Taco McSoombrero and the Origin Salsa
Page 1
The sun rose over Crunchyville.
It shone over Taco Avenue, Fillings Valley, Bean Forest, and the mountains.
It was not a normal morning.
Taco McSoombrero stood in the middle of his kitchen.
The cupboard was open.
The cupboard was empty.
Taco
“WHO STOLE MY TACOS?”
Nobody answered.
He looked under the table.
No tacos.
He looked behind the door.
No tacos.
He looked inside his sombrero.
There was one crumb.
He ate it.
Taco
“That was evidence.”
Page 2
Taco put on his sombrero.
Taco
“This is a case.”
He looked at the cupboard again.
There was a mark on the door.
The mark was burned into the wood.
It was shaped like a pepper.
Taco touched it.
It was still warm.
Taco
“Ow.”
He touched it again.
Taco
“Ow.”
He wrote this in the dust.
Then he wiped it away.
Taco
“Nobody must see my clues.”
Now he had no clues.
Page 3
Taco ran outside.
His neighbor was standing in the street.
Her cupboard was open too.
Taco
“Did you lose tacos?”
Townsfolk
“All of them.”
Taco knocked on another door.
Taco
“Are your tacos gone too?”
Townsfolk
“They are all gone.”
He knocked on another door.
Townsfolk
“Mine are gone too.”
He knocked on a door with no cupboard.
Townsfolk
“I never had any.”
Taco
“That is still suspicious.”
Every door on Taco Avenue was open, and every cupboard behind them was empty.
Taco
“This is a big case.”
Page 4
DONG! DONG! DONG!
The bells of Assembly Hall rang across the whole town.
Everyone stopped.
Nobody had planned a festival.
The mayor ran into the street.
His hat was on backwards.
Mayor
“Everyone! There is an emergency!”
Townsfolk
“We know.”
The mayor stopped running.
Mayor
“You know?”
Townsfolk
“The tacos are gone.”
He sat down on a crate.
Mayor
“That was my news.”
Page 5
Taco went into Assembly Hall and walked straight to the vault.
The vault had four locks.
All four locks were locked.
The Golden Salsa was still inside.
Taco
“He did not want the salsa.”
Guard
“Then what did he want?”
Taco
“He wanted lunch.”
Guard
“That is not a motive.”
Taco
“It is for me.”
Page 6
Taco
“Did anyone see anything?”
The guards looked at each other.
Guard
“One person did.”
Taco
“Where is he?”
Guard
“Under the table.”
Taco knelt down.
Something yellow looked back at him.
Taco
“Hello down there.”
Nacho
“Please go away.”
Taco
“I am a detective.”
Nacho
“Then please go away politely.”
Taco waited.
The yellow thing waited longer.
Page 7
Then it came out.
It came out very slowly.
It was a nacho.
He was a triangle with cheese on top.
The cheese dripped a little.
DRIP.
Nacho
“My name is Nacho.”
Taco
“Are you scared?”
Nacho
“I am always scared.”
Taco
“How scared?”
Nacho
“I am at a four.”
Taco
“Out of ten?”
Nacho
“Out of four.”
Page 8
Taco
“What did you see?”
Nacho
“A cloak.”
Taco
“What color?”
Nacho
“It was a dark color.”
Taco
“What else?”
Nacho
“A pepper.”
Taco stood up straight.
Taco
“A pepper on the cloak?”
Nacho
“It was on the front.”
Taco
“Did it glow?”
Nacho
“A little.”
Nacho went back under the table.
Nacho
“That is enough talking for today.”
Page 9
The door of Assembly Hall opened.
A man walked in.
He wore a red cape and carried a large wooden spoon.
Taco
“Don Gazpacho!”
Gazpacho
“Hello again, Taco.”
Taco
“You are late.”
Gazpacho
“I walked.”
Taco
“From where?”
Gazpacho
“From very far away.”
Taco
“How far?”
