Encounter in Strife

Chapter 2: In the Amazon

 
Salvania, Phinly
04-22-20
 
The chilling air gradually subsided as the morning sun dried the last flakes of frost in the vast jungle of Salvania. Birds are happily singing, welcoming a new day as nature dances towards a glorious spring, with the sun manifesting a radiant hope. The budding of flowers is so magnificent; clear rivers continued flowing as the forest once again harbored its mystic appearance.
 
In the southwestern region of this paradise, a tribe exists. As early as it is, smoke is coming from the burning of tree branches set in the ground by the natives, who are savoring the warmth it provides. 
 
Around them are houses made out of stones and grasses. The bases are stones, and the roof and walls were made out of a huge stack of leaves with tree roots that serve as a binder, tying everything together. 
 
However, what stands out the most in that area are the unusual four houses made out of concrete, each of which is about a hundred square meters wide.

In the middle of a jungle with primitive people, how could this be possible? 
 
  
One of those concrete houses served as a school for the children; the other one served as a community kitchen and dining area. Although most of the time, they prefer cooking and eating outside, especially on certain occasions, however, this kitchen is very convenient in times of winter and rainy seasons. It is also where foods and kitchen utensils are stored and preserved. 
 
The other house is divided into four bedrooms: one for the elderly, one for the children, one for the adults, and the last one for the lactating mothers. The people are very open-minded, and it is their custom to sleep together regardless of gender. There were no beds, but the rooms are very clean, cozy, and filled with soft Calvin Klein cushions. 
 
The last one serves as a hospital; it is where the sick are confined. Where people get treatments and where medicines are stored.
 
 
"Sister, sister Zula, look, spring is coming," a child said to a fair and beautiful woman dressed in a thick black coat with a bonnet and a muffler. 
Fortunately, the natives' language is English. 
 
 
"Yes, and it's beautiful." She said it softly, with a smile. 
 
Soon after, 19 more children, who ranged in age from 8 to 15 years old, immediately went to see Zula.
 
The women of that tribe, on the other hand, are preparing food while the men are digging holes 20 meters away from the house. They were digging as deep as they could. 
 
Later on, the chief went to see Zula. He looks over a hundred years old, clothed in new silk robes and a pair of black leather boots. He is wearing golden earrings, necklaces, and piercings. His hands and ankles are tattooed heavily, and his long hair is tied neatly in a bun. He is also wearing a crown made out of a peacock's feathers, so bright and colorful, adorned with beautiful small gems hanging up to his neck and covering his head. The chief also has a fine wooden cane with him, sculpted and designed with figures similar to his tattoos. 
 
 
"Zula, dear, we would like to thank you for what you've done. The moment you came, there were no more deaths, unlike before, when almost half of us would easily die during the winter. But now you have given us a comfortable home, clothes, and delicious foods; you have healed the sick, and now you teach the children how to write and read. "There's nothing we can do to pay you back," the chief humbly said.
 
Zula smiled; her eyes were shining, and her cheeks were glowing as the rays of the sun shone over them. 
 
"Chief, it's an honor to help; besides, I'm not actually the one who gave all of this to you; it's the corporations and charity centers far from here who made all of this possible. Reaching out to you is the least I could do."
 

"You are beautiful and so down to earth."
"Please accept this pendant as our token of gratitude."
 
The chief replied as he removed a black yarn around his neck, adorned with beads made out of gems with a magnificent emerald green jewel at the center. The emerald green stone was shaped sharply in a triangular manner, where each side is so sharp that it can be used as a knife. This is believed to be worn by the best hunters of their village, and only those with the greatest physical fitness can wear that pendant without it cutting or hurting their neck. 
 
That day, after breakfast, the tribe held a ritual and buried their loved ones. These are the people who died of old age during that winter.
 
Winter is the most devastating season for them because that's when many of them are dying. Children and the elderly are more prone to death. However, when Zula arrived, she gave them a home and treated the sick and the wounded. She prevented countless deaths, but of course, she can't do anything to interfere with the immortality of human beings when it comes to natural deaths. 
 
 
When they were done, Zula bid farewell and went back to her temporary house, which is a kilometer away from the village. The Geographic Institute and Diversity Protection actually contacted Zula about their recent discovery. When they were exploring Salvania, they made roads until they reached a flat terrain with people on it. The natives are somewhat scared at first, but later on, the institution managed to communicate with them. Just after that, they contacted foundations and companies that were willing to help, and that's how those concrete buildings and roads were fixed. 
 
Just a kilometer from the tribe is a wide plateau. It could've been the perfect place to build a fortress for the tribe; however, the natives considered this area to be somewhat cursed.
 
During the construction of the houses, Zula also requested the workers to build her a small house on the plateau. She chose to stay there in order not to cause the natives any hassle by taking good care of her. They see her as a goddess who has blessed them with many things. If not for her forbidding them, they would be willing to worship her.
 
Zula's temporary home is an 80-square-meter apartment with a built-in balcony that serves as her bedroom. 
Her house has three rooms: the kitchen, the comfort room, and a room for medical purposes. The the rest of the house is used as the living room equipped with wooden tables and chairs. This living room is where she usually does physical examinations for the tribe. 
 
 
Aside from serving as a home, it also serves as a local clinic for the villagers. When Zula came into their lives, they weren't afraid to visit the plateau anymore. For so long, they considered this place a haven of wrath because it was the coldest during winter and they could hear the howling of the wind, which they considered the voice of the devil.