Tuksook's Story, 35,000 BC

by Bonnye Matthews

  “Then, the times I’ve felt spiritually alone, I was just closing off the spiritual world? It was my doing, not yours.”

  “Correct. Despite your closing me off, I was still there. You were just closed to me.”

  “Wisdom, I regret that I shortened the time I could have had with you.”

  “Remember that for the future.”

  “Oh, Wisdom, at times like now, when you tell me I have grown to the sun, I feel like the very young children who are kept confined to a small area until they show evidence that they can be given more ability to remain in the meadow. I don’t mean that you’ve confined me. I mean that I am that spiritually deficient. Do I ever grow past this child-like level of spiritual development?”

  “That depends. Most Wise Ones make it to the level of understanding that you have. Some who continue to push to know me better, go beyond. But that is rare, rare indeed. I know your thoughts, Tuksook. That is why you have pleased me. I will answer the question you will not ask. You and Gumui both have very long life lines. Now I will charge you with responsibility—lead the People well. Keep them strong, focused on right living in the way of the People and in my way. Continue as you have been doing. Know that when you come to the spirit world, you will grow fast. There is no hurry now.”

  Tuksook looked at Wisdom speechless.

  “Tuksook, tell Gumui to stay awake until all in the house sleep but the entryway guards. Tell Gumui to climb to the rock. Tell him to hold his hands from him like this.” Wisdom showed her his hands, fingertip to fingertip and heel of hand to heel of hand. “Tell him to open his arms a shoulder width apart. Tell him to wait.”

  “Tonight?” she asked.

  “Yes, Tuksook.”

  “I will tell him.”

  Tuksook felt herself drifting back to the rock. She was overwhelmed.

  “How did you come up here?” Gumui asked breathless from his climb.

  “Huaga asked whether there was anything he could do for me. I asked him to do this. You cannot carry me and make it up the steps, but Huaga is very big and very surefooted. He walked up here with me as easy as if he walked the meadow. When Amuin hits the rocks together, he will carry me down.”

  “I see,” he said. “I’m glad it was Huaga.”

  “I have a message from Wisdom to you.”

  “You have what?”

  “Wisdom sent you your own message.”

  “And that is?”

  “You are to come to this rock tonight. Sit here and do your hands like this.” She showed him. “Once you’ve done that open your arms a shoulder width, and keep your hands like that—and wait.”

  Gumui laughed.

  “It isn’t meant to draw humor,” Tuksook said.

  “It’s just such a strange thing to have me do.”

  “I’d suggest, my husband, that you do it to see what will happen. I assure you with Wisdom you will not be disappointed.”

  “I will do it. In fact, I wish it were late already.”

  “Where’s Mi?”

  “She’s waiting at the bottom of this path for us.”

  “Please go to her. Huaga will return to me as soon as Amuin hits the rocks together. Then, I’ll be down.”

  “Until then.”

  “Until then.”

  Gumui returned down the path to the meadow level. They went to the food preparation area.

  “How much longer do we have until the call for the evening meal?” Gumui asked, snitching a string of meat from the sea aurochs roast.

  “Almost there, Gumui. And, if you’re going to snitch a piece of meat, the least you could do is to take one for Mi, too.”

  Mi lowered her head, put her hands over her mouth, and giggled.

  “Thank you, Amuin,” Gumui said, pulling another string of meat and handing it to Mi.

  Mi looked up and said, “Thank you, Amuin.”

  Amuin bent down a little, held her arms open, and Mi went to her quickly for a hug.

  Amuin picked up the two rocks and hit them together.

  Huaga, who had been working to repair some of the ties on the dog house, finished up the last knot, and headed towards the rock to bring Tuksook down.

  “Hi, Tuksook,” he said after reaching the top of the path and the rock. “Did you enjoy your time on the rock.”

  “More than you could even guess,” Tuksook said.

  “If you’ll hold the water skin and your walking sticks, I’ll carry you down.”

  “I’ll do it,” Tuksook said, the joy of earlier still surrounding her both inside and outside.

  “Sitting on that rock must do something special for you,” Huaga said as he descended the path with her.

  “Huaga, that’s a place I often meet with Wisdom. I met with Wisdom today.”

  “You mean Wisdom was here today?”

  Tuksook laughed as he slid her to her foot and held her shoulders until she had her walking sticks in hand. “Wisdom is here every day all day. It’s just that we actually talked today.”

  “This isn’t some kind of joke, Tuksook. You really talked like you and I are talking—but with Wisdom?”

  “Yes, but Wisdom does not appear as one of the People. Wisdom is spirit. My spirit meets him in the spirit.”

  “Did you learn anything?”

  “Always, Huaga, but today one of the things I learned I’ll share at council tonight.”

  “I have to wait until then.”

  “Yes.” Tuksook smiled her disarming smile.

  “Enjoy your evening meal,” Huaga said, rethinking what she’d told him. It may be, he thought, I should offer to take her there whenever she feels the desire.

  Gumui and Mi were filling the bowls. Tuksook headed towards the place they usually sat to enjoy their evening meal.

