Ki'ti's Story, 75,000 BC Read online

  Ki’ti settled down on her sleeping mat, waiting for her time to be served food. She looked at the cooking pot and wondered why fire made black above where it warmed things. A great jarring of earth occurred. It knocked Manak off his feet and the sight of it caused her to chuckle, because he was always so strong and athletic. For just a second, he looked like a dead bug lying on his back. She caught sight of Minagle and Domur who had heard her chuckle, and she expected their expressions to be unfavorable, but instead they too shared a smile at Manak’s expense, but they tried to hide it behind their hands. Ki’ti learned. From then on, she would remember to cover her mouth when she smiled at other people when it might be inappropriate.

  Meanwhile, Wamumur had found that Thrullut-na had died in a hunt when he fell over a cliff. On hearing the news, he tried very hard not to show the excitement he felt. After they ate and things calmed down, he would search for a chance to be alone with Emaea. The men were called and they lined up, -na hunters first, to be served dinner.

  Later that day after the evening meal, Blanagah, the fourteen-year-old granddaughter of Gruid-na, noticed Manak and Reemast. Blanagah had brown hair that she could sit on when it wasn’t braided down the back. She had large wide set blue eyes. She was particularly drawn to Reemast because of his apparent status in the People. She found his reddish hair fascinating. His self esteem appeared very high and it appealed to her. He was to her like a male bird, showy to attract a mate. He seemed to have a sense of humor. She noticed that he seemed interested in Minagle and that Manak had eyes only for Domur. Blanagah was eager to find a husband. She and her sister, Olintak, who was a year younger, would have to find husbands outside their group. Blanagah would have had Kumut for her husband and Olintak was to have been the wife of Lamon, but both men were killed while hunting. Blanagah would like to have Reemast for herself and for her sister to take Slamika. Both brothers looked alike, but she observed that Slamika was too quiet for her taste. For them to join these brothers would settle both of them. She was justifiably shocked when she saw Reemast grab Minagle around the waist and head off toward the entry to the cave. Minagle was struggling but Reemast had his hand over her mouth. She could not hear Reemast threaten her, but she thought it was a game because he was laughing. How she longed to be in Minagle’s position and be part of the game. She had found out that Minagle was not woman yet, so Blanagah had hope.

  At the cave entrance, which was not visible to the cave because there was a curve in the entryway, Reemast held Minagle’s head securely. He told her to hold her tongue or he would hurt her badly. She believed him and was silent. The falling ash frightened her but not as much as when he lifted her tunic and ran his rough hands over her breasts, squeezing and pinching. His hands cupped her buttocks, and he found her private parts and felt them, rubbing against her flesh with his fingers, but not penetrating. She tried to push him away, but her strength was nothing compared to his. Her fury grew. She had no idea how to handle such an outrage. The dogs noticed, and one growled so quietly that nobody in the cave would have paid any attention. The dogs had been trained to be silent unless a stranger approached.

  Reemast told her, “As soon as you become woman, I will be your husband.”

  “You will not!” she responded immediately, trying unsuccessfully to jerk herself free from his grasp.

  “You are wrong. What is your favorite meat?”

  Minagle stared at him hard, “Rhinoceros.”

  Reemast laughed. “Then I shall have to threaten to hurt you very badly until you say mouse.”

  “Then you will have to hurt me,” she scowled.

  That seemed to make Reemast think. He had never considered her consenting to being hurt. The People would notice an injury and that could bring disfavor upon him. They had come to a deadlock. Without consideration, however, he walked nearer the cave entrance and while he held her arm tight, he punched her in the solar plexus. She slumped but he held her in his arms while she tried to recover breathing.

  While she struggled, he laughed out loud. He told her, “Think of that any time you think of the word ‘rhinoceros’.” He touched her again and she did not resist. Silently, tears rolled down the dirt on her face. Reemast stood there with her, savoring his victory. He wiped her tears away with his fingers so that her crying would be less evident. “There will come a day when you beg me to touch you,” Reemast said as he turned away and left her at the cave entrance. She remained there for a few minutes and then turned and went to her sleeping mat and buried herself beneath the skin covering. Her silent tears and anguish went unnoticed. She felt utterly helpless and alone in the midst of many People.

