Todo lo que Brilla Chapter Summaries

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After selling the gold, we went to Ecua Volley's court and played a couple of hours. In Nambija, there was not enough room for a football pitch. In- tones All athletic miners played Equa Volley when they had time and energy. We had a lot of fun and we played well. Antonio brin- was a lot and could hit very hard. Ignacio and I are fast so we were able to reach all the balls. The games were very exciting. After a good move we always celebrated clashing our hands and congratulated ourselves. Antonio's wife, Beatriz, watched the games and shouted out his support for our team. After winning a couple of games easily, another team hit the court. They were three very strong and tall men. They wore red t-shirts with shovels- bras "THE FLYING TIGERS". They were Nambija's camps. When they played, they always won. They came to the court with an arrogant attitude. One of them told us: - We want to play, but we only play for money. You think you are good but you have not yet played against us, children. We are the best in Nambija! Five hundred thousand sucres say we're going to crush them . Listening to the trash they were talking about, we- others got very angry and hurt our blood. Ignacio said: -No one can talk to us like that! We have to win- them. I answered: - I know. They are very arrogant but five hundred a thousand sucres is all we win in the mine. If we per- play the game, we're going to lose everything. Antonio said: -It's true, but if we win, we're going to have double! I didn't know what to do. I wanted the money but IT- Flying stoneware looked very strong. Suddenly one of them cried out to us: - It is obvious that you are afraid! My grandmother is playing Equa Volley better than you are. Ignacio answered angry: - Your mother! The three men approached us and the one who had talked about their grandmother shouted, - You're talking about my mother!? - OK, we accept the challenge! -I said - And we're going to see who crushes who! Antonio threw our five hundred thousand sucres on the ground and they threw his five hundred thousand sucres as well. Everyone watching started screaming with emotion. There was a lot of shock and energy- gia. Everyone was excited and we were lis- cough. We had to win two out of three games to win the money. We drank some water and started the game. From the start of the game, everything was very intense. They were strong and looked like flying tigers of truth. They jumped high and hit hard. It was very difficult to earn points. Plus, we were very tired. They weren't tired because it was their first pair- of the day. They were winning 13-5 and we did not win one more point. We missed the first game. We had to win the second and third to win the money. After the first game, the strongest man shouted: - Is that all they have?! They look like a trio of blind. Ha ha ha! Ignacio shouted at him: -Shut up! There are still two games. We rested for five minutes before we started the second game. Antonio's wife gave us a little of food and cold water. She told us: - Let's go, boys! Antonio, you have to hit harder. Ignacio, you have to defend the network. Joseph, You have to wake up. You look asleep! i Want ca- sarte with Emilia or not?! We went back to the court and started the second game. We started strongly. Antonio hit the ball so hard that one of them, trying to contain the ball, fell because of the strength he was wearing. Antonio told him: - What happened? Do you snare your teddy bear? Ignatius and I clung our hands. Then Ignacio defended the network very well. We were winning 10-6. We only needed five more points. After a few more points, Antonio had the oppor- test to win the game with a service. Antonio jumped and hit him with all his strength. They could not touch it. We won the second game! We only had one more left to earn the money. We were very excited about the third game. We took off our shirts because we had a lot heat. The other team looked a little worried and we- others had a lot of excitement. However, we had played for over an hour and were extremely tired. Antonio's wife told us: -Boys, they just have one more game. Together they can win. Yes you can! Many people had heard of the game and he said that all Nambija was there watching. The Perso- shouted for us because the Flying Tigers had a reputation for being very arrogant. We were called the Golden Team. Everyone shouted: -DO-RA-DOS! DO-RA-DOS! DO-RA-DOS! We had a lot of confidence. The game started and the Flying Tigers were winning 5-4. The tall man hit the ball very hard and hit my face. The audience shouted: -OOOOOHHHH!!! The man told me: - Do you need a handkerchief? Are you going to cry? Ha ha ha! my nose hurt. I was very angry. Antonio hit the ball very hard again and made a point for us. We were winning 7-6. The public applauded. Then I did two very good services. we were winning 12-8. The audience went crazy. Only left us three points to win the match and the di- nero. I ran down a ball near the net and jumped as high as I could, but the tall Tigers man Vo- adores got his foot under the net and made me stumble. I fell very hard to the ground and hit the ca- beza. The public whistled angry and shouted: - Puerco! Dirty Game! The tall man looked at me and smiled sarcastically. He said to me: - How are you, boy? Does your head hurt? En- fermera has aspirin. Ignacio ran to the other player and shouted at him: - Play clean, coward! Antonio came and pushed Ignacio backwards. He said: -Use your fury for the game! We almost won. Then they both looked at me. Ignacio told me: -Are you okay? Do you know your name? What day is it? How many fingers do I have on top? I answered: - Yes, yes, I'm fine. It was a lie. I was not well, disoriented and saw stars. However, I had to finish the game. We only needed three more points. Beatriz gave me a little water. I heard the audience. Everyone shouted: -DO-RA-DOS! DO-RA-DOS! DO-RA-DOS! I got up slowly and everyone went crazy. - Well, Joseph! Very well done! Give it, give it! Ignacio began with a service on the net; 12-9. The Tigers continued with two fast points; 12-11. I couldn't do much. A ball came to me and I hit him very badly; 12-12. Antonio defended the network; 13- 12. The tall man responded by hitting the ball very strong; 13-13. Then, I did a bad service on the net. The Tigers were winning 14-13. One more point and they would earn all our money. We paused. We talked to Beatriz. He gave me some water and said: - Joseph, I have something for you. I wanted to wait for the perfect mo- ment to give it to you. I am a friend of Emilia and I have a picture of her when we were at the market. Look. She gave me an old picture of Emilia in the market. It was the first time I saw Emilia's face since we left the village. My heart flutted very hard and suddenly I felt much energy. We returned to the court with strong determination. The Flying Tigers had arrogant smiles and he- talked about what they were going to do with our money. The tall man said: -One more point and we made his money. Ha ha ha! Ignacio shouted: -Shut up and do the service! I just thought of Emilia. For her I would do whatever is. They weren't going to earn me that money. I was going to marry Emilia and no one could stop it. The man jumped up and made a very strong service to my area. I pulled to the left and put a hand under the ball regardless of whether it hit me when I fell. I only mattered to earn the money to marry Emi- lia. The ball rose quite well, Ignacio passed it to Antonio and Antonio hit him very hard. Point to us! 14-14! The audience went crazy. The yes- next point defined everything! It was my turn to do service. I was nervous but confident. Beatriz picked up the picture of Emilia and looked at it before making self- vice. Susurre: -This is for you, my love. Take a deep breath and hit the ball with my strength. The ball passed through the net with great speed and the tall man barely touched it with his hand. The ball came off the court and we won! Everyone vol- saw crazy shouting: - DO-RA-DOS! DO-RA-DOS! DO-RA-DOS! The tall man sat down on the floor with his head in his hands. We were all congratulated. It was a credible moment in- ! We had earned all the money! I grabbed the picture of Emilia and I kisses it as if it were herself.

