The Deep

Chapter 5 returns to Yetu’s perspective. She is fleeing the wajinru and eventually finds herself in a small pool of water in a cove on a beach. Traveling from the deep to the surface takes time, and as she travels across new, seemingly unfamiliar parts of the ocean, memories of hunting, ships, and fire drift in and out of her mind. She is not sure if they are her own memories. As she lets herself float and drift weightlessly, Yetu realizes a sense of self is beginning to emerge: “Rememberings didn’t haunt her. She was just Yetu. She wasn’t quite sure who that was, but she didn’t mind the unknowing because it came with such calm, such a freedom from the pain” (70).

Yetu meets Suka, a two-leg woman who is interested in her and with whom she shares a language. Their interactions are tense at first, as Yetu does not want to appear too vulnerable. Yetu is surprised at her ability to use her nose and mouth to breathe air and make noise above water. Suka tells Yetu that Oori, another two-leg woman, has been bringing her fish and other food to help her heal, and Yetu is determined to meet her.