“I have a place!” she cried. “1 know a place where we will all be safe!”
But the villagers could not hear her. They were making too much noise. How could she make the villagers listen to her? What do you think Thaimi did?
She picked up a drum and began to hit it as hard as she could.
Bam Bam Bam Boom Boom Boom
All the villagers stopped.
Thaimi called out, “I have a place to hide. Follow me.”
She took Angula by the arm.

* * *

“Come, we’ll take everyone to our tree. We will all be safe there!” Her brother shook his head.
“No, Thaimi. That is our secret. You said we must never tell anyone.” “Yes”, she said. “It was a secret. But now we are all in danger.” Thaimi and Angula led the way to a baobab tree which stood nearby. Nobody could understand why.
“Why have you brought us here? We cannot hide here,” they said.
Then Thaimi said to her father, “Come. I’ll show you.” They climbed to the top of the tree. There was a small opening.
Thaimi and her father slid down into the big trunk. It was hollow. It was huge. “But all the people can’t come in through such a small hole”, said her father.
“No,” said Thaimi. “Bring axes and we will make an opening in the trunk.” And that is what they
did. They cut an opening in the side of the tree. Some villagers collected the grain and the pots.
Others collected the goats, the sheep and the cattle. They all made their way through the opening into the great hollow inside the baobab tree.
And the strange thing was that there was room for everyone.