THE YOUNG NATIVE

A young native of the rain-forest lived all of his life in nature thinking and knowing that it was the giver of all he needed in his life .  He respected the nature and knew it's ways that was passed from father to son and was doing the same for his own son who was also going to school during the week and returning home at the weekends to his family .  He was not keen on the separation but the distance by river was too much to travel each day . 

One weekend , father and son were out hunting and the father could see that his son was not the happy boy he once was when out hunting before . The father sat the boy down on a fallen tree left by the people who were cutting down the trees for profit and in doing so forcing the young native to travel further into the rain-forest to hunt for food for his family , but he also knew that man cannot replant the rain-forest and in time it will claim back it's ground but not fast enough for him to be able to hunt in this area again . 

The young native sitting on his hunkers and thinking , how easy it is to become a father and how hard it is to be a father was now looking at his son and seeing himself , not for the first time in his son when he himself was a young boy and maybe having something of the same thoughts said ,  '' There is something on your mind that has taken you away from the hunt ''.  The boy holding on to his blow pipe so tight that his knuckles were turning white answered ,

'' Father you tell me to go to school so I can have a better life and I want , but I also see you happy in your ways in the rain-forest and I am between the two worlds as to where my future is ''.  The young native realising his son had given this a lot of thought tried to answer in an honest way that his son would not lose heart and said , '' When you look around you here in the rain-forest you know you are in a safe place but more when you are in tune with your surroundings and respect the nature , but no matter where in the world you are you can still be in a safe place , the world is your rain-forest now and education , not just in the school is your travel ticket .  For a father to expect his son to fill his place is not fair to his son ''. 

The boy now relaxing his grip on the blow pipe and that smile returning that his father knew so well , realised that the days he was now spending in the rain-forest with his father , the young native wise for his age , is the way he wants to remember his father , for these memories will be his guidence and comfort in his own adult life .