Chapta 11

After the first day in the mines I felt fatal. My whole body hurt and I had a cough because the air in the mine was not clean. The air was full of dust. With the bags of rocks on the shoulders, we walked slowly to the house of Antonio and Beatriz. I fell asleep quickly and deeply. The next day we went to the mill of a friend of Antonio. The mill was the place where we extracted the little gold from the mineral. The mill owner told us: - Hello, welcome to my mill. He was a skinny man wearing an old dirty t-shirt. -Thank you -Antonio said. We are here to process these three bags of the IM- neral. Do you have time today to help us? - Of course. The mill owner directed us to a large machine. It seemed to me that the machine used to be a cart that had become a mill. It had a Nis- san engine that was connected to a tank, orange and in- menso, that was spinning. We had to put all the ore in the tank and grind it until we saw just water and mud. Ignacio, Antonio, and I lifted the heavy bags and threw all the ore into the tank. Then Antonio pulled a small bottle of his bun- llo. The bottle was very peculiar. It had a silver-colored liquid inside. The bottle was very small but very heavy. I asked: -What is this? I find that very strange. He answered: - This is mercury. Mercury must be added to the mineral because the mercury sticks to gold. Without mercury, we could not separate the little gold from the mineral. It is a process used since pre-Columbian tempos. Then Antonio measured the mercury in his hand before he put it in the tank. I was blown away. He susu- tre Ignacio: - i:. Did you see Antonio put the mercury in his hand?! He answered in surprise: - Yes, I saw it. It's very bad for your health. How terrible! I asked Antonio: - Why did you measure mercury in your hand? It's bad for health, right? -Well, yes, but I'm a miner. I risk life every day. A little mercury is nothing - I rese- pondio without concern. I thought: < How terrible!>. I didn't say anything. After putting the mercury into the tank, we had to grind everything again. After an extra hour, we open the tank and pours- put the whole mixture into a large container. The pent was a plastic kiddie pool. The mixture of mineral, water and mercury was gray in color. I looked at the mix and thought: <Where is the gold?>. There was still no gold. I was worried- and whispered to Ignacio: -Where is the gold? We did so much work and no gold appears. Ignacio replied whispering: -It's true. I don't see any gold. It looks like water dirty, Antonio not our concern and told us: - Don't worry. The gold is there. There are only two more things we need to do. So, Antonio bounced all the water to the ground less a little. Only the mixture of mercury and mineral remained. Antonio insisted that gold was inside. I put the mixture on the fabric of an old shirt. He turned the fabric around so that the mercury fell off the fabric. was left with two gray balls that were supposed to be mercury and gold. Gold still not visible. There was one more thing to do. Antonio took the gray balls and burned them with a torch. He had to evaporate the cured mer- . I said: -Isn't it dangerous to breathe mercury vapors? Antonio answered: - Yes, when the gold is burned, you have to cover your mouth and nose with your hand. This way you don't breathe mercury vapors . I thought that covering my mouth and nose with my hand wasn't enough to protect yourself from vapors, but I didn't say anything. Antonio wasn't going to change now. Fascinated, I looked at the fire. I thought of all the low work we had done. Chopping and mincing in the os- curity, carrying large bags of ore through the tunnels. I thought about the risk we run day after day at the mine. I thought of Emilia, my love, and asked myself if she expected me. I thought of all the money I needed to get married. Look at the two gray balls burning in the flame of the torch. I didn't think it was much gold. Antonio covered his mouth and nose with his hand. Invisible mercury vapors were lifted up into air. Little by little, the gray color disappeared, and only that- they gave two small gold balls. Gold wasn't as I imagined it. It was not a big, bright bar like the ones in movies. It was not like the treasures of pirates. It wasn't brilliant like the necklaces of the American rappers. It was only two porous balls. When mercury evaporated, it left spaces in balls like sponges. Ignacio said: - Is it all? Did we do so much work and only come out two small balls that don't look like gold? Antonio answered: - That's right, partner. But these two gold balls are worth five hundred thousand sucres. When we sell them, ten- we will have enough money for the three-piece meal- nas and little more for clothes, tools and a small party. I was disappointed. I thought we would have paid more money after so much work. I thought I was going to save a lot of money for Emilia. The reality of the situation hit me like a rock in my head. We would need a miracle to en- contrast enough gold to marry Emilia.

After the game we were very excited and we felt invincible. We were very happy and thought we were going to find a lot of gold the next day at the mine. We were lucky. We get up at five in the morning and enter- We go to the mine with a positive attitude. We walked rand through dark tunnels. We smelled the dust and heard the noise of hundreds of people stinging with a spike and shovel. Little by little the re- alness of the situation returned. We were in the mine, the Witch's Well. Our good humor became a tense precaution. Suddenly vims two children walking alone in the tunnel. One of the children wore a blue T-shirt from the 101 Dalmatians. He looked very young. Ignacio said to him: - Hello, boy. How old are you? The boy answered: I have site years. The other boy had long black hair. He interrupted and said: -No, no. He's six and I'm eight. The two kids ran away. It was very sad to see the children in the mines. They had no opportunity to play the sun or go to school. What irony! They had to risk their lives to work and survive. We continue to walk quietly until we reach a small tunnel next to the main well. It was like a maze in the dark. We entered the tunnel more than five hundred meters down and walked down and down a long way from the main well. We didn't see anyone else- guna. Finally we got to the part where we wanted to tra- get down. The tunnel opened up a large, empty space. It was an old well where there wasn't much gold left. Only the stirrups were left to support the roof of the huge cavern. We knew that what we were going to do was very tricky- grubby. However, near the stirrups there was more gold. We wanted to make more money. The stirrups were very high and one had an old platform next to it. On the other side of the stirrup was a huge cavern, more than a hundred meters deep. We're on the platform with all our tools. The silver- form was more or less unstable and dangerous. We're starting to snack. Antonio said: - Mineral is good here. I know you're going to pay well. There is a lot of gold here. Ignacio answered: -It's true. But you have to work hard given. I said: -This platform is very unstable and the sill is holding the roof. Removing too much rock from the sill can cause the roof to fall. - No problem - Antonio answered -. I think that this stapes are still very strong. We can be- guir by itching. Nothing is going to happen. We're still working quietly for half an hour. Suddenly we hear a strong explosion. BUUUUUUUUM! The sound came from far away. It was not good- from time to time to hear the sound of dynamite. Some miners used dynamite for their work. We stop working for a moment. We don't breathe. we just hope. We're still itching. A minute later we heard, BUUUUUUUUM! Another dynamite. This explosion stopped- closer. I said to Antonio: - What's wrong? Why is dynamite so close? Antonio responded a little concerned: - I don't know. The miners are working. That's what they do. We're still itching. Suddenly, we heard an explosion- sion so strong that the entire mine and platform was taken up. BUUUUUUUUUUM! This time, the stones began to fall on top of us. We cover our heads with our hands. Stop- a rain of stones. The air was filled with dust. We couldn't do anything. We only hear the sound of rocks and stones ca- going like rain: The rain of death. The silver- form was very high and we couldn't get down quickly. We could only set back so that the Virgin would protect us. Suddenly, a very large rock fell on top of Antonio. He hit him in the head. It fell from the silver- form and went to stop almost a hundred meters down. After five more minutes of shock and tea- tor, the rain of stones stopped. Ignacio and I were covered with stones and dust. We look at ourselves with a mixture of sadness, terror and relief. We realized that Antonio wasn't there. We shout: -Antonio! Are you alive?! Antonio! i How are you?! We didn't hear anything. Just a silence.....a fatal silence.

