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She suggested we spend the next weekend in Canaima and hang out at the local bar and relax.
I’m not sure if she meant relax and forget or relax and get off her back?
Either way, I’m happy to have a night to ourselves with a few bottles of beer.
23
EDEN
I close Gran’s journal.
Samuel has placed his journal on the side table.
We stare at each other for a long minute before he speaks, “It’s difficult.” An indent deepens between his brows. “I don’t know where to begin and what to write. Nothing will ease the p-pain.” His voice cracks on the last word. I glance at Rose. The Disney movie is more than halfway in, and she’s sitting quietly on the carpet.
Grabbing the soft cushion from my back, I place it on my stomach and hug it. “How about you start at the beginning?”
He shakes his head, and I’m not sure if it’s a no or whether he’s trying to clear his thoughts. “You know what happened in the beginning. The shaman was shot, and it forced us to immediately evacuate before someone came to inspect the explosion.”
“And what happened once you began your trek into the jungle?”
He drags a hand down his cheek, closes his eyes, and slowly opens them. Those eyes convey emotion and deep sadness. “When we were away from Ulara, we gained a sense of security. Most of the people were accustomed to walking and hiking. Yet I held onto guilt for leaving several elders behind. The ones too old to hike long distances. Everyone transported their belongings on their backs. The women carried baskets of food on their heads. Young warriors offered to carry those elders on their backs, but they were adamant they would die in their birthplace. These elders had no family, their sons and daughters having died before them. Ulara is a sacred place, and they believed their loved ones’ spirit remained.” He glances up with tears welling in his eyes then he blinks and closes his eyes tightly, and I can see him fighting the pain. “It killed me to leave them to die.”
I pull Samuel into my arms and hold him tight. “Did you hear any more about them?”
He shakes his head. “When I reached LA, I called Asoo. There’s no way he could investigate without bringing attention to himself. Illegal miners had overrun the area, and if he approached, they became hostile.”
“And you believe you could have saved them if they came with you?”
His arms wrap around my waist, and he clings to me before speaking. “No.”
“So, it was beyond your power?”
“Remove me from the equation as though I was never a presence, and they would still be living in peace.”
“And we wouldn’t be together,” I whisper. “I believe it’s fate, Samuel. Even my grandmother being drawn to Ulara was fate. She risked her life to find destiny.” I massage his back in slow, gentle strokes but his muscles tense beneath my fingertips. “And during your time in Ulara you saved many lives and formed wonderful friendships. The people were lucky to have you, and the shaman and you learned from each other. In doing this, you passed on modern medical knowledge to Kaikare. As the new shaman, Kaikare is wiser for knowing you.”
He breaks into a sob. I offer silence for him to deal with the emotion bubbling out of him like a hot spring, small therapeutic bubbles releasing from deep inside his mind.
“In the beginning… were you able to hunt for plenty of food?”
Samuel swipes his eyes. “We’d ventured deeper into the rainforest, and wild pigs and fruits were plentiful, thanks to the Ularans knowing where to search for food. We stayed a few days at each site with makeshift beds in hammocks and secured palm leaves overhead to protect us. Everyone packed mosquito nets. We were near a river with a good water source, and fires burned day and night, depending on where we stayed. We’d walk solidly for one day, then rest for two.” Samuel blows out air between his lips as though talking exhausts him.
“I imagine it to be difficult, although it sounded like it was going to plan.”
He nods slowly. “For about a month, it’s what I expected.”
He remains silent for a few minutes. Even if he doesn’t tell me more, we’ve made more progress in the last hour than in the past two months.
“The rain came early.”
I let out a sigh. Already I know of the hardship in the rainy season without being lost in the jungle.
“It was difficult to see more than a few feet in front and blinded to a ravine with raging flood water. Four men tripped and slipped down the muddy slope with water gushing like a waterfall into a newly formed river. Two young men we never saw again. The other two, Mari' Iwoi and Wayara, followed our path from the other side. If we became separated, they had a chance with Wayara’s swift survival skills. A small sense of hope, but among the people, I sensed their loss of faith in me after losing the other two men. Even though the Ularans were exceptional at hiding emotion, the cracks were showing, and Kapeá Tapire sobbed, cuddling her child.” He stops talking, and his blue eyes meet mine. “She reminded me of you. And at that point, knowing you were probably feeling the same loss and fear as her, I had to do everything in my power to get back to you.”
I squeezed his hand then patted the pillow, so he settled his head on my lap. I stroked his forehead, hoping to relax him enough to keep talking. “You had everyone else to consider as well as me.”
He closes his eyes as though he’s visualizing the memory. “We continued to hike for half the day, only we needed to get up high off the ground. Everyone’s feet were suffering, so we couldn’t walk as far each day. We needed to dry out before fungus infections took hold.” He blows out a long breath. “Maybe the spirits helped us, for after a few days, we discovered a tree had fallen across the ravine, and Wayara and Mari' Iwoi crossed back to us.”
