Helix and the Arrival

by Damean Posner

  Speel’s one small eye gazes above us so that he isn’t speaking directly to our faces. ‘Word is spreading. You have returned, empty-handed, except for medicine of some kind.’

  ‘It is a poultice for my father,’ says Ug, staring straight at Speel.

  ‘I must say, I am still confused. Here, sitting before me, is Krike, the keeper of medicine for our people, yet he tells me that the medicine is not his. Isn’t that right, Krike?’

  Krike attempts a confident nod, but the effect is somewhat ruined by the release of a hrmph sound from somewhere underneath his loincloth.

  ‘I am curious as to where this medicine has come from,’ says Speel.

  We sneak a sideways look at each other. Ug and Saleeka have decided on silence. I understand their reservations, but something inside me wants to be heard.

  ‘The medicine comes from the river people,’ I say. ‘I travelled there to obtain it. Ug and Saleeka had nothing to do with it.’

  Speel is smirking beneath his beard, I can tell. He examines the three of us one by one, suspicious of my claim.

  ‘So if you are going to punish someone,’ I continue, ‘punish me.’

  ‘Don’t worry, Helix, you will be punished,’ says Speel. ‘All in good time.’

  ‘Then you can punish me as well,’ says Saleeka, ‘because I crossed the river too, and I don’t care what you think because I know it was right.’

  ‘And me,’ says Ug. He turns to me. ‘Thank you, Helix, but it is not up to you to shoulder the blame.’

  ‘How wonderful!’ says Speel, clapping his hands together. ‘A three-way confession!’

  ‘What will happen to us?’ I say.

  ‘You will be shamed and sent to the Dark Side,’ he says, curling his fingers together.

  ‘Do you know what?’ says Saleeka. ‘There’s nothing shameful about what we have done. You’re the one who should be ashamed, telling people how to live their lives and judging us the way you do!’

  ‘Very good, very good,’ Speel says, laughing to Krike, who joins in awkwardly.

  ‘Where’s Korg?’ I say. ‘Shouldn’t he be the one telling us we’re banished?’

  Speel’s smirk disappears; he doesn’t like this question. ‘I am representing Korg the Magnificent at present. My word is his.’

  ‘Maybe I will go and ask him for myself,’ I say, standing up.

  Speel laughs again. ‘You amuse me, Helix. Why would Korg want to speak with you? And even if you tried to contact him, you would not be permitted. I have charged Tor with seeing that he is not disturbed.’

  ‘You’re keeping him prisoner in his own cave, aren’t you?’

  ‘Certainly not,’ says Speel. ‘Korg simply needs some time alone at the moment. He is going through a phase of, let’s say, deep contemplation. Every Korg’s reign must come to an end at some stage, you know.’

  ‘You’re a liar,’ says Saleeka, standing up beside me.

  ‘You should watch your tongue, young lady. Remember, it is I who controls what is written on your family tablet.’

  Ug has been silent for a long time but now he stands and talks. ‘When my father is better, he will have none of this.’

  ‘Yes, your father … I am sorry, Ug, but your father is in the process of passing to the heavens, onto a new, most glorious life. Nothing can be done now, can it, Krike?’

  ‘Y-yes. That’s right. I have done all I can,’ says the cave stinker.

  ‘You have done nothing of any use,’ says Ug, looking down at Krike. ‘All you have done is practise superstition and ignorance on my father. He is no better or worse than he would have been without your help.’

  Krike leans back to escape the force of Ug’s words.

  Speel takes a step forward. ‘I understand you are upset, Ug, so I will allow you to be with your family until your father passes.’

  ‘You are too kind,’ says Ug, with a stony, serious face.

  ‘What about us?’ I say.

  ‘You and the girl will be confined together in your family’s cave until tomorrow when you will be formally banished,’ says Speel. ‘Crag will keep guard at the entrance.’

  Saleeka and I look at each other.

  ‘Crag!’ calls Speel.

  Crag appears.

  ‘Take them to the boy’s cave and stand guard at the entrance.’

  Crag doesn’t say anything, but leads the way out of Speel’s cave.

  ‘Send us news about your father,’ I say to Ug.

  ‘Yes, let us know if he’s improving,’ says Saleeka.

  ‘Go! Now!’ says Speel.

