For five hundred years this park had survived in the heart of Caracas. It was surrounded by the national performance center for music and dance as well as museums of science and arts all around the periphery. But even that was lost beneath the trees. Here, quiet paths wandered through more shade than sunlight.
The trees were alive with other fauna as well. Green Amazonian parrots debated territorial rights with the brilliant scarlet macaws—especially when someone tossed out some leftover tortilla. Black squirrels countered the parrots’ aerial strategies with racing ground strikes—down the tree, a dash to the prize, quick grab, and the fur infantry returned to the trees before the feathered air squadrons coordinated their forays.
Sofia wanted to purchase a whole stack of tortillas so that
