“That’s the power of being a trickster,” Camara Xola announced from the doorway. The man loved a good entrance. “That’s not the end of the story, though. The other half of the story is about how Baboon’s friend, Jackal, figured out what Br’er Rabbit did and wanted to avenge him. He asked Br’er Rabbit to accompany him on a similar trip. Same thing, except Jackal planned to play the role Br’er Rabbit did this time. They stopped at the bush. Thing was, Br’er Rabbit was one step ahead of him the whole time. Took some of the roots, so when Jackal pretended to be sick, he whipped them out. So they split the meal. Then Jackal woke him up in the middle of the night with a plan to kill and eat the goat. Which they did, with Jackal preparing the goat and hiding some blood. But when they got back to the room, Br’er Rabbit never shut his eyes to sleep. When the hosts woke the next morning, Jackal was caught with the blood, dragged off, and killed.”

“So what does the story teach us?” Lij Matata asked.

“Don’t fuck with smart people by trying to do what they do. Especially when you aren’t as good as they are.” Xola threw his head back in laughter. Lij Matata was young and the Camara enjoyed playing with the young. The exercise of youth kept him young, he often said.

Selamault cut up an apple and spread it on a plate for Xola. Without glancing up at him, she dismissed the Niyabinghi. “Let us know if you hear anything, Lij Matata.”

“I will. I’ll do a final security sweep on my way out.”

“Good,” Selamault said.

“I appreciate you.” A half-chewed apple muffled Camara Xola’s words.

“I appreciate you.” Lij Matata bowed on his way out. “Both.”

Once he left, the twins stilled their orbit and landed within the folds of Selamault’s robe again. “You should leave that boy alone.”

“That boy is a full-ass man these days. No one reached Lij in such a short period since…”

“… you?” Selamault finished.

“Well, I wasn’t going to brag.”

“Yet you managed to steer the conversation to bragging’s doorstep.”

Camara Xola smiled his wry grin, all teeth and gums, bobbing to a melody only he heard. With his eyes still shut, he asked, “How did your prayers go?”

“I think of it as dreaming. Seeking harmony and higher consciousness. My goal is to join in with the story of the Universe.”

“The moon?”