The Arcturus Man (45 page)

Idel and Zobeida talked for a few minutes.
Jenny didn’t know what they were
saying but Zobeida would look at Jenny and smile from time to time.
Several other
women came in while the two of them talked.
The new arrivals were dressed similar to
Zobeida. The only differences were in the color of their blouses.
They were all young,
except one woman who had white hair and was obviously very old.
“The rest of Jose’s family is fishing. They be back soon for dinner,” said Idel. “I
must leave now.
Zobeida and the women will take care of you. You have nothing to be
concerned about. They are happy to have a visitor.”
Idel took Jenny’s hands in his and looked into her eyes.
“You will be safe here and I know that you will learn to enjoy living with Jose
and Zobeida. Jared will be returning soon. Have no fear about that Jenny.”
The women were carrying a small clothes bundle. Idel picked up the garments.
“They are going to dress you in Kuna clothing.
Zobeida said that there is little
that they can do to hide your blond hair, but at least from a distance you are going to look
like a Kuna.” He picked up a scarf. “This is called a muswe. The skirt is saboured. The
patterns sewn on are molas. The Kuna are quite famous for their molas and they are very
proud of them.
Tourists flock to the islands to buy molas.
The bracelets (he picked up
one) are made of colored beads and small pearls. They are called uinnis.”
“I don’t get a nose ring, do I?” asked Jenny.
“We will dispense with the nose ring,” laughed Idel.
He removed his hat and
bowed slightly. “I will be back tomorrow. Please have a pleasant evening.”
With that he was gone. As soon as he left the women gathered around Jenny and
began to help her undress.
They took all of her clothes. One of the younger women left
with her clothes. Jenny was standing naked in the middle of the room.
The little boy
made her uncomfortable but he didn’t seem to pay any attention to her.
He was busy
with what looked like a comic book.
The women were, however, very interested in the
fact that Jenny had no pubic hair.
They didn’t giggle or laugh.
Rather, they seemed to
see this as some kind of personal medical problem. It just wasn’t right. Their expressions
were very serious, but still friendly.
Jenny was embarrassed.
They slowly dressed her from the bundle.
Jose walked in the front door but the
women quickly shooed him away.
“Lo siento,” said Jose. He disappeared again.
Nudity was unlikely to be a big deal for the Kuna so Jenny was pleased that this
was a clear sign that they were trying hard to be respectful of her sensitivities and unfamiliarity with their culture.
One of the women took the glass top off of an oil lamp and scooped some lamp
black from the glass with her finger. Jenny was taller than all of the women. They sat her
down in a chair.
The woman rubbed the lamp black into the blond hair above her forehead.
Jenny couldn’t see a mirror anywhere in the room but it was obvious that the
women weren’t very happy about the result. Jenny tried to peer up, but just couldn’t see
what her hair color was now.
Another woman walked over to Jenny and handed her a
sanitary pad. It was American. The box had words Jenny could read. Jenny nodded and
thanked the woman. She put it aside, hand gesturing that she would use it later.
The young girl who took Jenny’s clothes returned with a mirror.
It wasn’t large,
but as the girl back off a few steps, Jenny could see her own reflection quite well.
She
looked like a princess.
The Kuna dress was resplendent.
Jenny smiled broadly.
The
women were obviously pleased and chattered and walked around Jenny, admiring their
work.
The young girl took Jenny’s hand and led her out of the house. All of the women
followed in a single file. They walked down to the beach and then down the shoreline to
a small cove.
She let go of Jenny’s hand and began to undress. All of the women were
undressing, including the old woman.
They gestured for Jenny to undress, so she did,
very slowly.
There were men working on their boats up the beach.
They weren’t that
close and they didn’t seem to be paying any attention to what the women were doing.
One by one, the women walked into the water and began to bathe. Jenny was still a little
self-conscious, but once she entered the water, she regained a little modesty and began to
enjoy it.
The water was warm and the waves were soft and gentle.
She thought she
might like it here after all. The young girl began to splash water at Jenny. Jenny
screeched and the game began. Soon, all of the women were laughing and splashing.
The sun was setting in the western horizon.
She thought about Jared and that he
was looking at the same setting sun.
It made her feel better that they were sharing the
sun.
Was it still December or had the New Year already started? She wasn’t sure. She
had no idea what day it was. What did it matter!

