lost tribes in the jungle. Will said, "That's awesome!"
A year later he told me he loved Marcia Grady. That she was so beautiful he nearly wept when he saw her. It was one of our last conversations.
An ache the size of the La Brea Tar Pits filled me. He had been my friend. We'd shared secrets. Understood each other. And now I hardly remembered him. My brain was haphazardly erasing experiences, changing them.
Elissa emerged from the closet holding two shirts: bright yellow and a rainbow of colors. "Why'd you put the shorts on over your pants?"
"I couldn't very well undress in front of you."
She rolled her eyes. "I had my back turned. You worried I might see your Mickey Mouse briefs?"
"I—I'd never wear that commercialized rodent on my shorts!"
"Touched a nerve, did I?" She looked me over. "They fit, at least. Here, try this." She handed me the rainbow shirt, good camouflage if I had to hide in a parrot cage. "No, take off your T-shirt. Wear this one with a few buttons loose to show off your chest hairs. All two of them."
"I...I can't—"
"Don't be so anal. We're tribemates. Like two monkeys. C'mon."
"Yeah, but—"
"Hurry up!"
I undid my shirt, the air-conditioned chill forcing arm hairs to stand on end. She handed me a cotton rainbow; I stuck my arms through the holes. She attempted to button it but nearly choked me. "Too small! Your chest is bigger than I thought. You been working out?" She gave it another try.
"Hey," I said. "I need air."
Elissa let go. "Oops. Sorry. You..."She leaned forward, staring at my chest. "Wh-what are those scars?"
I looked down. A ring of white bumps circled my left nipple. My stomach filled with sand. "Ritual scarring. To release the pain."
Cool fingertips explored the marks. "Oh, Percy," she said softly, "oh, Percy."
"They're mine," I whispered. I stepped back and her hand fell away. She wore a look of absolute pity. I closed my eyes. "Mine. Mine."
"It's okay. Everything's so screwed up. Willard's gone. Your dad, too. You're...stressed. I understand."
She did? "Everyone. Leaves me. Like the Beothuks," I whispered. "Out of luck. One of them."
Her brow furrowed. "The what?"
I looked at her. Were we really from the same tribe?
I removed the shirt, grabbed my own from the floor and slipped it on. "This clothing, it—it—is not satisfactory," I said.
She still clutched the yellow shirt. "I've got more."
"No. I'll find something at home." I stepped out of the shorts; they fell to the floor. I backed away.
"We can talk, Percy."
"Talk?" Another step back. A third. "I. Must. Go. Home."
"Percy." A whisper. "We're friends. Don't shut me out."
I fled, taking the stairs two at a time, the sun shooting through the giant windows, lighting me up. Lighting the earth. Holding it inexorably in place. As it had for over four billion years.
nine
TRUNK
Within twenty minutes: relief. The skin around my left nipple ached brilliantly. My mind was clear. Copacetic. I cleansed my pin with rubbing alcohol and returned it to the container.
Silence. My mother was teaching a Qi Gong breathing class at the community hall. I sat on the meditation pillow in my room, assumed the lotus position and closed my eyes. Now to order my thoughts. To analyze my reactions. To—
The phone buzzed. I remained still. The answering machine clicked on. Elissa's voice entered our house via the speaker. "Call me," she said, then coughed and hung up.
I breathed deeply, tightening my stomach muscles—a Tai Chi method I'd learned from Mom. I had a goal: to discover where all of this was leading. Evolution, that is. It pointed forward, indicating an obvious mission for us, a next logical step.
What was it?
I attempted to send my mind back through the millennia, to the source of all life. Somewhere in my brain was a link to the first organism with its orders to survive and replicate. Perhaps if I found the beginning, I could ascertain the end.
Green appeared in my mind, with a dark circle
A year later he told me he loved Marcia Grady. That she was so beautiful he nearly wept when he saw her. It was one of our last conversations.
An ache the size of the La Brea Tar Pits filled me. He had been my friend. We'd shared secrets. Understood each other. And now I hardly remembered him. My brain was haphazardly erasing experiences, changing them.
Elissa emerged from the closet holding two shirts: bright yellow and a rainbow of colors. "Why'd you put the shorts on over your pants?"
"I couldn't very well undress in front of you."
She rolled her eyes. "I had my back turned. You worried I might see your Mickey Mouse briefs?"
"I—I'd never wear that commercialized rodent on my shorts!"
"Touched a nerve, did I?" She looked me over. "They fit, at least. Here, try this." She handed me the rainbow shirt, good camouflage if I had to hide in a parrot cage. "No, take off your T-shirt. Wear this one with a few buttons loose to show off your chest hairs. All two of them."
"I...I can't—"
"Don't be so anal. We're tribemates. Like two monkeys. C'mon."
"Yeah, but—"
"Hurry up!"
I undid my shirt, the air-conditioned chill forcing arm hairs to stand on end. She handed me a cotton rainbow; I stuck my arms through the holes. She attempted to button it but nearly choked me. "Too small! Your chest is bigger than I thought. You been working out?" She gave it another try.
"Hey," I said. "I need air."
Elissa let go. "Oops. Sorry. You..."She leaned forward, staring at my chest. "Wh-what are those scars?"
I looked down. A ring of white bumps circled my left nipple. My stomach filled with sand. "Ritual scarring. To release the pain."
Cool fingertips explored the marks. "Oh, Percy," she said softly, "oh, Percy."
"They're mine," I whispered. I stepped back and her hand fell away. She wore a look of absolute pity. I closed my eyes. "Mine. Mine."
"It's okay. Everything's so screwed up. Willard's gone. Your dad, too. You're...stressed. I understand."
She did? "Everyone. Leaves me. Like the Beothuks," I whispered. "Out of luck. One of them."
Her brow furrowed. "The what?"
I looked at her. Were we really from the same tribe?
I removed the shirt, grabbed my own from the floor and slipped it on. "This clothing, it—it—is not satisfactory," I said.
She still clutched the yellow shirt. "I've got more."
"No. I'll find something at home." I stepped out of the shorts; they fell to the floor. I backed away.
"We can talk, Percy."
"Talk?" Another step back. A third. "I. Must. Go. Home."
"Percy." A whisper. "We're friends. Don't shut me out."
I fled, taking the stairs two at a time, the sun shooting through the giant windows, lighting me up. Lighting the earth. Holding it inexorably in place. As it had for over four billion years.
nine
TRUNK
Within twenty minutes: relief. The skin around my left nipple ached brilliantly. My mind was clear. Copacetic. I cleansed my pin with rubbing alcohol and returned it to the container.
Silence. My mother was teaching a Qi Gong breathing class at the community hall. I sat on the meditation pillow in my room, assumed the lotus position and closed my eyes. Now to order my thoughts. To analyze my reactions. To—
The phone buzzed. I remained still. The answering machine clicked on. Elissa's voice entered our house via the speaker. "Call me," she said, then coughed and hung up.
I breathed deeply, tightening my stomach muscles—a Tai Chi method I'd learned from Mom. I had a goal: to discover where all of this was leading. Evolution, that is. It pointed forward, indicating an obvious mission for us, a next logical step.
What was it?
I attempted to send my mind back through the millennia, to the source of all life. Somewhere in my brain was a link to the first organism with its orders to survive and replicate. Perhaps if I found the beginning, I could ascertain the end.
Green appeared in my mind, with a dark circle
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