Surprise Allies
Kwame looks up. "Maybe we can get some more help. I have an idea!"
Quietly, they sneak up on the small crowd as they protest and wave their signs. From the group, a dark-skinned boy of medium height walks away, laying down his sign.
"Jose, wait!" A woman calls out.
"Mama, if only we could show that something important lived here. Then those mean men would have to stop killing everything." The boy replies, sounding a bit discouraged. "No one bothers with signs."
"Kwame, go check out that gathering." Ma-Ti says. "I just had an idea."
Kwame nods and walks out into the growing crowd, looking around at the signs amid the noise. A tall lady turns to him.
"Did you come to help?" She asks.
"Actually, I am trying to stop a man named Plunder from destroying the forest." Kwame replies.
"Well, this is the front line of that battle! People need to know what is going on, and how it will hurt them. I believe people can change if you show them the truth and trust the good in them." She says with a smile. "Jose, don't go too far!"
"Is your son, okay?" Kwame asks.
She nods. "Jose is a caring person, but he needs to be active and feel like he's making a difference. I think all the books and movies don't really connect with him anymore."
Meanwhile, Ma-Ti quietly follows the boy down to the edge of the water, watching silently. The slightly heavy, barefoot boy in the matching red shorts and t-shirt kneels on the bank, and peers in. For a moment, he splashes at the water with his hand. Waiting, he sits back.
"If only something were here!" The boy sighs.
With a nod, Ma-Ti points his ring at the water. "Heart!"
His ring pulses for a moment. Suddenly, the water splashes up and the boy hops to his feet. Click! Click! Click! From the water emerges the pinkish snout of a dolphin. Whoosh! Water sprays up into the air and rains down, as the animal clears it's blowhole while flapping it's fins. Pheeew! Click! Click! Click! Jose laughs and smiles, waving to the friendly visitor.
"Hey, how did you get here?" He asks excitedly, kneeling and reaching out to the dolphin.
"This is his home." Ma-Ti says softly, causing the boy to look up. "He is a young river dolphin; one of many creatures living in the forest."
The boys stands and turns to Ma-Ti with a look of complete astonishment on his face. As the young planeteer slowly comes closer, he looks him over as if he isn't sure the visitor is real.
"So it is real!" He finally says. "I'm Jose Pablos. If the dolphins are real, does that make the stories of indigenous people real too?"
Ma-Ti pauses, looking at him with a blank stare for a moment. "I am Ma-Ti. What are indigen people?"
"Indigenous people are the original people who lived here. Long ago, my mama told me there were people, whole families that call this forest home. She says they have always been here." Jose replies, scratching his head. "I think they are called Kayapo Indians. A child, like you and me, living among the trees and fishing in the river for their food. What if there was someone, just like us, living in this forest?"
For a moment, Ma-Ti scratches his head, looking around slowly nodded. "I live with my grandfather in a grass hut. We call ourselves the Mebêngôkre."
Jose sighs, coming closer to Ma-Ti. "It's all real. The dolphins, the people, the amazing animals. We're fighting for something that is out there. Can we still save it?"
Ma-Ti nods, wiping around the dolphin's blowhole. "Go in peace my friend!"
The dolphin jumps, splashing them as it disappears into the river. Slowly he stands and turns to the boy with him.
"This is wonderful!" Jose says. "Maybe, you are the person who can save this beautiful forest. People need to know you and your family are real."
Ma-Ti slowly walks over to another bush and scoops up a small frog, wiping it off with his hand. It is bright green with big red eyes. Together the boys look it over, studying it's beautiful patterns.
"These are okay. Yellow frogs make you sick if you pick them up."
"Why?"
He shrugs. "My grandfather says they are poison!"
Kwame sits on the river bank, watching as a pair of colorful parrots swoops from the trees for a drink. The sound of screeching in the tree above, causes the young boy to look up. Suddenly, a little brown monkey with ruffled fur drops down hanging by its tail. Jose jumps, and moves back.
Ma-Ti chuckles. "Quit fooling around, Suchi! He will not hurt you, Suchi is my pet spider monkey."
All three of them begin to laugh.
"Well friends, there's work to be done." Kwame explains.
Ma-Ti nods, pushing the bushes aside. Hidden inside is a large sandy brown animal with tiny ears, that looks a little bit like a guinea pig, with longer fur. The young boy slowly wipes the thick sludge from its fur. When he can, he tries to get some clear water to help with the slow, laborious task.
"What's that?" Kwame asks.
"This is a capybara; they live in and around the river."
Jose scoops an iguana from the water and wipes it off. The animal is covered in cuts and small sores. It seems to be lost, and have no sense of direction. That is when he spots tiny round, shiny beads on its back.
"Look at this strange stuff. It looks like silver, but it seems to be liquid."
"Don't touch that!" Kwame shouts, grabbing the boy's hand. "It's called mercury, and it's a poison. We must wash it off fast! Come!"
They run over to a nearby source of water, and quickly begin to clean the strange metal off. In their hands the lizard seems to tremble. It's slow breathing is apparent in the way the lizard's sides move in and out. Ma-Ti shakes his head as he continues to try and wash the thick, muck from the capybara's tangled fur.
"Why would someone do all of this for a rock? How can people be so heartless?"
"Let's hope our friends are having success stopping Greedly and Plunder!" Kwame replies.
Just then, the two of them look up. In the distance, they seem someone headed for the edge of the river with a water container in hand.
"Oh no, the water is poisoned. We must warn them!" Ma-Ti says, jumping to his feet. "No! Stop!"
They see the person dip a bucket into the river. Now Kwame leaps to his feet and runs too.
"Stop! You can't drink that!" He yells, waving his arms.
