“Not a bridge between two riverbanks. A bridge of communication between our people and the outside world. I believe that the more people there are who understand what the Amazon means to us, the more we can find support to protect it,” Pepe said.
Mary found herself wishing she could somehow help Pepe in his quest. She sat back, pondering about what she could do. As she stared at the beauty around her, Mary wondered how much of it would be lost if things didn’t change.
Something caught her eye and took her attention away from these thoughts. Scanning the water, Mary thought she saw something move among the logs and floating debris. It was large and gray, yet only visible for a split second before submerging. A big fish, maybe?
Mary saw it again. But as before, it was gone almost as soon as it appeared, leaving only a slight spray of water. What seemed like several minutes passed, with only ripples visible in the current.
Then it appeared again. Only instead of gray, this time it looked pink.
I must be seeing things, Mary thought.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, she saw both the pink something and the gray something make yet another brief appearance. Whatever was out there, there were two of them. And they were incredibly close to the canoe.
“Pepe, what are those things swimming near us in the water?” Mary asked, a bit concerned.
Pepe had been focused on avoiding logs, and hadn’t seen anything. He asked Wueku, but before his brother could answer, in a spray of water, one of the things leapt from the river. It shot several feet into the air, before splashing down next to Mary. It was large and pink, with shiny, smooth skin. In surprise, Mary jumped back, nearly causing the narrow boat to capsize.
Pepe laughed as he steadied the canoe. The thing jumped out of the water again, and this time was immediately followed by its gray companion.
“What are they?” Helen called from the other boat.
Mary, still recovering from the initial shock, suddenly realized what she was seeing.
“They’re Amazon River Dolphins!” she declared, no longer frightened.
“I have seen them many times, but never so close to the boat like this. Usually they stay far from humans. They must like you, Mary,” said Pepe.
Mary inched over to the side of the canoe for a better look. She moved slowly, not wanting to startle the dolphins. Peering into the water, Mary could see the pink dolphin, swimming just below the surface.
“Wow!” she whispered in amazement.
It slowly rose to the surface, to where Mary could see its entire body as it swam along. The dolphin’s eye gazed directly at her, never moving away.
“Truly, Iatuna was right about you!” Pepe proclaimed. “Only the most magical can commune with the river guardians.”
“They’re beautiful!” Mary said. “What else can you tell me about them?”
Just as the dolphin kept its eye on Mary, she fixed her own gaze on the pink swimming mammal. It matched the speed of the canoe as it swam.
“Many in the Amazon fear them,” Pepe explained. “We believe that if you kill one, you will suffer nightmares for the rest of your life. There are legends of dolphins who change into men. They come among us and choose our beautiful women to be their wives. When a young woman disappears and is never seen again, her family often claims she was taken by a dolphin.”
“Do you believe any of that?” asked Mary.
“I am not sure,” Pepe admitted. “Part of me does not believe, but then again, these stories and legends are part of the culture of my people.”
Suddenly Pepe laughed.
“But there are many who truly do believe, like my younger sister. Once I found her sitting on the river bank, singing to the water. She hoped a handsome dolphin would come and choose her. But she is still with us, so I guess she is not their type.”
Mary laughed and continued to watch the dolphin in amazement.
Suddenly, Wueku sat stiffly upright, hissing out words in an angry tone. Wondering what was causing his reaction, Mary turned her gaze from the dolphin to see a fancy-looking speed boat approaching. It slowed as it got closer. When she turned back to the dolphin, it had vanished.
A single person manned the boat, and he definitely wasn’t from the Amazon.
“G’day, there!” the captain said in a strong Australian accent.
He was probably about forty years old, and wore fancy sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat. His skin was deeply tanned, and he had a rifle slung over his shoulder. Wueku spat out what sounded like a string of curses in the man’s direction.
“Easy there, mate,” the Australian boatman replied. “I don’t speak any of your Indian gibberish. I just saw the dolphins jumping so close to your boat, and I had to see with my own eyes. How’d you get ‘em to do that? Eh, you don’t even understand me, do you?”