  We leave the cave, following Crag.

  So Speel is making me a prisoner in my own cave, and Saleeka is being kept there too.

  When we arrive, Mum and Dad are pacing up and down.

  ‘What in heaven’s name is happening?’ says Mum when she sees me.

  They both look at Saleeka, who had long hair when they last saw her. Then they look at Crag, wondering why he’s with us.

  ‘Crag, isn’t it?’ says Dad. ‘I like your work. That stuff you do making the tablets is very clever.’

  Crag nods.

  ‘Why were you in Speel’s cave? And what has happened with your Arrival?’ asks Mum.

  ‘We’re in trouble,’ I say, thinking it best to get straight to the point. ‘We crossed the river and brought back medicine from Fenswell – the lowlands – for Ugthorn.’ There. I’ve said it.

  ‘You crossed the river?’ repeats Dad, as if the heavens are about to fall.

  ‘Yes, Dad,’ I say. ‘We crossed the river. And look, we’re still alive and well.’

  ‘Why would you cross the river, Helix?’ says Mum.

  ‘Because we wanted to help Ug’s father. Krike’s medicine wasn’t working, and I’d heard that the river people could help.’ I’m aware that I’m leaving out big chunks of the story. To tell them about Herb, and even Steckman, would take too much explaining at the moment. I haven’t even got to the part about being banished to the Dark Side yet!

  ‘What’s going on?’ says Sherwin, arriving through the cave entrance. ‘Saleeka? Is that you? What’s happened to your hair?’

  ‘Um … It’s a long story.’

  ‘I’m very much looking forward to our wedding,’ Sherwin says, his hairy arms hanging awkwardly by his side.

  ‘We probably need to talk about that …’

  But before Saleeka can explain, Sherwin spots Crag. ‘Why is he here?’ he asks.

  ‘Which brings me to the next part,’ I say. ‘The three of us – Saleeka, Ug and I – are kind of in trouble for crossing the river.’

  ‘How much in trouble?’ says Mum.

  ‘What’s this about crossing the river?’ says Sherwin.

  Sherwin can wait. Mum is giving me her cavewoman death stare and she wants answers.

  ‘Well … about as in trouble as you can get,’ I say.

  Saleeka says it. ‘We’re being sent to the Dark Side for the rest of our lives.’ She shrugs her shoulders.

  Dad, Mum and Sherwin all look as if the mountain is shaking and they need to brace themselves.

  ‘Tomorrow we will be banished,’ I say. ‘Crag is here to guard the cave and to make sure we don’t try to escape.’

  ‘What about our marriage?’ says Sherwin to Saleeka.

  ‘Yes, sorry about that,’ says Saleeka. ‘I guess it wasn’t meant to be. I’m sure you’ll find someone else.’

  Sherwin collapses to the ground on his back and starts kicking his legs in the air. ‘I’ve been growing my nose hair especially for you!’ he wails. ‘It was going to be a surprise for our wedding day, and now it’s all been for nothing!’

  ‘It’s a tragedy, I know,’ says Saleeka, looking down at her feet.

  ‘What about your Arrival, Helix?’ says Dad.

  ‘I think getting sent to the Dark Side means that, technically, you don’t pass your Arrival,’ I say.

  ‘That Speel,’ says Mum. ‘I’ll give him banish.’ She picks up her whacking
stick and starts heading out of the cave.

  I grab her arm. ‘No, Mum. Don’t. It’ll only make things worse.’

  ‘So that’s it? My baby boy is being sent to the Dark Side?’ says Mum.

  ‘I’m sorry, Mum,’ I say, ‘but I’d cross the river again if it meant giving Ug’s father a chance to survive. And, anyway, the Dark Side isn’t as bad as everyone says.’

  Mum and Dad can see that I’m calm and I think it helps them to accept, as best they can, that there’s nothing they can do to change things.

  We sit in silence until Dad says, ‘Do you think there’s a market for torism to the lowlands, Helix?’

  Mum throws her hands in the air. ‘I cannot believe it!’

  ‘Barb, even you must be able to see it: bathe in the deep blue waters of the river, learn about river folk customs, spend a night in a roundhouse – it’s got torism written all over it!’

  I try to imagine a world where folk from the mountain do really visit Fenswell. It’s a world I’d like to live in.

