Helix and the Arrival

by Damean Posner

  ‘Make sure you do.’

  ‘So what did you and Herb talk about?’ asks Saleeka.

  ‘Lots of things – family, the mountain, his life.’

  ‘How did he come to be here?’ asks Ug.

  ‘He’d had enough of the mountain and its ways. At first he went to the Dark Side, but then he decided Fenswell was where he wanted to be.’

  ‘Wow,’ says Saleeka. ‘Imagine just deciding one day, “That’s it – I’ve had enough of the mountain. I’m leaving.”’ She looks up as if she’s imagining another life – a life that doesn’t involve marrying Sherwin.

  ‘It is extreme,’ says Ug, ‘but I guess he had good reasons.’

  ‘What were his reasons?’ asks Saleeka.

  ‘Um … He just needed a change,’ I say. Although Herb is all I can think about, I’m not ready to share everything I know about him right now. Maybe I’m being selfish, but he’s my great-grandfather and I’ve only just met him.

  One of the river folk lights a torch on a pole and raises it high for everyone to see. It must be a sign that food is ready to be served, because folk rise quickly to their feet. They form a line waiting to be served from the steaming pot. We join Steckman and follow their lead.

  Beside the steaming pot is a woven basket containing pale brown flattened shapes about the size of my hand, which I assume to be food of some kind. After the river folk have been given a bowl filled with food from the pot, they take one of these flat things as well.

  ‘What’s that?’ I ask Steckman, who’s behind me.

  Steckman finds my question funny. ‘The things you mountain folk don’t know … It is called “bred”.’

  ‘Bred?’ I say.

  ‘Yes, bred.’

  ‘It looks very pale,’ I say.

  ‘Helix, you’ve grown up eating charcoaled meat. Anything looks pale compared to what you know.’

  ‘How do the river folk make it?’ I ask.

  ‘They take the grains that they grow in the fields, crush them into a powder, add water to give it shape and then cook it in the fire.’

  Once we’ve been served, Steckman leaves us and goes to talk to a river person. From the sound of it, he’s trying to convince them to purchase Porgo as a pet. I look around for Herb and see he’s with Steevor and that they’re deep in conversation. I shouldn’t interrupt them.

  As I’m about to take my seat again, the girl who fired arrows at me approaches. ‘Can I?’ she says, pointing to the log.

  ‘Yes … please,’ I say.

  River folk are sitting where they choose, now, chatting and laughing as they eat their evening meal. Ug and Saleeka are sitting in the middle of a log with folk on either side of them. They look uncomfortable at first, but soon I see them answering questions from the inquisitive river people.

  ‘My name is Kalisha,’ says the girl.

  ‘I’m –’

  ‘Helix,’ she jumps in. ‘Yes, we all know who you are. You are the great-grandson of Herb.’

  I let out a nervous laugh. ‘That’s me,’ I say. ‘Aren’t you the one who shot arrows at me?’

  She smiles and chuckles. ‘Yes, that was me.’

  ‘Lucky you missed,’ I say.

  Her look turns serious. ‘Er, yes, I was meaning to miss.’ Then she smiles again and her face lights up.

  We talk as we eat. She shows me what to do with the bred. Alone, I find it bland, but by dipping it in my food, it takes on flavour.

  Kalisha asks me question after question about what it’s like to live on the mountain. All of my answers, I feel, are dull and uninspiring. Her life by the river with roundhouses, crops, medicines and good food is far more interesting than anything I can tell her about the mountain. Still, she seems to take a keen interest in me and my life.

  We talk and talk until we are among the last to be sitting in the open. Ug and Saleeka have returned to the guest roundhouse, Steckman has returned to his and Herb … Where is Herb? He must’ve gone to bed, too.

  ‘Do you want to see the river?’ asks Kalisha.

  ‘Actually, I’ve already seen it today. I went there with Herb,’ I say.

  ‘Okay, then …’ she says, rolling her eyes away from me.

  And then I realise that what Kalisha is actually saying to me is, ‘Do you, Helix, want to see the river with me, Kalisha?’

  BONEHEAD! If she wasn’t sitting beside me, I’d slap myself in the face.

  ‘Um … Can I change my answer? I actually meant to say “yes”.’

