Chapter twenty
'What would I be as a sacrifice?' Pisco asked herself, as she walked down the steps of Heaven's Bridge. The wind was still cold but Pisco didn't feel its chill anymore lost in her thoughts. 'What would I be like if they sacrificed me?' she asked herself again. 'Would I be nervous, crying all the time, wishing it was someone else? Would I be angry, drink yuca to stupefaction, hating everything for which I was sacrificed for? Would I be sad because I was dying, would I be happy that I was chosen? Am I disappointed because I want to hover around in spirit, watch over those who breathe below? But why would they sacrifice me? Am I …. Who am I to sacrifice? I can see so clearly why they wouldn't. What would they gain out of my sacrifice? What would I out of my sacrifice ?'
Amaru's house was still some way down but she could see its ledge and saw the curtains open up. Huayta came out looking angry and marched towards the white stairs. Once she got to it she descended one step but then quickly turned around as if she felt someone watching her. She saw Pisco making her way down, but not looking at her and not changing her pace either at the sight of her. Instead of making her way down or up the stairs, Huayta watched as Pisco came her way and brushed Huayta as she went towards the curtained doors. But before Pisco escaped arm's length she remembered what had happened earlier with Supay, thinking that people really wanted you to say hi to them, thinking that she had the answer now of how to show people that you like them and turned around to face Huayta. She looked at Huayta who had her arm extended, and smiled in the most enchanting manner as she said hello, her face lifting from the pretty to the astonishing. Huayta was frozen with her arm extended, breathing out a hello in return, bewitched by Pisco's face at that moment, as the girl turned around and entered Maita's house.
This house was like most houses in Heaven's Bridge with three bedrooms but this house had a heavy air laced with tristesse. Pisco entered the reception area which was a room with four mats making up the seating arrangements. Its centre was clear mountain rock where people placed various items like their drinks. Pisco said hello again, shivering at the atmosphere in this house. She thought it might have been more joyous and celebratory since a birth had just occurred and a sacrifice was at hand. Maita came into the room swaying and rocking the baby like he wanted it to go to sleep. He stopped when he saw who it was, staring curiously at Pisco who had her hands on each of her arms for comfort.
'Hello,' Pisco began and smiled like she did with Huayta. 'Hi, I'm here because of Supay. She said that she wanted to see her sister.'
A short silence.
'You have a nice smile,' Maita then said as he stared at her lips with a ghost of the smile that he wished to see once more.
'Uh...thank you.' She smiled again but self consciously now which was not as nice.
'But we can't come now, we'll come later. I want the baby to smile a little more.'
'Smile a little more?'
'I mean sleep a little more. I wish to watch her sleep.'
He was rocking her side to side more vigorously now but the baby's eyes remained wide open.
'Maybe tomorrow. When is the day of sacrifice?'
'The day after tomorrow.'
'Oh, so soon?'
He rocked a little slower to look at the baby, still wide awake.
'Yea. She wants to see her sister before she's sacrificed.'
'We still have twelve years before she's sacrificed.'
'Twelve? But it's tomorrow.' She noticed that he was looking at the baby he was holding. 'Oh, you mean...'
Maita looked back up.
'Is she drunk?'
'Mm, I think, a little bit.'
'And you're making the drink?'
'Yeah. I'm chewing the cassava root for the yuca.'
Maita smiled a fond smile.
'I remember talking to my eldest child's yuca makers, she was the last sacrifice twelve years ago. She said it's a hard job, and that her jaw was always sore, grinding the cassava all day, but that it was a duty, since they were childhood friends. It takes some time to get used it, that's all. Are you used to it?'
Pisco shook her head.
'Is Supay your friend?'
Pisco's lips parted. Maita smiled slightly at her silence which lasted for a couple moments as she thought about how to express herself. Yes or no?
'Maybe she will be, before tomorrow. You've got till tomorrow to make her your friend,' he added mischievously.
'I've got till -' repeated Pisco, surprised.
'Think you can do it?'
'Make her my friend? I don't know how to...how to do that.'
'Haha. I don't either.'
'Even if I had my whole life I wouldn't know how to do that,' she said, looking away, laughing a little, and then looking back to smile at Maita, flushed from doing something she doesn't usually do: making a joke.
She had such an enchanting smile, and looked so beautiful, that Maita looked at her differently and started musing aloud.
