37 Poppi didn’t stand up or raise his voice. He looked at me. A frown crossed his brow and he cocked his head to one side. He waited for me to sit back down before he started to speak. “The rainforest needs you. This is true. But, Marcos, a new threat has come to us. There are men who wish to see the rainforest bulldozed to the ground. They value her wood more than they value her life. If we cannot find a way to stop them, the rainforest will be no more. I cannot stop it alone, but you can learn new ways. You can still walk with the ancient ones but find new ways.” I listened to Poppi talk about the need for our village to have a voice in the city. I listened to him talk about the trees and animals. Before he was finished, I knew I had to go away to study at the University to keep the forest safe.