  ‘Changing your mind is okay,’ she says, laughing.

  She takes me to a part of the river I haven’t seen yet, where the water flows quickly over lots of little rocks.

  ‘We call this the “white flow”,’ she says. ‘It is shallow, but the water here runs with great haste.’

  We sit on a log with our feet in the soft, cool grass, our shoulders almost touching. The sun has completely disappeared over the landline and the sky is dark except for the moon and the stars. Kalisha reaches across and takes my hand. She turns it palm-up and studies it in the moonlight.

  I remain quiet, not wanting to do anything that would make this moment end.

  ‘You can tell a lot from someone’s palms,’ she says. ‘Hmm … Interesting.’

  ‘What?’ I say. ‘What’s interesting?’

  ‘You – there’s something different about you, Helix.’

  ‘Is there?’

  ‘Yes. You are what we call a “seeker”.’

  ‘A seeker? What does that mean?’

  ‘It means you yearn for truth and knowledge and will search for it no matter what forces oppose you.’

  I look into her eyes and can only assume that I’m making a goofy cave-idiot smile.

  ‘There’s more,’ she says. ‘I can also tell that you are willing to fight for what you believe is right, and that’s a very special thing, Helix.’

  ‘But I’m just me,’ I say.

  ‘“Just you” is fine,’ says Kalisha. ‘You don’t have to be anything else.’

  We stay by the river until the moon disappears from the night sky. By now, I’m getting weary. It’s been a long day. Kalisha senses my tiredness. She shows me the way back to my roundhouse in the dark. Our shoulders are pressed together as we walk.

  ‘Thank you,’ I say, as we arrive at my roundhouse.

  ‘What for?’ says Kalisha.

  ‘For not shooting me that time and for … just for everything.’ She can see I’m lost for words.

  Kalisha fills in the gap. She leans forward and kisses me once, softly on the lips. She smiles goodnight. Then she turns and leaves.

  I’m exhausted, but a part of me feels wide awake, as if it will never sleep again. For the rest of time, I will play back in my mind, over and over, all the incredible things that have happened to me today. As morning breaks, I know, for the first time ever, what it is to feel complete. Is there a way for me to freeze this moment and stand still in time forevermore?

  Maybe there isn’t. But I know the next best thing.

  I sit up with my back against the wall of the roundhouse, waiting for Ug and Saleeka to wake. Ug is first to rise, and before he even rubs the sleep from his eyes, he says, ‘We need to get the medicine and leave for Rockfall.’

  Ug’s words wake Saleeka. She yawns and stretches her arms.

  ‘Come on, both of you. Let us leave,’ says Ug.

  I know he’s right, but overnight I’ve hatched a plan in my mind: I won’t be going back to Rockfall with Ug and Saleeka. I’ll be staying in Fenswell with Herb and the river people. This will be my new destiny.

  Just as Ug stands up to leave the roundhouse, a riverman comes to the entrance and tells us that Steevor will see us. We follow the riverman to Steevor’s roundhouse. Inside, Steevor is with another riverman, who is introduced as Andron, the chief medicine man.

  ‘Do you have the medicine?’ asks Ug.

  ‘Andron has prepared it,’ says Steevor.

  Andron steps forward. He is holdin
g two small pouches made from animal skin. They’re small and fit in the palm of his hand.

  ‘First you will need to cleanse the wound. To do that, take these crushed herbs,’ he says, holding up one of the pouches, ‘mix them with water and rub them on the wound. Next, scrape the wound clean with a long, sharp blade.’

  The idea of scraping Ugthorn’s wound with a blade makes my stomach turn, but Ug doesn’t flinch as Andron tells him what needs to be done.

  ‘Once the wound is clean, you will need to apply this poultice to it twice a day for two days,’ he says, holding up the other small pouch.

  ‘Is that all there is?’ asks Ug.

  ‘This is all you need,’ says Andron. ‘You should know within two days whether he is going to recover.’

  Ug nods slowly, trying to beat back his worst thoughts.

  ‘Make haste,’ says Steevor. ‘It has been a pleasure to meet you all.’

  Ug and Saleeka thank Steevor and leave his roundhouse. I stand still, unmoved – there is something I need to ask Steevor. But just as I’m about to begin, I hear his deep voice.

