17
There are no bodies to prepare for the journey into the afterlife. Xia and his father carve heads from stone with the likeness of the priest and of Bada. We open holes in ground wet with the rain. Bada’s grave is near where Tu Kele rests and Father’s is nearby. Their stone likenesses are buried, along with gifts and food offerings to assist the journey. Even as I inscribe in symbols the record of the event, I weep as if it was flesh assigned to the earth rather than their images.
As the days pass, I discover the feathered serpent has made a small gift in compensation because I find myself with child. Xia and I rejoice, and he starts working on the house that will soon be our new home. My belly grows large so I help by tying palm fronds together to form the roof while Xia and our famil