  The People were preparing for sleep. The men were discussing who would watch the cave entrance and how to divide up the watch. Surely, nobody would be outside during the falling ash, but it was always wise to be prepared. Mootmu-na, Gruid-na’s son, and Neamu-na would take the first watch. After the wick in the oil lamp burned down, they would awaken Hahami-na and Ermol-na for the second watch.

  Several days into the ashfall, Blanagah made her intentions clear to Reemast. He considered the idea of becoming husband to Blanagah and realized it would be to his benefit. They could copulate and he could still harass Minagle and keep her silent about it. Reemast and Blanagah went to the men’s council and asked for permission to be joined. Bringing the meat exchange for a wife was impossible in the ashfall, so they asked for what would be considered a waiver of the requirement. When the thought of joining Olintak to Slamika was not met with any disfavor from those two, the People rejoiced. There were two joinings, and that would be good for the People. A celebration was set up for the evening of the fourth day of ashfall. Gruid-na would make the pronouncement.

  After the evening meal, the People gathered and Gruid-na pronounced the two couples joined. The drum made of stretched deer hide that Ermol-na had carried to the cave was brought out and there was music and dancing. Minagle was thrilled because her thoughts were that now she would be free of Reemast’s unwanted attention. As sleep time drew near, the two couples took their sleeping mats and oil lamps and found places deeper into the cave where they could be alone for First Night. Minagle felt a sense of freedom that she hadn’t realized she had missed. She longed for a bath, but in the cave, she thought such luxuries were unavailable. How she missed home. Life had been simpler when she was younger. She and Domur had swum like fish in the river and gathered greens on the rolling hills. The sun shone from a blue sky and the days were warm. Baambas was beautiful, not life threatening.

  Finally, on the fifth day of ashfall, there was a let up. Looking from beyond the cave entrance, there was a whole area of monochrome. The land everywhere was light gray. It was about two feet deep at the cave entrance. Everyone who stood and gazed outside was amazed. Never had they seen such a sight. The plan was to search for meat, and with this view, hunters expected any meat they would find to be dead already. They discussed the ashfall and the women had already begun to make protection for the hunters because the ash was caustic. They made booted pants with straps to go over the shoulder under the tunics. Women were working as fast as possible to accomplish this task. Even Minagle, Domur, Blanagah, and Olintak were enlisted into making the protective gear. The elders showed the younger girls and women how to make holes in the leather so they could run narrow leather strips in and out of the holes to sew the two pieces together. At each end of the sewing line, they tied off the ends with knots. Even the young boys and girls would eventually have these garments so they could gather wood and be protected from the caustic ash and not track ash into the cave when they returned. Every minute counted where meat was concerned.

  Minagle and Domur were sent to gather water from its source deep in the cave. They carried an oil lamp and gourds. On their way out on the first trip, Reemast stepped out. “Go ahead, Domur,” he said. “I want to have a word with Minagle.” Domur thought the request odd, but she demurred and left her friend with her brother. Reemast took the oil lamp and held Mi
nagle’s arm tightly. He headed back into the deeper part of the cave. Minagle’s heart was pounding and she was terrified. She stumbled but Reemast held her up.

  When they reached the place that Reemast had taken his wife their first night, he shoved Minagle to the ground. He raised her tunic and made her lie down. He put his knee between her thighs and separated them. Then he laid himself atop her. Minagle was trembling in panic but kept silent. He put his mouth on her breasts. He began to touch her private parts. Then he placed his hard penis against her and she almost screamed out. “Don’t worry, Minagle, I won’t penetrate you until you are woman. That has to be soon.” But Minagle was horrified that the enlarged hard object she had just seen and now felt against her would someday do just that. She wept. Reemast bit her and then jumped up. He wiped off her face and told her to stop the tears. He pulled her up roughly and helped readjust her tunic. It still galled him that she didn’t want him.