Chapter 10

Antonio's wife was named Beatriz. She took us home and told us that Antonio was coming to lunch at twelve. The house was not a real house. It was more like a wooden platform with a plastic ceiling and walls. The wind moved the walls like sheets. The kitchen was just a fire and a small table. Beatriz cooked rice with chicken to sell to miners and Antonio worked in the mines every day. Every day, Antonio arrived at 12:00 a.m.- he dieth to eat. Suddenly Antonio came and shouted, between cheerful and surprised: -ilgnacio!?.... Joseph!? What are they doing here? - We were looking for you! You owe me money! - Ignacio answered with a friendly laugh. No, But seriously, we're here to work in the mines with you! I said: -It's true. A foreign company called United Fruits stole our land with help from the government. - And they also wanted to put us in jail for trying to resist us. There was nothing else we could do but escape," Ignacio said. -;Ayayay! It seems that companies are always trying to take our own. How terrible! But well, That's what friends are for... How was the trip? No It was easy, wasn't it? - Antonio answered. -A man left us on a beach in the river and stole everything from us. We would have died if it weren't for shuar-le die. -Shooo!? Did you help them? Don't you eat them- rum? Ha ha ha! - she said graciously. -So shuar isn't wild. That's the fame they've given them. They helped us a lot and give them- Let's start our lives," I said seriously. -Quiet! I am not racist. It's a joke. Here in Nambija there are some shuar at work. They are good people," Antonio said. Ignacio said: - What is mine work like? Is it easy in- contrar gold? With this question Antonio's face got very serious and he told us: -Look, working in the mines isn't easy. It is very dangerous, the tunnels are not very stable and at times can rock on top of the miners. Also, even- that most of the people here are respectful and honest, there is one criminal at a time. Care must be taken when you go out with your gold and especially after you sell it. There is no police here. There are no banks. They can steal you. And how did you do? Do you feel you're- hard worth it? - I told him thinking about the money that I needed to be able to marry Emilia. - Yes and No. Nambija is not as profitable as pen- saba. Sometimes you pay well and sometimes you pay nothing, de- hangs out of the tunnel. But the problem is that everything here is expensive. There are only two stores and they charge a lot for their produce. Nambija is the last corner of the world. Transporting anything here is very expensive. It seems that the money is going away as soon as it arrives. It's tough. -What things! -i said-. I imagined that everything was not going to be a rose color in Nambija. -It doesn't matter! -Ignacio said with a big smile -. We are here with nothing to lose. Let's find a lot of gold. I am very lucky! -Yes! -Antonio answered him-. •It's true! With you two here we're going to find more gold than ever. We lift up three plastic cups filled with water and deliver: -Health! The next day, we started working. We get up- We went at 4 in the morning and walked toward the well, the well of the sorcerers. We bring flashlights, spikes, blades, hammers and large bags. Antonio had a helmet but Ignacio and I did not. The path was Ileno of people entering and sa- lowing from the well. Those entering the well had bags without mineral and those leaving had bags filled with me- nerve. They worked like ants in a colony, in- trashing and going out all day. When we arrived at the mine, Antonio told us in a serious tone: - Let's pray. We always pray before we enter the mine, so that the Virgin Mary will protect us. We all come down and pray to Our Lady Mary. We asked him for protection and I asked him to see Emilia again. After prayer, we enter the mine. The entrance to the mine was more or less large and the tunnel had a lot of water on the ground. The light at the entrance slowly disappeared. After fifty meters everything became very os- cured and not much could be seen. I was afraid. My heart was fluttering. The flashlights were almost lit and I felt alone even though there were people working everywhere . Every step was difficult. We continue to move nando. The path was very narrow in some parts and wider in others. Also, there were tunnels on the sides of the main path. We continue walking down to the main mine. Suddenly, the narrow tunnel became a big, noisy ca- verna. There were people everywhere working in the dark. They only had flashlights or candles to light. We heard the tincc tincc of the peaks, blades and hammers. We heard the voices of men and women, children and old. A woman shouted: -Chicken! Bring the tasty chicken! She was selling chicken to miners. It was an ex- trana thing. It seemed like a nightmare, a scene from hell. We walked to a part of the cavern where there was no . Antonio sat next to the cavern and started to nibble. He told us: -Look, you have to chop the quartz. Here you can see a small deposit. -But where is the gold? -i asked him. Antonio laughed. -Gold is not visible. Gold is very small. You have to remove the mineral and then process it to remove the gold. - I thought there was gold on the ground - said Ig- was born. -Before there was more gold, but now there is not so much answered. We all start to chop and chop the rock. It was a very slow and difficult job. We put the boulders we stung into the bags. Little by little, and after hours and hours, the bags were full. The bags weighed one hundred and twenty pounds each. With sweat even in my eyes, pain all over my body and completely exhausted I told Antonio: - What now? Is there a cart? How do we get bags? Antonio looked at me, smiled ironically and said: -With his hands.

Chapters 3 and 4

Every Saturday Jose visited Emilia in the market. Jose and Emilia spent so much time together that Ignacio was becoming a little jealous. It didn't matter to him, and he was in love and love is not rational. Emilia and Jose knew very quickly that they were in love and that they wanted to be together. Everything was good. Jose's farm was getting him a lot of money in the market. Nevertheless, one day a man arrived at Jose's house and changed everything. The man said to Jose, "Hello, are you Jose Alberto Campos?" "Yes," Jose said to him with a voice of distrust. "How can I help you?" "My name is Raul Ramos. I am a representative of the company United Fruits. United Fruits is a company from the United States and we want to buy all of the lands in this zone to create a very large banana plantation." "Then when do you want to do with me?" Jose asked Raul. "We want to buy your land at a good price and then offer an opportunity to work on the plantation." "What do you think?" Raul said to Jose with a smile like a serpent. "I think it's a bad idea. I live well selling my products in the market. I am sorry sir, but I can't sell." Said Jose. "Are you sure? We are offering you a good price for your land, your lost crops, and your work tools. It is an offer that you can't reject. Besides, all of your neighbors want to sell. You can't be the only one that doesn't sell. The plantation will be very big and will cover the whole area. Jose's family had owned the land for generations. He didn't want to sell it all and then work for a foreign company. His inheritance, his culture, and his way of life wasn't for sale. He didn't want to sell! The man looked at him with annoying eyes and said in a low voice, "It's obvious that you don't want to sell right now, but I'll be back. We'll see what you say next time he comes. The man got in his car and left. Jose closed the door and felt angry and confused. He didn't know what to do. When Ignacio arrived from the town that night, Jose told him all that happened with the man from the company. Ignacio was angry and said that he didn't think that he could trust that man because he has bad intentions. Ignacio asked Jose what they were going to do. Jose says that he doesn't know, that he hopes it won't come back but he thinks that it will one day. In the following days, he was very worried. On Saturday, when he went to the market he told Emilia that a man from the ranch came the other day. He told him that a large company wanted to buy the ranch and that the neighbors were going to sell their land and that the man told him (Jose) that he should sell his too. She responds with a worried voice that his ranch is doing well - why should he have to sell it? She says that her father likes him but that he has told her that he wouldn't let her marry someone that does not have a good job because he doesn't want her to suffer economic hardships. Her father would not accept their marriage if they didn't have anything to live off of. He wouldn't mind their marriage if Jose continued earning the money that he does in the market. She loves him and doesn't want to lose him. He says that he loves her as well and that he won't sell the ranch. One day, he plans to marry her and live in the house together with kids. Jose was really worried but he didn't want to admit it. He smiled and told her that everything was going to work out. But in his heart, he was really scared.

