Sign language
(T: ) Swahili language translation
2021
Ten years have passed since the simian flu caused a collapse in human civilization after martial law, social unrest and the economic collapse of all countries in the world, 90% of the world's population has died and there are small redoubts of survivors in different parts of the world. World that struggles to find other survivors.
In the middle of the forest you hear a scream that terrifies all the birds, the weeping comes from a girl who was being calmed by a six-year-old chimpanzee.
"Kim, Kim calm down ... it was just a nightmare."
"They separated us." hugging her even crying.
"It was just a nightmare."
"The humans ... separated us ... it was so real."
"He found us ... he found us and ... and ..." Kim embraces her desperately
"It was just a nightmare."
"My uncle ... he separated us ... it was so real."
Ari was not surprised by that nightmare, that's Kim's great fear, she also has that same fear, but not for humans but for apes.
Kim began to sing slowly and Ari sang with her the only song that could calm them down.
Imba wimbo
Wa upepo
Wakati unajua na
Imba wimbo
Wa upepo
Wakati ndoto tamu
Lala mpaka usiku isha
Upepo wa usiku
Wimbo wako na
Wimbo wangu inaendelea
Upepo wa usiku
Wimbo wako na
"You are better now?"
"Yes thanks." Kim smiled a little more calmly. "I have to go find something for breakfast."
"No, I'm going to find breakfast, you rest." Ari grabs the bow and arrows.
"I'm fine, I can look for breakfast."
"No, you'll go to the river to bathe and I'll go to breakfast." leaving the tent.
"Yes mom." Kim smiles funny.
Ari takes some things, but she hears the snarl of a cat, turns around and sees that it is Mera, an Mau Egipcion that Kim rescued two years from an abandoned village despite Ari's negativity. Both do not get along, Mera always growls at her and Ari always threatens her and waits one day to fulfill it.
"I swear, one day I'll cook you." Ari walks away
Kim leaves the tent and hugs Mera, she had heard the threat, but deep down she knows that Ari adores Mera. Although she raised Ari as a child, sometimes it seems that Ari is the one who raised Kim and that sometimes amuses her.
Ari stops at the river and begins to wash, then makes a pair of braids on her head because she likes to make them and puts some ribbons that have some stones hanging from her so that she feels that she has long hair like Kim.
Listen to the sound of some birds and look for a pair of Steller Jay birds, Ari smiled to see a couple so close and wonders if someday someone will find someone, she looks at her reflection in the river and remembers that it is impossible, that is an ape and for nothing in the world would marry an ape.
Take your bow and arrow and look at the sky and start praying.
"Baba yetu aliye mbinguni, jina lako litukuzwe. Ufalme wako uje. Mapenzi yako yafanyike, duniani kama ilivyo mbinguni. Tupe leo chakula chetu cha kila siku; na kutusamehe makosa yetu, kama tunavyowasamehe wale wanaotukosea; na usiingie katika majaribu, bali utuokoe na uovu ... Amina." Ari walks away to look for breakfast. (T:"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil... Amen.")
Kim approaches the river, looks around and smiles to see the clear sky, the sun's rays help the water to shine, the birds sing and the flowers show their beauty, definitely today is a beautiful day.
She takes off her clothes and goes into the water to wash, especially the hair that was a disaster, if she were in school for sure the other girls would bother her.
Kim still could not believe it, it's been ten years since the virus killed almost every human being, he knew that if she and her brother could not get sick like their mother and maybe like their father and uncle Andrei, it's obvious that somewhere there are more survivors somewhere, among them could be his grandfather and his uncle J. Wesley McCullough looking for her.
But no, she could not think of sad things and today, Kim knows that today is a very important day and it is surprising that even Ari has forgotten it. She comes out of the water, dries herself and begins to dress with her mother's clothes, which is a bit big, she looks at herself by the reflection of the river, combs her hair a little and puts on makeup with what she found in the abandoned houses. She learned to put on makeup by herself because she remembered how her mother put on make-up, despite the situation in which she wanted to look good all the time.
especially this day.
After a long wait, Ari looks at the sky and sees that it is almost half a day and still does not hunt anything, throws a stone and manages to scare a group of birds and quickly shoots an arrow killing one, Ari smiles excitedly, although it is not much what they will have to eat. Descends from the tree and collects the bird, but not only finds its prey but also a nest with three eggs, luck is definitely on her side.
Ari returns to the camp and sees no sign of Kim, sighs as she imagines that she is adjusting as human women before they did, when there was civilization.
"Surprise!" Kim comes out of nowhere frightening her. "Happy birthday" extending a plate with an attempt of banana cake.
"Birthday?" Ari asks confused.
"Yes, it's your birthday, exactly." Kim looks at the sky. "Twenty minutes ... I think you turned seven." smiling.
"Oh, my God." Ari surprised. "It can not be ... I forgot my birthday."
"But I do not." hugging her "Happy birthday, sister."
"Thank you." Ari smiles as she grabs the cake. "Aaaaawww, I'm excited."
"I'm glad you forgot it because while you were hunting your hiberns I prepared your cake." Kim grabs the food. "Apparently today we will have a big banquet.
"And I had to hunt my birthday breakfast." Ari smiles funny.
"I promise you that on my birthday I'll go hunting and you'll prepare me ... some cake attempt." Nervously observing the banana cake.
"Done." Ari sits smiling.
Kim enters the store and comes out smiling with a little dirty and wrinkled gift box in her hand.
Happy Birthday to You, cha, cha, cha.
Happy Birthday to You, cha, cha, cha.
Happy Birthday Dear Ari
Happy Birthday to You, cha, cha, cha.
