From the Shores of Eden

by Shelley Penner

  “Sun is the light of the world. The Sun is the Father of all,” Eggsucker announced. “He sent me a dream. He gave me this cane and commanded me to lead.” Again, they stared at him blankly.

  “Earth is our Mother,” he went on. “She feeds us.”

  “The sea feeds us,” Swims Fast argued.

  Eggsucker’s expression turned ugly. Again that intimidating cane whacked the sand, and everyone jumped. “Sea is a part of Mother Earth, the way your eyes are a part of you.” The cane pointed toward the river mouth. “Mother Earth gives us water to drink. You cannot drink the sea.” He pointed toward the cliff full of pocket caves where they slept. “Mother Earth shelters us at night and whenever it storms. The Earth is a mother who never dies, never abandons you…” He glared accusingly at Redfish. “Animals, plants, fish — all are the Mother’s children.”

  Eggsucker earned his adult name that day — Hits-With-a-Cane — and started the first religion.

  * * *

  Surf-rider’s mate, Oyster-catcher, sat at his side all afternoon, grooming him comfortingly. He lay where he had fallen, making occasional moaning, whimpering sounds. Able-to-Call-Dolphins brought a crab and some mussels to offer him, but he could eat nothing. When at last night fell, Oyster-catcher stayed beside him until full dark, when fears of night dangers at last sent her climbing the cliff to the sleeping caves. Surf-rider could not follow. While they all slept, he rose and walked into the sea.

  * * *

  The sea apes learned to obey Hits-With-a-Cane, to do his bidding without argument. Their peaceful lives became tense and oppressive. They learned to feed Hits-With-a-Cane first each morning so they could safely leave their youngsters on the beach to eat their breakfast unmolested. They learned that the only safe time to question him was while he ate, the only time he seemed content. No one dared to challenge him. The cane gave him too great an advantage and finding their own weapons never occurred to them. They embraced the concepts of Mother Earth and Father Sun because the ideas captured their limited imaginations and rang true for them. But they hated and feared the tyrant who ruled them.

  Hits-With-a-Cane also felt disappointed in his role as leader. He assumed they would accept him at last and even love him as they had accepted and loved Surf-rider. Instead he felt more alienated than ever. Leading through domination did not encourage affection. Knowing they hated him made him paranoid, which made him angrier and even more tyrannical. Despite his elevated status, females tended to avoid him, and finding a mate had remained his main motivation for coming back. He reacted once more by enforcing his will. When he offered a gift of food to a female, they didn’t dare refuse, even knowing he would expect them to breed with him afterwards. And he didn’t restrict himself to only unpaired females either. He chose whoever he wanted and often took his frustrations out on them, which earned him the animosity of their mates. The females learned to fear him.

  Every few days Hits-With-a-Cane would disappear for an hour or two as he returned to the brakes to find a fresh cane. For a while the sea apes would breathe a sigh of relief and go on with life. But Hits-With-a-Cane always came back.

  Able-to-Call-Dolphins sensed that Hits-With-a-Cane felt an especially intense animosity toward her, and she avoided him by spending as much time in the sea as she could, growing ever more habituated to the cold. Sea Brother became her solace. Seeing the joy of her play with the dolphins only increased Cane’s hatred. Because of her communication abilities, the clan gave her the respect and admiration he so craved. Though he had forgotten the roots of his resentment for his sister, he had become pathologically convinced that she had stolen everything in his life that he ever wanted. He became obsessed with punishing her for that theft.

  Many of the other juvenile apes spent time playing with the dolphins too, and their elders began to envy them that escape. One day, while Able-to-Call-Dolphins sat on a little island of rock warming up in the evening sun, one of the young males, named Sea-Turtle, climbed up and sat beside her. He offered Able-to-Call-Dolphins a large oyster. She accepted the gift hesitantly. Gifts of food had become suspect, as a few of the younger males began emulating Hits-With-a-Cane’s behavior with the females. But this young male had become a frequent and trusted companion, sharing her bond with the dolphins. She accepted his gift and he began sifting through her hair, that ages-old grooming ritual soothing and reassuring for both of them. They huddled together, watching their kin on the beach and sharing warmth. When evening dimmed into twilight and the clan began seeking their sleeping niches, Sea-Turtle headed back to shore. Able-to-Call-Dolphins watched as he climbed the cliff and noted which sleeping chamber he chose. On the beach, she could see Hits-With-a-Cane lingering, staring intensely at her, waiting for her to come ashore for the night.

