These Koalas lacked nothing.

Shouts of excitement were heard as joeys rolled about and children played hopscotch. The sounds of a few Koalas playing red-light green-light behind a tree could be heard in the distance.

A little further off in the distance Papa Koala was sitting on the porch of his new house. Zancudo was really the perfect place. He looked up and the Zancudo flying peaceful and all the Koala looking happy as ever.

Papa sat on his rocking chair under the porch shade just enjoying the sounds and smells of the most delightful afternoon. The sound of the wind blowing gently on the lavender was sometimes overshadowed by the buzz of busy bees and the wings of happy Zancudo searching for nectar and remnants of the morning dew.

Here everyone lived in harmony. They kids were free to run around and play as much as they wanted with no fear of getting lost or danger. The village was filled with trees and ponds and gentle rivers. All over they could find fruits of every kind. They were not just apples and oranges, but there were fruits that fill you with energy in just two or three bites.

They were luscious and beautiful fruits like the Dragon’s Passion and the Wonder Fruit that satisfied everyone who lived in the land. They even had a school house on a hill. The Koalas would meet there and pretend that they were learning new important ideas for society and the world.

“By jove,”

Declared Kiki.

“I do believe all Koala are the most happy to live here in Zancundo. There are no fires or dangers. We have everything we want and there is always something new to learn.”

“I think it is all bogus,”

Said Koko.

“I mean… why the big wall? If we are really happy we wouldn’t need a big wall around the village to keep us from getting out.”

Kiki shuttered,

"But Koko, don’t you know that wall is not to keep us from getting out. That wall was made to keep the village safe from Leherea. Papa made it clear. You couldn’t stand even a day out there.”

Koko acted as if he didn’t hear his sister’s warning. He just walked away toward the wall and started kicking at it. He looked up. It was stone after stone straight up, so much higher than he could ever climb. There was no way he could get over this fence.

It was the only thing keeping them from the outside and a good thing too for the outside was crawling with Lehereas. Koko was told a Leherea would knock out a full grown Koala and kill a young Koala in one blow.

Still Koko didn’t think it was fair that he was stuck in this place. Sure, it was great. He had a lot of good friends and they had everything they ever wanted. Everyone seemed so happy but why was he not happy?

Why did Kiki’s words always get stuck in his head?

“Papa made it clear. You couldn’t stand even a day out there.”

That’s it. He decided to tell Papa. He found Papa sitting on his rocking chair. Papa was watching an old movie about a Jedi knight talking with evil emperor. Koko was drawn to the screen. He couldn’t believe what happened to the Jedi. He stood up to that evil emperor. Koko enjoyed this moment watching the movie with his father. He knew his dad loved him, but still he had to tell his father.

“It’s not fair.”

“What’s not fair my son?”

“Why do we have to stay trapped in this village? There is a whole world out there to be explored.”

“You are right my son and in the right time you will go out and see great things. You will see great ocean liners that travel the seven seas. You will see skyscrapers that really touch the sky. You will see rushing crowds and traffic jams but all in time. You must first grow little Koala for you do not know what dangers lurk outside these walls. I built these walls with your father to protect our village and keep our Koala families happy. We knew that you cannot stay forever behind the wall. There will be a time for you to go. Until then, enjoy the free space to run around and learn of all the things around you before you venture outside the wall.”

Koko tried not to think about the wall but it ate at him all evening. He tossed and turned sometimes picture of the wall collapsing on him and sometimes pictures of the outside big world and sometimes pictures of Lehera’s face. Mostly he spent the night in nightmares. Now the morning sun was shining in his face. He opened the window. Everybody was happy around him singing,

“La, La, Lalala, La, Lalala.”

“Hey, hey. Have a beautiful day!”

“You too.”

But Koko was blue.

Just like the past three days Koko walked around the perimeter of the village kicking at the wall. This time something different happened. One of the stones he kicked started to move. He kicked it again and it just slid away leaving enough room for Koko to go outside.

Koko scooted out where that stone was. He was now outside the wall. The first thing he did was take note of where that stone was. He would never want to lose his way home. Next he took a look around.

The outside of the village looked even more green and lush than the inside. There a wild forest grew around him with tall trees reaching well into the sky. Behind the trees he could only see dark forest and he could hear nothing. That was strange and so much different from the village. Everything was silent. It was like the world was in slow motion.

Koko looked up and found a tree that was easy to climb. He scooted up the tree and found the fruit even larger than the fruit in the village tree. He opened on up and ate it up like it was a feast. He thought to himself this is the most delicious fruit he had ever tasted. The first fruit from outside the wall. He then took the case of the fruit and licked up everything that was left. So satisfied he fell asleep in the tree.

He had no dream, at least no dream that he could remember. When he woke up he found he was in the same tree. The sun was already at midday. He had been asleep for hours. He looked up and saw the village below him.

