by Sam Puma
When they turned the corner, the light was immense, and Jankaro had to close his eyes. The singing was loud and impassioned, but other songs in other languages could be heard behind it and within it, all woven together in a multidimensional symphony by the voices of these varied animal men and the ancient souls incarnated within them.
When he opened his eyes it was like a dream of the impossible, beyond all wild imaginings. The other five men had laid his body parts on a stone slab, and placed them against each other in the alignment where they would be if he were lying on his back. As they sang, they held their hands aloft and made gestures. Much like Anhael had done in the chamber, they produced spirals of light and color as they sang that emerged from their mouths. The light came down into his body parts, projecting images all over the ceiling and the walls. The entire chamber was filled with glowing light of many colors, symbols, ancient writings, birds in flight, people dancing, and strange creatures. It was a flood of pure energy and captivating beauty.
“Victory,” the jaguar man whispered again, and set Jankaro’s head down on the stone slab above his shoulders and neck, with his eyes facing up.
The other creatures brought their singing and gesturing to a conclusion, and the images and energy came to a place of stillness. Mazes of angling rainbow ribbons glowed on a white backdrop on the ceiling and walls. They stood still together as they hovered there looking down at him and his body parts.
“Victory,” they all responded, and the word was directed down at him. He could feel his nerves responding everywhere, in spite of the severed connections. A blend of glee and fear shot through him as he sensed that they were about to put his body back together again, and he was beginning to feel the faintest threads of connection reaching from his head to his torso and his limbs.
The horse man’s voice stabbed through the silence and broke into a gallop all over the chamber, trailed by visions of horses galloping across the landscape. The others hummed along softly as he danced to his own tune, making gestures and shaking a fan made of dry leaves over Jankaro’s left leg as it flexed and kicked, leaping up and down from its place on the slab. He picked up the leg with his human hands and as he sang, a stream of green leaves burst from his mouth and poured into Jankaro’s leg through the severed tip of his thigh. He reached into the leg with his hand and packed the leaves all the way down into the toes. He continued singing as the leaves poured out, and packed them down as tight as his strength would allow. A fragrant, complex, and savory smell, like a cooking herb, filled Jankaro’s nostrils. He felt the pain and discomfort in his leg as the skin stretched to accommodate all the leaves.
“Every leaf of the jukuwaya carries you to victory,” said the horse man at the conclusion of his song. He set the leg back down on the slab and massaged away the pain.
The fish man opened his mouth to sing and water poured out. It swirled around the chamber, splashed on the walls and dowsed Jankaro’s right leg. He couldn’t move his leg but he felt the goosebumps. The stream of water from the fish man’s mouth bore exotic treasures: gold and silver coins, rubies, diamonds, sapphires and fine jewelry that never existed in Olaya, but which he had occasionally glimpsed among the Galdeans. These dazzling objects were plucked from the stream by the fish man and deposited into Jankaro’s right leg. When the leg was full of treasure, he belched out a few sounds. “He says,” the jaguar man translated, “great treasure will always reside within you.”
The monkey man sang a buoyant tune as he picked up Jankaro’s right arm and danced around the chamber, twirling it above his head. The light poured from his mouth and lit up the chamber. When it gradually receded, the ceiling transformed into a canopy and the monkey man became a full monkey. He continued his song as he swung through the branches above, carrying Jankaro’s arm with his feet. He flipped the arm around, smiled and made silly faces as he plucked various fruits and flowers from the trees and dropped them down through the shoulder socket. Jankaro felt a tickle as he watched, and couldn’t help but smile at the monkey’s jovial antics as he juggled the fruit with his hands, extended his legs and caught the falling fruit with Jankaro’s arm as if it were a basket. When he finished his song there was another flash of light. When it receded, the arm was back in place on the table, and the walls and ceiling again bore decorative patterns of rainbow ribbon mazes. The monkey man smiled wide at Jankaro, and he felt a flurry of giddy sensations rippling through his arm, and a faint echo of that pleasure touched the other body parts as well.
