The Secret Language of Anaya

In the heart of Rwanda, where the sun always shone brightly and the air hummed with the songs of birds, lived a clever girl named Anaya. She loved to learn and explore, especially with her best friend, Kojo. They often shared their deepest thoughts and drawings. Read Aloud

One day, Anaya wanted to tell Kojo a secret about a hidden mango tree, but she worried someone else might read her note. "How can I make sure only Kojo understands my message?" she wondered. Her grandmother, a wise woman with kind eyes, saw Anaya's thoughtful frown. Read Aloud

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"Ah, Anaya," her grandmother smiled, "we can use a secret language! It's like turning your words into a puzzle only Kojo knows how to solve." She explained, "Imagine each letter of your message moves three steps forward in the alphabet. So 'A' becomes 'D', 'B' becomes 'E', and so on." Read Aloud

Anaya's eyes sparkled. "So if I want to write 'Mango,' I would change 'M' to 'P', 'a' to 'd', 'n' to 'q', 'g' to 'j', and 'o' to 'r'?" Read Aloud

"Exactly!" her grandmother clapped. "That scrambled message, 'Pdqjr', is called 'encrypted.' When Kojo gets it, he knows to move each letter three steps *backward* to find the real word again. That's 'decryption'!" Read Aloud

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Anaya quickly wrote her secret about the mango tree, turning her words into the puzzle language. She carefully handed the note to Kojo. When he received it, he remembered the rule, counted backwards, and his face lit up with understanding. "The hidden mango tree!" he whispered, excitedly. Read Aloud

From that day on, Anaya and Kojo used their secret language for all their important messages. It taught Anaya that sometimes, keeping information safe and private is very important. Just like their secret game, encryption helps keep our messages on computers and phones safe from people who shouldn't see them. It protects our ideas, our stories, and our privacy, making sure only the right people can understand them. Read Aloud

Try Anaya's Secret Language!