Gazpacho
“It is farther than that.”
Taco smiled.
Taco
“I missed this.”
Page 10
Taco showed him the burned pepper.
Don Gazpacho looked at it for a long time.
He did not say anything.
Taco
“Say something.”
Gazpacho
“I have seen this mark before.”
Taco
“Where did you see it?”
Gazpacho
“On a cloak.”
Taco
“Whose cloak?”
Don Gazpacho put down his spoon.
Gazpacho
“They call him the Master.”
The hall went quiet.
Even the old paintings on the wall looked worried.
Page 11
Taco
“We are going.”
Gazpacho
“Where are we going?”
Taco
“After him.”
Nacho raised one hand.
Nacho
“I will stay here.”
Taco
“That is fine with me.”
Nacho
“I would be alone?”
Taco
“You will be all alone.”
Nacho
“In the dark?”
Taco
“Probably in the dark.”
Nacho stood up.
Nacho
“I am coming.”
Taco
“Good. You are on the team.”
Nacho
“I am still scared.”
Taco
“That is allowed.”
Page 12
They walked to Bean Forest.
The trees were covered with black beans, red beans, and green beans.
Nacho looked up.
Nacho
“Are the beans safe?”
Gazpacho
“No bean here is safe.”
Nacho
“Why not?”
The ground shook.
THUMP.
Gazpacho?
“That is why.”
THUMP.
Nacho
“Six.”
Page 13
The Bean Monster jumped out of the trees.
Monster
“Who enters my forest?”
Taco
“It is me.”
The Bean Monster stopped.
Monster
“The taco with the hat.”
Taco
“It is not a hat.”
Monster
“It is a hat.”
Taco
“It is a tool.”
The Bean Monster sat down and the ground shook again.
Monster
“Do you have lunch?”
Taco
“No. Somebody stole it.”
Page 14
Taco drew the pepper in the dirt.
The Bean Monster looked at it.
He stopped chewing.
He was not chewing anything.
He stopped anyway.
Monster
“Where did you see this?”
Taco
“On my cupboard.”
The Bean Monster stood up and every tree in the forest shook.
The birds left.
Monster
“Then he is back.”
Taco
“Who is back?”
The Bean Monster sat down again.
Page 15
Monster
“A long time ago a pepper lived here.”
Taco
“In this forest?”
Monster
“Under that tree.”
Taco
“What happened?”
Monster
“He got hot.”
Taco
“Peppers are hot.”
Monster
“He got hotter.”
Taco
“How hot?”
Monster
“He cooked a river.”
Nacho looked at the river.
The river was fine now.
Page 16
Monster
“He wanted to cook everything.”
Taco
“He wanted to cook all of it?”
Monster
“The forest. The town. The sea.”
Taco
“That is a lot of cooking.”
Monster
“I told him to stop.”
Taco
“Did he stop?”
Monster
“He cooked faster.”
Taco
“What did you do?”
Monster
“I banished him.”
Taco
“Can he come back?”
Monster
“He cannot walk into my forest.”
Taco
“Why not?”
Monster
“Because I said so.”
Don Gazpacho nodded.
Gazpacho
“That is a rule.”
Page 17
Taco thought about this for a moment.
Taco
“So he cannot get beans.”
Monster
“He cannot get one bean.”
Taco
“Beans grow here.”
Monster
“Only here.”
Taco went very quiet.
Don Gazpacho looked at him.
Gazpacho
“What is in your tacos?”
Taco
“There are beans in them.”
Gazpacho
“All of them?”
Taco
“All of them.”
Nacho stepped backwards.
Nacho
“Eight.”
Page 18
Taco
“Wait.”
Gazpacho?
“What is it?”
Taco
“What is inside me?”
Nobody answered.
Taco
“I am a taco.”
Gazpacho?
“We can all see that.”
Taco
“Tacos have a filling.”
Gazpacho?
“That is how tacos work.”
Taco
“What is my filling?”
