Near the hammock was a large, wooden structure with no walls. Beneath its leaf-thatched roof, Mary spotted Ike and Helen sitting on stumps and hunched over an enormous wooden bowl. As Mary approached, she saw that it was filled with a delicious-looking assortment of fresh fruits and nuts. Ike and Helen were eagerly eating, and didn’t notice Mary standing over them, hungrily eyeing the fruit bowl.
“That looks really good,” she said, her mouth watering.
“Well, look who decided to join the land of the living!” Helen said as she threw Mary a citrus fruit.
“How long have you been awake?” Mary asked.
“Not very long,” Ike said. “I woke up a few minutes ago. A lady came and brought me over here. She didn’t say anything, just sat me down and brought out this bowl full of fruit. Helen smelled it, and before I knew it, she was here too, eating my food.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s meant for us to share,” Helen said, tossing a nut in her mouth.
“Have you seen anybody else?” Mary asked.
“Just a few people,” Ike said. “They all get a kick out of looking at us. I guess they don’t get a lot of random foreign guests.”
“A whole group of kids was watching me when I woke up,” Helen said. “One came over and started touching my braids, thinking I was asleep. As soon as I sat up, the kids all ran away, screaming and laughing.”
“Where do you think we are?” Ike asked, his mouth full of fruit.
“I don’t know,” Mary admitted. “I mean, it’s an indigenous Amazonian village, but I don’t know much at all about the tribes who live here.”
Studying her surroundings, Mary couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to live in a village like this, spending her entire life in the rainforest. It probably felt ordinary to those who lived here. But not to Mary. Living year after year, always surrounded by the tall, beautiful trees, seemed like paradise.
Peering through the leaves, Mary saw neat little wooden houses, their roofs also thatched with leaves. The homes didn’t rest on the ground, but were propped up on short stilts.
Mary also finally got a glimpse of several of the village’s occupants. All were busily engaged in something. The women and men were working, carrying pitchers or bundles. The children ran about playing in groups. Everyone looked so happy.
Before long all of the fruit, nuts, and the water from a nearby plastic jug were gone. Mary sat back and enjoyed the moment, satisfied with food, drink, and sleep for the first time since arriving in the rainforest.
“Look!” said Ike, who’d been using the machete to draw pictures in the dirt floor.
A group of children were timidly hiding behind some nearby brush, clearly hoping for a peek at their strange guests. They giggled and spoke to one another in hushed tones.
“Hello! Don’t be shy, come on over!” Mary invited, waving to the children.
They immediately burst into laughter and scattered as quickly as they’d come. Their playful voices rang throughout the village as they romped from one end of the settlement to the other.
A group of adults passed, smiling and greeting the children in their native language. They didn’t stop, and Mary began to wonder if there was something they should be doing.
At long last, a group of villagers approached. Mary recognized Taremuku and Wueku. They were joined by an old man, and old woman, and a boy. Unlike the rest, the boy was fully dressed in western clothing, and didn’t have the same unique hairstyle of the others. He was a teenager, perhaps three or four years older than Mary. If Mary had seen him walking down the streets of Charleston, she wouldn’t have ever guessed that he from the Amazon.
The old man spoke. His twinkling brown eyes were set deep within his sharply wrinkled face. He immediately portrayed a feeling of wisdom and kindness. Standing before Helen, he put his hands on her arms and looked her squarely in the eyes. After a few words, he smiled and bowed his head. He repeated the ritual with both Ike and Mary. All three of them instinctively bowed and thanked the old man as he finished.
The boy cleared his throat and spoke.
“Honored guests! Our tribal Elder, Meetuku, wishes you welcome to our village. We are of the Ticuna people, and many of our brothers and sisters live in villages throughout the rainforest. Here, we do not often have visitors, but we always welcome those in need.”
Mary stared in disbelief.
“You speak English!” Ike proclaimed.
“Yes, I study English in a school in Leticia,” said the boy. “My name is Pipieku, but many call me Pepe.”
