"Yes," she smiled, patting her flat stomach. "It is a beautiful life."I looked down at her belly. It was smooth, but it had the slight, soft stretch marks of someone who had given birth before. "Do you have a family?""I have four children," Tula said proudly, her eyes shining under the sun. "They are all at the village school right now.""You got a school here? In the middle of the jungle?""Yes, we do," Tula laughed, splashing a bit of the cool water onto her legs. "The children learn everything they need to know about the land and our ways. Don't worry, we will take you there to see it before you go back to your world. But for now, we should swim. Come into the water, Kess."I stepped back away from the bank, shaking my head quickly. "No... no, I can't. I don't know how to swim, Tula. I… no, please, I never liked deep water. And my experience a few days ago isn't… just no.""It is not deep at all," Tula urged, stretching her hand out toward me. "I can teach you right now. The wate
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