Jared followed the cayucos into a river estuary. It had no name on the map. It frequently changed its course so the government didn’t bother to name it. Sometimes, especially during the rainy season, it was difficult to distinguish between river and swamp.
Only the Kuna knew what it was called or where the true river meandered.

Several older men accompanied Jared. These men were expert trackers and hunters.
They spoke Kuna among themselves and with Jared.
They did not speak Spanish.
He followed the river until it was just too shallow to go much farther. He worked
the StarWind gently up to a river bank.
Nele and Lopez came over to help him take his
gear off the boat.
Sebastián was good with boats.
He would take the StarWind back to
Perla Island. Jared looked at the impression the boat left on the bank. There was a deep
scar in the mud.
That was good.
It was important that Rubio not miss it.
Of course, it
shouldn’t be too obvious.
A slant-nosed gar slowly surfaced next to the boat.
“
Ctenolucius hujeta
,” thought Jared.
It was a beautiful fish.
It was just curious.
A few caymen slid back into the river not far upstream.
“Caiman crocodiles,” said Jared out load.
Why was the Latin necessary, but the Latin was like anointing them. It brought
them to life. You have to speak their true names. Panama also had alligators and crocodiles, but they were fairly rare.
Only the crocodiles were a concern, but only a slight
concern.
Jared grabbed his equipment and put them into a small cayuco. He waved goodbye to Nele and Lopez.
They would be back when they had something new to report.
Jared had already been warned that Rubio and his men—about twenty this time—where
no more than 2 kilometers away, farther down the coast toward Colombia. In this rain
forest, 2 kilometers might as well be 200. The jungle was dense. Until you tried to walk
in it, you couldn’t possible imagine how impenetrable the growth was.
The region between Panama and Colombia was a dangerous place. Even the Panamanians tried to avoid it.
Drug runners often went into that region from Colombia.
The Government of Panama would frequently round up the Colombians and ship them
back to Colombia. Some were refugees but many more were undesirables.
He pushed off and began to paddle inland. The small cayuco had a very shallow
draft. There weren’t many places it couldn’t go. He kept a long pole in the boat for places were it was too overgrown to paddle.
He used his machete as much as possible to
clear vines and branches.
He wanted to leave a trail. Rubio’s men were spread out east
and west looking for signs.
Some of the Chocó Rubio’s men recuited had already told
him of seeing a
Norte Americano
on the coast.
Jared made sure he could be found, but
not too easily. The trail had to be just right.
It was now late afternoon. The sun was setting in the western horizon. He thought
of Jenny and wondered what she was doing. It would get dark quickly. Jared had paddled
and poled for about an hour.
He was now deep into the rain forest.
He found a large
pool next to a high river bank. It looked like a good place to camp. He beached the boat
and covered it with leaves and other natural debris.
He grabbed his gear and began to
walk inland. He loved the rain forest. He loved it almost as much as the sea. These were
ancient, deep-rooted memories buried deep within his genes—deep within his genetic
memory of ages past. He felt alive again. It was a familiar and welcoming home.
Ants and other insects dropped down on him as he hacked his way deeper into the
jungle.
He wiped them off taking care they didn’t get under his collar. The vine snakes
couldn’t be seen. They weren’t aggressive so it was simply better to forget about them, so
long as he didn’t touch them.
He kept going deeper. He needed to get close to the Mohinga Swamp.
He had to get away from the river.
It was never safe to camp too near the river.
Jared had thick cleated boots. The canvas sides and grommeted holes allowed the boots
to drain, and if it ever stopped raining, to dry.
It was U.S. Army issue. The Kuna saved
everything and gifted him the boots.
The terrain was hilly. They were small hills but the forest floor was covered with
rotted leaves and other slimy vegetation. It was easy to slip as you tired to climb. If you
began to fall, it was almost inevitable that you would grab a palm with long black sharp
needles.
The needles would break within the skin. Infection was quick in the jungle. It
could take less than one day—sometimes hours.
It was better to simply fall if you were
going to fall. Trying to catch yourself could be worse.
Jared knew that the afternoon rain would start any minute now. He quickly built a
fire. There was no danger of anyone spotting the fire or even the smoke. This was a bona fide rain forest after all. It would also be dark soon. The bats were already swooping
down to catch insects attracted by the light and the fire.
might get very close, but there was no danger of being hit.
and they were excellent navigators.
He found two trees with forks close to the ground.
Jared ignored the bats. They
They had no interest in him

