“All right. Good lesson!” Justin tells Sam as he takes a few steps forward, motioning for Joy and Charlie to get up. “We’ve got to go.”
“Thank you for coming,” Sam says, remaining on the floor.
Joy and Charlie get up. I do, too.
“Say thank you to the nice man,” Justin says.
“Thank you.”
“Thanks!”
“Now, take in all that you’ve learned, and forget about it. This is a way that people behave. It’s a way to express yourself. It’s not for kids yet. But I think you needed to know about this, Joy. Okay?”
“Those were stupid curses anyway,” Joy says. “What’s the point?”
“I’m not going to do anything that man told me,” Charlie says as we leave the house and walk towards Charlie’s elevator.
“Why not?”
“He said he’s teaching us words because we must not listen to The Man. But my Kwa’a says the White Man always used nice words to tell us how he’s with us, and the White Man always backstabs.”
Justin looks at him. “That’s a good point. That’s very true.”
Charlie shrugs. “I’m not sure. My mom hates everything he says about the White man. But I don’t like Sam anyway. He’s a liar.”
“Hmmm…” Justin thinks as he pushes the button and the door opens. “What do you think, Joy?”
“If Charlie doesn’t like him, I don’t like him. Also, I never liked him.”
We all enter the elevator. “Good. I guess we’re not coming back.”
And up the elevator goes, back to the tunnel and the Dream.
—Told by Grampa Walt