“We understand you fine,” Pepe answered, “and we have done nothing to make the dolphins come close to us. They have chosen to do this on their own.”
“Are you fair dinkum?” the Australian said in surprise. “I suppose I’ve just about seen everything. River dolphins swimming with boats. Indians speaking English. Good on you, mate!”
Pepe seemed irritated, and didn’t reply.
“Tell me,” the Australian continued, ignoring the scowls on the faces of the Ticuna, “have you seen any more of the dolphins about? I’ve been out fishing all day, and they’re always good at leading me to a big catch!”
“I have seen no other dolphins,” Pepe said curtly to the boatman.
The Australian glanced over at Mary for the first time.
“We’ll I’ll be, the little sheila doesn’t look like she’s from around these parts. Do you speak English there too, girly?” he asked, locking eyes with Mary.
Mary felt a shiver run down her spine.
“I do,” she said, timidly. “We’re guests of our friends.”
“Is that right?” the Australian replied. “And where are your parents?”
Mary looked into the man’s boat as she thought about how to answer. She gasped as she noticed something bloody and covered with a tarp.
“We’re going to meet them now,” she said, trying not to be obvious about what she’d seen.
“And where might they be?” the man pressed.
Mary hardly heard him. She felt a sinking pit in her stomach as she stared at the tarp-covered thing in his boat. She had to know. Ignoring his question, she countered with one of her own.
“What’s that in your boat?”
The boatman glanced at tarp, and quickly covered what looked like a pink-colored fin.
“Oh, that? Just the fish I’ve pulled in so far today,” he answered, shifting nervously.
The sickening feeling made Mary feel like she was about to faint. That certainly hadn’t looked like a fish. She didn’t see much, but there was no mistaking that rosy pink color.
“Well girly, you be careful. The Amazon’s a dangerous place,” the man said, hurriedly. “I reckon it’s time for me to shove off.”
Before Mary could say another word, the Australian hit the throttle and sped away. As his boat picked up speed and cruised down the river, Wueku launched another volley of Ticuna expletives in the man’s direction. The Australian’s motor caused a powerful wake in the river, and their canoe rocked back and forth.
As soon as the man was out of sight, Mary turned to Pepe, tears already in her eyes.
“Was that what I thought it was?” she cried out.
“Yes, I am afraid so,” Pepe replied. “I told you there are poachers here who are destroying what is most sacred to us.”
“But why would he kill a dolphin?” Mary asked, genuinely perplexed. “Do people eat them?”
“No,” Pepe answered sullenly. “They are cut to pieces and used as bait to catch fish.”
Mary couldn’t believe it. Who would kill one of these majestic creatures only to use them as fish bait?
W
ueku exchanged a rapid and heated conversation with Pepe.
“Wueku believes this is the same poacher who has been killing jaguars near our home. In fact, Wueku and Taremuku had been tracking an injured jaguar when they found you, cornered by the starving animal. This poacher set snares throughout the jungle in an attempt to catch or injure jaguars and make them easier to hunt,” Pepe interpreted.
Mary remembered the jaguar’s bloody paw. It had been desperate.
“You mean he’s killing dolphins and jaguars?” she said, even more shocked. “That’s terrible! What can we can do to stop him?”
“We can inform the authorities when we arrive in Puerto Nariño,” Pepe suggested. “Unfortunately, professional poachers like this man are good at being hard to catch.”
Mary cried as she thought about all that she’d just seen.
“Pepe, do you really believe the rainforest is magical?” Mary asked, sniffling.
“It is hard for me to say. In my school, they tell me that there is no magic, only superstition. But our wisest elders like Meetuku and Iatuna believe, and they have seen many things. They have lived longer than my teacher, and I think they understand these things better,” Pepe said.