  At last, she could wait no longer. The sky had gone fully dark, with scattered stars showing between the clouds. She slipped into the black water and quietly swam toward the beach, staying close to the rocks. When she emerged, she climbed onto the low, rocky headland and moved stealthily toward the cliff. But when she drew near the base of the sandstone wall, she found Hits-With-a-Cane waiting for her. She darted past him and heard his cane crack against the rocks just behind her. She leaped up the cliff, climbing with a speed and nimbleness he could not hope to match. Her sleeping hollow lay near the top, past most of the others. But she didn’t want Hits-With-a-Cane to see where she went. Inside the shallow pocket of sandstone, he could corner her with no escape. She stopped on a narrow ledge and waited, listening to the sounds of his ascent. She shivered, wet and chilled by the breeze. The faint noises stopped and she wondered if he had given up and gone to his own chamber, or if he waited for her to give away her position by moving.

  At last, frightened and chilled to the bone, she shifted carefully and made her way as quietly as possible not to her own sleeping chamber, but to Sea-Turtle’s. He woke and grunted in surprise as she entered hesitantly. Then he sat up and drew her closer. He wrapped his arms around her and warmed her with his own body heat. They lay down together and she snuggled against him, comforted and reassured by his kindness.

  After that experience, Able-to-Call-Dolphins made certain to rise early, before Hits-With-a-Cane awakened. And she began making a habit of emerging from the sea early in the evenings as well, before the clan retired for the night. She found it easier to avoid her brother with other witnesses to run interference. She continued sharing sleeping space with Sea-Turtle and cherished the comfort of his companionship. The clan accepted and recognized their partnership as permanent. The young couple spent almost every waking moment together and before long mutual desire led them to consummate their relationship.

  Eventually, the changing seasons sent the dolphins on their annual autumn migration to meet the shoals of spawning herring along the southern shores of the continent. Able-to-Call-Dolphins felt bereft without Sea Brother, but her new relationship with Sea-Turtle gave her comfort and joy. One day in midwinter, she sat on the rocks with her mother and two of the elder females. A storm the night before had dropped a load of rain then blown the clouds away, leaving the air unusually clear. Able-to-Call-Dolphins stared off into the distance while Redfish groomed her. At last, she asked, “What is that?” She pointed across the water to a line of permanent shapes on the horizon, blue and hazy with distance.

  Redfish ignored the question, wondering why her daughter got such odd notions and curiosities, like talking with dolphins. But one of the elder females replied, “That is the Far Away Land. No one of the clan has ever gone there.”

  The idea of another land, another beach close enough to see, intrigued Able-to-Call-Dolphins. She had no concept of just how distant that shore lay, but she thought, if food here ever became too scarce, maybe they could swim to that Far Away Land.

  * * *

  That winter seemed unusually long and bleak while the sea apes learned to live with Hits-With-a-Cane’s bullying. His animosity toward Able-to-Call-Dolphins seemed to ease a litt
le with the changing seasons. As long as she avoided getting close, he ignored her. They all settled into a new routine and by the time spring arrived, they had almost forgotten that life had ever been different. As a leader, Surf-rider broke up conflicts, kept the peace and made everyone feel safe. He had rarely made demands or imposed his will harshly. Hits-With-a-Cane seemed just the opposite. When quarrels broke out he simply watched, as if entertained. The beta males learned to fill in as peacekeepers. Hits-With-a-Cane began each morning by pounding the sand with his stick and commanding, “Bring me food!” And if breakfast arrived too slowly, he made liberal use of the cane. He never foraged for himself anymore, except for occasionally exploring the sea wrack after a storm.

  At last, spring brought the beginning of the dry season. In the night sky, a steady streak of light grew gradually larger as the celestial wanderer returned on its circuit of the sun, until only the moon shone brighter. Hits-With-a-Cane told them it was Father Sun’s cane, a sign the Father approved of his leadership. If any of the clan doubted, they prudently kept silent.

