<<Chapter 2: Emmit Shares>>

Nara wakes when the light has returned to the sky. She searches around and notices that Emmit is nowhere to be found. He is not in the hut nor is he outside of the hut. Where could Emmit be? Nara starts to panic. She gathers her things and sets out to find Emmit. As soon as she leaves the hut, she notices Emmit dragging the tiger from yesterday in the direction of the hut. 'What is he doing and how is he doing it? Tigers are very large and heavy.' Nara thinks to herself. She watches as Emmit continues his journey toward her.

"What are you doing Emmit?" Nara asks.

"Well, you told me yesterday that fire can heat the meat from the tiger. Then I remembered that you needed materials for garments. Could you use the skin and fur from this creature to make garments? I wasn't able to gather fronds for you yesterday. I don't want to be the reason why your work is slow." Emmit pulls the creature just outside the entrance of the hut. Emmit grabs a sharp object. It is called a knife. Nara taught him that yesterday. Emmit starts skinning the creature.

"I haven't used a material like this before, but I can learn how to use it." Nara watches as Emmit expertly removes the hide from the tiger.

"I am going to cook this meat and offer it to the neighboring people. It will be far too much for us to eat alone." Emmit states.

"Offer it to neighboring people? Why?" Nara doesn't understand why Emmit wouldn't want to keep it to himself or try to trade it for new materials. Giving it away without some kind of exchange does not make any sense.

"Well, I don't see what we will need it for. It's no different than how you gave me these garments yesterday." Nara thinks back to the day prior. She did give the garments to Emmit without even thinking about how she can benefit from it.

"Well, I did give you those, but then I asked you to collect materials for me in exchange," Nara explains.

"Yes, but you didn't seem upset when I returned without materials last night. Just as I would not be upset with sharing this food without getting anything in return. If you think about it, I am getting something in return. I would be earning the trust of our neighbors." Everything can be considered an exchange if you think about it hard enough. If new exchanges are what the people-creatures need to grow and change, Emmit will teach them how.

"Trust? Why do we need their trust?" Nara does not understand Emmit. He is a strange man.

"Well, it's good to have neighbors to help you in times of trouble. Like how I could have been harmed in the forest yesterday, you came to my aid. Having others who are willing to help you is good for not only you but for the community as a whole. If everyone works together, who knows what can happen."

"Work together. Hmm. I don't think I get why it's necessary, but I won't prevent you from doing what you want to do." Nara has never received help from other people. She isn't completely sure what compels her to teach Emmit. She just knows that she enjoys the feeling she gets when she helps. It brings happiness.

Emmit builds a fire. That is another thing that Nara taught him last night. After the fire is built, he cuts away at the tiger, getting as much usable meat as possible. He still has a large pile of bones and some organs. He thinks he might be able to use the bones for something, he isn't sure about the organs just yet. He will have to ask Nara if she knows how to use them.

Once the meat has been separated from the other parts of the tiger, Emmit starts to roast each individual piece over the fire. Each piece has to be heated properly so that no one catches the sick that Nara described. Emmit doesn't fully know what the sick is, but it must be bad if Nara warned him of it.

Emmit gathers the cooked meat into a large basket. He brings it over to Nara. Nara takes a break from her work to eat with Emmit. Once they have had their fill, Emmit carries the heavy basket towards one of the other huts to offer meat to whoever will accept it. Emmit has not interacted with other people yet. His stomach feels like it's doing flips inside of him. He tries to ignore it as he meets his first neighbor.

An older man, slightly smaller than Emmit, is sitting on a stone, carving a piece of wood with a sharp rock. The wood starts to take the shape of one of the other life-creatures that Emmit has seen before. Emmit enjoys watching this person create smaller versions of living things. The older man notices Emmit standing over his shoulder and turns around.

"What's wrong child?" The older man inquires. Emmit remembers being called a child once before. It was the voice that introduced nature. Being called a child warms Emmit's heart.

"Nothing is wrong. I came to offer meat. I found a large beast in the forest yesterday. It had already passed away. This morning I was able to drag it back, clean it, and cook the meat for my friend and me. There is too much for us. Would you like some?"

"What do you want for it?" The old man grumbles.

"I don't want anything. I just don't want this meat to spoil when it could help feed another." The old man looks at Emmit with wide eyes. This is a strange boy. The old man tries to refuse but Emmit is persistent.

"Fine. I will take some."

"How much do you need? Do you have family?" Emmit remembers that when people creatures gather together and share one hut, they are a family. Is Nara his family?

"I have a wife. I also have a son who is married and two beautiful grandchildren." The old man explains.

"What is a wife? And what are son, and grandchildren?" Emmit also wants to know what beautiful means but he doesn't want to ask too many questions. He assumes those are titles of other people-creatures, so he starts handing meat to the old man, enough to sustain that amount of people.

"You are a strange man. Who doesn't know these kinds of words?" The old man scoffs, accepting the meat that Emmit shares.

"Since you are giving me meat, I will share knowledge with you. A wife is a woman who you love. You find her beautiful and enjoy being in her company. A son is what a wife brings into the world after you lay with her. A daughter can also be made, but I only have a son. Grandchildren are the children of my son. They are my children's children." Emmit nods in understanding. He is happy to have acquired this new knowledge from the older man.

"What is beautiful?" Emmit asks, hoping the man will answer this question for him. The man laughs and slaps Emmit's back with his hand. It does not hurt. It is a strange motion.

"That's a hard question to answer. Beautiful is different for everyone. To some, beautiful could be a flower or a clear sky. Beautiful can also be a person. If you like how they look, how they act, how they exist, you might call them beautiful." The old man rubs the back of his neck as he tries to explain this concept to young Emmit. 'So beautiful is a feeling. It's like 'like' but stronger than that.' Emmit thinks to himself.

The old man waves Emmit away, thanking him for the meat. Emmit understands that he has to leave. Just as time can not pause for too long, neither can he. Who will he meet next? What will he learn?