Midnight Robber

The narrative returns to Tan-Tan and Chichibud on Benta’s back as she flies. They land in the tree village, “Papa Bois, the daddy tree” (179), where douens and packbirds greet them. Chichibud introduces Tan-Tan to his children, Zeke and Abitefa, and is challenged by another douen for bringing a human to their secret home. After winning the fight, Chichibud reveals Benta is his wife.

Tan-Tan meets their community, and an elder, Res, gives her a gift of a tree frog. Chichibud helps her eat it, and this gains her acceptance among the douens. Benta flies Tan-Tan to their family home of mud-like domes, which remind Tan-Tan of a wasp’s nest. After Benta shows Tan-Tan her weaving room, Abitefa shows Tan-Tan the outhouse and draws a bath in a large flower for her.

Struggling with the new ways of interacting with nature as a part of everyday life—”living in a tree like a monkey” (193)—as well as with the trauma of her abuse and violent self-defense, Tan-Tan cries in the bath. After dressing herself in Benta’s fabrics, she climbs up a rope to the family’s dining room. They are eating grubs, but Tan-Tan asks for plain salad.