Mary thought about the globe. Did magic make it work? Or was there some rational scientific explanation? Or is that what magic was—science that was just beyond human ability to understand?
Pepe continued, “for instance, Iatuna once told me that the dolphins are the guardians of the Amazon. As long as they are still here, the Amazon will be here. As long as the Amazon is here, the forests will remain. And as long as there are forests and trees, my people will live here. It is all part of the great magic that connects all living things.”
“And if the dolphins disappear?” Mary asked.
“Then some of that magic will leave from the river. If magic leaves from the river, it will then leave the forest. If we are all connected, then it leads us closer to the end of my people.”
He sounded genuinely sad.
“Are you afraid that will happen?” Mary asked.
“Our elders say that the rivers were once filled with dolphins. Now, there are fewer and fewer. And not only poachers cause the problems. Many of them die from pollution and other things. Even if the dolphins are not magic, they are a part of this place. If they go, a piece of the soul of the Amazon is gone too. I am afraid of that.”
Mary sat in silence for a moment as she contemplated Pepe’s words.
“Now I understand why you want to build your bridge,” she said.
“Yes,” he replied. “I want to do all I can to protect my home. It is who I am. Without the dolphins, or without the Amazon, or without the rainforest, I will lose part of who I am.”
Pepe spoke with conviction. He understood his life’s work.
“I want to help you,” Mary offered. “I believe that this place really is full of magic. I don’t know how to explain it, but I can feel it. I believe it, Pepe, and I’ll do whatever I can to help you protect this place from people like that poacher.”
Pepe smiled.
“Meetuku teaches that we are all small,” he said. “But from small things come great things. Every tall tree in the rainforest begins as a tiny seed. Even this river begins as small drops of water. As many small drops join, they become the mighty Amazon.”
“I like that,” Mary reflected. “I know I’m small, but if I do what I can, I’ll become part of something great.”
“If I can build my bridge, maybe I can convince others to join me. You, Mary, can build your own bridges. Your magic will help. It is clear that the guardians of the river believe you have a purpose,” said Pepe, gesturing to the dolphins, which had returned and resumed following the canoe. “They must know that you will do something important. I will help them protect you, so you can do these great things.”
Pepe’s words opened up so many new ideas for Mary. “Great things” echoed in her head. She glanced again at the dolphins swimming alongside the canoe. She couldn’t let them down. Not the dolphins, and not the Ticuna. Mary would discover what she was meant to do. Little by little, the magic of the Amazon was opening a new world of understanding right before her eyes.
Puerto Nariño
After several hours on the river, Mary saw a settlement on the banks up ahead.
“Puerto Nariño,” Pepe announced, pointing to the village.
The entire town was small enough that Mary could see from one end to the other. In the middle was a town square, with sidewalks leading from that central point to all the different parts of the community. Little houses lined the narrow streets.
“It’s so small!” Helen said in surprise, as the two canoes pulled alongside one another.
“Maybe it is not Miami, but it is one of the largest Ticuna villages in the Amazon,” Pepe said.
“Puerto Nariño’s a Ticuna village?” Mary asked.
“Not everybody is of the Ticuna, but most are. More than six thousand in one village. Here, the people are much more connected to the outside world, but many do not forget where they come from. It is a good bridge.” Pepe explained.
“But how do you get anywhere?” Ike asked. “The town’s completely surrounded by the rainforest on all sides. I don’t see any cars or roads leading out.”
“You are sitting on the only road,” Pepe laughed. “Who needs highways when the largest river in the world takes you wherever you need? Besides, Puerto Nariño does not allow any cars or motorcycles. It is in their laws.”
“None at all?” Helen asked.
“Well,” Pepe said, “there is a small ambulance. But it is rarely used, and is mostly for tourists to look at. The village has many laws about pollution, recycling, and energy saving.”
Mary was fascinated. Puerto Nariño looked so organized and clean. The massive green trees of the rainforest, which surrounded the community on all sides, gave the impression that the town was a fortress with a mighty wall protecting it.
