Episode One
EPISODE ONE
MCOG OPENING THEME (TRACK 21) 1m 42s
MCOG INSTRUMENTAL (TRACK 16) 1m 23
The year 1532, Barcelona, Spain, in the rain.
Living in that very city is young Esteban, an orphan raised by Father Rodriguez, Dean of the Cathedral. He often hides in local taverns listening to the sailors' tales of adventure. In one such den, two sailors, the corpulent Sancho and the monkey-faced Pedro, try to interest others in their search for legendary Cities of Gold in the New World. Their ship, the Esperanza, is due to leave the following day. They are interrupted by a crowd of locals searching for Esteban, whose alleged ability to call out the sun makes him an invaluable part of the festival honouring a departing ship.
When offered a reward, the sailors eagerly leave the tavern to join the search, leaving Esteban alone with Mendoza, the Esperanza's navigator. Mendoza recognises the gold medallion Esteban wears, but the frightened boy leaves before Mendoza can say why.
Running back to the cathedral, Esteban is finally caught and taken to the dockside to be ceremonially hoisted up the ship's mast. Sure enough, the rain clouds overhead clear and the sun shines down. Then Esteban is summoned to Father Rodriguez's side, where before the Father's death he learns how he was rescued as a baby from a sinking ship in the Pacific. The ship vanished into the waves with one other on board, a man who may have been Esteban's real father. While Esteban grieves, Mendoza introduces himself as the man who rescued him as a baby.
As proof he offers the centre section of Esteban's medallion, which he removed at the time. His researches have suggested a connection between the medallion and the Cities of Gold, and he invites Esteban to join their expedition. Spurred on by the suggestion that his father may still be alive and living in the New World, Esteban agrees. That night Mendoza takes him on board and hides him in the ship's hold. There Esteban meets Zia, a young Inca girl snatched from her homeland for her knowledge.
ZIA’S THEME - TRACK 3 2m 32s
THE NAVIGATOR - TRACK 10 1m 39s
Amid much celebration, the Esperanza departs on its five month journey to the New World. Esteban and Zia discover that they wear identical medallions. Mendoza discovers the poor state of the ship.
Esteban becomes seasick, and he and Zia are discovered by Gaspard, Captain of the Guard. He tries to throw them overboard but is thwarted by Mendoza, who points out that Zia's presence was known to the ship's Captain Perez and his associate Commander Gomez, and that Esteban's reputation as Child of the Sun makes him too valuable to lose, especially considering the poor condition of the ship. The children are placed in Mendoza's care. When waking up on deck late that night, Esteban overhears Gomez telling Gaspard how they need Zia to help them find the Cities of Gold, and that the too-clever Mendoza can be disposed of once he has navigated them through the dreaded Straits of Magellan. After encounters with whales and butterflies, the ship approaches the treacherous storm-swept straits.
To be continued…
MCOG END THEME TRACK 36 1m 50
In our next episode, Zia is ill because of poisoned drinking water and the ship goes through a huge storm - will even Mendoza’s navigating be enough to steer them to safety and on in their search for the Mysterious Cities of Gold…?
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| 19 | Cities of Gold Introduction | |||||||