A surge of hope filled Mary, realizing they’d be able to communicate and ask for help.
“I’m Mary, and this is my brother Ike, and our friend Helen. Elder Meetuku, we are very grateful to you and to Taremuku and Wueku for helping us, and for saving our lives.”
Mary tried to speak in a mature manner, wanting to show proper respect. She looked at the Elder, rather than Pepe, as she spoke. Mary didn’t want to make any mistakes in this culture that she knew nothing about.
Pepe translated her words. The Ticuna Elder listened patiently, nodding as he did, and replying after a moment of contemplation.
“Meetuku says you are most welcome to stay in our village for as long as you need. You are welcome to our food and to our beds. But, our Elder is very curious to know, how did you come to be here? The Amazon is our home, but it can be very dangerous for those who do not know it well. Where did you come from?”
Mary exchanged glances with Ike and Helen, unsure of how to answer.
“We fell,” Helen finally said. “We were traveling by air, but an accident left us stranded in the trees.”
“Are others lost in the forest?” Meetuku asked, clearly concerned.
“We’re alone,” Mary assured him. “And our families are far away. They don’t know how to find us. They don’t even know that we’re here.”
Pepe and Meetuku conversed for a long moment. Mary felt she needed to be honest with these people—the Ticuna. After all, they’d saved her life. At the same time, how could she explain the truth? Mary worried she might offend the Ticuna with their impossible story.
“You are too young to fly an airplane alone, are you not?” Meetuku asked.
After another long moment, Mary answered.
“You’re right, we didn’t come by plane.”
Meetuku looked at her deeply, clearly seeking the truth. Once again, Mary glanced at Helen and Ike. Helen nodded for her to go on.
“It’s difficult to explain,” Mary began. “Honestly, we’re not sure how it all happened. We found an object that allowed us to use some sort of, well, magic, I guess. I know it sounds impossible, but it’s true. We thought it would only show us the Amazon, and we didn’t expect to actually come here.”
Pepe looked confused, but he did his best to interpret. As he did, and all at once, Meetuku’s eyes opened wide with wonder. He began to speak quickly.
“He asks, do you truly believe that magic brought you here? We Ticuna always learned that those who do not live in the Amazon do not believe in magic,” Pepe interpreted.
Mary wasn’t sure what to say.
“I guess it could have been magic, I really don’t know. One moment we were far away, then we touched this object. It was a little a globe that showed the surface of the earth. Next, we were high above the earth, coming in closer to the Amazon. Then, before we knew what was happening, we were really here, in the rainforest.”
It sounded foolish to Mary as she said it all. She wondered what Meetuku and the others must be thinking. She hoped they wouldn’t think she’d gone crazy.
But Meetuku didn’t seem to think so at all. He took her words seriously, and his entire appearance changed. Looking like a prophet or great teacher, he began to explain in a passionate and eloquent tone. Mary listened closely as Pepe translated.
“We, the Ticuna,” Meetuku declared, “still believe in magic. Even if others have forgotten, w
e live in the Amazon, and the Amazon will not let us forget. She is powerful with magic, and does many things to demonstrate her magic to us each day. Magic can come from the earth. Magic can come from the water. But the most powerful magic of all comes from the sky. It is the sky which is higher than us all, and looks down on us from afar. The sky gives us rain, bringing water to the land. This water brings us the river and all of its life. It brings us these tall trees, and all of their life. The powerful sky loves the Amazon, and brings her life each day. Where there is more life, there is more magic. When we have more magic, we have more life.”
As Meetuku came to a pause in his sermon, everything was quiet. Mary tried to make sense of what he was saying. She wondered what this had to do with them. As if reading her mind, Meetuku continued.
“You came from the sky. You say you came by ways that you cannot understand. But we understand. If the sky brought you to the Amazon, then it is because you must also bring life to the Amazon.”
