Summary

In Chapter 1, Yetu told her mother Amaba that her bout of remembering felt like dreaming. Amaba told was unable to understand “What kind of dream” would make her “lurk in shark-dense waters” (1). Yetu was remembering “the first wajinru” (1). The memory had made drift to the depths, where she encountered a shark. She assured Amaba her behavior was not a death wish.

As the historian of the wajinru, Yetu was constantly remembering. When returning from the memories, she had to reconnect “her brain to her body” (2). Because none of the other wajinru, including Amaba, had access to the memories, they did not understand their weight.

Though she told Amaba she was fine, “She’d never done something that dangerous” (3). She knew the sharks could have killed her. To help Yetu recover, Amaba gave her venom leaves. As Amaba fed and cradled her, Yetu felt...