The Forest of Kaffa and Jebura’s Rainbow

One quiet night, a shooting star streaked past the window of the Night Owl Café.

Bob left his coffee half-poured and went over to the window. A tiny light seemed to linger where the star had disappeared.

An old legend told of a star shard with a mysterious power to soothe the heart and deepen the flavour of coffee. Bob went in search of the light, and found a tiny shard that fitted in the palm of his hand.

The following evening, Poppy, John, Sam, and News gathered at the café. Five cups and a world map lay on the table. When they placed the shard on the map, its soft light fell over Ethiopia. This was where the legendary coffee cherry, ‘Jebura’s Rainbow’, lay hidden.

“I wonder what it’ll taste like when we find it.” Poppy leaned forward. Sam cradled his cup in both hands, and News wrote the old legend in his notebook. John gazed sleepily at the map. “Looks a long way. There’ll be breaks on the way, won’t there?”

Lucas would help them on their journey. His eyes had a mysterious power to find the way, and he had a magical coffee bus. The five loaded their bags and cups aboard and set off in search of a cup they had yet to discover.

As the coffee bus drifted slowly through the sky, the green below the windows grew into a deep forest.

Near Kaffa, even the engine grew a little quieter. The bus floated down into a clearing among the trees.

When they opened the door, damp earth and leaves scented the air. Birds called from near and far. The five climbed down from the bus and began walking with Lucas. Eager to press on, Poppy kept turning back to look at the others. John followed a step behind, feeling the soft earth beneath his feet.

But the path branched with every step. A tree they were sure they had just passed seemed to stand somewhere else too. Lucas stopped. “From here on, these paths belong to the spirits. It seems my eyes alone won’t get us through.”

News spoke to an old goat walking nearby. On hearing that they were looking for ‘Jebura’s Rainbow’, the goat looked deeper into the trees. “Esaya, the elder, lives on a farm further along. But this is something you won’t find just by asking where it is.”

Following the path the old goat had shown them, they came to a farm surrounded by old coffee trees.

Esaya, an elderly elephant, was quietly waiting for the five friends.

“Why do you seek Jebura’s Rainbow?”

Esaya asked. Bob thought for a moment. “I’d like to taste it. But that’s not all. I want to understand the coffee this forest grows.”

Esaya nodded slowly. “The forest won’t show a path to those who come only to take. Meet the spirits, and listen to the voices of the creatures who live here.” Lucas saw the five off as they went deeper into the misty forest.

The first time they lost their way, Bob used ‘Night Still Brew’ to bring back the quiet. “Let’s say nothing for a moment.” When they listened closely, they heard leaves beyond the mist rustling in the same rhythm. Following the sound, they found a narrow path.

When a fallen tree blocked the path, Poppy used ‘Freedom Skate’ to explore around it. Instead of trying to shift the tree, she found a gap left between the roots. “We can get through here!” A change of view had turned the dead end into a path.

At a muddy patch, John stopped. “Hang on. I think we’ll sink if we go any further.” With ‘Earth Shield’, he borrowed the strength of the earth and made firm places for his friends to step. Once everyone was across, he sat down on a nearby stone and let out a breath. “A little break for me, too.”

Sam used ‘Slow Brew’ to gently slow the rush of time. Poppy, who had been rushing, and Bob, who had been unsure of the way, both took a breath. Sam gave a small smile. “The forest isn’t going anywhere.”

Before long, spirits of the wind and the earth appeared.

News used ‘Mind Link’ to listen to the feelings they could not put into words. “They aren’t asking for strength. They want us to be willing to walk alongside this forest.” The five touched the trees and thanked the forest that had guided them this far. The mist began to thin, and a rainbow-coloured light shone from deeper within.

Deep in the forest, rainbow-coloured coffee cherries gleamed on an old tree.

It was ‘Jebura’s Rainbow’. Poppy almost reached for one, then stopped. “We can’t just drink it like this, can we?”

The animals who emerged from the shade laughed. “There’s still some time to go before it becomes a cup of coffee.” Esaya and the other elephants chose the ripe fruit and carefully removed the pulp. The beans inside were not yet the brown beans the five knew.

The buffaloes carried the beans to drying racks, and the gazelles watched over them as they dried, keeping an eye on the wind and the light. The five helped too, spending time at the pace of this place. Poppy was about to ask when the beans would be dry, but she looked at Sam and smiled a little.

Once dry, the beans were hulled and sorted, then set over the roasting fire. Soon a warm, toasty smell spread through the air. It was as though the aroma that had slept inside the fruit was slowly waking up. Bob watched the change without a word.

An eagle owl helped to grind the beans, and Sam carefully brewed the coffee with the friends who had prepared the hot water. Watching each drop fall, News closed his notebook for a while. For now, he wanted to watch rather than write.

Warm coffee was poured into five cups.

Bob took a sip. A fruity aroma came first, followed by flavours that quietly overlapped. “...If I’d found it on my own, I’m sure it wouldn’t have tasted like this.”

Poppy nodded, and John closed his eyes, still holding his cup. “This isn’t because I’m sleepy. I’m just savouring it a little longer.” Sam laughed. This time, News wrote the words in his notebook.

Esaya sat down beside them. “The forest, the rain, the wind, and those who grow the beans. There is so much time in this one cup.” The five looked at their own cups, then at the cups of the friends around them. They had found more than rare beans.

On the morning they left the forest, Lucas was waiting with the bus door open. The five friends’ luggage now held a precious share of the beans, along with memories of everyone they had met. When Bob placed the star shard on the map, a new beam of light stretched towards Kenya.

“There’ll be time for a slow cup at the next place too, won’t there?” John asked, and everyone laughed. Even as the forest of Kaffa receded beyond the windows, the scent of coffee still lingered inside the bus.