The Roar of the Falls: My Journey with Kaya

I tell Kaya I’d like to trade. Kaya says we can be trading partners. Then we’ll be friends for as long as we live. She unties the colorful quill necklace she’s wearing, the beads clicking softly against each other. She says she wants me to have it. I run my fingers over the smooth quills, marveling at how carefully each one has been dyed and arranged.

But what do I have in return? I glance down at my empty hands. I think of the pink stone I found on the hillside, but I remember that Kaya said you must have something of value to trade. The stone doesn’t seem valuable enough on its own.

The only thing of value I have is my bracelet. It is special, and Kaya has admired it more than once. But it’s my only link to home. It seems risky to let it out of my sight.