Meeko and the Malefic Morphis

Meeko and the Malefic Morphis

A book that will absorb, entertain and satisfy children from 8 to 10 years old

by

Johan Oosthuizen

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When puffy-cheeked river pebbles burble at a crab carrying two crimson stones in its pincers, trouble arrives in the Magmakamma Forest. A tired and thirsty young boy grabs the stones from the stream and shoves them deep inside a pocket. He clambers up the embankment to find shelter from the storm, and nods off – but not before he has inspected his magical find closely.

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As he sleeps, his imagination turns his awesome discovery into a vivid dream.

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In this fantasy realm, lightning cracks across the knuckles of a giant wild fig known as the Dungeon Tree. The tree's tired old roots relent and lose their grip on the mossy forest floor, and ​its only prisoner, the feared Malefic Morphis, escapes! From the moment he tears himself free of his root-shackles, fortune smiles on the blind and embittered creature. He gets the fiery stones and threatens to destroy the entire forest and all the creatures living in it.

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One of them is Meeko, a gentle manikin, who hears of the monster’s escape. Meeko consults the wise Sprite Queen and soon finds himself at the centre of a plan to recapture the monster. He asks his best friends, Sputz and Frip, two mischievous Squelshees, to assist him. The playful pair introduce him to their friends, Droople and Schloffa. Meeko invites them all to a secret meeting at his home.

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That night, while a pale-yellow moon struggles to break through the soft clouds, a spotted eagle owl, perched high in a yellowwood, announces the arrival of the manikin’s guests.

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In a cosy room deep under a tree, the creatures formulate a cunning plan.

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Meeko, a pair of Amfibeos, the two Squelshees and Doctor Dubious, the forest healer and herbalist, set off at daybreak to set a trap for the Malefic Morphis. They set up something that promises to work well. Soon they hear the desperate, hoarse trumpeting of the pumpkinhorn, a signal from the Molluskop sentries that the Malefic Morphis is heading towards the trap. The Squelshees race up the tree to which the trap is secured, and Meeko and the rest of his team dive behind a log. Everyone’s heart is pounding as they wait.

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Some distance from the log, a leafy curtain of thicket is slowly drawn aside, and two red eyes glow in the shadows. A set of appalling claws hovers briefly in the air; then rakes the early-morning light.

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As the tale unfolds, we discover whether Meeko and his team succeed in saving the forest and we realise that things aren’t always as simple or as complicated as they seem.

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Meeko and the Malefic Morphis is an unforgettable, entertaining fantasy dealing with real issues. It is designed to bridge the young reader’s transition from picture books to short-chapter novels.

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