Gazpacho?
“You do not know?”
Taco
“I have never looked.”
Don Gazpacho picked up his spoon.
Taco
“Do not look.”
Page 19
The Bean Monster pointed south.
Monster
“There is a mountain that is not a mountain.”
Taco
“What is it?”
Monster
“The Hot Salsa Volcano.”
Taco
“What is inside it?”
Monster
“The first salsa ever made.”
Taco
“It has a name?”
Monster
“The Origin Salsa.”
Don Gazpacho pulled out his golden map.
He put it flat on a rock.
There was a red mark near the bottom.
Gazpacho
“That is new.”
Page 20
Taco looked at the map.
Taco
“Churro Canyon.”
Gazpacho
“We cross that first.”
Taco
“Palatae Forest.”
Gazpacho
“Do not eat the trees.”
Taco
“Tamale Village.”
Gazpacho
“We go through it.”
Taco
“Cheese Falls.”
Gazpacho
“We walk under them.”
Taco
“Pepper Peaks.”
Gazpacho
“We climb over those.”
Taco
“Then a volcano.”
Gazpacho
“That is the last one.”
Taco
“That is a lot of places.”
Gazpacho
“It is a long map.”
Page 21
The Bean Monster reached up into a tree and picked one bean.
The bean was very large.
Monster
“Take this.”
Taco
“What is it for?”
Monster
“You will know.”
Page 22
Taco put the bean in his sombrero.
It was heavy.
He walked sideways for a while.
Then he got used to it.
They left Bean Forest at noon and walked all day.
The ground turned brown.
The air smelled like cinnamon.
Then the ground stopped.
Churro Canyon was the deepest canyon between Crunchyville and the southern mountains.
It was also very wide.
Nacho looked over the edge.
Nacho
“Nine.”
Taco?
“You said eight before.”
Nacho
“That was before.”
Page 23
There had been a bridge.
There was no bridge now.
There were two ropes and some crumbs.
Don Gazpacho knelt down.
Gazpacho
“Somebody cut it.”
Taco
“How do you know?”
Gazpacho
“It is cut.”
Taco picked up a crumb.
Taco
“This crumb is fresh.”
Gazpacho?
“Then they went first.”
Taco?
“Then we go second.”
Nacho?
“There is no bridge.”
Taco
“I noticed.”
Page 24
A horn sounded.
TOOOT!
Figures appeared along the top of the cliff.
They were long.
They were stripey.
They were the Churro Clan.
Their leader stepped forward.
He did not speak.
He handed Taco a letter.
Taco opened it.
The letter was six pages long.
Nacho
“What does it say?”
Taco
“It says hello.”
Page 25
Taco read page two.
Taco
“It also says welcome.”
He read page three.
Taco
“Page three is about the weather.”
Don Gazpacho took the letter and read the last page.
Gazpacho
“They will help us.”
Taco?
“That took six pages?”
Gazpacho
“They like writing.”
The leader handed him another letter.
Taco did not open it.
Taco
“I believe you.”
Page 26
The Churro Clan got to work.
They laid one long churro across the canyon.
It was the longest churro in the world.
It was warm and soft and it smelled wonderful.
Taco
“Is it strong?”
The leader wrote another letter and gave it to Taco.
Taco read it.
Taco
“It says no.”
Page 27
They walked out onto the churro.
It bent in the middle.
Gazpacho
“Do not look down.”
Nacho
“I am looking down.”
Gazpacho?
“Then do not tell us.”
Nacho
“It is far.”
Gazpacho?
“You told us.”
The churro bent more.
CREAK.
Gazpacho?
“Walk faster.”
Taco
“I am a taco!”
Then it snapped.
SNAP!
Page 28
They fell.
Taco grabbed his sombrero.
He held it high above his head.
The sombrero caught the air.
Taco slowed down.
Don Gazpacho grabbed Taco by the foot.
Nacho grabbed the cape.
They floated all the way to the bottom.