  They met Domur on her return. Reemast took the filled gourds that Minagle had set down. He would carry them up to the food preparation area. Minagle would go back down with Domur and fill the gourds that waited below. Minagle carried the oil lamp so shakily that Domur asked what had happened. When they reached the water, Minagle’s tears could not be stopped. Slowly, with greater emotional than physical pain, she told Domur what had been happening. She was broken. She had hoped that when Reemast joined with Blanagah he’d leave her alone. She guessed wrong. Domur was outraged. She knew her brother and this story did not really shock her. He had teased her unmercifully when she was little. They carried up the gourds and Domur ran to Totamu. She asked her to join them down by the water. Totamu waited a few minutes and then took a few more gourds and went below. Then she heard Minagle’s story from end to end. Totamu lifted Minagle’s tunic and saw the bite mark on her breast. Totamu was outraged. She took her neck bag and unrolled a tiny bag. She put powder on her tongue and then rolled it around. Then she spat it into her hand. She put the mixture on the bite mark. “Leave this to me,” Totamu said. Both girls lowered their heads.

  Two hunters had been chosen to go to look for meat. The hunters were Hahami-na and Mootmu-na. Totamu scanned the cave. Reemast was with his wife. Totamu signaled with her hands for Gruid-na and Nanichak-na to follow her to the cave entrance. Both did with no little curiosity. At the entrance after checking carefully, Totamu explained the situation. “This has to stop now and forever,” she said.

  “Agreed!” both said at the same time with a sharp strike of the right fist into the left palm. Nanichak-na even went so far as to say that it made all men look bad, and that if Blanagah were pregnant, he’d castrate Reemast with no second thought. Gruid-na thought that was a little harsh. Finally, Nanichak-na stated flatly, “I will bring him to our gathering to pronounce our findings. Gruid-na, please, bring the hunters here before they are gone.” He left and returned with a puzzled Reemast and all the cave members who sat in total silence in the gathering area. “Sit!” Nanichak-na ordered Reemast. Reemast sat. The hunters outfitted in their booted garments stood at the back of the gathering.

  Nanichak-na remained standing and said, “Here is my pronouncement. From this day forth, Reemast, you will never touch Minagle or engage her in conversation or look at her. You will stay as far away from her as possible. If you break this pronouncement, if you say a word to her, if you even look at her, you will be castrated immediately. Then your hands will be severed from your body. You will leave the People to fend for yourself. Your wife can choose to go with you or remain here. You had better hope that no ill ever befalls Minagle, for you will be suspected first. Straighten out your mind web or leave us. That is all I have to say.” All people struck their left palms with their right fists except Reemast. Not all the People knew why the pronouncement was made, but they knew that whatever the reason, it was a good one. Reemast was utterly bewildered. Having his way with Minagle was over. He felt that his world was falling apart. For the first time in his life, he experienced fear and the metallic taste it left in his mouth. All he could do was lower his head.

  Minagle was shocked. She did not know there was a solution to her problem. This was an amazing pronouncement. She wondered if she could really feel safe again. She’d been mistaken once. All the People had used the force sign except, of course, Reemast. Ermol-na, Nanichak-na, and Wamumur noticed that Reemast had not joined the palm strike. Without another thought, the People got back to work.

  Nanichak-na went to where Minagle sat with Domur. He extended his hand and Minagle stood up and took his hand. He carried an oil lamp and walked toward the path that led down to the cave water. They did not speak until they had gone into a round room that was deeper into the cave than Minagle had ever been. There were strange shapes hanging from the ceiling and rising from the floor. Nanichak-na motioned for Minagle to sit. She did.

  “I regret what happened to you, Minagle. I wish I had known sooner. I will keep my eyes on Reemast and so will the People. This is not a normal occurrence. In my life, I have only known of two other times this happened. My concern is you right now. It is for the good of the People that you join and have children. I want to know how you feel about that.”

  Minagle looked at him and smiled wistfully as his great gently sloping brow was nearer to her. He had bowed his head to her. That was unheard of. The eyebrows that so fascinated everyone were near. “I do not know, Great Hunter. Until now, I vowed I would kill myself before I’d ever let any man come near me.”