Chapter 2

Every Saturday the peasant farmers took their things to the market. Ignacio and Jose got up early and got on their old truck. They left at four in the morning. They had to get there before Emilia to prepare. They got to their market stall at six thirty and put the baskets of beans on the table. The baskets of cabbage and chili peppers went at the front of the table. To execute their plan, they looked for Emilia. Her family had a stall on the other side of the market, next to the higher class. Her family sold leather products. They had a small factory next to their house where they made bags, purses, belts, and key chains. They lived in the center of the town near the plaza and the cathedral. She didn't know that Jose existed. They walked to the other side of the market. We smelled the fruits and fresh veggies and grilled meat. They passed by a stall that sold plantains. Ignacio bought a plantain. They continued walking and talking when suddenly they saw Emilia's stand. She was here! He realized that his heart was beating fast and his mouth was dry. His hands began to sweat. Suddenly, he was afraid and did not want to complete the mission. He told Ignacio that he couldn't do it. Ignacio grabbed Jose's arms and said, "You have been talking about this girl the whole week. You cannot abort the mission. You have to do this. Together we can." At that moment, he realized that he had to forget his fear and complete the mission. Then they began to walk. Ignacio ate his plantain and walked a little quicker than Jose. He walked slower waiting for the perfect moment to get close to Emilia's table. Emilia was talking with a client. Ignacio dropped the plantain peel in front of Emilia's stand. Jose continued walking and saw Emilia. When he saw her beautiful face he slipped on the banana peel and with an exaggerated yell fell at the feet of Emilia. He hit his head on the street and Emilia yelled, "Poor man! Are you okay?" She grabbed his hands and helped him up. His head hurt but when he saw her eyes he forgot about the pain. He only thought about her beauty. She asked him again if he was alright, if he knew his name or where he was. He introduces himself and she does the same. He asked what happened and she tells him that he slipped very suddenly on a banana peel. He lies, saying what bad luck he has. She offered him a chair and her mom gave him a glass of water. They spoke a bit about he didn't remember what they talked about. He only remembered her smooth voice, her beautiful smile, and her hands touching his head caringly. Finally, he asked how he could repay her. And she told him that he doesn't owe her anything, she just wants him to visit her next Saturday. He didn't know if it was the hit on his head or the words she said to him, but at that moment, he was flying.

Chapter 6

Ignacio and Jose got up at 5 in the morning. Although Jose was used to bathing in cold water, he believed that the hotel would have hot water, but he was wrong. When turning the hot water faucet, no water came out. So like always, he had to shower with cold water. They went down the stairs with their backpacks. They turned in the key to the man with one eye and went out to the street. The sun was just coming up and they listened to the crow of the rooster. Cock-a-doodle-doo! The street was a dirt road and was actually muddy because it had rained. They smelled the smoke from the kitchens from the houses. The mist was close to the river and it seemed very strange to Jose. A man passed them in a noisy motorcycle. Ignacio saw a small restaurant. He said to Jose, "I'm hungry, let's go there to eat." "Okay, sounds good." They entered and they sat at a small table that's surface was covered with plastic. They ordered eggs, rice, beans and coffee with milk. The food was delicious. "It's incredible. Today we are starting a new life as miners. Are you ready Ignacio?" Said Jose. "Yes, there is nothing else that we can do. It is the best opportunity that we have." He responded with his mouth full of rice. "I know, but I am a little nervous. We don't even know where we're going. Are you sure that Antonio wants us to go there? What are we going to do if he isn't there or if he doesn't want to help us? Jose said worriedly. "Look, we are already here, we can't go back. If you want to get married with Emilia. You have to take the risk. Don't worry. Together we can do it." Ignacio responded confidently. "You're right. I want to get married to Emilia more than anything. I believe that we can have success with hard work a little bit of faith." Jose said with spirit. "That's right! Let's triumph!" Ignacio yelled. An old man that was reading the paper looked at the and said with humor, "Too much coffee?" They laughed and left with energy and confidence. They walked to the river with their big backpacks and looked for Alfonso Figueroa's boat. He approached them smiling. His gold tooth shined in the son. Alfonso said to them, "Good morning. Are you all ready for the trip?" "Yes!" They said with much animation. They wanted to get to Nambija as soon as possible. The boat didn't seem solid but they didn't care. They went quickly. "You have money?" Alfonso asked. "Yes, we will give you 20,000 sucres now and the rest when we arrive." Ignacio said. "I don't like this. How can I be sure that I'm going to be paid? Where is the rest of the money?" Alfonso said. "We have the money. It is in the backpacks. Don't worry. If you take us on the path to Nambija you will get the rest of the money." The journey was long and difficult. They didn't have much space in the boat and Jose felt uncomfortable. Alfonso talked a lot with Ignacio. They talked about a lot of stuff. The weather, sports, politics, and other things. Jose didn't pay them attention. He didn't want to talk. He only thought of Emilia. He was daydreaming when they passed a small town. In the town, there were some natives. They were fishing in the river and using long sticks to propel the boats. Ignacio asked, "Who are they?" Alfonso responded "They are the Shuar. Years ago they were very isolated and didn't have much contact with the modern world. Even today many live in the jungle looking for their food with rifles and nets. Some still use blowguns." "I find it interesting. Why don't they end up integrating the modern world?" Responded Ignacio. "Because they have a tradition of independence. When the Spanish arrived many years ago, they enslaved the Shuar. They forced them to look for gold in dangerous mines. They abused them a lot. Then, the Shuar rebelled and won their freedom." Responded Alfonso. "Many groups rebelled but not all won their freedom." Replied Jose. "Well, the Shuar had a form of life that helped them gain their liberty. They didn't have large towns, but they lived in small familiar groups. It was very difficult for the Spanish to defeat them. The Shuar attacked the Spanish in the night and retreated into the jungle. After much loss, the Spanish surrendered and left the Shuar in peace. The Shuar fought with passion and strength. They said that when the Spanish governor arrived and demanded more gold, the Shuar rebelled and poured hot gold in his mouth. "Ayayay!" said Ignacio, "I don't want any trouble with them." "I think it's fine," said Jose, "The Spanish didn't have the right to make them slaves. The people should have freedom to live how they want. Jose was thinking about Raul Ramos and the United Fruit company. After they sailed more on the river, Alfonso said, "Good companions, we are here." The boat moved closer to a small beach. "We're here already? There's no one here." Jose said worried. "There's no problem," Alfonso said to Jose, "There begins the path. It is a little farther than the beach." Jose looked but he didn't see anything. There were only palm trees, bushes, and dense plants. They looked at Alfonso again but he insisted that the path was there. Ignacio and Jose were tired of being in the boat for so many hours. They wanted to get out to stretch their legs. Then , they got out of the boat. They walked a little farther away from the boat and looked in the forest. Suddenly they heard the motor of the boat. They looked at the river and Alfonso was going fast, and had their backpacks! They yelled but it was too late. Alfonso looked at them once more, his gold tooth glittering in the sun. He left them alone and lost in the jungle... in the middle of the Shuar territory.

