Pocahontas

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

POCAHONTAS

I lead John Smith by the hand along the edge of the river then down the steep slope beside the waterfall. We both slip and go almost all the way to the bottom but He grabs a tree branch and we're both saved, Not that much damage would have been done anyway. Meeko is less fortunate. He slips and despite Flits attempts to save him by the tail he slides all the way to the bottom. John Smith and I reach the bottom and I help Meeko brush all of the leaves and dirt out of his fur. Although we should feel sorryy for such and innocent, I mean helpless creature we laugh anyway. Meeko shoots us a dirty look and scampers ahead to the pond where Grandmother Willow sits. Meeko scurries up her branches into a hole on her side followed by Flit. John Smith and precariously cross over one of her roots above the water and sit on the old stump across from her.

"This place is incredible,"says John Smith, "And we came all this way just to dig it up for gold,"

The new word gold sparks some interest in me.

"Gold?" I ask, "What's gold,"

"It's yellow, it comes out of the ground, it's realy valuable,"

I suddenly realize he must be talking about what we call corn.

"Oh gold! here, we have lots of it!" I say, taking the husk of corn from Meeko who has come back down the tree. I hand the "gold" to John Smith.

When I hand him the corn he seems a bit confused, but takes something out of his pocket.

"Gold is this," he says, handing a flat circular object to me. It has small words, likely his peoples language, engraved around the edges. the thing is yellow and shimmerms in the sunlight.

"There's nothing like that around here," I say. Meeko quickly snathes the gold from my hand and when he finds out it can't be eaten throws it into the water.

"No gold?" asks John Smith.

"Not that I've seen," I answer.

John Smith laughs before saying, "All this way for nothing, those boys are in for a big suprise,"

I am reminded once more of John Smith's men, and I'm concerned again about the conflicts of our people.

"Will they leave?" I ask.

"Some of them might," he replies.

Another thought occurs to me, John Smith might leave with his other men if no gold can be found.

"Will go home?" I blurt out.

"Well it's not like I have much of a home to go back to," he says, "I've never realy belonged anywhere,"

"Then you cann belong here," I say. Suddenly I realize I may have made my love for him a little to obvious, but I can't admit this. I can't let myself fall in love. It will cause more trouble.

Suddenly I hear someone call out."Smith, where are you mate?!"

John smith quickly hurries me behind Grandmother Willow and says,"Stay here, Those are some of my men, They've probably ben looking for me for ages. I've got to go. Meet me here tommorow,"

Before I can say anything he's gone and him and his friends voices fade into the distance.

* * *

The next day, and the next day, and the next, John Smith and I meet at the same spot. Every time I almost let a confession of love spill out or even hint it, I shut myself up quick. There's no way we can be together. It just wouldn't be possible.

We both do learn alot over the next week. I already know how to speak John Smith's language, so he doesn't bother teaching me, but he proves to be a fast learner and pickes up about a quarter of my language with ease.

One of the first things I asked him to teach me about was the lightning weapon whish his people call a "gun" He even teaches me how to shoot it, but We never let the "bullets" fly. he says he would have been able to shoot an animal easier before he met me. I tell him all the practices we do to put the animal spirits at ease after we have maimed of killed them.

We draw in the mud and try to make maps of our villages. Mine is nothing compared to the London village.

After he leaves today I realize I still haven't introduced him to grandmother willow who we so frequently sit beneath. I'll have to put that on my list for tommorow.