it could carry and sailed down the Great River to a place where it was night all the time, even during the day, and no light shone anywhere. There the river grew wider and wider until you could not distinguish it from a sea or even an ocean, and the boat became helplessly lost.
“The sailors were starving for they had run out of supplies, and there was no going back because nobody knew the way. And then one day when the men had given up all hope and even King Mikhail was in a great despair, the second mate saw lights in his telescope, and determined that land was surely near. They made for the lights they had seen, and there on the coast of a black land shrouded in perpetual night they discovered Punt.
“They inhabitants had lived peacefully there for many centuries perched on the edge of this eternal abyss. They had only the light form their burning torches to show the way, but it was those torches that saved King Mikhail and his men. And the land of Punt was rich in all kinds of produce. They made the best spices and grew the best crops, and their animals were rich and tender and good for eating. Not only this, but they were expert craftsmen and cooks who were able to create all kinds of incense and sweetmeats.
“By trading with the people of Punt, King Mikhail was able to save his kingdom from starvation. He and his men made many journeys there and back, each time trading their own wealth of gold and jewels for Punt’s wealth of food and delicacys. But as time wore on, later kings after Mikhail grew impatient at this perpetual bartering arrangement. Then one day King Sirsica Magnetron embarked on an expedition to Punt but did not take anything to trade. He plundered the land of Punt and took what he would by force. And the people of Punt had no means to defend themselves, and their land was sacked by the Magnetrons.
“The king sailed back to his kingdom with a satisfied glow, but the kingdom was still in the worst kind of famine. He withheld as long as he could, but soon his people began to die of starvation and he knew he had to return to Punt. So off he sailed in search of Punt, and the Great River grew wider and opened into the long black sea. But no matter how far King Sirsica sailed, he could find no trace of the land of Punt. For you see, the inhabitants had put out their torches and there was no light to guide the king to safety. And he sailed on and on down that Great River and was never heard from again. Some say he is still sailing down the river searching for the lost country that could save him.”