The frog man picked up Jankaro’s left arm and held the severed joint up below his chin. He emitted a series of booming cries as he hopped around the room. A hundred butterflies of all different kinds flew into the chamber, and one by one he flicked out his giant tongue and caught them, then deposited them in Jankaro’s arm along with slobbering streams of his own saliva. They fluttered inside his arm and it felt alive.
The frog man held the arm up to the torso on the slab. The monkey man pressed his left arm into place, and the horse man and fish man pressed his legs into place. All six of the men sang together in low, droning tones that resounded through the chamber. Jankaro’s severed joints glowed with light. The jaguar man and the ram man extended their arms up high as they sang. Multicolored light streamed out of all of their mouths and danced along his whole body. The butterflies flew freely throughout his torso and limbs, and when the song concluded and the light receded, his arms and legs were attached to his torso once again. The jaguar man tapped Jankaro’s elbows, and his fingers twitched. Then he tapped his knees, and his toes twitched.
“We will attach your head soon,” said the jaguar man, “but we have to leave it off for this next procedure, or you might get up and run away because of the pain.”
The song of the ram man sounded like a battle. Jankaro saw images on the ceiling of his memories of battling the Cruxai at Dorfin. He saw the scene of the final night of his mother’s life, when she gave her life to protect him. He saw Kiara cowering in her hut with that haunted look on her face, stroking her pet Ocelot for comfort. And he saw himself on that last evening in Olaya, approaching her with a gift of purple flowers, and the gratitude in her eyes as she received them. His heart ached from the memories as it lurched out a single beat, its first since he was slain.
While the others hummed softly, the ram man reached into his shirt and produced an elegantly decorated knife. He exposed his left shoulder and dragged the blade across it and his blood trickled down. He dug the tip of the knife into his shoulder and probed with it as he grimaced in pain. Suddenly a small object popped out and landed on the stone slab next to Jankaro. The ram man picked it up and held it above Jankaro’s chest. It was a simple arrowhead chiseled from stone. They all sang with fervor for a while, directing their attention at the arrowhead and pouring their light into it.
Jankaro cried out as the ram man dragged the knife down his breastbone and pried open his chest cavity, exposing his heart.
“Hang on Jankaro,” whispered the jaguar man in his ear. “Watch.”
The ram man slit open Jankaro’s heart and he opened his mouth in a long and silent scream. He heard his father call his name like a distant echo from miles away. The ram man pressed the arrowhead into his heart, and Jankaro’s body thrashed as his soundless scream continued. The others held down Jankaro’s arms and legs while the ram man sang waves of light into his heart and sealed the arrowhead inside it. His hands emitted light as he pressed Jankaro’s rib cage back together. All of them joined in a triumphant flurry of song and light as Jankaro’s chest healed. It hurt to have the stone arrowhead lodged in his heart, but his body calmed as streams of tears rolled down his face. As the song faded to completion, the ram man met Jankaro’s eyes with a compassionate gaze as he rubbed Jankaro’s chest above his heart. The warm glow of his hand calmed the aching of the wound.
All of them then turned their attention to the jaguar man. “Now it is time to restore him to his
body so that he may live again, take up arms and fight, and bring victory to his people.”
The jaguar man reached into his cloak and produced a pipe. He filled it with dried herbs and lit it with a spark from a flick of his fingertips. The others hummed monotonously and watched as he blew puffs of smoke all over Jankaro’s body. He put one hand on the top of Jankaro’s head and gently pushed it down so it connected with his body.
Jankaro felt the nerves in his neck reaching out to rejoin his body, and he felt his body reaching back to join with his head. He heard his heart was about to start beating as the ram man held his hands over his heart and sent beams of light down into it. He felt a tingling inside his head as the jaguar man blew smoke onto his face. His face hovered down above Jankaro’s neck where it met his body. He sang a high pitched, lilting melody that emitted beams of light onto his neck and the union was illuminated. Jankaro felt energy rushing out of his head and flowing down into his body. He felt the butterflies fly up inside his head and flap their wings inside his mind. His chest heaved as his heart struck a beat. The blood erupted through his whole body and he bounced up off the slab and flopped back down again. When it flowed into his head, a cry of joy erupted from him. He couldn’t help but smile as the resounding vibrancy of their chorus pleased him through and through.
