Nestled inside deep deep green, under bright bright sun, there were a people living all together in homes made of reeds from the riverbank and fibers cleverly woven in.

It was a tribe, a nation, of people, with everyone represented, big, small, smart, dumb, generous, greedy, talented, happy, sad and intellectual. They were the Buhera Ba Rowzi.

They worshipped the divinity of the moon, Bomu Rambi, and lived, died and left ancestors who eat, breathe, laugh and love today in a place on the map called Zimbabwe.

The honorable King of these proud, peace loving people, father of one daughter and many sons, was laying inside his hut, too weak to walk out the door and take a look around.

His devout and devoted daughter was in despair to see him looking so ready to die. Her name was Mella and she loved her father with every curve of her heart.

Beautiful fruits of the land, prayers of the heart, sweet notes of pipes and whistles, big drums, little drums and talking drums had been offered on behalf of their respected leader.

Every wise healer with the knowledge of Mother Earth in his hands, the plants of the forest in his mind, the language of Bomu Rambi on her tongue, had been consulted.

Mella couldn't enjoy life. Her father was always on her mind. She walked into the jungle one night, carrying old age in her young, strong and proud heart.

She looked up at a shimmering crescent moon and called upon the merciful and enchanting Bomu Rambi, who always watches and waits for when she is needed.

Suddenly leaves started trembling in her radiant reflection and Mella heard a thought in her brain that wouldn't go away. "You must go to the Python Healer".

Mella's heart started ticking faster. Her lungs started a new rhythm. She turned and squirmed and couldn't sleep just thinking of the dreaded Python Healer.

Her brothers had been there and tried to tell everyone about it but couldn't on account of their teeth chattering so much from fright, they couldn't say anything anyone could understand.

When the sun came up she hadn't slept for half a second. Before the first babe cried for milk, she filled her little elephant hide pouch with nuts and headed for the foot of the mountain.

Through deepest jungle, ferns tickling her ears, rivers testing her strength, climbing over rocks, sleeping in strange groves and looking the big animals in the bushes in the eye, she went.

Bomu Rambi showed four different aspects of her face and Mella wore scars from the journey on the soles of her feet but she thought only of her father hanging on to life.

Then she saw it, carved smack dab into the solid rock entrance of a deep, dark cave. A serpent spiral, the sign of the Python Healer. The thinnest crescent moon dimly lit the night sky.

Before she couldn't sleep, now she could harly breathe from fear. Only a doubldose of love moved her to face the giant Python Healer in the darkness of his own cave.

She took a deep breath for courage, and another one for a little more, and a third one to chase a meek little sound from between her lips and hear it echo inside the cave.

"I have been sent to you by Bomu Rambi. I humbly beseech your mercy and beg you to cure my father who's major malady has left us lost and deep in sorrow."

The little birds all woke up, and were waiting to see what would happen. The next second lasted longer than the four days it took to reach that fateful spot. Suddenly in the darkness she saw a pair of slit eyes and heard a voice that straightened her hair and set her heart to fluttering like a hummingbird.

"Your bravest brothers have already seen my greatness and fled in terror. Aren't you afraid I might eat you and leave your beautiful bones laying around my cave here?"

"My bones are rattling in their sockets, trying to run away, but I've got this powerful beating in my heart called love making me stay, great and respected Python Healer.

I am sent by Bomu Rambi who answered my earnest prayers. You in your greatness can do what no one else can for a man who no one talks bad about and is too young to die."

"You say your simple love is more powerful and mighty than your fear of me? Would you be willing to turn your back and allow me to slide right up to you?"

Mella had no time to waste wondering what was on his mind. She turned without a word and peered into the darkness of the watchful and waiting jungle.

"Your love more powerful than your fear of me? Would you allow me to wrap myself around you as I would if I were going to eat you for my dinner?"

All the little animals she had greeted along the way started calling to Mella, cheeping, whistling and snorting warnings that she was in a no win situation.

She stood still as a pillar of stone while Python Healer wrapped his giant body around her little frame. Together they looked like an alien beast with long legs and a pretty face.

Python Healer had eaten more than ten thousand delicous dinners in his life, but Mella stood straight and started walking back to her father.