They landed in soft sand.
WHUMP.
Taco?
“Is everyone alive?”
Gazpacho?
“I am alive.”
Nacho?
“I am alive too.”
Nacho
“Ten.”
Page 29
They stood up and looked around.
The canyon floor was flat and quiet.
There were tracks in the sand.
The tracks were round.
Don Gazpacho knelt down again.
Gazpacho
“These are pan tracks.”
Taco
“They are wearing pans again?”
Gazpacho
“They are wearing pans again.”
Taco fixed his sombrero.
Taco
“Captain Paellon.”
Gazpacho?
“He works for somebody.”
Taco?
“Now we know who.”
Page 30
Nacho looked up at the tall wall.
Nacho
“How do we get up?”
Taco
“I have a plan.”
Gazpacho
“Does it involve rolling?”
Taco
“Rolling goes down.”
Gazpacho
“Rolling is famous for that.”
Taco
“So no.”
Gazpacho
“That is a relief.”
Taco
“It involves climbing and then rolling.”
Page 31
They climbed out before dark.
The air on this side was cold.
Nacho
“Why is it cold?”
Taco
“I do not know.”
Nacho
“It was hot all day.”
Taco
“It was very hot.”
Nacho held one hand up in the air.
Nacho
“It is freezing.”
Taco
“Are you at a number?”
Nacho
“I am at a two.”
Gazpacho
“That is your lowest one yet.”
Nacho
“I like cold.”
Page 32
Then the rocks ended.
Trees stood in front of them.
The trees were white and pink and brown.
Taco touched a tree.
His finger went in.
Taco
“The trees are ice cream.”
Nacho
“All of them?”
Taco
“Every single one.”
Don Gazpacho opened the golden map.
Gazpacho
“Palatae Forest.”
Taco
“That was on the map?”
Gazpacho
“It was always on the map.”
Taco
“I did not read all of the map.”
Gazpacho
“It is a long map.”
Page 33
Houses sat under the trees.
Long stripey people came out of them.
It was the Churro Clan.
Nacho
“They live here?”
Gazpacho
“This is their home.”
Nacho
“Why here?”
Gazpacho
“Look at the trees.”
Taco looked at the trees.
Then he worked it out.
Taco
“Churros and ice cream.”
Gazpacho
“They go together.”
Taco
“That is a good reason to live here.”
The leader came over with a letter.
It was twelve pages long.
Nacho
“What does it say?”
Taco
“It says sorry.”
Page 34
Nacho
“Sorry about what?”
Taco turned to page five.
Taco
“The bridge.”
Gazpacho
“Tell them it is fine.”
Nacho
“We fell into a canyon.”
Taco
“It is a bit fine.”
The leader wrote another letter.
He wrote it very fast.
It was still nine pages.
Don Gazpacho read the last page.
Gazpacho
“They are making us dinner.”
Taco
“Then it is completely fine.”
Page 35
Dinner was churros and ice cream.
The ice cream came off a tree.
Nacho ate a whole branch.
Taco
“You ate a branch.”
Nacho
“I was hungry.”
Taco
“That branch belonged to somebody.”
Nacho
“It will grow back.”
They all looked at the tree.
Taco
“It is not growing back.”
Gazpacho
“It is going down.”
DRIP. DRIP.
Taco
“Is that normal?”
The leader shook his head.
He did not write a letter about it.
Gazpacho
“He did not write a letter.”
Taco
“Then it is serious.”
Page 36
In the morning the forest was dripping.
The ground had gone soft and sweet.
A tree fell over.
FLOOMP.
Nacho
“Six.”
Taco
“Why is it melting?”
Don Gazpacho held up one hand.
Gazpacho
“The wind is warm.”
Taco
“Where is the wind from?”
Gazpacho
“It is from the south.”
Nacho
“What is south?”
Gazpacho
“Everything we still have to walk to.”
The leader gave Taco one last letter.