It started like a normal day. We walked to our tunnel. The clouds looked like an ocean. We turned on our carbide lamps under a large tree. We entered the tunnel after praying to the Virgin. We walked until we couldn't do more. From there, we gateed to the end of the tunnel. We arrived at the end of the tunnel and started to chop and chop. I said to Ignacio: -I think there's a good vein here. I think we are going to find a lot of gold today. He answered: - I wish it! We need a little luck. We have a lot of tempo without finding anything. - Yes, that's true. I hope this vein pays well. We bite and bite. Fill- let's take a sack with mineral. Igna- CIO was carrying the sack toward the exit of the mine. I got stung. Suddenly, I felt a tremor. The tunnel temblo and tem- blo. The earth began to fall and fall. I cried out to Ignacio: -Exit! There's a tremor! The tunnel is falling! My carbide lamp fell off and went off. Everything was dark. - I'm not leaving you! I'm going for you! - Ignacio shouted. That was the last thing I heard before the earth fell and filled the small tunnel. I was trapped.....alone. I couldn't move. After a few seconds, I cried out: I'm alive!... And you?... I can't move! I'm buried to my chest! No one answered me I thought that at any time the entire tunnel would collapse. I couldn't breathe very well. The air was dusty. I was in total darkness. My lam- for carbide was buried. What happened to Ignacio? Was he alive? Was he back- pared too? Could you save me? I was not breathing well. Air was running out! Pense in Emilia. Was she going to see her again? Was this the final? I felt dizzy. Slowly, he was losing knowledge. I closed my eyes, imagine Emilia's face, put my head on the ground and... I was unconscious. -Joseph...Are you awake? - What? Are you, Ignacio? - Yes, it's me, Ignacio! - Where are we? What happened? - We're at the Za clinic- Ruma. After the tremor you were trapped in the mine for ten hours We thought you had died. - My head hurts! I am thirsty. -Yes, you're very dehydrated. You have a serum. Don't move. The serum will help. You're safe now. But, you know what? There is no evil that does not come for good. -What are you talking about? I feel horrible and almost died. In addition, our tunnel is a disaster. I lost- We got it all! - Listen to me Joseph! Nothing was lost, against- laughed. When I was rescuing you I looked at something bright in the space from which the earth had fallen. It was gold! A lot of gold! Now we have enough money to bring Emilia to Zaruma. - What!? Really? Do we find gold? Can I marry Emilia? I was extremely happy. I tried to grab Igna- CIO to hug him but my arm hurt. - Thanks, Ignacio! Thank you for saving me! GRA- Cess for everything! I was happier than ever. Two months later, Emilia arrived in Zaruma. We ca- we are in the church. Ignacio was the godfather and Beatriz came from Cuenca to be the lady of honor. We gave her a significant share of the money from the big gold deposit we found. With the rest of the money, we built two small houses and installed a cart that ran on a rail to get the ore out of the mine. We also bought ten water filters for our shuar friends. Now, Emilia and I have three children. Our first- mer son is named Antonio (he plays well with Ecua- Volley). Ignacio married Andrea and continues to work with me in the mines. We're not rich, but we live well. Our primary goal is to earn enough money to send our children to school. Education is the best heren- cia we can give them. Ignacio and I have had many adventures in life, some good and some bad. But after everything, we've learned that family and good friends are the most important things. My name is José Alberto Campos and this was my story, the story of a artisanal miner.

Chapter 8

Suddenly, five men came out of the jungle with rifles, machetes and a blowpipe. We were surrounded and one told us in a very basic Spanish: - Who are they? Why are they here? I answered: - We're friends... We do not want problems. A man with a boat left us here on this beach. We have nothing. We only have hunger and thirst. The man who had spoken translated what I had said to the rest of the group. They answered him in the language of the Shuar. Ignacio told them: - Who are you? The man who spoke Spanish told us: -We are from the Tantanqui family, from the shuar nation. You are going to come with us. I thought there was no other option. Ignacio and I couldn't fight or escape. We could only follow- them. How far? We had no idea. I- zas... to death. The path was visible thanks to the moon, which shone sadly over the jungle. We walked in a lot of time with two men in front of us, two behind and the man who has- Spanish blaba was by our side. We couldn't walk too fast because our shoes were filled with sand and extremely wet. We had our feet hurting and had hardly eaten in three days. After an hour we arrived at an opening in the jungle. It was midnight. The man said: •We're here. You are going to sleep here. The other men disappeared. But one returned with two straw mattresses, two cassava dishes and two cups of water. We ate quickly. The man who spoke Spanish told us: -Good night. See you in the morning. Ignacio said: - Wait, what are you called? The man looked at us and said: -Me? My name is Tatatangui. But my friends call me Tangui -he smiled at us in an ex- trana- way. Welcome to the shuar territory. That night I had many feelings: Terror, relief, despair and pain. I was no longer hungry or thirsty and I felt much more comfortable than before, but I was well afraid . I was afraid of the shuar. After all, we were his prisoners, and we did not know what they were going to do with us. I just wanted to talk to Emilia. I wanted to see her and touch her hair. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. I wanted to tell her that I was going back to marry her. I imagined her in my mind and heard her soft voice. He whispered to me: - Joseph, I love you. I need you. I'm here with you. I got up quickly and saw Ignacio sleeping. I looked back at where Emilia's voice came from. Hear his voice again: -Joseph, I'm here, in the jungle. Come to me. I want you to embrace. It was Emilia really. Only she had that beautiful voice. It seemed to me that the voice came from a tree near me. I told him: •Emilia, is it you? How did you get here? How did you get there? I started running in the direction of the voice. She replied:- the police captured Alfonso when he tried to sell his backpacks. After questioning at the police station, Alfonso told them where he had left them. After that, we came to rescue them. - But Emilia, you're in danger! The shuar are here and I think they're going to kill us tomorrow. I ran to the tree and when I got to the voice, I tried to embrace Emilia when I suddenly fell into a totally dark tunnel. Down, down, and down. I was screaming loudly: - Emiiiiiliaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! i What's wrong?! - Wake up, Jose! - Ignacio shouted. I was shaking strongly. -What? Emilia? Where is Emilia? The tunnel? Ignacio, what are you doing? I fell into the tunnel. Emilia is here. She came with the police to rescue us. -No! That is not true. You were dreaming. There is no one to rescue us. We are prisoners of the Shuar. There is no tunnel here. It was a nightmare - Ignacio said. - What? But it was so real. I heard Emilia's voice. She was behind this tree. I fell into the tunnel. Walk to the tree. Emilia was not there and there was no tunnel. Suddenly Tangui appeared and told me: What you saw was not of this world. It was a supernatural vision. That's what happens to the per- you dream of spending days in the jungle without eating or drinking. We are silent. By day I could- We see Tanguf better. He was a not too tall man with long black hair. He wore old clothes: Old jeans and a red T-shirt with the number thirteen in the ES- pale. He was thin and strong and had a tattoo on his right arm. The tattoo was of a head that had a face of half a man and half a jaguar. It took us food in our hands: Meat and cassava. He offered us the food and sent with us to eat. - Why are they here? -he asked us. -we were going to Nambija to work as miners. But the driver of the boat, one Alfonso Figueroa, left us on the beach and stole our backpacks," he said Ignacio with his mouth full of cassava. - Do you want gold? My people have suffered so much from gold. Outsiders always want gold. And for what? You cannot eat or use it. - Yes, that's true. Gold has no practical uses, but is worth a lot. With gold you can buy a lot, like a house and food, I told him. What are you going to do with us- others? Are we your prisoners? -Ja ha! - Tangui laughed -. They are not prisoners. They can leave now if they want. No one is going to stop them. But, you are the shuar. You kill the outside, right? - We are not savages. We are normal people, but we don't like to be bothered. When we realized that you were not going to survive in the jungle, we decided to save them. That's why they are now here. Tangui explained how they live in the jungle. The Shuar live in family groups and cultivate hard-to-eat . They grow beans, cassava, fruit and more. They also harvest medicinal plants instead of using conventional medicine Men hunt wild animals with rifles and cerbatanas. Their houses are simple but good. They have thatched roofs. We stayed three days with the Shuar. During that short tempo the shuar taught us many things. When we had recovered strength, we were told that we were going to be taken to Nambija. It turns out that Nambija wasn't that far away. It was two days away on the way to the northeast. Tangui and his brother gave us food and two more- chetes and accompanied us on the path to Nambija. Once there, I told him: - Tanguf, how can I pay them? You put us male out of a terrible death in the jungle and then you have taught us so many things and treated us so well. Tangui answered: - It doesn't matter. Don't worry. You are good people and we want you to do well. If they find a lot of gold, if they want, come back with something, something that might help us. -What, what would they like? -Ignacio said. -Well, we want a water filter. Every now and then when our children get sick from drinking screened- water. With a filter we could clean the water before drinking it. - of course - I told him. I thought it wasn't a big or extra thing- ghent. I thought that for them, the most important thing was to live and maintain their culture. We embrace and say goodbye. I didn't know if I was going to see Tangui again some day.

