Chapter Three
It didn't take long for everytihng to be set, wanna go? okay you're going. Just like that. I was glad about it because otherwise I would have changed my mind.
"What can you tell me about the Cobpen tribe?" I asked Eric. I spoke loudly because the car was moving fast and because the car got hot, the windows were down and the wind was making a lot of noise. At least it wasn't hot.
"It isn't the first time outsiders have visited so they do understand english but not all and those who do speak broken english. You should be able to get by though, em…they have a really great culture. They take care of each other, for example the older kids look after the young when there's no adults; the adults are either taking care of their hut or harvesting, hunting, farming.
Jobs are sexually segregated, women stay home, pick the berries, while the men farm, harvest and leave them for long hours to bring back food for the entire tribe. The tribe divides the food as evenly as possible.
It might sound sexist but it's not; the reason why the girls are 'housewives' is because women are symbols of fertility for the tribe and it is their belief that they shouldn't do strenous work. They think that they aren't built for 'men's' work. The men are afraid they'll get hurt and that as a result they won't be able to bear healthy babies. That means less men for hunting and less women for breeding. Their tribe is small as it is."
"Right…"
"Their culture centers around 'life' and serenity, living as peaceful as possible so their souls go on to the after life instead of being stuck on earth. They live by a massive lake that is also the migration location for swans. That's were the names for the single women come from; they're called Cygnets.
You know right now there aren't many females so…we suggest you don't fall in love with one." He said with a smile. I chuckled.
"I don't think that'll happen."
It didn't take long for us to be taken there. We were dropped off at a river and there were Cobpens waiting for us on many canoe shaped boats. They were all stark naked and I focused on their tan faces.
They introduced themselves as Mika, Tilar, Koner, Ostin, and Lorent. They were all about younger than us, between the ages of twenty and twenty eight. Us guys were between thirty and thirty-four.
Eric, James (a person who could get us back to the mainland if something happened to one of us) and I laughed hard, our voices echoing in the forest, as we tried to get into the boats without falling into the river. The Cobpens laughed, one said "It's because of those alien things on thier feet," so I wasn't sure if it was at us or with us but either way I was embarrassed at having to need to take another man's hand.
"After crossing the river we have to hike through the jungle to get to the center." James said.
"Is it far?" I asked.
"About…fourteen hours-"
"Diles k vamos caminar hasta k le noche caiga y despues siguimos caminando antes k'el sol se levanta. Llegamos a la hora de lunchear."
"Whart sis he say?" I asked.
"He said we'll walk until sound down then start up again before sunrise and we should get there by lunch time." James translated.
"You mean we're camping out?"
"I'll be just like that trip we all took!" Eric cried happily.
"Yeah…" I remember that time all too cleary. The jocks, including Tanya's then boyfriend, 'kidnapped' me in the middle of the night and threw me into the lake. They joked they were baptizing me and I was going to be 'fit' to join their club. I only went because Tanya said she was going and I had thought she invited me-I'll admit I wanted to see her in a bikini but I was teen then. It did make me feel better after being thrown into the lake.
"How long have we been walking?" I asked James. I had refrained from asking until my feet started getting sore.
"About five hours, four more and four more miles to go." I let out my breath in a huff. One of the men infront laughed and said:
"Sta debil el huero,"
"No va durar en el campo!"
"Callanse k ellos entiende!" another scolded.
"I guess they're the few that don't speak english. They said you're weak because you're already tired. These men have traveled to the lake to pick us up and are returning without taking a break. The third guy told them to shut up because we can understand what they're saying."
I'll never complain again.
We kept walking as the sun set until the sky was a deep purple. Then, we began settling in for the night on a pile of leaves the length of my arm.
Like the man said, we were walking again before the sun rose; it was difficult to become aware again, none of us were used to waking up at 5 am and the men woke us up with two sharp rocks forward. The eldest, Lorent, patted our heads and backs roughly to encourage us to go forth strongly.
I was completely awake after the first mile but after the second I wanted my coffee. After the third I was suffering from a migraine from the lack of coffee and breaking my fast. One more hour to go.
Mika, Tilar, Koner, and Ostin jumped through the curtain of leaves while Lorent held them aside for us and the camera. We thanked him with a bow of our heads, as they did us when we arrived, for coming, and entered a clearing of bright green grass. Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at us. We stood there in our sweaty t-shirts and kahkis like idiots.
"Los hueros estan aqui!" Lorent cried.
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