'I wonder if people would be scared to have a child with you because of how nice you look. They would think 'if we had a baby, would you give me a child sacrifice?' What about if we, you and me, had a child together, would you give me a third or fourth sacrifice?'
'My child be a sacrifice?' said Pisco in surprise, looking down to think about it. Earlier she was thinking of what it be like for herself be a sacrifice. Now the thought came about giving her own child as a sacrifice, which she never considered. She raised her head to look at the baby. 'No one in my family has ever been sacrificed. So I don't think so. I guess we're not sacrifice material. But I want to give, if I can. If they let me.'
'Sacrifice material,' repeated Maita. 'Some people are, some people aren't. Some families I mean. Tell Supay we'll be there later. After I watch the baby sleep some more.'
Pisco stared at Maita and the baby for a moment before she made her way out.
'Did he say watch the baby sleep some more?' she said to herself.
He looked so tired that Pisco asked herself what would make a man so tired. Is it the baby? She was making her way up the stairs, again going through what would make a fitting sacrifice. She would sacrifice the baby if it was up to her. It was obvious. 'The baby is worth something. Me? Why would anyone sacrifice me? But maybe...what would I be like if I was a sacrifice?'
Chapter twenty one
'That midwife is a sly one,' said Huayta to herself, walking down the steps of Heaven's Bridge. 'You can't tell me that this one isn't more suitable for sacrifice yet Supay is the one to be buried alive. And it's all because she's a sly one. Because she's a sly, a sly little…midwife! A midwife! They have too much influence! The first to see the child and then…start talking! And who doesn't trust a midwife! It's high time we get a new one. Quick!'
She made it to the bottom of the steps when she felt a hand on the back of her neck. She turned around sharply and saw Lana smiling back at her. She shrugged his hand off.
'What are you doing touching me?'
She continued walking with Lana beside her.
'You're like my niece, can't say hi like a normal person.'
'Is it normal to touch my neck to say hi?'
'Haha. What's abnormal about it? What are you up to...going to pick some mushrooms? Devilish little things.'
'Devilish?'
'Hard to find.'
'The devil is hard to find? I'm going on a walk.'
'Oh. You're not stopping by the forest?'
'No. Why should I? I might go to the river to see what's happening.'
'Careful. I heard a boy got poisoned not long ago by a fish that looks like a stone.'
'Yeah, I want to see what such a fish looks like. Maybe there's more around.'
'What will you do with it? Poison someone?'
Huayta looked at Lana askance. He had his eyes on the forest which they were not entering.
'Why would I poison anyone? It's not even deadly. The boy is still alive, right?'
'I guess there isn't much one can do with poison that's not deadly. Or is there? Is poison only good when it's deadly?'
Huayta turned away from him again.
'I want nothing to do with poison. Deadly or no.'
'Did I see you come from Maita's place?'
'My sister just had a baby. I'm there a lot.'
'How is the newborn?'
'A work of art, thank your mother for that, since she said so.'
'Did she do a good job?'
'Another sacrifice in the family. We thank her for that!'
'Is the baby beautiful?'
'I'm sure you know all about that. Your mother told you already! Just like she told everyone. She loves to talk. We need a midwife that speaks less.'
'I can't blame her. Not because she's my mother but because there's not much to do here. What else are we to do besides talk?'
'Why didn't she tell everyone how nice Pisco looks? Especially when she smiles? Why didn't she say how fitting she would have been as a sacrifice since she likes to talk so much? There's a million things to do besides calling people perfect sacrifices. And why is it always another family's ? Stinks of intention.'
'Is it not a good thing to be a sacrifice? Isn't it a good thing to sacrifice? Especially if it's dear to us?'
She didn't respond immediately but after a pause said:
'Only if you get something for it in return.'
They reached the river that came down the mountain of Heaven's Bridge. The steps were on the other side but it didn't take long to get there. The river went into the horizon, towards the light clouds that blocked the afternoon sun, extending as far as the eye could see. No one was there as the boy's adventure had made people nervous.
'I was just thinking,' began Lana as he looked in the translucent river. 'If we're looking for a fish that looks like a rock but the river also has other rocks, how do you know it's a fish and not a rock?'
Huayta frowned while also looking into the river.
'There must be a distinguishing trait that separates it from a rock. The boy could see it.'
