Chapter 8
Escape
“Since I was some distance away, I fortunately had a little time to try and save myself. I knew I had to act quickly and find a safe place to hide, but where? I instinctively knew my cave would not be a safe place. My little cave fire would offer no protection against these fire beings. They may well cook me on my own fire.
“While logic failed me, my hunter instincts took over and I knew my only possible escape route was by water. I raced toward my best fishing spot. My fishing river was one of the wide tributaries that flowed into the mighty Nile. When I arrived at my fishing spot, I looked across the wide tributary to a distant island. The island promised the sanctuary I needed if only I could reach it.
“I had often thought of getting to the island to explore, but never had the courage to try. Now my fear of the fire-beings was greater than my fear of the river and I committed to crossing the wide tributary.
“I had no true swimming skills back then. I had never learned how to swim without touching the bottom. My swimming consisted of bobbing up and down by pushing off the floor of the river. I had good intentions to learn proper swimming but today was not the day to start. I needed help to cross and I needed it quickly.
“I looked around and saw my possible water craft, a cut tree close to the river’s bank. The branches and trunk were the remains of a tree that I had recently cut down for firewood. Since my cutting tools were simple, I only cut down small trees. This felled tree was about three long steps in length and two spread arms in diameter. Although dead it still retained substantial green branches.
“I grabbed the end of the trunk, hefted it onto my shoulder, and began to drag it toward the river. The tree was heavy but fear gave me great strength. I entered the water then turned my back to the river. Leaning back toward the river I used my body weight to help pull my lifeboat tree forward into the tributary.
“As more of my tree entered the water, the pulling got easier. I was now above my waist in the river. Bracing my feet on the bottom I made a final powerful thrust with my legs and the entire trunk with all its branches was in the water.
“Once in the water, it naturally floated and I found I could move it slowly around. The flowing tributary now replaced my muscle power. I continued to pull it further out from the shore until I was up to my shoulders in the water.
“I then ducked under the tree branches and came up on the opposite side of the floating trunk. I buried myself among the branches and felt somewhat secure. I was hidden from a shore view and my crossing promised to be doable.
“As I began my water escape to the island, I wrapped my left arm around the trunk and grabbed a branch on the back side. Feeling that I was securely attached to my floating camouflage, I began pushing off the bottom while using my free right hand to paddle toward the center of the river.
“Once I had forward momentum, the river took over. My feet quickly lost touch with the bottom and I felt a moment of panic. I knew if I lost hold of my tree raft I would never catch it. I instinctively gripped the branch I was holding even harder.
“This was the ride of my life, no pun intended. Fortunately it was my good luck that the tributary’s flow was gentle at this time of year. There had been no rain for several months so the tributary was now a docile body of water moving gently to join mother Nile.
“Additionally, the width of the tributary ensured its movement would be slow but steady. In a rainy season the rush of the swollen tributary would have killed me as surely as the red god creatures.
“While I could not swim, I did have water skills. My strongest skill was mental control, I was not afraid of the water. When I fished in the river with my spear I would walk slowly out to my chest. Then I would put my head fully under water, hold my breath, and look around for my swimming dinner.
“I taught myself to hold my breath for an extended amount of time. I practiced at seeing how long I could stay under. Looking back, I imagine it was easily over two minutes. This practiced style of submerged fishing assured me I was safe as long as I kept my wits about me.
“Now that I was mentally relaxed and with my left arm securely wrapped around the trunk, I put more power into my own body. I scissor-kicked my legs and pulled with my free right arm. My progress toward the island was slow, but that was good. I would appear to an observer on the bank as another floating piece of river debris.
“I remained buried in the branches all the way across. Occasionally I peeked back through the branches. Once I saw several fire creatures moving around the shore and up to the water’s edge. They studied the striations left in the earth from my dragged tree. Fortunately, my footprints were covered over by the scraping of the dragged branches.
“I sensed the beings knew there was a missed prey hiding and were searching for it. Fortunately, they did not seem to consider the river a hiding place. Possibly the water interfered with their hunting senses or possibly fire simply avoids water; either way, I was again lucky.
“The crossing was slow and took many hours. The sun god Ra was now descending into the dark void which marks the end of a day. I felt he had been watching me and was rewarding my courage.
“I was beyond exhausted when I finally touched bottom once more. In crossing, I had repeatedly switched arms to paddle and hang on. When I replaced my left hand-grip with my right hand I had to roll onto my back and then pull with the free left hand. With every body-roll I swallowed water and found it going up my nose; I gulped and snorted while keeping my survival sounds as quiet as possible.
“Both arms could barely move when I landed. My legs felt that they would collapse under me without the support of the water. I pushed enough of the tree up onto the shore so that it became an anchor and I could finally rest with my feet on the bottom.
“I continued to fear the fire beings so I stayed in the water hidden within the tree branches until it was fully dark. My other concern, while in the water, was that a river predator, like a sly smiling crocodile, would find me. Ra stayed with me and my luck obviously held.
