The Monkey Howled at Midnight by Zack Norris

man spoke to him he was nearly too astonished to breathe.
    â€œDon’t be afraid. I heard you moving in the forest. I want to help you.”
    The man was speaking to him in English. But his hair was worn in a bowl cut like many pictures of Amazon basin natives. He had the sharp, chiseled features of the people from the tribes, too. Around his neck was a necklace of feathers, but he was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and pants.
    â€œWho are you?”
    â€œI am Koobi.”
    Cody sat up and dangled his feet over the side of the hammock. “But who …”
    â€œDon’t be afraid. I am a member of the Pirahã tribe. Our village is not far away.”
    â€œSo why do you speak English? And your clothes …”
    â€œI’ll explain later. The sun will be up soon. Your friend needs help. I can prepare some medicine that will help him walk. We can take him to my village and he can rest.”
    Cody thought it over. It didn’t take him long. They needed help to stay away from Aldo, and maybe from Pino as well. What better place to hide than in the village of a native tribe?
    â€œAll right. Are you sure your medicine can help him?”
    â€œI can prepare a poultice of plants that will help the swelling go down and make the fever go away. I know he was bitten by a bullet ant.”
    â€œBut how did you know?”
    â€œI saw the wound. I could feel his fever. My people have a lot of experience with insects of the forest. Trust me, I know what to do.”
    The man’s voice was calm and sure. So after some more thought, Cody decided that the best thing to do was to trust him.
    Koobi prepared his poultice of water and plants and placed it on Otis’s wound. By the time the sun was on the horizon, Otis was able to stand and walk, leaning on Koobi.
    Koobi led them to his village. It was a collection of huts made of poles with thatched roofs clustered at random. People were already up and about. They stared at the newcomers with wide, curious eyes.
    It was easy to see that the Pirahã were not completely isolated from outside civilization. The women wore loose knee-length dresses. Some of the men wore loincloths, but many were wearing shorts. They had no shoes but their feet were hard and calloused. Many wore necklaces made of beads and feathers. No one was pierced or painted.
    The children stared at Rae and the twins. But they weren’t too shy to step right up and touch them. They put their little hands on the twins’ faces and stroked Rae’s hair.
    â€œYou must be hungry,” said Koobi. “Have something to eat, and then nap a bit if you want. I know you didn’t get much sleep.”
    â€œThanks,” said Cody, “but we really need to get home as soon as possible.”
    â€œThat’s right,” Rae agreed. “The sooner we get going, the better.”
    â€œWhy are you in such a hurry? Are your parents worried? And why are you traveling through the forest alone?”
    â€œIt’s a long story.” Cody felt his knees begin to buckle. “Maybe we’d better eat something after all.” His stomach growled loudly.
    Koobi said something to the others. Soon Cody and Rae had plates of fish and manioc with bananas and a sweet fruit juice in front of them. A few feet away, someone was feeding Otis.
    â€œNow,” Koobi said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. “Why are you alone in the jungle, and why are you in a hurry?”
    Cody and Rae both took an extra mouthful of food before answering. “It’s because of endangered animals,” Rae began. “We’re staying with someone whose son is part of a smuggling operation.”
    â€œWe left the son—his name is Pino—back there. They have a whole warehouse full of all kinds of animals,” said Cody. “It’s all high tech. Antibacterial washes and temperature controls. Pino seemed like he might be changing his mind about the whole