Taco
“I will read it on the way.”
Gazpacho
“You will not.”
Taco
“I will not.”
Page 37
They walked south until the trees stopped.
Tamale Village sat on the far side of the canyon, under a small brown hill.
The doors were open.
The lamps were on.
The pots were still warm.
Nobody was there.
Taco looked in a window.
Taco
“Is anybody home?”
Nothing answered.
Nacho
“I do not like this.”
Gazpacho
“Neither do I.”
Taco
“Are you at nine?”
Nacho
“I am at nine.”
Page 38
Something moved in the village square.
It moved very slowly.
It was a tamale.
Taco knew this tamale.
Taco
“You are the slow tamale.”
Tamale
“I am.”
Taco
“From Taco Avenue.”
Tamale
“That is where I started.”
Taco
“You moved here?”
Tamale
“I am still moving here.”
Taco waited.
Tamale
“I danced at your party.”
Taco
“I remember.”
Tamale
“I am still finishing the dance.”
Page 39
Taco
“Where is everybody?”
The tamale took a breath.
Then he took another one.
Tamale
“They were taken.”
Taco
“By who?”
Tamale
“It was the cloaks.”
Taco
“How many cloaks?”
Tamale
“There were many.”
Taco
“Where did they go?”
Tamale
“They went to stir.”
Taco
“To stir what?”
Tamale
“They stir salsa.”
Nacho
“Why do they need stirrers?”
Tamale
“The pot is big.”
Nacho?
“How big?”
Tamale
“It is a volcano.”
Page 40
Don Gazpacho looked at Taco.
Taco looked at Don Gazpacho.
Taco
“He said a volcano.”
Gazpacho
“He said a volcano.”
Nacho sat down on the ground.
Nacho
“I am past ten.”
The tamale pointed south.
It took a while.
His arm went up slowly.
It kept going up.
Tamale
“That way.”
Taco
“Thank you.”
Tamale
“Take this.”
He gave Taco a corn husk.
Taco
“What is it for?”
Tamale
“Hot things.”
Taco
“Thank you.”
Tamale
“It is a good husk.”
Page 41
They walked until they heard a noise.
The noise got louder.
Then it got very loud.
Cheese Falls was the largest waterfall of cheese in the whole world.
It fell a very long way.
It was loud and yellow and warm.
Taco
“Wow.”
Nacho
“This is my home.”
Taco
“You live here?”
Nacho
“I grew up here.”
Taco
“Is it safe?”
Nacho
“It is not safe at all.”
Taco
“Do you know the way?”
Nacho
“I know every path.”
Page 42
Nacho walked to the edge.
He did not shake.
Nacho
“There is a path behind the falls.”
Don Gazpacho looked impressed.
Gazpacho
“He is useful.”
Nacho
“I am also still scared.”
Taco
“You can be both.”
Page 43
They went behind Cheese Falls.
The path was narrow and the wall was warm.
Cheese fell down in front of them.
SPLOOSH!
Taco took off his sombrero.
He held it over all three of them.
It worked as an umbrella.
Nacho
“Good hat.”
Taco
“It is a tool.”
Nacho
“Good tool.”
Taco
“Thank you.”
Page 44
Something moved ahead of them.
Then a lot of things moved.
Warriors in paella-pan armor stepped out of the dark.
Their pans were shiny.
Their pans were still dented.
Raider
“Stop.”
Taco stopped.
Raider
“You are surrounded.”
Taco looked behind him.
There was a waterfall of cheese.
Taco
“Half surrounded.”
Raider
“That is still surrounded.”
Taco
“It is half as bad.”
Page 45
Taco looked at the cheese.
Then he looked at his sombrero.
Taco
“I have a plan.”
Gazpacho
“Does it involve rolling?”
Taco
“It involves sliding.”
Gazpacho
“That is rolling.”
Taco
“It is rolling lying down.”
Taco pushed the sombrero into the cheese.
They jumped on.
