Giovanni journeys through the Milkyway aboard the train, Bahia Minas. Traveling through the stars each constellation provides a challenge; with each stop and each task attempted leads him one step closer to finding something he has buried, lost, and...
Surrounded by water are we, the rivers and Atlantic Ocean are my neighbors. Natural roads of white sand lightly shaded by the palm trees, they stretch for miles with little traffic on them. There are more footprints than tire tracks, more drinks being supplied to fuel the masses than gas to fuel the cars and more foreigners than locals living here these days.
Many of the families that live here ran away from their homelands to find refuge here. Walking down the street, I pass house after house of single mothers, single fathers-widows who have lost their loved one to rebellions or as I see it-change. Here, the sun never shies away, the water stays warm and calm, and how the breeze ever so gently caresses the face reminds me of the home I used to know. Change is only beginning and the native residents are feeling it. I guess it's only natural for humans to feel uncomfortable with the forced integration of so many cultures.
In the State of Bahia, physically we are the land that links Caravelas to Nova Vicosa from our harbor on one side of a river, politically we are the town of runaways, socially we are a band of misfits, mentally we are a land of blended cultures, economically we are poor, and spiritually we are lost.
They say there used to be a train that ran from Aracuai with its last stop being Ponta de Areia, but the railroad tracks were ordered to be pulled up decades ago after a war or the militia took control or something. Small houses with small yards, churches for the Catholics and none for others, one school for each academic milestone; a poor land in paradise is now the place I call home.
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In a small shack in a secluded area near the ocean, a boy rub's his eyes and yawns. He hears footstep approaching his room and snuggles under his blanket to shield himself from the imminent sunlight.
"Wake up, Giovanni, it's time to go to school." His mother says as she opens the blinds and window in his room so the morning can greet him.
"Just a few more minutes; I was having a good dream."
"A dream is a dream and you need to wake up now."
"I hate going to school. Those kids are cruel."
"Don't worry about them, just focus on school. You know education is highly-valued in this family."
"I'm not moving until dad returns. Is dad home, yet? When will he join us here? It's been six months since we left Italy and I haven't heard from him."
*Cough, cough, cough. His mother covers her mouth and rubs her chest.
"Mom, your cough is getting worse and you look weaker. You need to rest- I can take care of you today since sis is at work."
"Your father will join us soon and your sister is doing all she can to support us. I'm the one sick, not you-so you need to go to school." He slowly gets out of bed while his mother goes to the kitchen.
