I realize that my physical description is more like the indigenous people of the Amazon, but I studied South America in the 1970's. Not Central America's highlands today. So just pretend.
July 9 –
I'll record what I can remember of the last two weeks. I gathered some of it from the villagers after the fact.
I was as sick as a dog or a really sick turtle and I remember lying in my hammock in the rain, staring at a tree. I believe I slept on and off. Then I was being carried away. It was the strangest thing because I was staring at the tree one minute and then in someone's arms the next. I tried to push them away. I don't think I moved, but my brain forced me to try.
I was put on a wicker bed in a little house made out of thrushes. I just remember people babbling nearby. I was too ill to care.
Someone questioned me. I didn't understand a word they said and then suddenly I was being interrogated in English.
"Why are you here?"
I didn't answer. I've resisted questioning under more persuasion than that.
It was a man in his fifties or so. He didn't look like a native, but I didn't want to make presumptions about his origins. His English was pretty good, but it was a little distorted.
"You were stung by a very poisonous scorpion and you are lucky to be alive, whatever you are. I'm Eduardo Montez-Lopez. I am an anthropologist with La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. What are you?"
He asked me that question several times. I was just strong enough to reach for my katanas, but they were gone. He noticed my reach and said that they had been removed for the safety of my host family. He made me sound like an exchange student.
I said something to this effect. "I am grateful for your hospitality, but I must have my things and leave. I am not to be seen and you will not tell anyone of my presence." It was a demand.
"You are an American?" He was more interested in my nationality than the fact that I'm a mutant.
"And you are a Mexican." I tried to stand, but wobbled back into the bed. I didn't realize how sweaty I was. It was so hot in there. They had a fire burning and the smoke was going out a hole in the roof. A few children were lurking in the corners, watching me.
"You are verde," Eduardo said. "Why?"
"I have… a disease…"
He pushed me back into the bed, which was quite a testament to my weakness. He said, "You must stay until you are strong. The family likes you very much and wishes to keep you. You say sweet things in your fever to their daughter." I was very alarmed at that statement. "Of course, they speak no English and only speak K'iche', but I was here to explain your rantings. You speak much of this Mikey. He sounds badly behaved."
I was humiliated, but tried to remain stoic. I said, "I feel the need to meditate. Would you please leave me alone? And by alone, I mean without the children."
Eduardo removed the children and I was alone for a while. My meditation lasted a full five minutes before I fell asleep again. I was very distraught. I'd been in this country for a little over a week and already I had fallen to illness and was seen by villagers. Actually, sleeping in their hut as their guest. I had already failed.
I will write this next incident, although it is in my better judgment to forget it and block it out. It makes me rather uncomfortable. I was awoken later in the day by someone's hands on my body. I flicked them away at first, assuming it was one of my brothers playing a trick on me. Now I realize how illogical an assumption it was that my brothers would play a prank and grope my body while I was asleep, but I suppose my first instinct is to blame anything uncomfortable on them. I opened my eyes to see a village girl, probably a teenager. She had uncovered me and was running her hands up and down my body.
I would like to say that I found this very unpleasant, but it was quite the opposite. I did brush her away and tell her to leave me alone, although I was loath to do so. She didn't understand my words, but understood the tone. But she did not leave and only stared. I know that look. The novelty of a giant animal that is fluent in any language. But I demanded that she leave and not touch me again and then Eduardo came back in the hut and said something to her in her own language.
She left finally and I was sure that the anthropologist knew what was going on. I must have looked very awkward. He was amused anyway. He said, "I wonder what sweet nothings you said to that girl while you asleep that made her desire you so. I believe it was your words and not your looks."
That struck my vanity and I attempted to leave, but fell back down. I remember saying, in my anger, "Is she the chief's daughter? Did I accidentally engage in some kind of foreign courtship ritual and now I have to fight the strongest brave in the tribe to get out of it?"
Eduardo said, "Yes, the chief's name is Tonto. They have no chief. They are not backwards people. Maybe you are the one who is backwards, American Lizard."
Then he left the hut. I have never felt so ashamed of myself.
He recovered from his anger, thankfully, because I was trapped in that hut with no other person to talk to. I was careful not to give away the details of my origins, but I thought it was only polite to explain that I meant no harm to them and my purpose in their country. Eduardo was intrigued and seems like a man of a thousand questions. He wanted to know why I carry the Japanese swords and why Raph mailed me a dead mouse. I told him that I have a rather perverse relationship with my brother.
I was still trying to escape the curious attentions of the girl. She watched me wherever I went, since I was able to hobble about briefly on my own, but my joints and muscles ached badly. Most of the villagers stared with mild interest. Mutants must be a dime a dozen down here.
I tried to do a few katas. Very simple ones to keep my strength up, as I spent most of my time in bed. I went out to a clearing outside of the village. I knew that some of the children were following, and while I could have vanished from their sight and escaped them easily, it didn't seem like too much harm to let them watch. I was slightly vexed to find that most of them were teenage girls. The giggling was most distracting.
I don't think I helped matters by flirting with them all excessively that night at dinner. I can't help it sometimes. It's like I have an OCD compulsion to charm every female I meet. I don't know why. I suppose I like the challenge as a non-human to make human women want me. Maybe I'm just a pervert. At least their mothers found it entertaining rather than sick.
I wanted desperately to get on my own. I am not used to being a social creature. I believe I would be if I were able and that it is in my nature but I'm not used to it and I find my batteries drained from too long exposure.
Oh, I remember one awful moment. I was eating dinner and complementing my host on her cooking and then I was informed that it was turtle stew. I'm a cannibal. I went straight out back and purged. I don't know if they did it on purpose or by oversight.
I was regaining my strength and I told Eduardo that I needed to move on. He was rather disappointed. I think he would like to study me. Not in a lab like Bishop, but with psychological tests and ink blots.
As I gathered my things to leave he said, "It will seem very empty without you now, Leonardo. I will give you my address and you must write to me and tell me more about your naughty brothers. I believe it will be a great disappointment to the young ladies that you will no longer beguile them."
"They'll get over it." I was sure they would. "It must be hard for them. They finally meet a dashing young American and he turns out to be a big turtle."
We had a laugh. And then I thanked the host family and said goodbye to the children and went back to my rock hideout. I believe I will move on to another village. While it is nice here and the people seemed to like me, I'm here to help people, not take up residence as a neighbor. It is rather depressing to leave a pleasant place in search of a more violent one, but that is my lot in life. I believe I will write to Eduardo. He seemed like a genuinely good man.
I will head back down into the lowlands where it isn't so cold. At least I'll be warm when I'm wet.
