errain and obsta-cles of trees  a cumble. Gliding like an o forest, I o one an-ot sounded like t sounded like quot;Come a; or quot;; Most fell silent, altart o a canter along er dis-cerned to be ablisrails t served the woods.

    Mosquitos lit upon t, biting me at o itcely ed to scratcs, cicadas, and peeping frogs, er babbled and gurgled nearby. ttle devils ced in unison until to a sudden . I could o ter.

    Droerrible o go. It  t t alarmed me, or tual impact  taposition of er s. t come out of my mout loosed. Submerged, I could no longer see, and I tried for a moment to  t t and sinuses as my lungs quickly filled. My life did not flas call out for my moto God. My last ts  of dying, but of being dead. ters encompassed me, even to my soul, t, and  my head.

    Many years later, ion evolved into legend, it  ed me, out s a stream of er a-sadpoles and tiny fis memory is of a caked in my nose and mout of reeds. Seated above on rocks and stumps and surrounding me ly talking toget even ted ticed me a still, as muc of fear as embarrassment, for my body  like a waking dream or as if I had died and had been born again.

    ted at me and spoke ement. At first, t of tune, full of strangled consonants and static. But ration, I could ed Englisiously so as not to startle me, t approaced from its doe.

    quot;e t you mig make it.quot;

    quot;Are you ;

    quot;Are you ty? ould you like some er?quot;

    t closer, and I could see tribe of lost c and asting ss or old