  More than once over the rainy season, Able-to-Call-Dolphins had given early warning when sharks cruised into the bay. With the guardian dolphins gone, the clan valued her sharp eyes and constant searching for any sign of her sea spirit friends. Now, months later, she had almost given up hope, but still she watched.

  * * *

  The day started out strangely. The clan woke to feel Mother Earth trembling as if in fear or eagerness. Unnerved, they quickly abandoned their cliffside sleeping chambers and gathered on the beach, hugging and touching one another reassuringly. Hits-With-a-Cane stood outside the comforting huddle, isolated as always. Finally, he whacked the ground and made his usual morning demand, “Bring me food!” He unknowingly provided reassurance by restarting their routine. They scattered to their foraging.

  By noon they had almost forgotten the rude awakening. Able-to-Call-Dolphins and Sea-Turtle sat side by side on the rocks, drying off in the warm sunlight. Suddenly Able-to-Call-Dolphins spotted a familiar, beloved sight. A whole pod of dolphins porpoised through the water, heading north past the beach. A dozen individuals turned past the reef and into the bay.

  With a wordless shout of delight, Able-to-Call-Dolphins dove in and swam to greet Sea Brother and his friends, expressing her joy with a chatter of dolphinese nonsense. They brushed against her in welcome and Sea Brother rose beneath her, lifting her on his tail playfully. Her heart felt like it would burst from her chest with joy and love.

  The entire clan watched as Sea Brother threw Able-to-Call-Dolphins high into the air so she soared and then dove like a gannet. Hits-With-a-Cane watched as well and the hatred that smoldered quietly over the winter suddenly exploded into a raging inferno. Everything he had ever wanted she had stolen or received without any effort — their mother’s love, the respect and high regard of the clan, the joy that had eluded Hits-with-a-Cane all his life. Her strange, empowering connection to the sea spirits seemed the last straw.

  Preoccupied with the return of Sea Brother and his friends, Able-to-Call-Dolphins never noticed the malevolent glare Hits-With-a-Cane once more fixed on her. After their initial greetings, the dolphins seemed agitated, trying to herd the swimming sea apes toward the open ocean. At last, as the afternoon waned, most gave up and left. Only Sea Brother and one other remained, the dolphin with whom Sea-Turtle had formed a bond.

  As twilight approached, Able-to-Call-Dolphins swam into the mouth of the river, letting the fresh water wash the salt from her hair and skin. Sea Brother followed her, still trying to communicate something she couldn’t understand. As she stepped from the water, she came face to face with Hits-With-a-Cane, a murderous look in his eyes. She turned and dove back into the river, but he followed right behind her. He didn’t fear the water, he feared the grasping, sucking, predatory motion of the sea. He grabbed her by the hair and started dragging her ashore, when he felt a powerful shove against his legs that nearly knocked him over. Sea Brother had driven himself into the shallow water, almost beaching himself to come to her aid. Hits-With-a-Cane whacked his sister over the head and dropped her onto the sand, bleeding and unconscious. He raised his cane to finish her and Sea Brother uttered a squeal of protest. Hits-With-a-Cane hesitated as a better idea tickled his brain. Instead of killing her, he would kill her joy, her source of power, so she would suffer as he had suffered.

  He turned to the dolphin, grasped him by the dorsal fin and one flipper and dragged him fully out of the water. Beached, Sea Brother lay completely helpless, unable to defend himself. Hits-With-a-Cane began beating him, striking as hard as he could. Sea Brother squealed in pain, but the blows showed no visible damage to his sleek, sturdy frame. Disappointed, Hits-With-a-Cane finally stopped, panting with exertion. While he rested, Sea Brother’s blowhole opened, took a quick breath and then closed. Hits-With-a-Cane’s eyes took on a sly, evil expression. He dropped his weapon and scooped up two handfuls of sand. Then he waited, feeling vindictive triumph. When next the dolphin opened his blowhole, Hits-With-a-Cane stuffed it full of sand. When Sea Brother blew it clear, he stuffed it again and a silent, life-and-death struggle ensued as the dolphin fought to get a breath.