'How do you know he saw it?'
'Why would he take an ordinary rock? He must have seen that it was a strange looking creature that looked like a rock.'
'Maybe it's this one,' said Lana as he bent down, put his arm in the river up to the elbow and snatched an ochre coloured thing. He lifted it close to Huayta's face.
'What are you doing!' she screamed. 'Put that down, are you crazy? It's poisonous!'
'What is this?' he said, getting up and rubbing the rock with his fingers to show how solid it was. 'It's a fish.'
'Ugh,' said Huayta, slapping his hand away from her. 'Stop playing games with people.'
'How do you know it's not a fish? It looks like a stone.'
'Ugh.'
'Haha!'
He threw the stone in the river, making waves, and could see several fish swimming faster in the disturbed water. Lana joined Huayta in perusing the river.
'These rocks all have different colours. That one there is dark red, and this one is blue. What type of rock is it supposed to look like?'
Huayta was confused too.
'It must look like an average rock. Like every other…' she looked around the river with its colourful stones, flabbergasted. 'I don't know, white? Maybe a little grey. If someone says that it looks like a rock then it must be white monochrome or grey monochrome. It must be. That's what I would think.'
'At least we don't have to fish for a fish that looks like a rock since…does it act like a rock too?
'You mean…'
'Yea. Are they static?'
He bent down again and picked up another rock. Huayta saw it was blue and shuddered.
'How do you fish for a stone fish? Haha!'
'Can't be that hard. Some little boy caught it.'
'What did they do with it?'
'Released it back…'
Huayta smiled.
'Haha. Did it sink down or swim away?'
Huayta tried to suppress her smile.
'I don't actually think it moves that fast.'
'So I can do whatever and it'll wait for me,' said Lana as he put his finger in the river going back and forth, creating ripples. 'All this to see a fish that looks like a stone,' he added.
His manner was so languid and his mind rather sharp and it arrested Huayta.
'Why are you different today?'
'I slept for damn near twelve hours today -'
'You did what -'
'Is that - what is that there? That white and grey thing, looking like it got chipped from a boulder with two yellow dots and a black streak in the middle.'
Huayta turned with a shocked look towards the stone fish. Lana craned his head back to look at Huayta with bemusement and interest in his eyes.
'Now what?'
Chapter twenty two
Pisco was walking up the steps back to Supay's. She passed a couple people who were coming down when she experienced mankind's sole phsyic power, feeling the eyes of others on her. She looked, returned their look, saying hello and smiled at them. All of them slowed their steps to stare at her, saying reflexively saying hello too, as she continued her upward trajectory. They continued to look at her wake, surprised, wondering what was going on. She reached the house, giggling a little at how much people liked being greeted. She walked in the house to a game being played.
Supay was standing near her mat, leaning forward, giddy with delight. She had a cassava strand in her between her fingers. The other girls were scattered around the room, kneeling at varying distances from Supay. They all had their mouths open. The game was that if Supay could get the strand of root in one of these girls' mouths they could have a drink of the yuca. If she missed, she had to take a shot. Needless to say, none of them had broken the rule just yet. It was a game that these girls would never win and they all knew it. They didn't even want to win. They played for a break in their constant chewing.
Pisco came in just as Supay was about to throw a strand towards a girl's mouth. But she stopped as she saw Pisco.
'Open!' she trilled, and threw the root at Pisco's mouth.
'Huh?' she said, and because of instruction, a penchant for immediate obedience, she opened her mouth. The root flew by her mouth into the gap of the lavender curtains, falling on the ledge outside.
'Oohh!' exclaimed a sloppy Supay. 'Haha! That was close! But how do you know the game so fast? Opening your mouth like that?'
'What game?' Pisco asked, coming inside further, tentatively, looking at the smiling girls on their knees all around the room. 'What mouth?'
All the girls laughed.
'Come here, Pisco. Sit there.'
Supay pointed to a spot two metres from her, third closest. Pisco obeyed and sat where she was told to sit.
'This is a game where I try to get this root in your mouth. And if I do it, you get a prize.'
'What, what is the prize?'
'You get to drink yuca.'
'Oh no,' said Pisco, waving her hands in rejection. 'I don't want…'
'Open,' Supay said sternly.