Chapter 7

That night was terrible. They didn't know what to do. They had no food or their backpacks. They only had their clothes they were wearing, two knives, and 20,000 sucres in their pockets. "We never should have confided in Alfonso," Jose said to Ignacio with disgust. "You don't say," responded Ignacio sarcastically. "Now what are we going to do? We don't have food or backpacks. We have a little money but we are stuck in the jungle. We don't even have matches to make a fire." "I don't know what we're gonna do. But we need to be calm," said Jose. "Calm?!" yelled Ignacio. "We are in the middle of Shuar territory, a fat man stole our backpacks, we don't have food or a place to sleep. And you think that this is calm?!" "Shut up, Ignacio! We don't want to call the attention of the Shuar. We are in danger but together we can survive." Ignacio breathed deeply and calmly. "You're right, Jose. Together we can survive. Not alone." Page 33: After a few hours, Jose slept uncomfortably, hungry, and exhausted. The next day they got up early. They were very thirsty and hungry but didn't want to drink the river water. They thought it was dirty and full of mud. They decided to look for a stream and something to eat in the jungle. They entered the jungle and began to look. There was no trail but the jungle wasn't so dense after a while. In the jungle they saw many plants but nothing that looked like food. They also saw many insects. They saw exotic butterflies, giant mosquitos, spiders of many colors and a very fat worm. It was no paradise. They walked all day looking for a stream but didn't find one. At noon they sat exhausted on a log. "Oh, God," said Ignacio, "I'm tired. I'm dying of thirst." "It's true. It seems like we're totally lost. What are we going to do?" asked Jose. "I don't know," said Ignacio. The second night was worse than the first. The mosquitoes ate them. They didn't sleep well and they woke up extremely exhausted. They entered the jungle again and searched for fresh water. They didn't find a stream but drank the water that was condensed on the leaves of the trees. They also tried to open coconuts but they were very hard. They used the knives and some rocks and finally they opened one. They quickly drank it and ate the white meat. Finally they found food and drink. It was the third night. They hadn't seen a single person in three days. They sat on the beach and talked. "What are we going to do? It seems like an impossible situation," Jose told Ignacio. "Yeah, I think it's a terrible situation too. But we can't surrender now. I still have hope that we can be saved. Suddenly, they heard a noise in the jungle. Something big moved through the trees near them. "Shhh, what was that?" I whispered to Ignacio. We remained in silence for five minutes. Five minutes felt like a year. Was it the wind? Was it an animal? Was it . . . a Shuar warrior? The silence ended when we heard some voices, voices that weren't speaking Spanish.

Chapter 1

The narrator is a self-employed miner that has worked in the mines of south Ecuador for 15 years. The work of a miner is both difficult and dangerous, he does it for his family and to survive. Every day he works in a narrow, dark tunnel. The tunnel is 500 meters below the earth. He uses simple tools: a pickaxe, a shovel, a hammer, and his own hands. Every day is the same. He gets up before the sun, and he starts working. He enters the mine and searches for ores. Sometimes everything goes well and sometimes it doesn't, but one thing is constant: the risk. The danger and darkness are endless. Many people ask him why does he do it and why he risks his life every day? He responds by saying that nobody becomes a millionaire doing what he does. He does what he does so that his children don't have to be miners like him. He does it so that his children can have the education that he never got. He does it to give his kids the opportunities that he never got. Many people think that he spends every day looking for gold, but that's not how it is. In reality, he doesn't look for gold. He looks for a better life for his wife and children. He wasn't always a miner. Twenty years ago he was a farmer that grew beans, corn, cabbage, and chili peppers. He also had animals. He had guinea pigs, hens, a cow, and two pigs named Pepe and Pepita. He had a little bit of land and a humble home in the valley. His life was simple and more or less comfortable. He lived like he always wanted to live. He lived as his parents and grandparents lived. However, one day, for things out of his control, his life changed forever. His name is Jose Alberto Campos, and this is his story. His story began when he was 16 years old. he was a typical young boy, impressionable and full of energy. He didn't have time to stop to think about girls. One day in the village market, he saw a very beautiful woman. In an instant, he realized that from that moment his life would never be the same. He saw her one day while he was selling his crops in the market. She was the most beautiful woman he had seen in his life. She had brown hair, brown eyes, cream and chocolate skin and a smile that looked like an angel's. Jose had barely seen her and he knew that he loved her. It was love at first sight. However, he didn't even know her name and he was extremely shy. He had a plan to get to know her. It wasn't going to be easy. He was so scared of talking to her. He decided to talk with his best friend, Ignacio. Ignacio was his best friend since they were boys. Their parents were friends. Unfortunately, their parents died in a tragic accident on the coast. A mountain fell after torrential rains and they all died in the mud. After, he and Ignacio became orphans. Neither of them had more family. Since Ignacio didn't have a house, he invited Ignacio to live with him. Ignacio was like his brother. Years passed. Ignacio and he always did sports. They always talked about everything: girls, work, life problems... Ignacio and Jose got along well because they were opposites in many aspects. Ignacio was open and popular and knew how to talk to girls smoothly. Jose was shyer. He was embarrassed when talking to girls. Ignacio liked to sing and dance at parties and Jose was more reserved. At parties, he ate a lot of fries and he didn't dance much. However, the biggest things that Jose and Ignacio had in common were their love of hard work and sports. They always played soccer together at the field in their town. They also played EcuaVolley. EcuaVolley is a form of volleyball that they play in Ecuador with a soccer ball and a very high net. Soccer and EcuaVolley are the most popular sports in Ecuador and Ignacio and Jose play them very well. Back to the beautiful woman, after Jose saw her in the market, he said to Ignacio, "Wow! What a beautiful girl. Call the firemen because I'm burning." Ignacio responded with, "Yes she is beautiful, but don't get your hopes up. I know her. She comes from a high-class family. She isn't going to talk to a peasant like you. I'm sorry but she's out of your league." Then Jose responded with. "Why does my social class matter? I need to get to know her, but I need your help. I don't know how to talk to girls. Jose then tells Ignacio that he (Ignacio) has already had two girlfriends but he (Jose) has had none, asking him desperately to help him. Ignacio tells him that he will, but that she is out of his reach. That night, when they went home, they came up with a plan to get to know Emilia.

