Chapter 10
POCAHONTAS
I stare intently into John Smith's shiny hat.
"It's called a helmet," he says.
"Helmet," I repeat.
"It's a type of armor, it protects me from injury,"
"What is it made of?" I ask.
"Iron," Replies John Smith.
"Iron?" I ask but john Smith asks me another question instead.
"What river is this?" he asks, gesturing to the wide and wildly flowing water.
"Choyoukahonik," I reply.
I try on John Smith's helmet.
"You have most unusual names here," says John Smith, "Chickahomony, Choyoukahonik, Pocahontas,"
The helmet slips forward on my face and he lifts it up to uncover my eyes.
"You have a most unusual name too," I say, "John Smith,"
My eyebrows crease at how strange the word feels on my lips.
"Hey!" John Smith shouts. I realize Meeko has silently slipped into John Smith's bag and begun to eat something. John Smith picks him up by the tail.
"Is this bottomless pit a friend of yours?" he asks.
"This is Meeko," I reply.
I gently let John Smith lower Meeko into my arms.
"How do you do Meeko?" asks John Smith. He extends a hand and Meeko searches it desperately for something else to eat. When he finds nothing he sits in my lap with an angry expresion. John Smith still holds out his hand. What is he doing? I think.
"It's just a handshake," he says. "Let me show you,"
He holds his hand out for a few seconds and I stare at it, wondering what I'm looking for. I stare at John Smith with a questioning look.
"Nothing's happening," I say.
"I need your hand first," he says.
meeko jumps from my lap and scampers away. I extend my hand out to John Smith's and he grabs it firmly, shaking it up and down.
"It's how we say hello," he says.
Now I begin to show John Smith some of my people's ways.
"This is how we say hello," I say. i move my hand in a big circular motion. "Wingapo,"
John Smith repeats after me and makes the same motions. "Wingapo," he says.
"And this is how we say goodbye," I say. I move my hand in another circular motion and this time say "Anah," John Smith puts his hand on mine and moves it back the other way.
"I like hello better," he says.
Suddenly Flit comes barging in with a flurry of feathers, squeeking violently at John Smith.
"I remember you," he says.
Flit buzzes around john smith's head a few times and land on my finger.
"Flit just doesn't like strangers," I say.
"Well I'm not a stranger anymore," John Smith replies.
He tries to reach out and pet Flit but Flit doesn't want anything to do with him.
"Stubborn little fellow isn't he?" says John Smith
"Very stubborn," I reply.
"What?" says John Smith.
Meeko has beun to dig in the bag again and this time pops his head out holding a bronze colored circle with an arrow on one side.
"Meeko," I say. I've simply had enough of his antics for the day.
"Don't worry," says John Smith, "He can't hurt it.
Meeko tries to bite it open and after a few seconds gives up and resolves to hitting it as hard as he can on the rock beside us.
"Hey!" shouts John Smith. He grabs for Meeko but he gets away and scurries quickly up the tree.
"What was that?" I ask. I stand up and begin scanning the branches for Meeko.
"My compass," says John Smith.
"Compass?" I repeat.
"Yes," says John Smith, "It tells me how to find my way when I get lost, but it's alright, I'll get another one when I get back to london,"
"London, is that your village?" I ask.
"Yes," says John Smith, "It's a very big village,"
"What's it like?"
"It has steets filled with carriges, bridges over the rivers, and buildings as tall as trees,"
"I'd like to see those things,"
"You will,"
"How?"
"We're going to build them here,"
YOU ARE READING
Pocahontas
Historical FictionIn 1607, over 100 men set out to discover the new world. Among them was the famous explorer John Smith. He was looking for adventure, and he certainly found it. But what he didn't expect to find was true love which is exactly what he found when he m...
