A guardian of the forest | Um guardião da floresta حارس الغابة

In the riverside village of Santarém Novo—
where the Tapajós River meets the Amazon—
lived a 15-year-old girl named Caetana.

She was the daughter of a boatman and a midwife.
She helped her neighbors, prayed every day,
and walked beneath the trees with quiet joy.

Every night, she dreamed of a jaguar
made of smoke and stars 🌙🐆.

It moved across the canopy like mist.
Its eyes glowed like embers.
Its body vanished with the wind.

At first, she thought it was just a dream.

But one night in September,
while picking açaí with her grandmother,
deep in the forest—

Caetana heard a roar.

Low.
Deep.
Like thunder buried in the roots.

The sound echoed inside her chest.

She turned.

And there it was.

The jaguar.
Just a few feet away.

Golden eyes 🌞.
Still.
Silent.
Watching her.

Not as prey.
Not as a threat.

Just… watching.

Her grandmother froze.
Then whispered:

From that day on, Caetana felt the world shift.

🌬️ The wind carried secret messages.
🌊 The river danced in strange rhythms.
🌴 The trees leaned when she passed—
as if they remembered her.

But she didn’t speak of powers.
She only said:

And in that love, she found strength.

Weeks later, during the Boto Festival,
the village heard the sound of motors.

Men arrived—
with rifles, chainsaws, and maps.

They spoke of “progress.”
A road.
Cutting straight through the forest’s heart.

The villagers panicked.
Some cried.
Some stayed silent.

But Caetana stepped forward.

Calm.
Steady.
Unshaken.

She remembered what her grandmother always said:

She wasn’t there to fight.
She was there to protect.

And one by one—
the people stood beside her.

Fishermen.
Mothers.
Children.
All united.

The men hesitated.
Then turned away.
Not because of fear—
but because they saw something stronger:

Since that day, the children of Santarém Novo whisper:

And sometimes at night—
when the wind is still,
and the stars burn bright—

they dream of the smoke jaguar.
Leaping through the trees.
Eyes glowing.
Paws silent.
Waiting.

Not to choose the strongest—
but to remind the hearts that still believe:

FIM

1.

Portuguese:
“Al-Malik mostra os Seus sinais de muitas formas.”
Arabic:
ٱلْمَلِكُ يُظْهِرُ آيَاتِهِ بِأَشْكَالٍ مُخْتَلِفَةٍ
Transliteration:
Al-Malik yudhhiru āyātihi bi-ashkāl mukhtalifah

2.

Portuguese:
“Allah colocou amor por esta floresta no meu coração.”
Arabic:
وَضَعَ ٱللّٰهُ حُبَّ هٰذِهِ ٱلْغَابَةِ فِي قَلْبِي
Transliteration:
Wada‘a Allāh ḥubba hādhihi al-ghābah fī qalbī

3.

Portuguese:
“Não causem corrupção na Terra depois de ela ter sido restaurada.”
Arabic (Qur’an 7:56):
وَلَا تُفْسِدُوا فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ بَعْدَ إِصْلَاحِهَا
Transliteration:
Wa-lā tufsidū fī al-arḍi ba‘da iṣlāḥihā

4.

Portuguese:
“Fé. Unidade. Certeza.”
Arabic:
إِيمَان. وَحْدَة. يَقِين.
Transliteration:
Īmān. Waḥdah. Yaqīn.

5.

Portuguese:
“A floresta se lembra de quem a protege.”
Arabic:
ٱلْغَابَةُ تَتَذَكَّرُ مَن يَحْمِيهَا
Transliteration:
Al-ghābah tatadhakkaru man yaḥmīhā

6.

Portuguese:
“Esta terra é um depósito sagrado.
E Allah nunca esquece.”
Arabic:
هٰذِهِ ٱلْأَرْضُ أَمَانَةٌ مُقَدَّسَةٌ.
وَٱللّٰهُ لَا يَنْسَى أَبَدًا.
Transliteration:
Hādhihi al-arḍu amānatun muqaddasah.
Wa-Allāhu lā yansā abadan.