  ‘Helix,’ he says. ‘I was hoping to talk to you alone.’

  This is it! He knows I want to stay and live like Herb! ‘I want to stay,’ I say. ‘Just like Herb, I want to stay.’

  ‘Herb is gone,’ says Steevor, in his strong, calm voice.

  His words collapse onto my shoulders like an avalanche from the mountaintop. ‘What do you mean, gone?’ I say.

  ‘He left last night, Helix. His time had come.’

  ‘What does that mean?’ I say, struggling to get my words out.

  ‘He took a raft downriver to the open waters, where the next world awaits him.’

  ‘But … But why didn’t he tell me?’ I say.

  ‘Because you would have tried to stop him,’ says Steevor.

  ‘He can’t have gone. I’d only just met him … I wanted to …’ I can’t talk. A river is rising inside me, clouding my eyes and choking my throat.

  ‘He knew that the time was right, Helix. It gave him great comfort to meet you and tell you his story. You gave him the gift of completeness.’

  Ug sticks his head into the roundhouse. ‘Come on,’ he says. ‘We need to hurry. Every moment is precious.’

  ‘No. I’m staying here,’ I say, clenching my fists.

  Ug’s jaw drops as he tries to make sense of what I’ve just said. Saleeka has heard what I’ve said, too. She also sticks her head into the roundhouse. ‘You can’t stay, Helix,’ she says. ‘This isn’t your home.’

  ‘But I want it to be,’ I say.

  ‘Helix, you were born on the mountain,’ she says. ‘Your mother and father are waiting for you to return.’

  ‘She is right,’ says Steevor, placing a hand on my shoulder. ‘One day – when the time is right – you will be welcome to return to Fenswell. For now, though, you need to go with your friends. Your place is on the mountain.’

  None of what Steevor says is helping. I can’t imagine how the emptiness inside me will ever be filled.

  ‘Come, Helix,’ says Saleeka. She takes hold of my arm gently and I follow her and Ug.

  We walk to the river crossing, with a number of river people following slowly behind us. I follow Ug and Saleeka, crossing the river using the tree ropes, copying their motions without thinking.

  We reach the far side of the bank. Saleeka and Ug wave to the river people on the other side and they wave back. Alone, off to the side, is Kalisha. We catch each other’s gaze, then I turn for the woods and begin to walk.

  Ug leads the way back up the mountain to Rockfall. He keeps a fast pace, running where he can and only walking when it’s slippery underfoot. Saleeka works hard to keep up. I follow behind her. None of us talk.

  When we reach Cave’s End, Saleeka says, ‘Stop, Ug. I need to drink.’

  He looks at her impatiently, then grants her a rest.

  ‘What will you do when you get back?’ says Saleeka to both of us. ‘Everyone will be thinking that you’ve returned from your Arrival hunt.’

  ‘I don’t care anymore,’ I say. ‘The Arrival doesn’t prove anything about my true self.’

  ‘I will go straight to my father,’ says Ug. ‘My Arrival is not important anymore. My only goal is to save him.’

  I look at Ug. For the first time in a while we smile at each other.

  ‘You know what all this means?’ says Saleeka.

  ‘What?’ I say.

  ‘To cover up your non-Arrivals, they’ll probably want to bring my marriage forward.’

  ‘I’d almost forgotten about your marriage,’ I say.

  ‘You can keep forgetting about it, Helix, because when I get back I’m telling Korg that I’m not getting married. If he and Speel want to send me to the Dark Side, so be it!’

  I smile at Saleeka who stands there fierce, with her short, ragged hair. No one will ever be able to tell her what’s right – she will always make up her own mind.

  ‘I’m sorry about Herb,’ she says.

  ‘I am sure he left proud of you,’ says Ug, punching me on the shoulder, almost making me topple over.

  ‘Thanks, Ug,’ I say. ‘Just like your dad will be proud of you when you make him better. Come on, let’s go.’

  I lead the way, this time, and at an even faster pace than Ug was setting before. The last part of our journey is difficult, with the gradient climbing steeply as we approach Rockfall. My leg muscles are throbbing and I can hear the sound of Ug and Saleeka panting behind me.