“When I finally crawled up the river’s bank, it was nighttime. The stars were bright but the moon was just a sliver, darkness was my friend. Crawling out I must have resembled an amphibian hundreds of millions of years earlier testing the land.
“I continued to belly crawl until I finally reached the island’s tree line. Even then I never stood up for fear of being spotted by the evil demons. I continued to crawl forward until I found a large pine tree. I crawled under the low branches that reached the ground until I reached the thick trunk.
“I found myself suddenly sobbing while hugging the trunk like an old friend. I snuggled against the trunk with less than two feet between my body and the soft fragrant branches above my head. For the first time that day I felt protected. Sleep swept over me as I passed out within the sheltering pine cave.
“Our body has a natural clock and my clock had me sleep deeply through the night and well into the morning. The overhead pine branches shielded me from the sun, so I only awoke when my hunger and body functions required it.
“My early morning wits advised me to crawl out slowly to the edge of the tree line and scout the opposite shoreline. I was naturally scared that the fire-beings may still be searching for a missing victim. I was sure they would cross the water if they knew I was on the island. I lay on my belly for an hour before crawling away into the dense woods.
“At an acceptable distance I finally felt secure enough to stand upright. Once standing I remained still behind a large tree and slowly surveyed the opposite shore. Nothing disturbed the quietude of that forest line as it came toward the river’s bank. The demons had apparently abandoned their search, at least from what I could observe.
“The island became my discovered sanctuary and I committed to remaining there indefinitely. I naturally established my home base on the side of the island furthest away from my old fishing shore. This opposite side placed the entire width of the island between me and the fire-de
mons. I was, to a degree, cautiously accepting that I had escaped.
“Now that my focus could move away from my own immediate safety, I felt a great wave of sadness pass through me as I reflected on the loss of my village friends. Part of me wanted to risk returning to see if there were survivors; however, I instinctively knew none had escaped. If I returned, I would likely become another victim of the creatures. My life would now move forward by staying with the protection offered by my island.”
Chapter 9
Island Sanctuary
“My new vocation was being an island explorer. As I explored, I found that the island was in a primal state unbothered by humans. Wild game was both plentiful and trusting, I laid out several snares confident my food supply would quickly grow.
“Fruit was abundant, including ripe berries, and I gathered many large handfuls. I found several fig trees and added figs to my meal supply. As an afterthought, I placed a quantity of the figs in the sun to dry.
“Another dependable source of food came from the river. On this side of the river, I easily caught my meal. The fish had never been hunted and would swim up to me. While I could not risk building a fire to roast the fish, I could eat them raw and found I enjoyed the sweet taste.”
M smiled at Traveler’s grimace and added, “Today we call this food source ‘sashimi’ and it is considered a delicacy. I know sashimi sounds much better than ‘raw fish,’ but ‘tomayto’ or ‘tomahto’, it’s still the same thing.”
Glenda smiled at Traveler and then showed her epicurean sophistication by adding, “We Norwegians love raw salmon, it’s a staple for dinner.” Traveler shook his head and thought, Hamburger please for this boy, you two can keep my share of the raw fish.
M continued, “That afternoon a dinner of raw fish, berries, and figs was the best meal I could remember. Once my hunger was taken care of, I realized how exhausted I was. I found another sheltering pine tree and climbed under. I fell into another deep, dreamless sleep. I slept until the call of morning birds told me Ra had driven his sun chariot from the darkness and it was time for me to rise.
“I felt amazingly refreshed. I ate my remaining food and was anxious to explore. This island was likely to be my home for a long time and I wanted to learn all it offered.
“The island was quite long, possibly two miles. Where I had landed was toward the front of the island. As I moved around, I found that its width increased significantly. There was a lot of land to be explored and I made several base camps as I moved about.
“After a week of exploring I made a major discovery hidden in a sheltering copse of trees and ground growth. At some considerable distant time in the past, man had lived on the island. In the thicket I found the long-abandoned remains of a stone structure. This was my second discovered sanctuary, the first was my island and now my new stone home.
“As I cleared away the vegetation from the base of the structure, I saw there was a solid stone foundation sunk into the ground. Rising from the foundation were four stone walls; they were covered with vines yet they were solid and intact. The stonemasons had done their job very well.
“I measured the size of the structure and found it to be most accommodating. The walls were about twenty-five feet long by fifteen feet wide. The stone walls went up nearly seven feet. At one end was a large fireplace and its size indicated it was intended to both heat the interior as well as being a cooking center.
“One wall had a five-foot opening that was the only entry point, and this entry could be sealed by a door. To accommodate a door there was still a curved stone arch framing the top of the entrance. Standing inside the structure I knew this was to be my permanent home.
“Inside I began to clear away the years of fallen debris. Leaves and tree limbs created a floor clutter that I systematically pulled outside through the opening. As the floor reappeared, I realized it was a work of art. It was built from mosaic tile presenting a variety of colorful patterns. The prior occupants had made their structure as delightful inside as it was secure to the outside.