He had to get his
bohio
built
before it got too dark.
The mosquito swarms would be arriving soon as well.
He cut
some poles and ran them between the trees. He checked each tree to make sure it wasn’t
an ant tree.
It was easy to miss but when thousands of biting ants emerged they would
quickly let you know that you weren’t welcomed in their tree. These weren’t ant trees.

The
bohio
was important. Being just a few feet above the forest floor was all that
was needed.
This was, after all, the land of the fer d’lance and the bushmaster.
These
were deadly and aggressive snakes. They would retreat if you took measures to ensure
that they could sense you coming, but first they stood their ground. Finding a bushmaster
beneath your
bohio
in the morning wasn’t all that uncommon.

Jared crossed the poles with smaller branches and then placed a thick layer of
palm fronds on top. It was very comfortable. He strung cords higher up on the tree and
formed a tent with mosquito netting.
We walked into the jungle and dug out a shallow
latrine.

It started to rain. He built up the fire so it was large enough that the rain wouldn’t
put it out. Everything gets wet in a rain forest. It stays wet. It was important to get used
to everything being wet. It was something you simply had to accept if you were going to
live in the jungle.
The Kuna would say that the jungle was neither your friend nor your
enemy. It merely had to be faced on its own terms—not man’s.

The rain was good.
It would keep the mosquitoes down.
Jared built up the fire
again and then climbed into his
bohio
.
The growth was so thick you could be less than
10 meters from someone else and not see or hear them. The jungle was very noisy. Jared
relaxed and listened to the night sounds. It was beautiful. He fell asleep quickly.
As soon as he fell asleep, Jared had a dream that he has had hundreds of times before.

He is in a book antiquarian.
He is browsing through old books. He
comes across the same book he always finds in this dream.
He glances
at the title, already knowing what it would be.
Floral Rocks
.
He asks
himself the same questions he always asks. Is this a book about mineral
crystals that look like flowers?
Is it about cave formations and exotic
stalagmites? Is it something else? What are floral rocks? He can’t read
the author’s name. It is covered in dust and the name has been partially
rubbed away by age. He can never open the pages to learn what the book
is about. He is distracted by the appearance of a beguiling young woman on the opposite side of the row of book cases.
He looks through the
shelf and can only see parts of her, one part at a time as he moves his
head. She is beautiful. She is stunning. She is bare. He peaks though a
lower shelf and sees a perfect, lilting breast. He straightens again and
tries to see her face, but he can only see an enchanting smile, or her dark
radiant eyes, or her sensuous lips. It is maddening.
What does she look
like? Why is she naked? They seem to be alone but there must be many
people in the antiquarian.
What is her name? He doesn’t know.
He
rushes down the aisle and back to where the mysterious girl is standing.
Someone opens the front door and a blast of wind blows dust in his eyes.
She is gone. The wind begins to howl. He searches aisle after aisle but
cannot find her. Then he wakes.

Jared opened his eyes, still thinking about the floral rocks girl. She was haunting
him again.
He shook it off.
He rolled to one side to check the area below the
bohio
to
make sure no snakes had been attracted by the warmth of his body. It was clear. He lifted
the netting and swung his legs over. He stood up. What a beautiful morning. He walked
outside the camp and used the latrine.
He promptly covered it up again and dug a new
latrine.