Ari smiles funny, that song is his favorite, Kim extends the gift and Ari grabs it.
"I hope you like it." Kim sits on the other side of the campfire.
Ari opens the gift and is surprised to see a necklace of African turquoise lava stones, precious stones, pearls, bronze details, her mother's necklace.
"Mama Lisa told me that my mother gave it to her when she turned seven, I found it in the house and I thought it was right for you to have it too." Kim smiles.
"Kim ... thank you very much." Ari puts on the necklace. "With this necklace I will be able to feel closer to my mother."
"I'm glad you like it." breaking the eggs. "Next year you will be eight years old, in the time of the apes you will become an adult".
"And you will continue to be a teenager for a few more years, I envy you ... humans age more slowly and I age fast."
"When I was little I remembered that I wanted to be an adult to have more freedom." Kim smiles as she cooks. "And to live in that old world, cars, cell phones and many things ... I wanted to go explore the world, travel many times on a plane."
"I've seen how the world used to be for the photos of those abandoned places." Ari smiles. "I would have liked to see that world, meet humans, travel ... of course, where humans let the apes go."
"It was very limited and with many rules." Kim smiles and looks at Mera approaching. "Look Mera, we have a lot of food."
"It's a cat, she can find her own food ... I mean, she's a relative of the lions." Airi looks at Mera. "Do not be lazy and look for your food".
"When are you going to stop fighting with Mera?" Kim served breakfast.
"The moment I cook her."
"You're not going to eat Mera."
"But one day I'll cook that cat." Ari smiles with malice. "Well ... now where will we go?"
"I do not know ... I do not even know where we are." Kim looks around. "I do not even know if we are north or south, damn the time I lost that compass." Serving food.
"It's just that we've been traveling in a circle." Ari begins to eat.
"I hope not, I want to imagine that we are both somewhere near Mexico or Canada, because at this point we should have crossed the country." Kim grabs her food. "Because as I remember ... we saw the signal from California, Nevada, Utah and two years ago we saw the signal from Arizona and the last signal we saw was destroyed."
"There was only one C and one A."
"It was not much, but I doubt it's in South Carolina." Kim starts eating.
"I'm surprised we have not found any humans." Ari says surprised.
"Yes, it's weird, but better that way." Kim was also surprised that she had not seen any humans during the trip, but better since she does not want to meet them.
"Yes I know." Ari under the look. "I would have liked to meet James and my human grandparents."
"And I'm sure they would have loved to meet you, my mother always wanted your parents to have a daughter who would call her Ari, like my maternal grandmother."
"Yes ... that's why my parents overprotected me." Ari begins to cut the bird.
"Mama Lisa always said you were very special." Kim smiles.
"Just because I can talk does not convince to be special."
"It was not because of that."
"Yes, sure." Ari looks at Mera watching the bird. "I already told you, look for your own food, silly cat."
"Ari!"
"What, I'm telling the truth." Smiling funny
After breakfast, the two packed and started again with their trip, both had a gun in hand in case they attack, but they hope it does not happen.
After a while, they stop to rest for a while and each one reads a book they found in an abandoned library, even with books inside, Kim reads Hunger Games and Ari reads the book If I stay, in the breaks they read to relax and escape from reality and luckily books always help them.
"Well Ari, it's time to go." Kim gets up.
"Wow, we humans are lucky with love ... well, not all." Ari closes the book.
"Why do you say that?" Kim asks confused.
"Because Adam, after all, goes with Mia and stays by his side after that horrible accident." Ari hugs her book with a smile.
"Well, I do not doubt that some day you can find love." Kim smiles.
"Please Kim, we have never seen a human, obviously we can never find love." Ari folded her arms.
"Who said anything about a human?"
Ari raises her eyebrow in confusion but realizes what Kim is talking about and gets up furious.
"No!"
"Please Ari ..."
"I already told you that I will never fall in love with a murderous race!"
"You would not fall in love with one of the apes who murdered our family, but with someone who has nothing to do with that night."
"I do not care, you already heard what said that ... apes, that my parents and brothers were traitors for preferring humans and that's why they killed them." Airi says furiously while she remembers that night. "All the apes are murderers."
"Humans and apes are the same, we are all the same ... we are afraid of the unknown and those who hurt us ... but ... we should not hate all those of the same species". Kim, worried, looks at Ari.
"We better go ... I do not want to argue." Ari grabs her backpack and starts walking.
Kim watches Ari walk away, but she hears Mera's meow and turns to see her sitting on a rock looking at her.
"I know Mera." Kim caresses his head. "Ari is a hardhead." she grabs her backpacks and starts walking while Mera follows her.
Kim hums a song and finds Ari reading a poster.
"What's going on?
"Here it says where we are". Ari answers without seeing her.
Kim approaches and stands beside her, reading the sign that says Muir Woods, reading that surprised Kim very much because she had heard about that place ... but for some reason she did not remember it.
"What happens?" Ari looks worried.
"This forest ... I've heard about it but ... I do not remember it." Kim looks around. "I swear I'll hear something about this place."
"Surely something when you went to school or you heard a conversation." Ari says.
"Yes, it can be." says Kim not very convinced.
"It's getting dark." Ari looks at the almost dark sky. "We are going to find a good place to camp and stay for a while."
"Sure, come Mera." Kim enters Muir Woods.
"While you prepare the camp ... can I cook the cat?"
"Ari!"
"Ok, your hunting and I installed ... we already ate the bird and the eggs".
"Let's find a place to stay and then I'll go for the food." Kim says without seeing her. "I hope I do not have to hunt rabbits." nervous.