“Those silly Koalas,”

he thought.

“They don’t know the world they are missing out here.”

He then schooched down the tree and found the stone and schooched through the hole back into the village. He decided to mark the spot just to be sure that he could find his way back to the same spot tomorrow.

On his way home Koko passed by the school on the hill. Kiki asked him,

“Why weren’t you in school? You missed a whole lesson of creative development.”

“Who needs school? There is a whole world out there they are keeping us from Kiki. It’s all bogus.”

Koko insisted.

When they got home, Papa looked up from the book he was reading,

“Did you have a good day at school?”

“Everything was great dad.”

Koko lied and it was obvious.

Kiki knew there was something wrong. It was not like Koko to lie to Papa. She expected Papa to do something. He just continued reading his book.

Koko went upstairs and started kicking things.

“Why do we live in this stupid house?”

Koko left and Papa just continued reading his book without even looking up.

“They don’t care about me,”

Koko thought.

He went over to spot he marked on the wall. He didn’t need to eat stupid Dragon fruits and Wonder fruits. He had everything he needed. He kicked the stone and schooted out to the other side. He scooted up the tree he so much like to climb earlier and sat there in setting sun.

He grabbed one of the large fruits he had eaten earlier and gobbled it down in three seconds strangely unsatisfying. Everything was quiet here… too quiet. He felt like someone was watching him. He felt sweat all over his hands. He felt his heart beating.

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. Just a little indigestion.”

Thought Koko.

He schooched down and back to the house but this time a lot more quiet. He went directly to his bed. He dreamed of the fuit he had eaten in the tall tree and the dark forest. His stomach turned and the face of Leherea was even larger than in the dream from the night before.

He screamed!

“Aghhhhh!”

It was just a dream. Still he was sweating and still his heart was racing and still he wanted to go back. More than anything else he wanted to go back there.

He looked at the clock. It was 4:50 AM. Even the Zancudo had not awaken. Yet Koko was wide awake. He slid the door open and quietly stepped outside.

He walked to that stone he had seen the day before. He found the mark he made and kicked it.

“Yeah! I’m back!”

Thought Koko. Now wondering if it was really him speaking or if he was still dreaming.

He kicked the rock away and schooched through the hole. He was really doing it. He was going to live the life he always wanted. He was truly free. He took a few steps toward the tree he had such memories from yesterday and breathed the air around him. Strange he thought,

“How can air smell dark?”

He climbed the so much familiar tree and now instinctively grabbed a large fruit and at it in only a second. He tried another and another. Strange how hungry he felt. Although he ate and ate there was always room for more. Now the world spun around him. He climbed down the tree and danced.

“Koko is the king of the world!”

He spun around two more times and fell down.

In the world that was so quiet he heard a faint sound. It was a rustling in the grass. One second later he saw it. The face of Leherea was hovering above him. This was not like the face in the dream. The face of Leherea was beautiful and perfectly formed like the face of an angel. He spoke not frightening words but gentle whispers.

“You are a great Koala my son. There is none like you. Come and stay with me. The village is a lie and a trap. Your Papa wants to keep you from eating my fruits but I say enjoy to your heart’s content. It is your destiny.”

At that moment Koko’s eyes were open. He remembered these were the exact same words the emperor in the movie spoke. Leherea was not just a handsome face but he also carried the huge stinger of a scorpion. Koko gulped. There was no way out of this mess.

He started to walk towards the place of the stone. He looked a little up and down the wall.

“Your stone is not there.”

“It is made to be opened but one way. You have used up all your return passes. The only way back into the village is to bring me with you.”

"Never!”

Koko screamed!

Leherea and Koko both turned to see the stone move by itself. The stone simply plopped itself to the side.

Behind the stone was the paw of a rather large Koala.

Papa was there and behind him his sister, Kiki.

Leherea stared at them with a devilish grin.

“You know the rules Mr. Koala. Once opened only twice returned. He belongs to me.”

“I know the rules. My father built with this wall.”

Said Papa.

“I also know that Koko is free to go where he goes. And Kiki and I are going with him.”

“You stupid Koala. You leave the protection of your new home among a village of happy Koala and Zancudo for a dark forest. You will surely die.”

“I may."

Papa replied.

" But I will die happy with my family together.”

At this Leherea faded away. It was as if a blast of sunshine hit him too hard. Kiki and Koko and their father would meet many new adventures but as long as they were together the Leherea’s sting had no grip on them.

I wrote this story originally for a contest in Hive about the meaning of happiness. I think that happiness is only true happiness if one chooses to be there. This has been going around my mind a lot.

If one is in paradise but did not choose to be there then at least they should be provided a way out if they do choose to go out. This is kind of like the lego movie story. Everything is great and everything is awesome but he knew there was something wrong.