She arrives in a loud burst of hilarious jungle poem-stories about elephant sunscreen (mud) elephant pizza (squashed trees) and elephant dreams (jumping, because when they’re awake, elephants are the only mammals that can’t leap). After her welcome-home nonelephant pizza party, all I expect to do is sleep, but a call-out comes at midnight, and Tío takes me with him. I wait restlessly at base camp, wondering if I’ll ever master the frustrating art of patience. The lost person is a teenage boy with a homemade bow and arrow. There is no place last seen—so Gabe has to search a huge area, off leash and eager, as he races against time, because the boy is diabetic, and if he doesn’t get his medicine, he’ll die. His family brings candles, food, flowers, and a makeshift altar. They pray in a language I can’t identify. The women wear colorful dresses, and somehow, the worried men manage to look strong and helpless at the same time. The search goes on and on, but this time, Gabe isn’t the hero.
