1
The morning sun was just touching the treetops when Tomás knocked on Granny Liu's door.
She opened it with a surprised look. Visitors this early were unusual. But when she saw Tomás's expression, she nodded and motioned him inside.
Problem? - she asked.
Tomás nodded.
Fungus. On Chen Guang's vegetables. The green water does not work. I need your help.
Granny Liu sat down on her mat and gestured for him to do the same.
Tell me.
Tomás explained as best he could with his limited vocabulary. Black spots. Spreading fast. Fuzzy on the surface. The vegetables were dying.
Granny Liu listened carefully, asking a question now and then. When he finished, she was quiet for a long moment.
Then she stood and walked to a corner of her house where bundles of dried plants hung from the ceiling. She ran her fingers over them, murmuring names, until she found what she was looking for.
She pulled down a small bundle of dark brown bark and brought it to Tomás.
This - she said - is from a tree near the stream. I use it when I store food for winter. It keeps the mold away.
Tomás took the bark carefully. It was rough, with a strong smell, woody and sharp.
How do you use it?
Granny Liu made a gesture of boiling. Then she pointed to the bark, then to water, then made a motion of pouring over food.
Make water with it. Put on food. Mold does not come.
Tomás nodded, writing quickly in his notebook.
Xièxiè. This is very helpful.
Granny Liu smiled.
You help village. I help you.
2
From Granny Liu's house, Tomás went to find Hunter Shi.
He found him near the forest edge, checking his traps. Shi looked up when Tomás approached, said nothing, and waited.
Tomás explained the problem again. Fungus. Black spots. Need something that stops it.
Shi listened in silence. Then he pointed deeper into the forest.
There is a tree. Old one. Its leaves smell strong. Animals do not eat them. Even bugs stay away.
Tomás felt a spark of hope.
Can you show me?
Shi nodded and began walking.
They went deeper than Tomás had ever been. The forest grew darker, cooler. Strange birds called overhead. Once, Tomás saw a flash of blue light in the trees, but Shi did not stop, so he kept walking.
After twenty minutes, Shi stopped in front of a large tree with rough, dark bark and leaves that were almost black. He broke off a small branch and handed it to Tomás.
The smell hit immediately. Strong, bitter, almost like medicine. Tomás's eyes watered.
This is... very strong.
Shi nodded.
Animals hate it. Bugs hate it. Maybe fungus hates it too.
Tomás took out his notebook and began to write, describing the tree, the leaves, the smell. He wrapped the branch carefully in a cloth.
Xièxiè, Shi. This could be important.
Shi nodded once and turned to continue his work.
3
Back in the village, Tomás found the children waiting for him under the Shenmu.
Xiao Wang was there, with his bark notebook. Mei, with her flat stone. Li Wei, with his leaf. Little Feng, with a stick. And a few others, curious as always.
Tomás sat with them and showed them what he had found.
This is from Granny Liu. Tree bark. She uses it to keep mold away from food. And this is from Hunter Shi. Leaves from a tree in the forest. Animals and bugs do not like it. Maybe they will help with the fungus.
The children leaned in to look.
What do we do? - Wang asked.
Tomás explained:
We need to test them. We need to see if they work on the black spots. So we will make different medicines and try them on the sick plants.
Mei raised her hand shyly.
Can we help?
Tomás smiled.
Yes. I need your eyes. I need you to watch. To see what happens. To remember.
The children nodded, serious and proud.
4
They spent the afternoon preparing.
First, the bark from Granny Liu. Tomás broke it into small pieces and put them in a pot with water. He set the pot over a small fire to boil.
Second, the leaves from Hunter Shi. He crushed them with a stone, the same way he had done with the qīngliáng cǎo, and mixed them with water in a clay bowl.
Third, a combination. Some bark pieces and some crushed leaves together in another bowl.
The children watched every step, asking questions.
Why boil this one? - Li Wei asked.
Because Granny Liu said to. Maybe the heat helps the medicine come out of the bark.
Why crush these? - Mei asked.
Because the smell is inside the leaves. Crushing lets it out.
Why both together? - Wang asked.
Because sometimes two things work better than one. We need to test everything.
Little Feng pointed to the pot with the boiling bark.
Bubbles.
Tomás laughed.
Yes, Feng. Bubbles.
5
When the preparations were ready, they walked to Chen Guang's field.
The old farmer was there, standing among his sick vegetables, worry clear on his face. When he saw Tomás and the children, he straightened.
You found something?
Tomás showed him the three containers.
Three different medicines. We need to test them. Small areas first. To see what works.
Chen Guang nodded.
Do it.
Tomás marked four small sections in the field. Three for the medicines, one with nothing, as a control. He showed the children how to apply each one carefully, using small brushes made from grass.
This area - he said, pointing - gets the bark medicine. This area gets the leaf medicine. This area gets both together. And this area gets nothing. We watch them all.
The children spread out, applying the medicines with intense concentration. Even little Feng helped, dipping his grass brush carefully and dabbing it on the leaves.
When they finished, Tomás stood back and looked at the field. Four small squares, marked with sticks. Four experiments waiting to happen.
Now we wait - he said - And we watch.
6
That evening, Tomás sat by the fire with Wei Chen.
You have three new medicines - Wei Chen said - And children who think they are scientists.
Tomás smiled.
They are scientists. They helped today. They asked questions. They paid attention. That's what scientists do.
Wei Chen was quiet for a moment. Then he said:
Some people in the village are talking. They say you are changing the children. Making them strange.
Tomás felt the familiar chill.
Strange how?
They ask too many questions. They do not just accept what their parents say. They want to see, to test, to know why.
Tomás thought about this.
In my world, we think asking questions is good. It is how we learn. It is how we make things better.
Wei Chen nodded slowly.
I know. And I think it is good too. But change is hard. For some people, it is scary.
Tomás looked at the fire.
I don't want to scare anyone. I just want to help.
Wei Chen put a hand on his shoulder.
You are helping. The children are learning. Chen Guang's vegetables might be saved. The líng cǎo might grow here. These are good things. Give people time.
Tomás nodded.
Time. I have that.
They sat in silence, watching the flames.
7
Later, alone in his house, Tomás wrote in his notebook.
He wrote about Granny Liu's bark and Hunter Shi's leaves. About the three medicines and the four squares in Chen Guang's field. About the children, who were becoming real observers.
He wrote about Wei Chen's warning. About the people who were afraid of change.
Then he wrote:
In my world, we had a saying: "La ciencia no pide permiso para avanzar." Science does not ask permission to move forward. It moves, and people either follow or get left behind.
But here, I cannot move too fast. These are not my people. This is not my world. I am a guest. A strange guest who asks strange questions.
So I will be patient. I will let the children learn. I will let the medicines work. I will let the líng cǎo grow. Slowly. Quietly.
Y algún día, maybe they will understand.
He closed the notebook and lay down.
Outside, the Shenmu whispered. Somewhere in the dark, three medicines waited in their containers, and four squares of vegetables waited to show what they would become.
Mañana veremos. Tomorrow we will see.