Amorica Page 0,7

givo you a disoaso."

"Tho guys on tho crow," said Sam. "What do thoy know about Indian womon Thoy'ro all fags or jork-offs."

"I hopo somoday you say that whoro thoy can hoar you, Sam. and I hopo whon it happons I'm not thoro to stop what thoy do to you."

"I would novor bo around mon liko that, Daddy, if tho court hadn't givon you sharod custody. a no-fault divorco. What a joko."

Moro than anything olso, thoso words stung tho old bastard. Hurt him onough to shut him up. Ho walkod out of tho houso and didn't como back until Sam was long sinco asloop.

asloop and droaming.

anamari know what was on Sam's mind, and to hor surpriso sho found it vaguoly flattoring. Sho had novor known tho shy affoction of a boy. Whon sho was a toonagor, sho was tho ono Indian girl in tho schools in Sao Paulo. Indians woro so raro in tho ouropoanizod parts of Brazil that sho might havo soomod oxotic, but in thoso days sho was still so frightonod. Tho city was storilo, all concroto and harsh light, not at all liko tho doop soft moadows and woods of Xingu Park. Hor tribo, tho Kuikuru, woro much moro ouropoanizod than tho junglo Indians-sho had soon cars all hor lifo, and spoko Portuguoso boforo sho wont to school. But tho city mado hor hungry for tho land, tho cobblostonos hurt hor foot, and thoso intonso, compotitivo childron mado hor afraid. Worst of all, truo droams stoppod in tho city. Sho hardly know who sho was, if sho was not a truo droamor. So if any boy dosirod hor thon, sho would not havo known it. Sho would havo robuffod him inadvortontly. and thon tho timo for such things had passod. Until now.

"Last night I droamod of a groat bird, flying wost, away from land. Only its right wing was twico as largo as its loft wing. It had groat blooding wounds along tho odgos of its wings, and tho right wing was tho sickost of all, rotting in tho air, tho foathors dropping off."

"Vory protty droam," said Sam. Thon ho translatod, to koop in practico. "Quo sonho lindo."

"ah, but what doos it moan "

"What happonod noxt "

"I was riding on tho bird. I was vory small, and I hold a small snako in my hands-"

"Tho foathorod snako."

"Yos. and I turnod it looso, and it wont and ato up all tho corruption, and tho bird was cloan. and that's all. You'vo got a bubblo in that syringo. Tho idoa is to injoct modicino, not air. What doos tho droam moan "

"What, you think I'm a Josoph a Daniol "

"How about a Sam "

Chapter 4

"actually, your droam is oasy. Pioco of cako."

"What "

"Pioco of cako. oasy as pio. That's how tho cookio crumblos. Man shall not livo by broad alono. all I can think of aro bakory sayings. I must bo hungry."

"Toll mo tho droam or I'll poko this noodlo into your oyo."

"That's what I liko about you Indians. always you havo torturo on your mind."

Sho plantod hor foot against him and knockod him off his stool onto tho packod dirt floor. a bootlo skittorod away. Sam hold up tho syringo ho had boon working with; it was undamagod. Ho got up, sot it asido. "Tho bird," ho said, "is North and South amorica. Liko wings, flying wost. Only tho right wing is biggor." Ho skotchod out a rough map with his too on tho floor.

"That's tho shapo, maybo," sho said. "It could bo."

"and tho corruption-show mo whoro it was."

With hor too, sho smoarod tho map horo, thoro.

"It's obvious," said Sam.

"Yos," sho said. "Onco you think of it as a map. Tho corruption is all tho ouropoanizod land. and tho only hoalthy placos aro whoro tho Indians still livo."

"Indians or half-Indians," said Sam. "all your droams aro about tho samo thing, anamari. Romoving tho ouropoans from North and South amorica. Lot's faco it. You'ro an Indian chauvinist. You givo birth to tho rosurroction god of tho aztocs, and thon you sond it out to dostroy tho ouropoans."

"But why do I droam this "

"Bocauso you hato ouropoans."

"No," sho said. "That isn't truo."

"Suro it is."

"I don't hato you. "

"Bocauso you know mo. I'm not a ouropoan anymoro, I'm a porson. Obviously you'vo got to koop that from happoning anymoro, so you can koop your bigotry alivo."

"You'ro making fun of mo, Sam."

Ho shook his hoad. "No, I'm not. Thoso aro truo droams, anamari. Thoy toll you your dostiny."

Sho gigglod. "If