  We reach the high woods and follow the Down Path that leads back up the mountain. Once on the Common Way, we walk along the final dusty approach towards Rockfall.

  The horn sounds.

  They know we’re coming.

  The three of us walk through Rockfall with our eyes fixed straight ahead. Folk are appearing on either side of us, curious as to why, firstly, Ug and I are walking together; secondly, why Saleeka is with us; and thirdly, why Ug and I are without an offering.

  ‘Helix!’ I can hear Mum calling me from behind.

  I turn, give her a quick wave and keep walking.

  Korg and Speel are nowhere to be seen. They’re probably changing into their extra thick and furry ceremonial loincloths in readiness for our Arrival.

  We reach Ug’s family’s cave and his mother appears at the entrance. Her face is pale, as if all the blood has been drained from it. There are tired lines beneath her eyes.

  ‘Ug, my boy,’ she says, and falls forward onto his chest, sobbing.

  ‘Mother,’ says Ug. ‘It is all right.’

  ‘He’s … He’s … Krike says he is passing and nothing can be done.’

  Ug gently removes his mother’s arms from around his neck and walks into the cave. Saleeka and I follow him, while Edla stays outside with the Uglets, who are playing in the dirt.

  There, exactly where he was when I last saw him, is Ug’s father, the once-mighty Ugthorn. He’s lying on his back with his eyes closed. His body looks flat and lifeless.

  I can see the tears forming in Ug’s eyes. He crouches down and places his head on his father’s chest.

  I look at Saleeka, but her hands are covering her face. I’m about to suggest we leave Ug alone when he lifts his head up in shock.

  ‘His heart … His heart still beats!’

  Saleeka starts jumping on the spot. ‘Clean the wound like Andron told you, Ug.’

  Ug mixes the cleansing herbs with a little water and spreads the mixture on the wound. Then, using a sharp-edged flint, he begins scraping away at the swollen white flesh on Ugthorn’s side. Saleeka and I turn away in disgust, but Ug keeps going.

  When he’s done, Ug dips his finger into the second pouch and scoops some ointment out. It is light brown, specked with white, and thick. He applies the cream to the shiny red wound.

  ‘You’ve done what you can for now,’ I say. ‘Andron said to apply it twice a day.’

  Ug’s mother appears with the Uglets by her side. ‘What are y
ou doing?’ she says.

  ‘He is still alive, Mother, but only just. We have applied some medicine to his wound to help it heal.’

  ‘Medicine from Krike?’ she says.

  ‘No. It is medicine from the lowlands, made by the river people.’

  I can see the look on her face. She’s shocked and confused. Ug takes her aside and begins to explain our journey.

  Meanwhile, I can hear a crowd gathering outside the cave.

  Saleeka and I stand inside the entrance to Ug’s family’s cave, unsure of what awaits us outside.

  Ug is still with his mother. She’s calmed down after hearing about Ug crossing the river and not returning with an offering for his Arrival. She’ll take any hope she can get, even if it means medicine from a strange and foreign land.

  Crag the stonehack appears. ‘Speel wants to see you three.’

  ‘Me as well?’ asks Saleeka, a little excited to be included.

  ‘Yes, you too,’ says Crag.

  Ug looks at his mother for permission to leave. She nods at him.

  Crag leads the way with the three of us following.

  The folk of Rockfall know that something’s up. They line our path to Speel’s cave, trying to see if there’s an obvious reason for Speel wanting to see us. For them, this is more exciting than any boring old Arrival ceremony. We’re obviously in trouble. Where are our offerings?

  I pass Mum and Dad.

  ‘Helix, what’s happening?’ says Mum.

  ‘Where’s your offering, son?’ says Dad. ‘Was it too big to drag back?’

  ‘I’ll explain later,’ I say, and keep walking.

  We’re led to Speel’s cave and shown where to sit. After spending time in the river people’s roundhouses, Speel’s cave feels very old-fashioned … almost primitive.

  Speel is standing with his back to us and looks as if he’s deep in thought. Krike is with him, sitting on the other side of the fire to us, probably leaking gas bubbles and threatening to erupt.

  Speel turns around and says to Crag, ‘Wait outside.’

  The massive figure of Crag turns and departs, hunching his shoulders and dragging his feet.