Chapter 3
Forrest and the villagers huddled around his invention.
“You see, there are underground rivers that may be as big as the River itself under the rainforest,” Forrest explained.
“Tribes like yours have known about these aquifers long before scientists. However, it’s hard to dig deep wells or find the water.
This will bring the water up through the rock to you.
Then this,” Forrest explained, “is the filtration system. Let me show you how it works.”
Forrest used the words he’d learned so far and Tuka filled in the rest until all the men and several of the women understood how his groundwater invention worked. No more prospecting for water, his system would bring the groundwater to the people.
Forrest headed to the second system, the one near his tent.
“This one takes humidity from the air and converts it into drinking water. Here’s how it works.
” Forrest took it apart and taught them how to build it back.
He’d also explained it as he went with Tuka, who had taken notes, before he showed it to the tribe.
Forrest took a cup, opened the nozzle, and water came out. People gasped as he turned off the nozzle and handed the cup to Tuka’s grandfather. Cau? took a sip and then passed the cup to Tuka with a bow of his head. Cheers erupted when Tuka took a sip of the fresh water.
Forrest was grabbed and hoisted up onto the shoulders of the men as they marched back to the village while cheering.
Forrest had become a part of this village over the past four weeks.
He played soccer, or football as they called it, with the kids every day.
He hunted with the men, helped the women cook, and learned a lot about herbal medicines.
Forrest had gotten a small laceration and the poultice that had been made for him worked better than any ointments from home. He’d also gotten three marriage offers. Damon was thrilled when he told his brother during their weekly phone calls.
However, love and marriage were the last things Forrest was thinking about.
Tonight was a celebration. Then, in two days’ time, he and Tuka would start the long journey back to the city.
Forrest would leave behind the two trunks he’d brought.
They contained enough equipment to build eight of these systems so Tuka could share the knowledge and repair any damage to their systems.
Drums were brought out and a feast was held in celebration.
Forrest danced the night away as he ate food he knew he’d never be able to replicate again.
This expedition was one of the greatest achievements of his life, and he was sad to leave.
They’d become his friends. Tuka had told him he goes into the city twice a year.
The post office would hold his mail and Forrest had every intention of sending care packages and updates for his friends.
Finally, with the night just hours from dawn, Forrest went back to his tent with his flashlight. He was asleep just seconds after closing his eyes.
Gunshots caused Forrest to shoot up from bed. He was still dressed in his clothes from the night before as he shoved his feet into his boots. He heard war cries and screaming from Tuka’s tribe. Forrest didn’t hesitate to grab his go-bag and machete before he ran from his tent, toward the violence.
In his bag was his satellite phone, a small medical kit, and his gun. It was still dark out as he rushed by his fire pit. At the blind curve in the path, he slammed into someone running from the village.
Forrest immediately knew several things.
The person who ran into him was smaller than he was.
Her breasts flattened against his chest, so he knew she was a woman.
The third thing he learned was that she was running for her life.
She struggled to get free, her bare foot slamming onto his boot even as she reached back and tried to slam her fist into his face.
Forrest didn’t want to hurt her, so he bear-hugged her, trapping her arms at her side. “Stop fighting. I won’t hurt you. I’m sorry, I don’t speak Portuguese,” he tried to say calmly as she fired off words a mile a minute. “Amiga,” he said friend in Portuguese. It was about all he had.
The woman stopped fighting and looked up at him. The light from his firepit was barely enough to see her dirt-covered face thin from malnutrition. “Who are you?” she asked in Portuguese.
“Forrest Townsend. I’m an American scientist,” he replied in English.
Suddenly the ground shook and a fireball rose into the sky.
“My water system!” Forrest forgot all about the woman as he released her and took a step toward the village.
“No!” she hissed in English and grabbed his arm. “They’ll kill you. We have to run. Now!”
“You speak English?”
“No time. Run!” The small woman had a death grip on his hand as she yanked him off the path and into the darkness of the jungle.
Jordana was running on nothing but pure survival instinct and adrenaline. For three days she’d been hunted. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept. Her feet were torn to shreds, but she wouldn’t stop.
She thought she’d run into one of her captors when she’d slammed into the man. However, none of her captures were so handsome and none of them had looked at her with the kind of concern this man had. Forrest Townsend. His name seemed appropriate for being in the middle of the forest.
The sound of gunfire and the yelling of the villagers fighting back were clearly heard as she dragged Forrest deeper into the darkness and away from the village.
“Stop,” Forrest hissed. She appreciated that he didn’t yell. Jordana tried to ignore him, but when he stopped, she stopped. She couldn’t move him if she wanted. “We need to head to the village to help.”
Jordana was shaking her head, but she doubted he could see it. “No. They’re dangerous. They’ll kill us.” Jordana turned to leave, but this time it was his hand that snaked out and grabbed her.
“Stop running. Give me a minute to think. We need to get back to Manaus.” Jordana watched the man reach into his backpack and pull out something. Then there was a soft glow as the compass lit up. “It’s back that way. We need to go back to the village.”
“Toward the killers who kidnapped me? No.”
“Just think. I know you’re in a flight response, but for one thing, they wouldn’t think you’d backtrack. For another, about three miles from the village is a river. We can boat out of here.”