Pepe steered their canoe toward one of the docks. The two dolphin guards finally parted and left them for the opposite side of the river. As they came up to the dock, Pepe jumped out and pulled the canoe away from other boats. Taremuku did the same. They were approached by another young man, and after a quick conversation in Ticuna, were shown where they could pull the boats onto land.
Once the canoes were beached, Pepe and Taremuku held out hands to help Mary, Helen and Ike climb onto dry land. They’d been sitting for hours, and it felt wonderful to Mary to stretch her legs again.
“Follow me,” Pepe said. “We will see if the mayor is in his office. He will certainly want to meet you.”
Taremuku and Wueku stayed behind to take care of the canoes, while Pepe led Mary, Helen, and Ike up the sloping pathway and into the town. It didn’t take long until they’d reached the small square in the town’s center. The largest building was a two-story structure made from bricks painted bright yellow. The Colombian flag flapped in the breeze atop a tall flagpole.
Pepe led them into the building, and knocked on the first door they came to. A voice yelled from inside, and Pepe opened the door, gesturing for the group to enter.
A somewhat stout, middle-aged man in a short-sleeved white collared shirt sat at a desk. Various papers were strewn in front of him, and he peered through his glasses at a newspaper. He looked up at his visitors, and smiled as he recognized Pepe. He stood and shook hands with Pepe as the two chatted for a moment in Ticuna.
“Hello and welcome friends,” said the man in heavily-accented English as he turned to his foreign visitors. “You welcome my village. Please make my home you home!”
“Señor Peñuela is the mayor of Puerto Nariño, and one of the great representatives for the Ticuna in Colombia,” Pepe said. “I have told him of your situation, and he is ready to help you.”
The mayor pulled out an old telephone with a rotary dial.
“Please,” he said, nodding. “Phone who you like
.”
After the mayor showed them how to make an international call, Mary dialed the only phone number she had memorized—that of her own home. She’d never made a call on a rotary telephone before. The string of numbers seemed they’d never end.
Mary finally finished dialing, and held the receiver close to her ear. Would it even work? Eventually, the old phone rang four times before somebody picked up on the other end.
“Hello?” said Mary’s mother, through heavy static.
“Mom!” Mary cried out.
Mary expected Mom to scream in joy or astonishment. Instead, all she heard was silence.
“Mom, it’s me, Mary!” she tried again.
“Hello? Is someone there?” said Mom’s voice, the connection making it sound like she was underwater.
Even with the bad connection, Mom sounded tired and hollow. Mary imagined how Mom must be going through torture not knowing where her children were, and whether or not they were okay. And now, with proof that they were fine pressed against her ear, technology refused to give her the news she so desperately needed. Mary felt anxiety steadily growing within her.
“Yes Mom, it’s me, Mary. I’m okay and Ike and Helen are with me, but we need—”
“Whoever it is, I can’t hear anything,” Mom said in a weak, exasperated voice.
Mary groaned in frustration. The joyful emotion of hearing her mother’s voice was gone, replaced by irritation.
“Mom, listen closely, we need—”
With a sudden click, the line went dead. Mom was gone.
“It didn’t work. She couldn’t hear me,” Mary complained.
She tried to dial the number again. Once more, Mary went through the tedious succession of numbers. This time, it didn’t even ring. Instead, it gave a recorded error message in Spanish.
Mary handed the receiver to Mayor Peñuela, shaking her head.
“Aww, man!” Ike said, disheartened. “How are we supposed to get home now?”
“Yeah, what are we going to do?” Helen asked.
Mary couldn’t help but think about all that Meetuku and Iatuna had said about the magic of the rainforest, and how they’d come here for a reason. Was something trying to keep them from contacting home? If so, then Mary wished it would stop. After hearing her Mom’s voice, and knowing that she was in pain, all Mary wanted right now was to help her.
The Magnificent Glass Globe Page 10