Pisco opened her mouth slowly. Supay threw a strand of cassava towards Pisco's mouth. One could see Pisco tensing and her eyes enlarging. 'Could anyone make her drink something she didn't want,' Pisco asked herself. 'Yes,' she answered almost immediately. The strand that Supay threw didn't even come close to her mouth. It was closer to another girl's mouth than her own.
'Oh! Haha,' Supay giggled. 'One more time!' She bent down, drank some more yuca and then once again made another mystifying arc to nowhere.
'Fuck it; let me try something different.'
She started flicking the root with her thumb to see what would happen. Pisco relaxed seeing all this. There was no danger whatsoever of her drinking any yuca, for only a sacrifice was allowed to drink it. Supay was wasted and if Pisco didn't know any better, would have said that Supay was trying to miss. She opened her mouth and waited. A cassava root hit her forehead. She giggled and threw it in the bowl and opened wide again, happy at being on this side. 'I don't want to be on the inside of the circle but on the outer ring with others like myself who makes up the circle. I'd rather be like everyone else and take, like everyone else rather than give like one person.' She was smiling, feeling a wonderful, surging elation, thinking that this would be the first time that she had played a game where she had no chance of winning and she was glad for it.
Chapter twenty three
'Easy now. Easy,' said Maita, melodically, trying to rock the baby to sleep. Despite the melody being pure he was getting frustrated. 'Close your eyes, baby. Breathe easier. Dream for me.' The baby's eyes remained open, clear, restless. 'Sleep now...close your eyes, sleep, child…how do I make a baby go to sleep?' he added to himself while continuing to exhort the baby to close its eyes. He glanced at Amaru who was asleep herself. 'The few hours she will have today. Because of the fever and watching the baby sleep earlier. If only the baby didn't start crying, I would have found a little sleep too. Now…'
'Sleep baby. Sleep for me. Let daddy sleep too.'
This was the first time he was putting this baby to bed, the last time being nearly eleven years prior with Supay. He tried to recall how he used to do it. He had been carrying the baby in his arms with its head resting in the crevice of his forearm and upper arm. He switched it up and lifted the baby so that its head was resting on his shoulder. The baby made a cry of protest.
'Sleep, baby, sleep, won't you sleep for me?' he said again melodically. Again there was a cry of protest. He returned the baby to its former position. But his arms were getting tired. He glanced at Amaru, her eyes having sleep's sheen, hearing her deep rhythmic breathing, her chest collapsing and expanding.
The state of sleep is hypnotic to witness, especially a peaceful sleep, only in that it is a siren calling you to the same peace, and who doesn't want peace? Yet Maita did not succumb to its inducement. 'Why is that so?' he asked himself. 'Why does a sleeping baby make me want to sleep but watching my wife sleep does nothing for me? Neither of theirs look like a troubled sleep. So what is it?'
He looked at the baby again, wide awake still.
'Can I at least get a yawn for my services?' he said to his daughter with a weak smile. She paid him no mind and just looked around the sparse room. Maita felt so tired it beggared belief. 'And we have to go see Supay later too,' he mumbled. Even in his mumble his voice was melodic like his whole being even unconsciously was trying to get his baby to sleep. 'Do you want to meet your sister? You want to see what she looks like? To see what you will look like? To see what you will be living through in a few years time? Don't you want to see your sister?' The baby yawned. He let out an involuntary laugh. 'What is it that made you yawn? The prospect of meeting your sister or my voice?' The melody in his voice concentrated on these particular notes which seemingly induced sleep in this baby and he seized on its discovery. 'It can't be my voice because I've been trying for an hour now with no success. So you don't want to see your sister?' he asked seriously, still with the same melody. The baby started to smack its mouth. 'What does it really matter? It's not like you guys will grow up together.' The baby was starting to fall asleep. There are very few things more captivating than a baby sleeping and Maita experienced its loveliness, trying to remember if Supay fell asleep in the same manner, with her head in the nook of the inside of his elbow, arm dangling, feeling restfulness settle within him. He watched rapt for a couple seconds as her breathing became deep and mesmerising, coming to match his wife's breathing. Now a thought struck him as to why this sleeping baby made him tired.
'Maybe it's because I'm the one who put her to sleep; or maybe it's the feeling of holding a sleeping baby,' he said to himself, holding the sleeping baby, feeling it breathe so calmly, deeply, restfully, waiting for the same sleep's breath to course through him.