WHOOSH!
Page 46
The sombrero slid down the falls.
It went very fast.
The raiders ran after them.
The raiders were wearing pans.
Pans slide too.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Everybody slid down Cheese Falls together.
Nobody was in charge of this.
They landed in a lake of cheese.
GLOOP.
Page 47
Taco could not get out.
The cheese was thick.
A raider grabbed his sombrero.
Nacho swam over.
Nacho ate a hole in the bottom of the lake.
GLUG! GLUG!
The cheese drained away.
Everybody fell through.
The raiders landed in a heap of pans.
Taco got his sombrero back.
Taco
“That was brave.”
Nacho
“That was lunch.”
Page 48
They walked south for two more days.
The ground turned red and the rocks got sharp.
These were the Pepper Peaks.
Nothing grew here.
One thing grew here.
It was a pepper.
Nacho did not touch it.
Gazpacho
“Good choice.”
Page 49
There was a tower on the tallest peak.
It had one window.
There was a telescope in the window.
The telescope turned.
It looked at them.
Gazpacho
“Run.”
They ran.
A net fell down from the rocks.
FWUMP!
They were caught.
Nacho
“Ten.”
Taco
“That is fair.”
Page 50
Captain Paellon walked over to the net.
Paellon
“Hello, Taco McSoombrero.”
Taco
“Hello, Captain Paellon.”
Paellon
“I am dry now.”
Taco
“I noticed.”
Paellon
“It took a week.”
Taco
“I am sorry.”
Paellon
“No you are not.”
Taco
“No I am not.”
Captain Paellon picked up the net.
Paellon
“Bring them.”
Page 51
They were carried down the far side of the mountain.
Then Taco saw it.
The Hot Salsa Volcano was the biggest cooking pot in the world.
The top was wide open.
Red steam came out of it.
Inside was a lake of salsa.
It bubbled.
BLOOP. BLOOP.
Tamales stood all around the edge.
They were stirring.
They were stirring very slowly.
Page 52
A door opened in the rock.
Somebody walked out of it.
He wore a dark cloak.
A pepper symbol was on the cloak.
It glowed.
He was not big.
He was small.
He had very small feet.
Taco looked at the feet.
Then he looked at Don Gazpacho.
Taco
“Small feet.”
Gazpacho
“Small feet.”
Page 53
Master
“Hello, Taco McSoombrero.”
Taco
“Who are you?”
Master
“They call me the Master.”
Taco
“Who calls you that?”
Master
“Everybody calls me that.”
Taco
“Do you make them?”
Master
“I make them say it.”
Taco
“That is a title.”
Master
“It is a very good title.”
Taco
“It is still not a name.”
The glow on his cloak went low.
He looked down at his own small feet.
Page 54
Scoville
“Señor Scoville.”
Taco
“Is that your name?”
Scoville
“That is my name.”
Scoville
“Nobody has said it in a hundred years.”
Taco
“I am going to say it.”
Scoville
“Do not.”
Taco
“Señor Scoville.”
Taco fixed his sombrero.
Taco
“I have one question.”
Scoville
“Ask it.”
Taco pointed at him.
Taco
“WHO STOLE MY TACOS?”
Señor Scoville smiled.
Scoville
“I did.”
Page 55
Taco
“Why did you do it?”
Scoville
“For the ingredient.”
Taco
“What ingredient?”
Scoville
“The secret one.”
Taco
“I do not have a secret ingredient.”
Scoville
“You do.”
Taco
“What is it?”
Scoville
“You do not know?”
Taco
“I have never looked.”
Señor Scoville laughed.
Scoville
“The ingredient is beans.”
Taco went quiet.
Taco
“That is not very secret.”
Page 56
Scoville
“The first salsa needs the first ingredient.”
Taco
“And that is beans?”
Scoville
“Beans were first.”
Taco
“Then go and get beans.”
Señor Scoville stopped smiling.
Scoville
“I cannot.”