The jaguar man continued blowing smoke all over Jankaro’s body as the others gradually brought their singing to a conclusion in a slow fade. When all was silent, the jaguar man stood directly behind Jankaro. He inhaled deeply from his pipe and blew smoke directly into the top of Jankaro’s head. It went right through his skull and spread out like a wave of energy that flowed from the top of his head to the bottom of his toes and soothed all his bodily processes along the way. The jaguar man blew four big puffs, all into the top of his head, then extinguished his smoke and put his pipe back inside his cloak.
Jankaro blinked his eyes and moved them from side to side. He met eyes with the horse man who patted him gently on his knee, then walked around the others and out of the chamber. Jankaro wiggled his toes.
He met eyes with the fish man, who touched his right knee, then walked out of the chamber. Jankaro rotated his ankle from side to side and was tickled with delight. He bristled with anticipation as the monkey man placed his hand on his right arm. He smiled from ear to ear at Jankaro, and Jankaro couldn’t help but smile back. As he walked away, Jankaro wiggled his fingers and felt exuberance.
The frog man touched his left arm, and walked away. Jankaro rotated his wrist and smiled again.
The ram man placed his hands on Jankaro’s chest, and gently jostled him around, wiggling his rib cage up and down and side to side.
“Breathe deep,” said the jaguar man.
Jankaro inhaled lungfuls of air and it felt so clean as it entered his lungs. The ram man pressed on his sternum, then wiggled his fingers along all his ribs. The jaguar man took sips from a bottle and sprayed a mist out from between his pursed lips all over Jankaro’s body. He breathed it in and it smelled of sweet flowers, and with every breath he took it in deeper. The ram man massaged his arms and legs, and he felt them getting loose. When he was done he placed his hand on Jankaro’s heart, looked deep into his eyes, and it felt like he was giving him a blessing. Then he turned and left him with the jaguar man.
The jaguar man stood next to Jankaro, clasped his right hand and nestled his other hand underneath his right shoulder.
“Are you ready? Lets sit you up.” Jankaro still didn’t know quite how to move, but the jaguar man was strong, and was able to lift him to a seated position. When he let go again, Jankaro wobbled. He felt like the baby self he had seen, unsure how to use his body.
“Stand,” the jaguar man commanded him, and took a step back.
He felt heavy, floppy, and giddy, as he wobbled on the slab. He locked eyes with the jaguar man and stabilized, then pressed his hands on to the slab and lowered his feet to the ground one at a time. His legs felt like they would buckle at any moment and he feared if he let go with his hands he would fall over. He looked at the jaguar man.
“Step away from the slab and stand on your own two feet,” he commanded.
Jankaro took a wobbly step forward, and let go with one hand. His body felt good but it was hard to balance. He stepped forward with his other foot and held on with a few fingers on the table. He wobbled for a moment and then found his balance. He let go of the stone stab and smiled into the eyes of the jaguar man like a child taking his first step. He stumbled forward, but the jaguar man was there to catch him and hold him up.
“Look into my forehead,” the jaguar man instructed, and Jankaro looked into the shimmering crystal and saw faint rainbow beams shooting off in various directions.
His vertigo subsided and he felt his center of gravity, balanced himself and lowered his gaze to the jaguar man’s eyes.
“That which you have seen is only the beginning of the darkness you will face. But the light is strong within you, as it always has been, and it will guide you to victory. Always trust your instincts. May you be blessed.” The jaguar man squeezed his shoulders and dropped his hands to his sides. “Wait here.”
The jaguar man left the chamber for a moment, and returned with a cup in his hand. “Take a drink,” he said.
Jankaro took the cup and lifted it to his mouth. The water brought a cool, clean rejuvenation as it slid down his throat and into his stomach. He drank the whole cup in large swallows, spilled droplets trickling down his chin. When he was through, he handed the cup back.