  As evening comes to the mountain, I think about Kalisha and the other river folk in Fenswell. About now, they’d be eating delicious food, and laughing and chatting with each other.

  I also imagine Herb, who by now must have reached open waters. Although I’ll never know for sure, I feel certain that he would have held the flint stone tight in his grip and remembered me once more as he floated down the river.

  Saleeka’s parents come to visit and she gives them the same news as I’ve given mine. They grieve just like my parents did, especially when Saleeka tells them that she will not let them follow her to the Dark Side.

  Mum prepares a meal of meat-on-a-stick and invites Saleeka’s parents to stay and eat with us. The chewy, charcoaled meat is a sad comparison to the food we ate in Fenswell only two days earlier.

  When Saleeka’s parents leave, it’s time to sleep. Before long, there’s a snoring competition going on – Sherwin is winning, followed by Mum and then Dad. I stare up at the ceiling of the cave, searching for an answer: what am I supposed to do next?

  As I’m looking upwards, I capture some movement out of the corner of my eye. Crag is gesturing to me from the entrance of the cave. He wants me to go to him.

  I prod Saleeka in the ribs to wake her.

  ‘Ouch!’ she says.

  ‘Crag wants to tell us something,’ I say.

  ‘Why? It’s late,’ she says, rolling the other way.

  ‘I’m going to see what he wants,’ I say.

  ‘All right, I’ll come,’ she says, annoyed that I’m stealing her sleep.

  We creep around my snoring family and make our way to the entrance. Crag waves us outside with one of his huge hands.

  ‘What is it?’ I say.

  He talks in a hushed voice. ‘You must go to Korg the Magnificent’s cave tonight,’ he says.

  ‘Why?’ I say. ‘Aren’t you meant to be guarding us?’

  ‘He wishes to see you,’ says Crag, scanning the area to make sure no one is watching us.

  ‘What about Tor? Isn’t he guarding the entrance?’

  ‘Tor will let you pass,’ says Crag.

  Crag is looking more and more worried. I can see him glancing in the direction of Speel’s cave. ‘Speel has been using us for years to invent his stories. We have had enough.’ His massive hands hang by his side like boulders suspended at the ends of his arms.

  ‘Thank you, Crag,’ says Saleeka, patting his shoulder.

  We’re unsure what the night will bring, but we do as Crag says and go to Korg’s cave.

  We approach Tor, who is guarding the entrance to the cave. As we get closer, he motions with his club-like hand for us to pass behind him.

  We creep past Tor. The walls inside are lit with torches that cast flickering light about the cavern. In the centre of the cave are the final stages of a fire – the coals are still hot and bright, but the flames have long since died down.

  Korg the Magnificent is sitting on the other side of the coals, his face glowing a soft red. We approach him. I feel like I should be tiptoeing.

  He looks up from the fire. ‘Hello, Helix; hello, Saleeka. Sit down, both of you.’ His voice comes from deep within. I don’t see his lips move.

  We lower ourselves slowly and sit cross-legged across the fire from him.

  Korg looks over his shoulder. I follow his gaze and notice two figures sitting in the dark at the back of the cave. One of them is round and snuffling in excitement.

  ‘Steckman? Porgo? Is that you?’ I say.

  ‘Yes, Helix, it’s us.’

  ‘You brought back Porgo,’ I say.

  ‘Yes. She’s still recovering from her wounds. Unfortunately, none of the river folk wanted to buy her. They said she ate too much and that they already had dogs for pets. Oh well.’

  Porgo lets out a soft squeal, as if she objects to being talked about in this way.

  ‘Come closer please, Steckman,’ says Korg.

  Steckman stands up and walks over to the fire. Porgo follows, trotting obediently behind him. They sit beside Saleeka and me, with Porgo nestling her bristly back up against my side.

  ‘I asked Steckman to follow you when you set off on your Arrival, as I had a feeling fate would plot your course to the lowlands, and that you would need assistance.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ I say.

  ‘You have an inquisitive mind, Helix. This is good and bad, though mostly good, I would say. I could tell you were restless here in Rockfall and I do not blame you. It might be hard for you to believe, but it hasn’t always been like this here.’

  ‘I know,’ I say. ‘My great-grandfather Herb told me.’