  Able-to-Call-Dolphins woke at last, too late. Sea Brother lay unmoving, and Hits-With-a-Cane kept packing sand into his blowhole until he’d filled it completely. Able-to-Call-Dolphins screamed in anguish and her pain gave Hits-With-a-Cane a surge of satisfaction. The rest of the clan gathered in a semi-circle, silent and disapproving. The earth began to tremble once again and, as if in answer to Able-to-Call-Dolphins’ cries, the mother mountain suddenly exploded, sending a glowing red river of blood flowing down her flanks. She spewed out a shower of burning hot rocks that peppered the beach. One struck Hits-With-a-Cane square in the forehead and knocked him to his knees. The sea apes cowered, all except for Able-to-Call-Dolphins, who looked from the mountain to her dead friend and proclaimed, “You have angered the Mother. You have murdered one of her children. See? The Father stands with her. You have lost his favor, if you ever had it. You are finished.”

  That streak of light in the sky appeared to stand directly over the mountain, so large now it looked like a tall, slender figure with glowing wings that shimmered with rainbow colors. The mountain belched and once again vomited hot rocks and lava, spewing over the landscape. Fires flared up wherever they landed. The sky darkened with clouds of ash and smoke that blotted out the stars, but the Father’s emissary continued to shine brightly. The air filled with the stench of sulfur and volcanic gases until it became hard to breathe. With no leader to tell them what to do, sea apes huddled on the beach bewildered and terrified.

  “Into the sea!” Able-to-Call-Dolphins shouted. “The sea will protect us! We must swim to the Far Away Land.”

  “It’s too far,” Sparkling Water cried. “We will drown!”

  “If you stay here, you will burn. The sea is kinder.”

  Able-to-Call-Dolphins caught Sea-Turtle by the arm and drew him into the waves. The others followed. Hits-With-a-Cane unearthed his weapon and tried to block their way, but they went around him until finally no one remained on the beach except him. He ran back and forth along the edge of the waves, screaming, and then sobbing, “Come back! Come back! Don’t leave me!”

  Trapped and crippled by fear, he stayed, alone in that land of fire and suffering.

  * * *

  Able called and called to the sea spirits, but they didn’t answer. They knew how Sea Brother died. Through that long night the sea apes swam. Beyond the shelter of the island, the swells became enormous and many lost track of one another in the dark. After hours in the sea, the cold began to take its toll. The very young succumbed first, then the old sank into the depths in exhaustion.

  “Keep moving!” Able called to Sea-Turtle and anyone else close enough to hear. “Keep swimming!” Then she once again cried for help from the dolphins, beginning to despair. As the sky began to lighten in the east, she wondered if any of
the clan would survive. Exhaustion dragged at her limbs, making it hard to keep them moving. Hypothermia seeped into her vitals. Sea-Turtle struggled at her side, too stubborn to give up as long as he had her to give him reason to fight on. With her last breath she called out again to the sea spirits, begging for help. And at last they responded. She felt a smooth, sleek body rise up beneath her, reviving her with its warmth enough so she could grasp the dorsal fin. Sea Turtle’s dolphin had come for him and brought a multitude of others. With breathtaking speed they surged through the water, carrying the sea apes the rest of the way across the water until they reached the shore of that Far Away Land.

  * * *

  For thousands of years the sea apes lived along the coast of the continent, eating shellfish and seaweed and maintaining a playful relationship with the dolphins. With the vast continent in which to spread out, their numbers increased despite predation from new creatures — dire wolves, hyenas, lions and cave bears to name a few. As the sea ape population increased, they splintered into separate clans and territories, spreading out around the curve of coastline. But sea levels continued falling as the polar ice grew and eventually it left a landlocked remnant, an inland sea that isolated a portion of the sea ape population on the sands of its increasingly salty and barren shore. The slow dying of the sea allowed a softer transition to life on the savannah, but it did force the apes to adapt once again. The original evolution forced on them by the ocean served them well in this new environment. An increasingly complex language allowed them to pass knowledge on to new generations and an upright stance allowed them to look over the miles of tall grass, to see danger coming from a distance. Over many generations, learning a new way of life created new neural pathways and enlarged their brain size, which in turn led them to create a progressively richer, multi-faceted culture.