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“That will be a first since it’s not women’s work.” He grins. “Though, with you, anything is possible.”
* * *
After a couple of hours of working in the fields, the girl who sneaks off with her lover, Kapeá Tapire, catches my eye when she wanders past the banana palms and into the rainforest. I grab Kaikare’s attention, point to the trees, and then follow the girl since I also need to pee.
Vines slash my wrists as I forge a path in an attempt to be out of sight. My name suits me now as I move almost as slow as a tortoise, which is why I lost sight of Kapeá Tapire. Finding a large Kapok tree, I squat beside it and watch the ground for anything that crawls near my feet.
“Ahh.” The wail doesn’t sound far away. Is it Kapeá Tapire? Is she okay? I finish peeing and weave around a few trees, walking as fast as I can toward the sound. She crouches, one hand on the ground, the other holding her stomach. There’s movement behind her, but I don’t see who it is.
She continues to weep, so I make my way to her and rest my palm on her back. “Kapeá Tapire wakü?”Kapeá Tapire good?
She raises her chin so her eyes meet mine. My heart sinks at the tears in her eyes. The Ularans don’t feel emotions and not to this degree.
I asked if she was good, and knowing she’s not, I’m lost as to how to communicate further.
“Are you hurt?” I ask, hoping my tone conveys meaning.
I’m barely capable of maneuvring to a full squat, so I lower myself with one hand on the tree for support. Her gaze lowers to my rounded stomach. She bursts into tears and runs the opposite way to the fields crying uncontrollably. Overhead, the sky turns dark, and a rumble sounds in the distance. This isn’t good. I follow her, but I’m too slow to keep up.
“Kapeá Tapire,” I call, pushing past several palm fronds. A loud crack and I scream, bobbing for cover. Within seconds, heavy sheets of water fall to blur everything beyond a few feet in front of me.
Bloody hell.
I raise my hands to my brow and try to work out which way to turn to find my way back to the field. I pivot a full 360 degrees and move to stand under the largest tree closest to me. Useless when the branches act like a waterfall, and I near drown when I look up. The already saturated ground has barely a chance to soak in the water, and it’s pooling everywhere. I slush through the murky puddles with my head down and no idea if I’m walking toward the village.
“Samuel,” I scream at the top of my lungs. Anothercrack,and my voice is smothered by thunder.
“Ahh.” I turn in the direction of the scream. It has to be Kapeá Tapire. I need to find my way back to the village for safety—to Samuel. But I can’t leave her out here. Not alone. Not like this. I keep my head down, concentrating on every step so I don’t slip and fall.
“I’m coming,” I call back when the rain eases as quickly as it fell.
They appear out of nowhere like ghosts from behind the trees. Dark-skinned bodies with red-painted faces, so I can only see their eyes. The red paint continues down to their torso. A stick is pierced through each nose like a trademark to what tribe they belong. Long arrows point at my throat, a warning not to scream. Behind them, I make out Kapeá Tapire on the ground, her hands and feet being tied to bamboo, then three men lift the bamboo to their shoulders, and she’s carried like a wild animal.
“Stop!” I scream and raise my hand.
Spears jut closer to my throat.
A taller man steps forward and eyes me. He speaks a different dialect and waves his hand to the men carrying Kapeá Tapire. She moans with the impact when they drop her to the ground. I turn toward the movement I see in my peripheral vision.
I hear the thump of stone on my skull before I feel it.
7
SAMUEL
After working in the shaman’s medicinal garden, Samuel makes his way to the long house to search for Eden. He assumes she’s resting in the hammock as the downpour ceased work in the fields. He intends to tell her not to overdo it to prove her merit when a high-pitched wail and more wails in a chant-like sequence have his feet moving quicker in the direction of the chief’s hut.
Kaikare runs to him with panic in her voice, her words tripping over the other in near hysteria. His heart speeds up. She’s not previously acted like this, not even when a jaguar stole one of their own. He raises his hands, trying to calm the alarm spreading in the village.
Kaikare pants as if she’s hyperventilating. Samuel places a hand on her shoulders. “Awarö?”Bad?
She nods. “Watache Tamu'ne Akare.”
“Jesus.” He runs his hand through his hair and turns a full circle. He doesn’t know which way to run. Why? How? None of it matters. He takes a few quick breaths to clear his thoughts. He points to the river.
She shakes her head vehemently before pointing to the jungle and then to Kapeá Tapire, who’s huddled in Mari' Iwoi’s arms by the cooking fire.
Samuel sprints over to her and asks what happened.
