A Nacirema Piece

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The Portal

 

Under the sun’s shield, a cool consistent flow of air hits from “Windmaker”. The leaders of the tribe flock to sit in front of it. The room is a bright place, teaming with different colors and textures as the portals are discreetly tucked away in corners.

The tribes people consist of two kinds, leader and shapeshifter. Often times it is shapeshifter who is darting forward towards the illusive portal, although at times the opposite is true. The tribes people vocalize sounds to each other in front of Windmaker, perhaps blessing the shapeshifter before the transformation. Sometimes leaders will stand right in front of Windmaker, closing their eyes and making a sound. Perhaps a deep intimate prayer.

 

 

The leader will find a nesting spot, where he will spend an unknown amount of time. Leaders are equipped with bringing a slippery flat rock-like object to this phenomenon. While in solitude they touch it in different ways or vocalize to it prayers. The shapeshifter will disappear and return a changed creature. From a pink triangular feathered skin to a green leaf like piece of skin. At times the colors range widely and other times they all look similar. These shapeshifter abilities include changing the lower parts of their body from a one stick of movement mechanism to two. They can also grow their shoulder and chest size. The skin is adorned with different symbols including ancient hieroglyphics and numerical values.

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When the shapeshifter returns from the portal and approaches their leader, the shapeshifter will move in different ways, often turning, touching the new skins and showing the leader what the portal made. The leader observes carefully. Most of the time, shapeshifters and leaders will repeat this pattern with several skins until they show their teeth simultaneously. When they do it is a sign of validated appropriate transformation. Then shapeshifter will put itself back in the portal and return just as it came originally to Windmaker’s, holding the dead skin of it’s last form. A sign of victory.

 

Leaders often lack a lot of movement. Some leaders that flick their finger right multiple times on their rocklike object, will return with different shapeshifters throughout the seasons. On occasion, shapeshifters will come out of the portal and ask leader a question. No matter what the leader responds, it seems to cause a reaction in the shapeshifter, which sometimes includes a colliding of their palm into the cheek of the leader. Other times both members will show their teeth at a successful transformation, but will examine the symbols and numbers on the dead skin and leave without skins. Along the portal’s outside stand lifelike images of other shapeshifters.

 

 

While it seems that there is a hierarchy with leaders deciding which skin will be chosen, there exists a whole other kind of interaction at the portals. In which shapeshifters will arrive to Windmaker with other shapeshifters and walk into the portals to choose skins. They transform more freely and choose more unique skins showing their teeth for longer periods of time.

 

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