Taco
“Why not?”
Scoville
“That is not important.”
Gazpacho
“Somebody banished you.”
The whole volcano went quiet.
Even the salsa stopped bubbling.
Then it started again.
BLOOP.
Page 57
Scoville
“He was a monster.”
Taco
“He is a nice monster.”
Scoville
“He is a rude monster.”
Taco
“He shares.”
Scoville
“He banished me.”
Taco
“He shares with people he likes.”
Señor Scoville pointed down at the salsa.
Scoville
“When this is finished I will be the hottest thing in the world.”
Taco
“And then?”
Scoville
“Then I will take Crunchyville.”
Taco
“With salsa?”
Scoville
“With very hot salsa.”
Page 58
Captain Paellon stepped forward.
Paellon
“Master. The net worked.”
Scoville
“Finally something worked.”
Paellon
“I also found the map.”
Scoville
“You failed twice before.”
Captain Paellon said nothing.
Scoville
“You are still a failure.”
Captain Paellon looked at the net.
Then he looked at his pan.
He cut the net open.
SNIP!
Page 59
Taco
“Why did you do that?”
Paellon
“He is rude.”
Taco
“That is a good reason.”
Paellon
“I have worked for him for nine years.”
Taco
“You worked nine years?”
Paellon
“He has never said thank you.”
Taco
“Not once?”
Paellon
“Not once.”
Page 60
Taco
“You call him the Master.”
Paellon
“That is what he makes us say.”
Taco
“His name is Señor Scoville.”
Captain Paellon looked at the volcano.
Paellon
“Nine years and nobody told me.”
Captain Paellon stepped back.
Paellon
“I am not helping you again.”
Taco
“I understand you.”
Then he tripped a raider.
THUD!
Paellon
“That was the last time.”
Page 61
Señor Scoville grabbed Taco.
He was small.
He was strong.
He held Taco out over the salsa.
Scoville
“One taco.”
Taco
“Put me down.”
Scoville
“In a moment.”
Taco
“Put me down now.”
Scoville
“I will not.”
Taco looked up at his sombrero.
The big bean was still inside it.
Taco
“That is fine.”
Page 62
Taco tipped his sombrero over.
The big bean fell out.
It fell into the salsa.
GLOOP.
Nothing happened.
Then something happened.
The bubbling slowed down.
The red turned brown.
The steam stopped.
Señor Scoville stared at it.
Scoville
“What did you do?”
Page 63
Taco
“I added beans.”
Scoville
“Beans make it stronger!”
Taco
“No they do not.”
Scoville
“Yes they do!”
Taco
“Beans make it thicker.”
Señor Scoville let go of Taco.
Taco landed on his sombrero and rolled away.
Taco
“Why do all my plans involve rolling?”
Nacho
“Because they work!”
Señor Scoville ran to the edge.
He put one finger in.
He tasted it.
He stopped.
He tasted it again.
Page 64
Gazpacho
“Well? How is it?”
Señor Scoville did not answer.
Gazpacho?
“Is it hot?”
Scoville
“Not even a little.”
Gazpacho?
“What is it?”
Scoville
“Bean dip.”
Gazpacho?
“Is it good bean dip?”
Scoville
“It is very good bean dip.”
Gazpacho?
“Then it is not a total loss.”
Page 65
Señor Scoville shouted.
The volcano shook.
RUMBLE.
Cracks opened in the rock.
Scoville
“Stir!”
The tamales stirred.
They stirred slowly.
Scoville
“Faster!”
A tamale
“We are stirring slowly.”
Scoville
“Why are you so slow?”
A tamale
“We are tamales.”
Page 66
Then the ground shook differently.
THUMP.
Everybody stopped.
THUMP.
The Bean Monster walked out of the red steam.
He was very big.
He looked at Señor Scoville.
Señor Scoville looked very small.
Monster
“Hello. I remember you.”
Señor Scoville said nothing.