Chapter 5

They woke up at 5 in the morning. Jose didn't sleep well. His back hurt from sleeping on the floor. He was also hungry. They left the cabana, got in the truck, and went to Nambija. They didn't know exactly where Nambija was but they knew that it was in the southeastern part of the country. In the forest, close to Peru. Jose drove for three hours and after that Ignacio drove another three hours. They continued like that until they reached a small town close to the forest. It was the final town before the main road ends and the jungle beings. In the town, there wasn't much: a cheap hotel, a restaurant, and a small post office. At the post office, Jose sent a letter to Emilia. My love Emilia: I know that Ignacio and I had to flee the farm. I soldiers came, they took the farm, and tried to arrest us. Now we can't return. Emilia, I love you. I wanted to take you with me, but without money your dad would never let you go. Besides, I want to marry you and I need a stable and secure life to give you everything you need. My love, I can't tell you where I'm going. But I'm looking for a way to earn enough money so we can marry one day. You will always be in my heart. And I will always be in yours. I promise that one day I will return. With all of my heart, Jose. I closed the letter with a kiss and I put it in the mailbox. The next day, Ignacio and Jose sold the old truck for two hundred sucres. There were no more gas stations or roads to get to Namjija. To get there, they had to go in a boat for a whole day to a path, and from there they had to walk for three days through the jungle and mountains to reach Nambija. In the small town, they bought food, machetes, spikes, shovels, hammers and carbide lamps. They put it all in their backpacks and went to the river to look for a boat. Upon reaching the river a man approached them. They wore brown plaid shirts. They had their shirts open to show they were men with chest hair. He had a fat stomach and a gold tooth that shone in the sun. He told them with a smile, "Hi! Alfonso Figueroa, at your service. Are you looking for a boat?" Ignacio responded, "Yes, how much do you charge to take us to the path to Nambija?" Alfonso's face changed dramatically, "You want to go to Nambija? You know that Nambija is a dangerous, far away place. They say that it is very difficult to get there and even more difficult to return. Are you sure that you want to go there?" "Yes, we want to go. How much do you charge?" Jose said firmly. "Well, it's alright. We leave tomorrow at six A.M." Ignacio and Jose looked for a place to sleep. The hotel was small and didn't have many rooms. They arrived there and a man with only one eye said, "Are you looking for a room?" "Yes." "There is only one more room. It is the smallest and has two small beds. It costs 10 thousand sucres." "It's ok. We want it." He said, They were dead tired and wanted to sleep. They arrived in the room, threw their backpacks on the ground and they went to bed. The full moon shone every night. Jose looked at it through the window. He thought of Emilia. He asked if she was looking at the moon as well. He closed his eyes and slept.

Chapter 4

Three months had passed and he had not heard anything else from Raul Ramos. Jose had returned to his normal routine and didn't think about the United Fruit Company. Nevertheless, one day after working in the fields, he saw a letter in the mailbox. His stomach dropped. It seemed very official. He opened the letter which read. "Senor Jose Alberto Campos: It has come to our attention that you occupy the land that we have obtained for our department to sell to an outside company. United Fruit received a concession from the government for their efforts to develop the national economy. Above all else, by the fifteenth of May, your land will be the property of the United Fruit Company. We have included a check for 500 thousand dollars to cover the cost of your land and the things that you will lose. Thank you for your cooperation in this project to develop the nation. Sincerely, Raul Ramos. Jose didn't know what to do. He was shaking with fury. He had told Raul Ramos that he didn't want to sell. He wanted to cry of fury but the tears wouldn't fall. He thought about his family, parents, and his grandparents. It was the farm where he was born and he didn't want to leave it. He thought about Emilia and how he could lose her if he didn't have enough money. 500 sucres wasn't enough to buy new land and a house. It wasn't enough for anything! Without his farm, her father wasn't going to accept our relationship. He got so mad that he immediately ripped the check and the letter and threw them in the trash. The day we had to leave came. Ignacio and I decided not to leave. We decided to stay and protest. It was ten in the morning and we saw some trucks in the distance. They were getting closer and I realized they were military trucks. "There come the soldiers!" Ignacio said. "I can't believe it," Jose answered. Ecuador was a peaceful country in general. It would never have occurred to us that we would see soldiers over there. But there they were, three military trucks going to our house. I went to the patio and waited for them with Ignacio. The soldiers arrived. A man in a black suit came out of the truck. The man wasn't a soldier. It was Raul Ramos. He took out a piece of paper and read: "Jose Alberto Campos, under the orders of the Ecuador Agriculture Administration, I declare this land to be the property of the United Fruit company. You and your partners will have to leave these lands immediately." Ignacio yelled, "We'll never leave!" and Jose said, "We don't want to sell! I already told you!" Raul responded with "It doesn't matter if you want to or not. It is already done." Raul looked at the soldiers and said, "Sargent, take the house and arrest them." The soldiers got off the trucks and ran toward Ignacio and Jose. They ran away because it was their only option. They got on their old truck and drove quickly towards the mountains. The soldiers pursued them for some time but they lost them on the forest roads. They drove to a cabana that Jose's uncle had built when Jose was a boy. There they could rest and decide what to do. They arrived at the cabana at 10 pm. There wasn't anyone there. They opened the door and saw a small table and a dusty bed frame. There they spoke. "And now what are we going to do?" Jose said to Ignacio. "I don't know. But I want to kill Raul Ramos. He robbed us of our house and farm." Ignacio said. "Ignacio, you are not going to kill anyone. I am being serious. We don't have a home. We don't have a job. Besides, the soldiers are going to be looking for us. And Emilia, what are we going to do with her? Now I can't return to the market. Without a doubt, the soldiers are going to be there. Ignacio thought but didn't say anything. He only looked at the floor in silence for a long time. He finally said, "Jose, do you remember Antonio, our soccer teammate?" "Yes, I remember him," Jose said. "Well, he went to live in a town in the mountains. He became a miner. The town is called Nambija and people say that it is very easy to find gold there." Ignacio said. "But... we're not miners, we don't know anything about it," Jose responded. "It doesn't matter. We can search for Antonio and he can teach us. He told me that there is a lot of gold there and that we can work with him. Do you want to go?" Ignacio said. "Well, I want to think about it tonight and I'll let you know in the morning. I don't know. To me, it seems very crazy and dangerous." Jose said. "Yes, that's true, it is crazy and dangerous. But staying here is also crazy and dangerous. Here we don't have anything." Ignacio said. Jose went to bed on the ground, closed his eyes and slept. He thought about Emilia. He thought that the only way that she would marry him is if he got money as a miner. In the morning he woke up and said to Ignacio that he wanted to go to Marija. He wanted to become a miner.

