Roberta Allen
Everyone on the distant island of Zulon was obese—without exception. Even newborns were obese. Of course, the islanders did not consider themselves obese. In fact, they did not even have a word for obese in their language. They thought everyone on other islands looked like them except for the Mubasi who arrived by boat with canned food and other supplies but Zulon was so far from other islands, often two months passed between each visit. Fresh fruits and vegetables would have rotted long before reaching their shore. For exercise, the Zulonese drove their cars around the island even though the Mubasi brought them jump ropes and weights. The Mubasi who were thin were thought of as sickly by the Zulonese but of course they said nothing to the Mubasi about their thinness since the islanders were dependent on the Mubasi, especially for their favorite food, Spam. Each time the Mubasi came, it seemed to the Zulonese they were thinner. They made jokes about their thinness behind their backs.
The Zulonese had long ago given up trying to grow anything on this arid and eroded land. No one on Mubas understood why they stayed on the island. If the Zulonese had been asked, they would have said it was their home. How could they leave their home?
At last, the Mubasi decided to tell the Zulonese how unhealthy their lifestyle was. Most Zulonese died at the age of 44. They explained that islanders on other islands were thin like them and lived much longer and healthier lives. But the Zulonese did not want to hear that. When the Mubasi gave them a green jasper amulet they said would ensure the growth of fruits, vegetables and grains, and would bring them good health and long lives, the Zulonese scoffed. They buried the amulet in the unforgiving earth. It was not long before a fresh green shoot appeared on the exact spot where the amulet lay buried but the Zulonese had already driven away.