A powerful, unexpected feeling came over Mary. She thought of all those times when she felt pulled to the Amazon. She assumed it was just a desire for adventure. Was it possible that it was actually some unseen magical force that wanted her here?
“You mean we came to do something for the rainforest?” Helen asked.
“Perhaps you have already done something for the rainforest,” came the answer. “Many times, it is by small means that great things come to pass. Or perhaps you still have something to do, or many things to do. I cannot say. You must discover that for yourselves.”
“So what does that mean?” Ike asked, with a hint of concern. “Does it mean that we can’t go home?”
Meetuku’s seriousness melted away, as he laughed after Pepe translated Ike’s misgiving.
“Certainly you can home,” he answered. “Everyone belongs in their home, even if we leave it for a time. If the magic needs to you to do something, it will be done. We cannot force when or how it will happen. All will be as it should.”
Ike looked somewhat relieved.
Mary wanted to ask if the Ticuna could help them get home, but she didn’t want to seem apathetic to the deep beliefs that Meetuku had just shared.
“Meetuku, we’re very grateful for all of your help. And even though I don’t know much about the Amazon or its magic, I want to do whatever the rainforest brought us here to do. But we’re also very worried about our families. They don’t know we’re here,” Mary explained.
After Pepe interpreted her words, Meetuku turned to Taremuku and Wueku. As Meetuku conversed with them, the old woman approached Mary. Thus far, she’d remained silent. She put her hand on Mary’s shoulder and gave her a warm smile. She didn’t speak, but Mary felt a sense of honor and respect in her presence.
After finishing their conversation with the Elder, Taremuku and Wueku gave a nod, and turned to leave.
“Taremuku and Wueku are my older brothers,” Pepe explained. “Meetuku has asked them to prepare boats so that we can take you to Puerto Nariño, the nearest large village. There we can find a way to contact your family.”
Mary couldn’t help herself. She was so full of joy and gratitude that she threw her arms around Meetuku. A bit startled, the Elder patted her on the back and began to laugh. Helen jumped in the air, showing her excitement, and hugged the old woman. Ike tried to conceal his own obvious glee, casually offering his hand for Pepe to shake.
For the first time, the woman spoke, looking directly at Mary.
“This is Iatuna, grandmother to our entire village. She is the wisest among us in understanding the secrets and the magic of the Amazon. She can feel strong magic in each of you. She says that you are only at the beginning of a long journey, but that you will use your magic to change the world for the better,” Pepe interpreted.
Everyone stood silently. Iatuna nodded slowly. A powerful feeling came from her, and Mary felt herself blush. She’d never believed in magic before. But Mary felt something, a sort of energy, coming from Iatuna. It was a sacred moment.
“Thank you again,” Mary finally said to her new friends, as the magic of the moment slowly faded away. “You’ve saved our lives, and I hope that someday I can help pay you back. I hope that we can do whatever we’re supposed to do here.”
“I know you will, Mary,” said Iatuna.
Even though she spoke in the Ticuna language, Mary understood her without interpretation. At this point, it didn’t even surprise her.
I know you will.
The Guardians of the Amazon
Mary, Helen, and Ike spent another night in the Ticuna village. They were given the royal treatment, with a big dinner of barbecued fish and more fruit than they could eat in a lifetime. The Ticuna even put on a performance. Meetuku made sure that Mary understood that his was not a tribe that performed for tourists. This was a special honor for them as guests.
The Ticuna stood in a line, dancing and singing to the sound of drums and pipes. They wore beautifully colored macaw feathers, shining in their blues, reds, and yellows. Some wore wooden masks, carved or decorated with small stones, leaves, and feathers.
Mary and Helen clapped along, and were quickly invited to join in the dance. Excitedly, they both jumped up and danced along. Ike was invited to join too, and though he tried to protest, he eventually stood and danced, clearly having the time of his life.
When they’d danced so much they couldn’t stand anymore, people began to file off to their homes. Most said goodbye to Mary, knowing they wouldn’t see her the next morning. She hugged them all, feeling like they were family.
