Uncontacted 2.0

Untitled Part 7

Katavialeaves outsider's village

Joao's home was small and dark inside.I did not want to go in. There were small animals I did not recognizethat yapped at my heels and a child crying in a way that left bruiseson my skin.

Joao gestured for me to follow himinside, but I hovered just outside the door. The sound of voicesarguing wafted toward me from inside, boiling and sharp, then Joaosaid something and a boy's voice protested.

I peeked around the corner into thedarkness. Only, there was only Joao and a skinny boy a little youngerthan me. No child, no arguing adults.

The boy was protesting from his placeon the ground. He sat in front of a box lit up with the faces ofangry people.

My breath caught in my throat.

I crossed into the darkness and kneltin front of the box, pressing my fingers on the faces. They did notrespond. How could I make it work? Peter had told me wild storiesabout boxes with people inside that talked to each other, butcouldn't see out, that lived lives that we could watch. It waswitchcraft, I'd told him. A curse from a rival tribe trapping people.I'd told him that if I ever found one I would break it open to setthe people free.

Peter had just laughed.

The skinny boy pushed me away fromthe—what had Peter called it? Teevee?-- and I pushed him backharder for his disrespect. Joao pressed something that made the boxgo dark. The boy shouted at his father, gesturing toward me. He wasin need of a slap and I itched to fill that need.

"It's a lot to take in all at once,"said Joao with a shrug. "This is my son, Luiz."

Luiz glowered at me and I stared back,disappointed. His eyes were dark like his father's. Peter's had beenthe color of the afternoon sky, of orchids and the Macaw's wings. Ihad thought all—or at least more of the outsiders would havePeter's eyes, just as all my people had eyes the color of cacaobeans. Here was another outsider with eyes the color of generationspast, just like mine.

I retreated to a corner of the room tochew on this, on everything. These floors were dirt, but Peter hadtold me of soft coverings that sank beneath your feet and sleeping onclouds. He said his people could cool the air. This air felt the sameas the air I had been sucking on when I lived among the trees exceptfor the smell.

He had brought a small, hard objectonce to show me a game his people played. "You push the buttons andget points." But he said it didn't work because it had gotten wet.I almost thought he was bluffing because the forest intimidated himand he could not manage a blowgun so I'd taken it from him. However,he brought piktchers as well.Flat prisons for people's souls.The faces smiled out, but when the piktcherwas turned over, it was blank. My skin was bumpy as I remembered it.He said it was his family, but that was a terrible thing to do tothem.

Joao handed me some food that didn't smell like food. "It's notmuch," he shrugged.

I took a bite and swallowed as fast asI could, my stomach gurgling.

"I need to contact some friends,"he said. "I will be right back." He was folding and unfolding hishands in front of him and he couldn't look me in the eye. He pickedup a small, flat box and left. YOU could addmore description here.

Luiz still scowled from his place nextto the box and I did not want to stay. The boy watched his father go,but the box was lit up before his father was through the door. Hewatched me leave with his chin jutting out. Luiz was lucky I followedJoao out of the hut.