A Bounty of Bone by PG Lengsfelder

Author:PG Lengsfelder
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: PG Lengsfelder
Published: 2022-09-20T17:17:42+00:00

At sunup the boy woke me. He handed me two fried buns, similar to those I’d purchased in Karatu. “You must go. I’ll take you back. Eat while we walk.”

My own sour smell ambushed me. “Will we be near water? A stream?”

“On the way,” he said. “Come, before it is too light.”

As we passed his mother’s hut, photographs pinned to the entrance caught my eye. I stopped to see them. “Who are these men?” I asked.

“My brothers, my uncles,” said the boy.

I pointed to one, a large man in a washed-out coral safety top, jeans, and hard hat with the goldmine logo. An enormous industrial wheel, twice his height and eight times his width overshadowed him. “Who is this?”

“My uncle Moses,” said the boy. “He works in the mine. Drives that truck.”

“What’s his last name?”

“Charles. Now, let’s go.” We started walking.

“Charles?” I said.

“Yes, very common last name.” He was tiring of my questions.

In the morning light, we retraced our steps from the night before. Small huts and deep crevices dotted the landscape. Occasionally, the land opened into muddy red pits with long wooden sluices. Workers already dug at the ground. Women toted heavy sacks on their shoulders. Seeing my interest, the boy said, “Artisanal mines. The government approves them. But nothing like Geita.”

“Clean,” I said. “Can I get clean?”

“You wait.”

About a third of the way into town, he pointed me into a small thicket, hidden from the path. “Go there,” he said. “Be quick or I leave you here.”

Sure enough, beyond the thicket sat a small murky hole of water. Who knew what was in it, but I had little choice, everything stuck to me; I smelled awful. Still dressed in my camping pants and shirt, I dunked myself and hoped for the best.

When we reached the outskirts of Geita, the boy stopped. “The money, please.” He held out his hand. I paid him. “You will go by yourself.”

I tucked the rest of the bills back in my pocket. “Thank you,” I said. “What is your name?”

He’d already turned and was disappearing along the creek, away from me.

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