“Rest now,” said the jaguar man as he turned and left Jankaro alone in the chamber.
As the jaguar man departed, the chamber darkened. Jankaro looked down at his hands and saw them glowing with blue light. Weariness came over him he had to lie down on his back. The smells of the jaguar man’s smoke and floral mist still lingered in the air and tickled his nose. His body felt like moist clay, held down by gravity, unable to move. The sweet smells carried his attention to a peaceful point in the center of his mind, and he surrendered to a deep and restful sleep.
The dream of being a monkey swinging through treetops throwing rotten fruit at crocodiles slowly faded, and Jankaro blinked his eyes open to the sheer darkness of the chamber. He held up his hands and they glowed with that familiar sky blue aura. His body still felt like a lump of clay as he brought himself into a seated position. The jaguar man’s perfumes lingered in the air and his heart ached where the ram man had inserted the arrowhead.
He slowly rose to his feet and stretched. It was difficult to move his stiff and sluggish body. He ran his hands all along the four walls of the chamber, but there was no exit, just four walls. The stone slab upon which they had doctored him was gone. It felt just like the other chamber, where Anhael had left him. Then he wondered: was it? Had they brought him back up while he slept? He got down on his knees and felt around the corners of the chamber. Sure enough, his suspicion was confirmed. In one corner he found a meal and a jug of water waiting for him.
He took the plate of food and laid into it like a starving man. There was no bitter taste of medicinal herbs this time. It was a savory blend of meat and vegetables, grains, herbs and spices, cooked to perfection. He took pleasure in every bite as he devoured the heaping pile. He took the water, drank heartily, splashed some on his face, and drank some more. He belched and leaned back against the wall, feeling satisfied, though if there were ten more plates, he was sure he could have eaten them all.
He wondered what would come next. Would they come for him? Just a moment after the thought crossed his mind, the door opened, and Anhael entered the chamber.
“Hello Jankaro, have you had enough?” he said with a smile.
“I’ve had enough for many lifetimes,” he croaked out, the words being his first since his body was put back together.
“I’m glad to see you made it through in one piece,” said Anhael as Jankaro slowly rose
to his feet.
“You’re funny.”
“What?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“You’ve grown taller,” said Anhael, and Jankaro noticed that he was now a bit taller than Anhael, whereas before he had been a bit shorter. “Do you still have the elder seed?”
“No. It bade me cast it out. Rather, it cast itself out of me.”
“Good! Your initiation is complete. Good work, Jankaro. You are brave. You are one of us now, a soldier. Follow me.”
Jankaro still felt heavy and sluggish, even more so with a belly full of food. But when he crossed the threshold and left the chamber, he felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders and he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Feels great to get out of that chamber, doesn’t it?” Anhael was making light of it, but Jankaro knew that he knew, at least to some degree, what happened to him down there, for he had been there before.
Jankaro placed his hand on Anhael’s shoulder for support, and was led away down a hallway faintly lit by muted candles. He didn’t look back.
Fayaya
As Gondaro grew, Jorobai was able to broaden his exploration of the island. Every day they would carve out a large section of the island and return to the beach to rest at night. Jorobai used his knife to get Gondaro out of more than a few tangles with the vines. When he wasn’t fighting them off, Jorobai dreamed about them at night. Gondaro seemed to enjoy being the sidekick in the adventure of exploring the island, even appearing to relish the role. He would bring back fish, lizards, birds and coatis in his jaws to share with Jorobai. He had reached Jorobai’s mid thigh at that point, and his skills with climbing, jumping and capturing prey were becoming more formidable. Yet as Gondaro’s range grew, Jorobai feared he would lose his companion to the treachery of the vines.
He saw a large blue bird up in a tree and was impressed by its long and glorious tail feathers. Gondaro scrambled up in pursuit but the bird spread its wings and fled, revealing green and yellow colors underneath, and a wingspan wider than Jorobai was tall. As they progressed in their search around the perimeter areas of the island, they started to see the blue birds more often. The birds seemed to share their curiosity, but were forced to flee by Gondaro’s hungry attacks.