  ‘How was Herb?’ Korg asks, without so much as a blink.

  ‘He was truly magnificent,’ I say, without thinking about the word I just used.

  Korg can see I am embarrassed. ‘You are right. He was magnificent. And if it weren’t for him, I would never have crossed the river and ventured out into the world. You show a lot of his traits, Helix.’

  I start blurting out my thoughts. ‘But why … If you knew about the river people being kind and intelligent and Land’s End not being the end … Why didn’t you tell the truth?’

  ‘I understand your frustration,’ says Korg, taking a deep breath. ‘For a time, when I was younger, we did speak the truth and Herb’s was the loudest voice of all. But even before I took over from my father, Korg the Exalted, things were beginning to change. Take the Arrival: whereas once it was a true test of a caveboy’s character, it had started to become a way to indoctrinate caveboys in certain ways of thinking. Fear replaced a quest for knowledge, and thinking for oneself was no longer required as the Storykeeper controlled all so-called knowledge. And when, later into my rule, Speel took over, he continued on from where his father, Baleel, had left off. And, I am sorry to say, I failed the people of Rockfall by not doing anything to stop him.’

  This is heavy stuff. I look ahead, my eyes unfocused. With Korg’s confession, I’m half-expecting Rockfall to crumble from the mountain and be swept away by the river.

  Saleeka speaks for the first time. ‘What are you going to do now?’ She says it more as a demand than a question.

  ‘Thank you, young lady. We need strong voices like yours,’ says Korg. ‘There are some who would like to continue living as we do now. However, there are others like yourselves who seek change. I suspect that tomorrow will prove where our destiny lies, one way or the other.’

  ‘What’s happening tomorrow?’ I say.

  ‘Tomorrow, the people of the mountain will decide on their future. Helix, you will have the chance to be heard.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Tomorrow, you will speak to the people of the mountain,’ says Korg.

  ‘Me? Why me? What am I going to say?’

  ‘Over the past few days, I suspect you have seen more of what the world has to offer than anyone else on the mountain has. Your voice must be heard.’

  ‘But I’m jus
t a caveboy,’ I say. ‘A caveboy who’s failed his Arrival. Who will listen to me? I can’t –’

  ‘No, Helix,’ says Korg. ‘You can.’

  It feels like there’s a rock bouncing around inside my stomach. I take a deep breath to try to stop it jiggling.

  ‘Steckman,’ says Korg, ‘go to Newstone tonight. Tell the folk that there will be a Gathering at the speaking rock tomorrow morning. And Tor, you will go to the Dark Side and do the same. Make sure everyone attends.’

  ‘The Dark Side, your magnificance?’ Tor looks worried.

  ‘Do not be afraid. No harm will come to you,’ says Korg.

  Tor nods obediently.

  ‘You two – return to your families and try to rest for tomorrow.’

  We leave Korg’s cave in a daze. I say goodnight to Saleeka and we each go our separate ways.

  Rest! How am I supposed to rest with what I know will be happening tomorrow?

  I toss and turn throughout the night, half-dreaming and half-imagining what will happen as the day dawns. At the first hint of sunrise, I stand up, stretch my arms above my head and rub the sleep from my eyes. No one else, not even Mum, is awake yet. I find a water bladder and splash some water over my face. It revives me and snaps my senses to attention.

  Mum is the first to stir. She looks about her. ‘Where is Saleeka? And where has that Crag gone?’

  ‘There will be a Gathering today,’ I say to Mum. ‘Wake the others and come to the speaking rock.’

  ‘What for?’

  ‘You’ll see, Mum. Just make sure everyone comes.’

  I walk briskly to Ug’s cave. He and Edla are awake, while the Uglets are still sleeping, huddled together in one lump of Ugness.

  ‘How is your father?’ I ask.

  ‘He is better, I think,’ says Ug, who is again applying the poultice to the wound on his father’s side. ‘The redness and swelling has gone down. And, last night, he appeared to wake from his unconsciousness briefly. I think he knows I am treating him with medicine.’

  ‘And his breathing is stronger,’ says Edla.

  I look at Ugthorn, wanting him to appear better. I can’t see it myself – he still looks like the same Ugthorn from the past few days, lifeless and flattened. I think that both Ug and his mother are imagining signs of life that don’t exist.