  “This look good to you?” he asked.

  Tuksook looked at the too full bowl again. “It looks wonderful, Gumui. Thank you.” She smiled her odd smile at him that told him with her lips he’d filled the bowl too full again.

  “You are always welcome,” he replied. “Eat it, Tuksook, you need some fat on your bones.”

  Mi looked at them. She wondered why Gumui kept pushing food at Tuksook. Her mother was terribly thin since the accident, but usually People let each other decide for themselves what they would eat. She did notice, however, that when her father overfilled her mother’s bowl, she did eat what he put in it.

  The council began shortly after the evening meal clean up.

  All assembled and Tuksook asked, “Is there anyone who wishes to speak?”

  Vole looked at her.

  She nodded.

  “There are five of us who plan to go back to the sea to fish. Is anyone willing to make it six People?”

  “I would like to go,” Velur said.

  “Good,” Vole replied.

  “Anyone wish to speak?”

  Item looked at Tuksook.

  Tuksook nodded.

  “Since you’re going to the sea, will you bring me six skins of salt water?”

  “We will,” Vole promised.

  “Anyone wish to speak?”

  Silence.

  “Well, I have something to share that you will be glad to hear,” Tuksook said. “Thanks to the kindness of Huaga, I went to my rock today and sat in the sun. I talked with Wisdom. Wisdom says that during the lifetime of all alive now, there will be no more big earthquakes. Small ones, certainly, but no large ones that can damage the buildings.”

  “That is welcome information!” Huaga shouted.

  “Thank you, Wisdom,” Yumo said, thinking of his wife who still had nightmares.

  Then, all the People said, “Thank you, Wisdom!” The shout resonated through the air for a long distance deep into the valley.

  Then, there was silence.

  “Anyone wish to speak?” Tuksook asked again.

  Silence.

  “The council ends,” Tuksook said.

  Gumui helped her stand up and handed her the walking sticks. The three of them wa
lked back to the bent tree house.

  “Wisdom told you there would be no more bad earthquakes?” Mi asked.

  “Yes, Mi. There will come a time when you, too, will spend time talking to Wisdom.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, dear one, you.”

  They hugged. Then Gumui and Mi hugged. Mi pulled off her tunic and climbed into the soft sleeping place. Tuksook pulled off her tunic and crawled into her spot on their sleeping place. Gumui also crawled into their sleeping place, but he did not undress. For once Mi didn’t notice.

  Gumui waited and waited. Finally, after waiting for what he felt was an extremely long time, the bent tree house was filled with sleepers. Gumui cautiously stood up and went outside, careful not to awaken anyone. The entryway guard assumed he left for the privy.

  Gumui ran to the path to the rock. He climbed it quickly. He sat on the rock. He did with his hands what Tuksook had told him to do. He waited. His arms began to tire, feeling very heavy. Still he held them out from him and kept them still. After what seemed an endless wait, he began to feel a tingling. He felt as if there were something between his hands. Light danced in the space between his hands.

  He wondered whether this was what Wisdom planned to show him. He kept his hands still. What was between his hands continued to move but it changed shape.

  That unique voice he’d heard once said, “Do not turn around, Gumui. I am with you.”

  At the sound of the voice, he almost dropped his hands, but he managed to keep them still. He looked at his hands. Between his hands, a sphere began to form and then it came into very clear focus.

  “It’s the earth?” he whispered, awestruck.

  “Yes,” Wisdom said quietly. “I decided to grant you your wish.”

  “There are no red lines,” he remarked.

  “The earthquake has reduced the stress, so the red lines are no longer there.”

  “Wisdom, this is amazing. It’s beautiful.”

  Wisdom was silent.

  “Are you still there, Wisdom?”

  “Yes.”

  “What is the white on the top and bottom?”

  “Ice.”

  “Is that the ice that will cover this land?”

  “No, that ice is always there.”

  “Seeing all this—it’s something I must keep to myself?”

  “Yes, it is. When I permitted Tuksook to share the vision with you, I knew you would not tell anyone because of your strong desire not to speak of what you don’t know directly. You don’t gossip. But this requires that you not share something of which you have direct knowledge.”

  “I understand, Wisdom. I will treasure this moment for the rest of my life. To have seen such a beautiful image is precious.”

  “I leave now, Gumui. You may watch as long as you like. When you put your hands down, it will disappear. Raising them won’t bring back the image.”

  “Wisdom, thank you. I know now why Tuksook yearns for time with you.”

  Gumui felt a touch on his shoulder.

  “You are welcome, Gumui, and though spirit, I can cause you to feel my touch. I leave now.”

  Gumui watched the slowly turning earth. He tried to put it into memory so he could enjoy seeing it again, forgetting that his hands were tired. He had forgotten who he was or where he was. Gumui was seeing something only one other person he knew had ever seen. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever known. It was precious. Wisdom had made it. He watched it, fixing details in his mind web, until he felt he contained the full image in memory. He lowered his hands and the strange lights reappeared and then vanished.

  Gumui stood up. He thought, I must return to the bent tree house. I cannot wait to share this with Tuksook!

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