Jordana just wanted to run. She wanted distance between them. “Are you crazy? There’s black caiman and anacondas in those waters.”
“We can cover a hell of a lot more distance in a boat. I know how to use a canoe. Trust me,” this stranger begged.
“I don’t know you! I just escaped after being held hostage for four weeks.
The last thing I’m going to do is trust a stranger.
” Jordana was already looking to run but the horror she saw on Forrest’s face told her more than any words.
He would never do that to a woman and now she felt bad for not believing him.
“Four weeks! Are you injured? I have a small medical kit here.” Forrest started to dig into his bag, but Jordana reached out and stopped him.
“I’m okay. My feet are torn up, but it’s nothing I can’t live with. I know I was taken because of my dad. I have to get word to him that I’m out. He’s an important man and they want—”
Forrest suddenly put his hand over her mouth. Her eyes went wide with fear until she heard it. The sound of people getting closer. He might not understand what they were saying, but she did. They were looking for her and the American.
She nodded and Forrest dropped his hand. She leaned forward and placed her lips by his ear. “Okay. Let’s do your plan.”
Forrest turned toward the village and took her hand. He slowly led her through the thick jungle. They’d pause anytime they heard anything, but she was pretty sure whoever was left was running in the other direction.
“Forrest!” Jordana heard someone call out.
“Tuka! We’re here.” Then she heard the man, Tuka, calling out to others in a language she didn’t understand.
“Who is that?” she asked Forrest.
“Grandson to the tribal leader. He’s the one who brought me here to help with a water system. You can trust him too.”
Forrest didn’t move until Jordana nodded her head.
Then they made their way to the path between his tent and the village.
Jordana was hesitant to trust after what she had gone through, but one look at the young man and she knew he could be trusted.
He was a warrior. Blood smeared his body and the large machete he held was coated in it.
The fierceness in his gaze told her he was ready to fight again.
“How is Cau??” Forrest asked.
“Pissed off.” Tuka responded. Jordana was surprised he spoke English, but then his eyes caught hers and narrowed. “Who is that?”
“Jordana Alves,” Jordana answered for herself.
“Alves? As in Pedro Alves?” Her surprise clearly showed. “I know who your father is. I’ve written him many times when I was in the city for my learning. Where did you come from?”
“They took me hostage. I escaped a couple of days ago. I’m sorry, they found you by following me.”
Tuka’s brows furrowed as they walked toward the village. “I don’t know if they were after you or Forrest. They were asking about the American scientist, but I guess you could be part of that.”
“What injuries were there to the village?” Forrest asked.
“The water system was destroyed and three men are dead, but we killed more of them and sent them running. There are those who are born to the and those who are not. The knows and favors us.”
“I’ll stay and help rebuild,” Forrest began to say as the village came into view.
“No. You taught us how to fix it. It’s not safe for you anymore. It’s certainly not safe for Miss Alves.”
Jordana saw the man who must be Cau?, the leader of the tribe, approach. Pissed off didn’t begin to describe the fury radiating from him. He wore the blood of his enemies on his body and he stalked toward them not looking like any grandfather she’d ever seen.
He spoke a language she didn’t understand as Tuka replied before turning toward them.
“I have told my grandfather who you are, Miss Alves. I’ve talked about the letters between your father and me, so he has great respect for your family and your efforts to save our lands.
I’m to escort you to the river and give you one of our boats.
You can only travel halfway to Manaus until the river becomes too dangerous.
There’s a large beach that will be hard to miss.
Get off there and then travel the rest of the way on foot. ”
Jordana listened to Forrest speak some words in Tuka’s language. He bowed before Cau? and to many of the tribe. Women and children approached with sad smiles and all said something to him, touching his arm or his hand. The men approached and bowed to him in a show of respect.
Jordana knew how hard it was for outsiders to earn this kind of respect.
Forrest must have made an incredible impact on them to be treated with such honor and respect.
She watched as he talked to them and ruffled the hair of several of the children.
What kind of man had she stumbled upon? It seemed obvious. An honorable one.
“Ready?” Tuka asked after a moment.
Forrest looked to her first. “I’m ready,” Jordana told them and then they were off.
The trek through the jungle was made in silence.
Eventually the sound of the river could be heard as the sun broke free of the horizon.
A small canoe was tied to a tree. There was no beach.
No dock. They’d have to carry the canoe to the water, which was about two feet below the tree line and beyond some rocks.
“I’ll hold the rope while you get in,” Tuka told them and he and Forrest hoisted the canoe up and carried it the short way to the rocks that created a slight step down into the river. “Be safe, my friend.”
Forrest hugged him and then dropped down into the canoe.
He turned to Jordana and held out his arms. Jordana picked her way across the rocks and before she could step into the canoe, Forrest wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her into the canoe as if she weighed nothing, which at this point, wasn’t far from the truth since she was malnourished.
“Goodbye, friends. Miss Alves, tell your father about our village. About the fight we faced. And Forrest, we’ll have your invention up and running in no time. Thank you, my friend!” Tuka waved as Forrest used the paddle to push away from the rocks.
Jordana watched as Tuka became smaller and smaller and then was out of sight.