2: a village in the swamp

The chops that the men make in the palm tree widen and harden as the bark dries, and these are what form the wide cracks that run the length of the floor. These cracks are handy when it comes to sweeping away scraps, and villagers always make sure to sit next to a good crack so that they can spit out the bitter red juice that accumulates in their mouth as they sit chewing betel nut. The cracks in the floor also make it easy to deal with the body waste of small children, and whenever a baby urinates or defecates on the floor, the resulting mess is splashed through a crack with a cup of water.
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