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Show "You can't leave us," Cheauka said. V>H& sorrow felt like thundering water of a swollen river rushing to wash him away. Hanai's hand brushed Chua's arm. "First your father is gone, and now you must leave." Chua couldn't think of what to say so he looked down. He pictured the water carrying him away. He reached out to touch the shoulders of Cheauka and Hanai. "I will miss you." He swallowed back the tears. It was as if the rushing water were inside him, wanting to cry its way out. He took a deep breath to hold back the water, and walked away. Hanai ran after Chua and caught his arm. Chua stopped, but looked only at his sandals. He couldn't breathe. Cheauka took Hanai's arm and pulled him away. "We must get ready for the dance," he said. "Let him go. We can do nothing." Chua felt as if he were watching himself in a dream. He wanted to scream at Father Sun, but he couldn't find the sound. It felt like he was outside his body. He watched his feet walk away. It was as if his insides had been spilled out all over the ground like those of a rabbit waiting to be cooked for dinner. He couldn't dance with a snake, but at least he had to watch. Chua looked on with Apa and Ahote from behind a rock as the Snake Dance began. The brown bodies of the male clan members filed into the centerof the village. Each man was painted a reddish-brown color with a white stripe across his forehead and down his throat. A white oval patch covered each cheek and shoulder. |