  Nanichak-na was startled. No one had ever addressed him as Great Hunter. He felt a glow of pride and then quickly stifled it. He said, “That is what I feared. Minagle, you have let your mind web believe that all men are like Reemast. That is not true. You have to know that the entire People have struck palm with fist for you. Each one of us is bound to protect you. It is now Reemast who is afraid.”

  For the first time ever, Minagle realized that things had truly changed and her tormentor was now afraid. “I just wanted so much for him to leave me alone.”

  “Well, now he must.” Nanichak-na lifted her face to see her eye to eye and continued, “What I want you to know is that what he did to you was not joining as a man and woman. This was different. When you join, what you and your husband will do is not what occurred to you. Reemast was trying to make you fear him. A husband is tender and caring, not forceful and domineering. I don’t know where he got that idea. Can you not see that he treats his wife differently from the way he treated you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I want you to keep that in mind. What happened to you should be kept separate in your mind web from copulating with your future husband. It is two separate things. Look to your parents. Do they not even at this age look tenderly at each other?”

  Minagle smiled. Her parents, Grypchon-na and Likichi, were tender with each other. So were Hahami-na and Enut. So were Pechki and Neamu-na. “I see.”

  “Do you still think you might kill yourself before joining?”

  Minagle smiled. “I really want to live, but I don’t want to live with fear gripping my throat all day every day. I want to live like I was before this happened.”

  “My Dear One, what is—is. You cannot undo what has occurred, but you can put it in its right place in your mind web. Sometimes People do really evil things to other People. I don’t know why. But the potential is there. Maybe Reemast couldn’t handle your rejection. That is his problem, not yours. But he acted on it and that caused the pronouncement to have to be made. You have full protection of the People. In fact, if he tries anything else and is banished, I may follow him and kill him so that he cannot do this evil any longer.”

  Minagle looked into the dark blue eyes of Nanichak-na. He was deadly earnest. She shuddered when she realized that a great hunter would kill to keep her safe. She didn’t wish to be responsible for a death but she didn’t want to continue to experience great fear.

  “I am trying to tell you that you should consider yourself as safe as anyone who walks through this lif
e. Reemast is in the past. Believe me he will probably know now that he’s dead if he tries any more foolishness with you.”

  Minagle bowed her head. “I will try to put this away where it belongs in my mind web. Thank you for this talk.” She lowered her head.

  He lifted her face so they looked eye to eye. “Minagle, if you ever want to talk more, tell me. I will talk to you any time you have a need.”

  Minagle was astounded. High level People didn’t normally extend their time to young girls. She bowed her head as low as she could. “Thank you.”

  “Now, let us go back up and prepare to eat.”

  The hunters returned just before time for the evening meal. They had in fact found meat. An aurochs and a large straight-tusked elephant both lay nearby to the southwest in the forest. They planned to harvest the following day. It was a good day for the People. Totamu added that the hunters should carefully remove the animal skins. They did not know what would result from the ashfall, and if weather turned cold like in the season-of-cold-days story of Maknu-na and Rimlad, they might need the skins, and whole skins were preferred. There would be a lot of skin preparing, but the season of cold days was approaching and the timing was good.

  Likichi left the baby to Ki’ti and took Minagle to her sleeping mat. “I want to talk,” her mother said. They were seated. “Long ago, I was down by the creek daydreaming. I had gone alone. It was not a good idea. Suddenly, I was taken from behind and snatched off. The hunter ran with me like the wind. I have never known anyone who could run so fast. I could not see anything but the ground. All I knew is that he was full of black hair on his arms and legs and on his back. I wondered if he was part animal. I probably should have bitten him or tried to gouge out his eyes, but those thoughts never entered my mind. Nobody followed us even though I screamed and screamed. I guess I’d gone too far from home. We reached the edge of a great hill. There were humans there but they were not People. Their heads were shoved up straight above the nose. Their skin was somewhat darker than ours. They were full of hair that was very black. I thought I must be dreaming. They talked in a way I could not understand. Everything I knew was turned upside down. People were talking fast with voices that sounded like dogs barking. They pointed to a place for me to sit and so I sat there. There was one man with white hair who seemed to tell Others what they could and could not do. That night, the Other who had captured me came to copulate with me several times. He never asked my permission.”