For the second night in a row, Mary enjoyed a comfortable sleep on a hammock. Pepe explained how the Ticuna didn’t usually sleep in the hammocks at night, and typically used them for resting during the day. But Mary and the others wanted to sleep with the canopy of the trees as their roof, and the Ticuna consented. Kindly, they brought out mosquito netting and covered the hammocks, allowing Mary to enjoy a bug-free night.
Mary felt she’d hardly closed her eyes when someone lightly shook her awake. Pepe stood over her, with the first light of morning filtering through the trees.
“Time to leave,” he said. “Our boats do not have motors, and it will take us many hours to get to Puerto Nariño.”
Mary’s sleepiness was quickly overcome by anticipation for the journey. She made her way to the edge of the river, where two large canoes waited, each stocked and ready for the trip. There was plenty of fish and fruit to feed them throughout the day.
Both Meetuku and Iatuna stood at the bank of the river, waiting to say their goodbyes. The aged leaders of the village wished them well, and Iatuna offered a sort of prayer for their journey. Mary embraced her hosts one last time, then boarded one of the boats, along with Wueku and Pepe. Helen and Ike joined Taremuku in the second canoe.
Within moments, both boats were pushed into the current, and they were on their way. Mary waved at Meetuku and Iatuna until her boat turned a corner in the river, and the village was out of sight.
Pepe and Wueku rowed Mary’s boat, while Taremuku and Helen rowed in the second. Helen seemed to take naturally to the task. At first Mary felt that she should contribute in some way, not wanting to just sit while her hosts did all of the hard work.
“Do not worry, Mary,” Pepe assured her. “We are used to these boats, and rowing is easy and natural to us. Just sit and enjoy the Amazon.”
Mary settled into the canoe. Everything about the early morning Amazon was alive and magical. Birds flew above, or perched in trees nearby. Turtles and caimans climbed onto the banks to enjoy the first rays of sunlight. Mary watched an anaconda nimbly slither over a log and into the water.
After an hour or so of steadily gliding over the surface of the river, the current picked up. Pepe and Wueku no longer put much effort into rowing, instead using the oars to simply steer. Mary wondered, with no small measure of guilt, how long it would take for these small boats to return to the Ticuna village while go
ing against the current.
The river grew wider, and Mary spotted other boats for the first time. Several of the boatmen stared in confusion at the strange collection of passengers in the Ticuna canoes.
“They wonder who you are,” Pepe said with a laugh. “Within a few hours, every village within one hundred kilometers will hear about you.”
Mary spent the next hour asking Pepe question after question about life in the Amazon. She had many, but he didn’t seem to mind. She could feel how much the magical place meant to him.
“You really love this place, don’t you?” she asked.
“Well of course!” Pepe exclaimed. “It is my home.”
“What do you think will happen to the rainforest?” she questioned. “In school, we’ve learned a lot about how it’s in danger.”
Pepe let out a long sigh.
“It is true what you have learned, and a very sad thing. There are many, even some of our own people, who are destroying this place. Logging companies cut down the trees, ranchers destroy the land, and poachers make money by killing endangered species,” Pepe explained.
“What can we do to stop it?” Mary wondered aloud.
“Unfortunately, not much. It would be easier if there were more of us. Then we could stand together and have greater influence. But year by year my people grow fewer and fewer. Life outside the rainforest has much to offer. Many leave to make a living, but when they leave the Amazon, the Amazon leaves them, and they never return.”
It sounded sad and depressing. Mary understood that the world outside of the Amazon offered a lot of modern conveniences. But how could someone who grew up in this place turn away and leave it forever?
“But,” Pepe then interjected, breaking the depressive silence with a tone of hope, “I plan to spend my life doing whatever is possible to change this. The solution is to build a bridge.”
“A bridge? Over the river?” Mary asked, confused.
The Magnificent Glass Globe Page 9