“As I cleaned, I discovered hidden treasures. These treasures were better than gold or precious stones; they were a wide variety of useful tools. There were saws as well as axes, hammers, chisels, and even a set of planes for smoothing wood surfaces. Mixed among the tools were several sharpening stones.
“Once the interior was cleaned, I set to work using my newfound tools. My first addition was a solid wooden door that I used to seal the opening at night. Once my sanctuary was secure, I began installing a ceiling.
“I built the ceiling rafters from long, thin tree trunks that I placed in a crisscross lattice pattern. Next I needed to determine how to keep my overhead lattice secure to the walls. Luck was with me, or perhaps the stonemasons were with me. I discovered there were stone protrusions jutting out at regular intervals along the top perimeter of the exterior walls.
“I used these jutting stones as anchor points to secure my roof’s cross beams. I completed my roof by making a waterproof cover of overlapping reeds from the riverbank.
“With my exterior structure complete I turned my thoughts to what was needed inside. Of course, sleeping on a good bed is essential for everybody’s health. I created a permanent bed of thick leaves and soft moss which I placed close to the fireplace. My sanctuary was now a home that offered security and comfortable sleeping.
“I often thought about returning to the mainland but was not sure what life awaited me there. Here I was a king and an absolute ruler. I had adjusted to living alone and found I was comfortable with this state of existence. It’s good to be pharaoh even if it’s just an island empire.”
Chapter 10
An Uninvited Guest
“My kingdom was unexpectedly invaded, and my pharaoh rule short-lived. I awoke one morning to find a very large, panther-like beast camped by my fire. It looked at me as I imagine it would view a tasty meal. Staring at the animal, I was too scared to move or breath. I felt a fear that was greater than my escape from the fire djinn.
“My life seemed to be that of a continuing prey. First, prey to human raiders, then red, fire-god creatures, and now to a huge black, cat-like beast. Time stood still while my heart raced. ‘I’m cursed,’ went through my mind. First, I lose my family, then my village, now my sanctuary. The gods are angry with me and I don’t know why.
“I briefly considered racing for the door and trying to lock the beast inside. That idea died immediately. My door was closed and held securely in place by the crossing bars. ‘How did it get in?’ I wondered for a second. Then I stared back into its eyes; they were glittering whirlpools promising neither answers nor escape.
“I found myself holding my breath, much as I did when fishing with my head under water. While it felt like hours, in fact it could only have been several minutes. I finally had to exhale and take in a deep breath. I calmed down enough to realize the uninvited guest was not going to eat me, at least not immediately.
“Unsure of what to do, I slowly slid a bowl of morning fruit and fish to him as an offering of goodwill. The food was extended as a peace offering, and more importantly as an alternative to eating me.
“He seemed to acknowledge the bowl more as an offering than a meal. For now he appeared content to rest in front of my fire. I finally accepted my fate, what choice did I have?
“Surprisingly he did not eat me and we coexisted for the next week. I always offered him his meal. Sometimes it was eaten, while most times his interest was elsewhere and fortunately it was not on me. Even when he did eat, I felt he was simply humoring me.
“Like most cats he clearly enjoyed my fire, so I increased its size for his enjoyment. I had known many cats in my village life and I always thought it strange how they sought out a fire at night. Cats and fire seem to go together and I wondered how he would react to the fire beasts. Much later I found out.
“Occasionally he would follow me outside. Once I was bathing in the tributary and he walked down to the bank’s edge to observe me.
I was in a playful mood and tried to get him into the water. I motioned to him to join me like I would a dog, and he ignored me. Still playful, I hit my palm on the water and sent a splash near him. His stare back suggested I may be starting to look like a large floating mouse. I decided playtime did not fit into his plans.
“As I studied him in the evening, I noted that he had some of the characteristics of the fire beings; he liked my fire and avoided water. I wondered if he was possibly related to the fire beasts, but decided they were at opposite ends of that family tree.
“I gradually accepted that he was not an adversary and I was not prey. To the contrary, I increasingly sensed a protective aura from him. His presence at night felt like I was living with a massive watchdog, or in his case watchcat. I felt he was vigilant even while seeming to doze. As I lay close beside him, I was soothed by his purring vibrations. I never slept better in my life.
“Time passed and we seemed to enjoy a developing relationship. I guess I brought him companionship or possibly amusement while he brought me security. Somehow, I felt I was his adopted pet, and I accepted my place.”
Chapter 11
M’s Education Begins
“Few of us ever know when something will change our life. The big things frequently slip up on us like ninja. My young boy’s life changed on what started out as a typical morning on my island. Again, there was nothing to indicate what was coming into my life.
“I woke up, had my breakfast, and was preparing to explore a part of the island that had an elevated view. As I was preparing to leave, my companion came to the door and blocked it. I was confused and reached past it to open the door.
The Blighted Fortress Page 3