"I've never seen anything like that," Te' said, shaking her head. "We tend to do most things around here in measured doses. There's plenty enough work to keep everybody busy doing different things at any one time. Between fishing, planting, cooking, swimming, and dancing, we keep our bodies fairly limber."
"I noticed," I said, watching Te's lean legs flexing as she stooped down to cut another bunch of leaves from the base of the plant. "I wouldn't mind switching positions for a while if you’re up for it. I'd like to learn how to do everything your culture does. You never know when I might be stranded on another deserted island."
13
Te' and I worked for another hour or so splitting and weaving the leaves until we had an impressive pile of shiny green twine.
"That's a lot of rope," I said, wiping my brow with my forearm. "What do we do now?"
"Now for the fun part," she smiled. "We begin building our house in the clouds. Grab a pile of rope and let's see if we can find a suitable location."
As we began walking deeper into the forest, Teuila swiveled her head from side to side, scanning the thicket of trees.
"What are we looking for exactly?" I asked.
"Ideally, a tree that's not too far from the lagoon, but still out of sight from the beach. One with high, sturdy branches and a thick canopy to provide cover from the elements and any search parties. We can build the rest."
While we continued foraging through the forest, my mind wandered to the story of The Swiss Family Robinson, who built such a beautiful and intricate treehouse on their deserted island. But something Teuila mentioned bothered me.
"If we're going to be out of sight from the beach, how will my charter boat crew know where to look for me when they return?"
"I have an idea about that," Te' said. "The trick will be to build a marker that they can find, but my father won't so easily see. We'll focus on that tomorrow. Our priority today is to build a safe hiding place."
I glanced around the forest and noticed a tall mushroom-shaped tree standing in a clearing a few hundred feet away. It had a thick golden trunk and long stringy vines hanging down from its domed canopy. Broad horizontal branches radiated out in every direction about fifteen feet off the ground.
"How about that tree?" I said, pointing to the unusual specimen. "It looks pretty sturdy and well camouflaged."
Teuila turned in the direction of the tree and nodded when she caught sight of it.
"That's a banyan tree," she said. "It's perfect. It's even got a built-in elevator."
"If you're referring to those vines hanging down from the branches, that's not exactly what I'd call an elevator."
"Yes, but they're a lot less obvious than a ladder. If my father comes around, nothing will look out of place. He won't have any reason to believe we're hiding in the trees."
Te' walked up to the tree and grabbed one of the hanging vines, pulling herself up hand over hand until she reached the bottom of a branch. Then she grabbed the limb and flung her body upward in one quick motion, placing her feet on the branch and standing up.
"Damn, girl," I said, shaking my head at how nimble she was. "You make that look like Tarzan. You really do know your way around this jungle, don't you?"
"It's easy, once you get the hang of it," she said. "Now you try it."
I grabbed the vine with two hands, then wrapped my legs tightly around the cord and pushed up. It took me a minute to shimmy to the top, and when I reached the branch, I couldn't pull my body over it like Teuila had, so I flung one of my legs over the bough and awkwardly rolled myself on top.
"Not quite as elegant as your technique," I said, standing precariously on the limb, holding an adjacent vine for support.
"You'll get the hang of it soon enough," she said, brushing some loose debris off my bare breasts. "You just need to learn how to climb the vine with less rubbing. Otherwise, it won't just be the bottom of your feet that get scraped up.”
I glanced above me and noticed some teardrop-shaped fruit dangling from the branches.
“Are those figs?” I said, widening my eyes in excitement.
“Yes,” Te’ nodded. “And they look nicely ripe. Have you ever tried one fresh off the tree?”
“If they’re half as good as your fresh pineapple and mango, I can’t wait.”
Tequila picked one of the purple pods off a nearby branch then pinched the skin with her fingernails and separated it in half, placing it under my nose. The pulpy seeds glistened in the crimson-colored syrup of the berry.
“It smells heavenly,” I said, closing my eyes as I savored the floral aroma. I cradled the dewy husk in my hands and bit into it softly.