Chapter 9

We walked two days on the trail to Nambija. The trail was not good and in some places we had to crawl up the mountain. When the food we had was over, we had- we had a chance to apply something we had learned: We didn't go hungry because the shuar had taught us how to find food in the jungle. We're looking for coconuts and fruits. We had even learned to eat worms that live in the trunks of ar- dead trees, but thankfully it was not necessary to get as much. We sleep under small houses that we build from ar- large bowls and leaves. We had learned a lot from the shuar. Without your help, we would never have reached Nambija. On the morning of day two, we left the jungle and saw a big mountain full of thousands of people. People looked like ants. Everyone is- walking. They were entering and leaving the ti- nels. We could never have imagined such a situation. There were so many people on the mountain, so many people looking for the same thing, so many people bus- panning for gold, or perhaps, a better life. We had to walk a further half day to get to the center of Nambija. When we arrived, it was night and we looked for where to sleep. There was no hotel. There were also no houses. Everything The village was improvised and not much order. people slept in plastic cottages. We had nowhere to sleep, so I slept- we went under the stars. It was cooler in the mountains and we had no fire. The night was long and uncomfortable. Ignacio said: -Well, here we are. In the morning we can look for Antonio. He will help us. - I hope so -I told him-. Otherwise, it's- Let's go into trouble, because besides him, he doesn't know- We're going to tell anyone. That night, I stayed awake for a while in Emilia- . I looked at the moon that lit the mon- tana. Hear the voices of some miners who worked at night. I thought about our situation and wanted to have Emilia in my arms again. The first time I heard from Nambija, I thought it was a city of gold, but now knew the truth: Nambija was a place of rocks, plastic and mud... a lot of mud. The village was awake before five o'clock in tomorrow. All workers walked to their tunnels. There were all kinds of people. There were women as well as men, and children as well as adults. Also there were old people. People came from all over Ecuador and some were from Colombia, Peru and Chile. they had heard of the mines in Nambija and that- they were going out of poverty. They arrived with very few he- branches: Spikes, shovels, hammers and their hands. We got up and started asking the miners if they knew our friend Antonio. Many people didn't look at us because they were carrying heavy bags of ore. They had no energy to stop and talk to us. They all seemed very focused on their work. At nine in the morning we were very hungry and we saw a woman selling rice with chicken. -Sorry, Madam, could you sell us rice with chicken? -Ignacio said. -It costs a thousand sucres - he answered. We paid him and ate the food quickly. -So, Madam, do you know a miner who is named Antonio Perez? -i asked him. -Mmm... Antonio Perez, sounds to me. What is it like? answered. -Well, it's kind of tall, has a little hair long, and it's skinny. And he loves to play football," said Ig- was born. She looked at us suspiciously and asked us: - Why are they looking for it? What are you called? - He is our friend and I invite us to work at Nambija. We've been looking for it all morning but no one knows where it is. My name is Joseph and he is Ignacio -le die. - Antonio is from our town and always played- We go football when we were children," said Ignacio -. Do you know? The woman smiled at us - Yes, I know. He is my husband.

We're looking for Antonio all day. We get your every- watch at six in the afternoon. His corpse was completely shattered. We return to Beatriz's house. She was desolate at the orator of her husband's death. She wept out of control- damn and didn't know what to do. The burial went the next day. Beatriz was very quiet and thoughtful. It seemed quieter. We made a collection among all the miners at Nambija. When a miner dies, everyone suffers. We gave Beatriz seven hundred thousand sucres. She took the di- nero and went to live with her mother in Cuenca. After Antonio's death, I am much in my own life. I thought about Emilia and how I was going to earn enough money to marry her. I didn't know how was going to make the money, but I knew something. I knew I did not want to continue working at Nambija. It was too dangerous and sad. I told Ignacio I wanted to go out. He answered: - Where do you want to go? - I want to go to Zaruma. It is another mining town in the mountains. They say a miner can work there and it is not as dangerous as Nambija. They say it's a beautiful village and you can have a family there - I answered. •Well, I think it's a good idea. Come on - answered Ignacio. The next day, we sold our equipment from me- neria, visited Antonio's cemetery and left. We walk on the mountain. We took a path that left us on the way to Zaruma. Once there, we're looking for someone to take us to Zaruma. A truck stopped. We climbed the back of the truck and traveled narrow, winding roads. We saw an ocean of mountains. It seemed that the mountains were not leading to any village. After many hours in the truck, we reached the summit of a mountain. Across the mountain we saw a village in the middle of nowhere. It was very strange. It was like an island within a sea of mountains. It was Zaruma. Zaruma was a very old town. It had a church and many white buildings. They had taken the gold out of Zaruma from pre- Columbian times until the pre- sente. I thought Emilia would like this people. Sonrei. I looked at Ignacio and said, - I think we've found a good place to start over. We entered Zaruma during the festivals of La Vir- gen del Carmen. We saw a parade with many things you- Zaruma spades. There was a group of children dressed as miners. There was another group of children dressed as pre-Columbian indigenous with gold dishes. Also, each neighborhood had a "queen of the neighborhood" who greeted the audience. The queens were very nice and Ignacio said: -I know I like Zaruma! Ha ha ha! I answered: - Yes, queens are pretty. But they do not compare with my Emilia. She is more beautiful than all. - You're too much in love. Je ha! -Res- Pondio Ignacio. After the depile we went to the cockfighting. There was a rooster site where there were a lot of fights. Ig- Born liked fighting a lot but I didn't gus- tabo. They seemed very cruel to me. The roosters were given big heels so they could fight to death. Many men were betting and yelling a lot for his cock. We saw a fight in which a red rooster was reading against a white rooster. Ignacio bet twenty thousand sucres on the red rooster. GRI- was crazy because it seemed his cock was going to per- right. -Let's go, let's go! - he yelled at him. Suddenly the red rooster rose and gave the white rooster a fatal spun. The white rooster fell and did not move. The red rooster won. Ignacio screamed happily and received his money. In the evening, we went to the main square. There we saw fireworks. I found it very crazy and fun. A group gave a fireworks presentation in the audience. There was no security precaution for the public! They lit many fireworks and the children ran and played under the sparks. They also launched rockets into the air. They sounded like rifle shots. A rocket went wrong and fell close to a group of people and exploded. Everyone was fine and laughed. Ignacio saw one of the "queens of the neighborhood" and said: - What is your name, my queen? She smiled and replied: - My name is Andrea. And you? - My name is Ignatius and I want to be your king. Do you want a Coca-Cola? Ignacio and she walked to the nearby food booth. I thought Ignacio was very brave for talking to such a pretty girl. I smiled. We had a lot of fun that night but my co- reason hurt me a little. I thought of Antonio and Beatriz. I also wanted to be with Emilia. The defilé and the parties gave us the impression that Zaruma was a happy and prosperous people. However, there was another side of the village. In the outskirts of the village there was another world. A much more difficult and dangerous world: The world of artisanal miners. We rented a small house and from there we started our work. There were already many miners in Zaruma. So we had to walk a lot to get to a part where we could work. In the morning, the clouds were lower than the path. It looked like a quiet white ocean. We started by building a small altar to the Vir- gene maria. She would protect us in dangerous times. After that, we started to nibble and nibble next to the mountain. The tunnel wasn't easy to do and we had to use dynamite to explode the larger stones. Zaruma was different from Nambija. It was quieter. Ignacio and I worked alone. Every day was the same. We were up at 5 in the morning. We were walking to our tunnel. We would pray to the Virgin and go to work. After a month we had twenty meters of tunnel. We put the mineral out in small wooden carts. The tunnel was very narrow and there was no fresh air. We had to crawl to work and we felt very locked in. After two months we had only found enough gold to survive. Nambija's ore was more profitable. We had not yet found a good vein. We search and search but we don't find- let's find one. Ignacio was leaving with Andrea every weekend. Boyfriends were hi- . I felt healthy envy because I wanted to be with Emilia. I couldn't even communicate with her. I thought about it every day. Every day when we re- set Our Lady up for protection, I too did a little prayer for her.

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