BACK TO THE WILD

摘要

The island is a strange place. Overgrown, unpredictable, war-torn. For hours during the day, the sun climbs into the sky and it is quiet and peaceful. But later, as the shadows gather in the trees, a volley of hoots erupts from the forest canopy and echoes around the island. Moments later, an answering call bursts from a thickly wooded valley on the other side of the island. A call, and then a response. And then silence. The sound comes again across the tops of the trees. Hooting, and then distant replies. High-pitched and repetitive, the sounds are not words. But they mean something anyway: the hunters are coming home. They emerge one by one from the foliage, stepping out cautiously into a wide and sandy bay. There are five of them, all males. Their bodies are lean and powerful. They carry a few simple tools - hammerstones and sharpened sticks and bones. At the end of the bay, they meet another group of hunters. Gesturing to one another and making primitive sounds, the two groups become one. They make their way to an encampment near the tree line where the women and children wait for them.