She had to dip deep down into a place in her soul she didn't know even existed to find the strength. When she pulled the dipper out she found a song. Mella started singing and walking. The birds spread the word. Soon all the animals turned out to sing in the chorus of an improvisational four moon concert.

The wild night sounds had everyone back in their huts feeling a little jumpy, wondering what was going on out there, who would lead them, and where was Mella.

Mella's brothers were having a private hangup in the woods over who would wear his father's shoes, when the beast with the long legs and the pretty face appeared.

The brothers ran for their arrows and spears, and went to stop the beast who was heading for their father's hut. But then the beast started talking and the people listened.

"It's little old me , Mella, inside the mighty Python Healer. Whatever you do, don't hang us up now. I've just barely made it to bring my father what he needs the most."

You could have heard a nut fall off a tree as far away as the mountain. Old eyes, middle aged eyes and baby eyes followed Mella and Python Healer into the hut.

Soon they smelled a strange and soothing perfume in the air, and they heard a song so old they had almost forgotten it, even in their subconscious minds.

Mella did every little thing Python Healer instructed her to do, but still her hair curled back up when her father popped up and strolled to his door and took a look around.

He was grateful for such a simple pleasure after many moons of misery and offered exquisite gifts, delicious foods and exciting rhythms in thanks.

But Python Healer had done what he had come to do and didn't have anything more to say. Not even one word. The time to go was now and Mella knew it.

So while everyone feasted, Mella slithered away, allowed Python Healer to wrap himself around her, and carried him back to his damp, dark cave. By the time she got him there she wasn't just worn out and hungry, she was hanging on the edge of a cliff that was forty eight hours of sleep from the ground.

The whole time Python Healer was hitching his ride he didn't say one word to Mella, not one little sound even, but now he invited her into his cave.

The little birds started telling her that just because she trusted him once, didn't mean she should trust him twice. After all a snake is a snake and a hungry one needs to eat.

But fear was like an old friend now to Mella, the kind you ignore sometimes when they start telling you the same old story you heard many times before.

She took three steps into the darkness and saw a glowing light. She was sure she would see skeletons laying around the floor and wasn't sure she wanted to see them.

But she opened her eyes and saw pots of gold and silver, baskets of ebony and ivory, jewels cut to perfection and intricate tapestries made with silken threads.

Mella was amazed, but her wig really got turned around when Python Healer told her to take what she wanted because her courage and love should surely be rewarded.

Mella thought it was Python Healer who should be rewarded, but she didn't want to disagree and she obviously couldn't offer him anything he didn't already have.

So finally she asked Python Healer to pick a gift for her and without even hesitating for a second he laid on her a golden crescent moon haniging on a golden chain.

Now Mella knew for sure that Python Healer was her friend. The symbol matched the one she always wore and had touched to call upon the merciful Bomu Rambi.

Her brothers were jealous right away to see her walk so tall and proud. Greed came in through the front door of their hearts and spoke to their minds.

Soon they got to thinking that if Python Healer happened to disappear then they could take his treasures. Next they got to talking about it.

Mella heard them whispering and couldn't beleive what her ears were telling her. They wanted to knock off the Healer who had returned their father to them.

Mella ran to the sign of the spiral to warn her friend, and apologize for being part of the same treacherous family. She waited for Python Healer to speak but he didn't.

When the brothers arrived they were greeted by a few loud explosions, puffs of weird smelling colored smoke and a hologram of the monster of their nightmares.

They ran all the way home and tried to join everyone for dinner like nothing had happened. But Mella had grown strong carrying Python Healer, and got their before they did.

In those days if you couldn't live by the law then you had to make it in the jungle for the rest of your life, and that's what happened to Mella's brothers.

Mella's father lived to see Mella's kids have kids and when he finally passed on peacefully, the people unanimously appointed Mella as their Queen.

Queen Mella led the proud Buhera Ba Rowzi with wisdom and courage for many, many moons. When she needed two brains instead of one she consulted her wise friend.

So it was Queen Mella who arranged for the esquisite ebony likeness of Python Healer to be made and stand in the center of the village as a reminder to everyone.

Python Healer, the one who knows the magic of the crescent moon of Bomu Rambi and cares for those who live with courage, honesty and love.