Monster
“You left my forest.”
Scoville
“You threw me out.”
Monster
“I threw you very far.”
Page 67
Scoville
“For a hundred years.”
Monster
“They were good years.”
Scoville
“I only wanted to cook.”
Monster
“You wanted to cook the forest.”
Scoville
“It was one forest.”
Monster
“It was my forest.”
The Bean Monster pointed away.
Monster
“You will leave now.”
Scoville
“Not again.”
Monster
“You will go again.”
Señor Scoville looked down at the volcano.
The volcano was full of bean dip.
He looked at Taco.
Scoville
“This is not finished.”
Taco
“It is a bit finished.”
Page 68
Señor Scoville ran into the steam.
He was gone.
Nacho let out a long breath.
Nacho
“Three.”
Then the volcano shook again.
RUMBLE.
Gazpacho
“It is going to blow.”
Taco
“Can we stop it?”
Gazpacho
“Nobody can stop a volcano.”
Taco
“Can we cover it?”
Gazpacho
“With what?”
Taco took off his sombrero.
Everybody looked at the sombrero.
Everybody looked at the volcano.
Nacho
“That will not fit.”
Page 69
Taco threw the sombrero anyway.
It spun up through the steam.
It got bigger.
It did not get bigger.
It was always that big.
It landed on top of the volcano.
CLONK!
The steam stopped.
The volcano went quiet.
Don Gazpacho looked at Taco.
Gazpacho
“How did you do that?”
Taco
“It is a tool.”
Page 70
The tamales climbed out of the crater.
They climbed slowly.
The rock was hot.
Taco used the corn husk.
It worked on hot things.
He pulled them up one at a time.
It took a long time.
Nobody complained.
The slow tamale arrived at the end.
Tamale
“I helped.”
He had not helped yet.
Taco
“You can help next time.”
Tamale
“I will start now.”
Page 71
Taco climbed up for his sombrero.
It was warm and it smelled like salsa.
He put it on.
Gazpacho
“Is it damaged?”
Taco
“It is seasoned.”
Nacho tried a corner of it.
Nacho
“It is good.”
Taco
“Do not eat my hat.”
Nacho
“You said it was a tool.”
Taco
“It is a tool that I wear.”
Page 72
They walked home.
Crunchyville was waiting for them.
The mayor ran into the street.
His hat was on the right way.
Mayor
“You did it again!”
Taco
“We did.”
Mayor
“Where are the tacos?”
Captain Paellon pushed up a cart.
The cart was full of tacos.
Everybody cheered.
Captain Paellon did not smile.
He almost did.
Then he left.
Page 73
That night Crunchyville had a feast on Taco Avenue.
The Churro Clan sent a letter.
It was eleven pages long.
Page seven was about the weather again.
The Bean Monster took twelve tacos.
He said they were for later.
They were not for later.
Nacho stood at the edge of the square.
Taco
“Where do you live now?”
Nacho
“I do not know.”
Taco
“Then live here.”
Nacho
“Here is loud.”
Taco
“It is very loud.”
Nacho sat down.
Nacho
“Fine. I will stay.”
Page 74
Later, Taco counted his tacos.
He counted them twice.
One was missing.
He looked in the cupboard again.
He looked in his sombrero.
No taco.
Don Gazpacho put the golden map down on the table.
There was a new mark on it.
It was far away.
It was past the Coco Sea.
It was past everything.
Taco
“The Secret Food Kingdom.”
Gazpacho
“It was always on the map.”
Taco
“He went there.”
Gazpacho
“He is already there.”
Page 75
But far away, past the Coco Sea, a small jar sat on a wooden table.
Inside the jar was one drop of Origin Salsa.
A hand picked up the jar.
The hand wore a glove.
There was a pepper on the glove.
A mysterious laugh came from far away.
Taco heard it through his window.
He put on his sombrero.
Taco
“Not again.”
Then he smiled.
Taco
“All right. Again.”