Ki'ti's Story, 75,000 BC

by Bonnye Matthews

  Nanichak-na, the oldest of the three men, wasted no time. He grabbed the back of her tunic and jerked her up. Ki’ti was startled, as if awakened from a dream. Nanichak-na carried her to the side of the cave, put his foot on a small rock, and laid her across his leg. He swatted her bottom over and over forcefully but taking care because she was small and girl. She wept, screamed for mercy, and wept some more. He did not hear her. As a seasoned hunter, he knew anatomy, human as well as animal. He was careful to strike with force to make a memory but where he would do no internal permanent physical damage. He offered her to Mootmu-na, who took her and repeated the same punishment. Finally, Mootmu-na handed her to Ermol-na. Ermol-na also administered punishment. Ki’ti was very sore and utterly heartbroken. She was definitely returned to the present time period.

  “Now, we will go home,” Nanichak-na stated flatly. Mootmu-na and Ermol-na carefully put out the fire. Nanichak-na held her hand tightly. They began the long trip back to the home cave. The men had not remembered that Ki’ti had carried a green bag to the cave, so the bag remained with the dead man’s family. She was at peace, having delivered the bag. Now, the man could rest. The pain didn’t matter. She had done what she had to do, even if the hunters didn’t understand, she thought.

  It was very late when they reached the home cave. Good to their word, People from the home cave had moved to the much larger cave that had been found earlier. The men presented Ki’ti to Wamumur. Nanichak-na was holding her left hand and Ermol-na had her right hand. Both held her hands too tightly.

  Nanichak-na said, “We found her in a cave up in the mountains. She was talking to three dead bodies. Fortunately, she’d built a small fire. Each of us has punished her severely.”

  “Thank you. You are good men,” Wamumur said, grateful that his daughter had been returned, but very angry that she had run off and used the precious time of three hunters, and that she had disregarded what he’d told her.

  He took her by the hand to the cave where she’d gotten so upset. She was shocked. The terrible feelings of earlier were there no longer. She said, “The man really does know.”

  “Sometimes we know things we aren’t supposed to know, Little Girl. It is one thing to run into mind webs of humans that get hung up in life or death, it is quite another to act on them. You deliberately disobeyed me. I know that you would tell me that you had to do it. That is a lie you let yourself believe. Get that straight. For you to go running off alone in the mountains when Wisdom is sucking the color from the land put you at great risk. An animal could have eaten you for its evening meal easily. You didn’t think about that, did you?”

  Ki’ti hung her head and said nothing.

  “You took valuable hunter time to find you. What gave you the right to take up time of your uncles? You are our next Wise One. You are not permitted to run off alone in the wilderness. We could lose the stories that keep our People safe. Our hunters could have met with injury or death.”

  Ki’ti stood still, her head was as low as it would go. Now that she no longer felt the presence of the man, she could understand. Before, she only knew one thing. She had to get the bag to the people in the cave. Did she have two mind webs? She tried to understand.

  Wamumur took a green branch from a tree beside the rock walk and pulled the leaves from it. He bunched her tunic up, holding it at her neck, and he began to use the branch as a switch against her skin. Her back and bottom and legs were covered with lines. Again, she had cried out and begged for mercy, but there was none.

  Wamumur threw the stick off the rock walk toward the stream. Ki’ti breathed a sigh of relief thinking her punishment was finally over.

  “Now, Little Girl, get this clearly. If you ever go where Emaea and I cannot find you, I personally will take your foot and put it on a rock. I will then hit your foot with another rock. You will never walk normally again, and you won’t be climbing mountains. You had better learn from this. You will do what I tell you, and you won’t do what I tell you not to do. I know that you want to tell me that the man is calm now. I know he is. Does that make what you did right? No. You have a responsibility to us, not to a man dead for years and years and years—no matter how much he tries to influence you. Do you understand?”

  Ki’ti kept her head down and did not speak for fear of weeping.

  “I asked you, do you understand?”

  “Yes,” came a tiny voice.

  “I can’t hear you,” Wamumur said.

  “Yes!” she responded louder.

  “I can’t hear you!” he shouted.

  “Yes, I understand!” she said as loud as she dared.

  “Very well. And you like to walk on good feet?”

  “Yes, I like to walk on good feet!” she replied with increased volume but avoiding haughtiness.

  “We will talk tomorrow about these ways we have of understanding things in other times. Now, you will present yourself to your mother. I don’t know what she will do.”

  “Yes, Wise One,” she replied, thinking she could take no more punishment. She began to see that getting that bag to the dead people might not be worth the pain she was feeling.

  The two walked back to the new home cave in silence. Ki’ti walked over to Emaea who was sitting next to Totamu. Emaea turned Ki’ti around in silence. She pulled her tunic off over her head. Then Totamu began to apply salve to the injured skin on her back, bottom, and legs. Ki’ti tried to stand there stoically, but tears of shame began to course down her face. It was clear that everyone in the cave knew how thoughtless she’d been. It hurt as much as the punishment and now the salve did. She could feel the eyes in the darkened cave boring into her. Why had she listened to the dead man? She had no answer and that frightened her. If she listened once, what could prevent her from doing that again? Maybe the punishment? She wondered. It really, really hurt. And the eyes in the dark, that hurt just as much. She had let her own People down. She wondered, would this kill any of her pride? She was ashamed, but she knew pride still lurked in every pore of her being.

  Minagle came over and asked for the tunic. Emaea handed it to her. She took it down to the cave where the water ran and washed it out. There was blood on the tunic. Not woman blood, just blood from her punishment. Minagle’s heart ached for her sister. Why she would have done something like that was more than Minagle could understand, but she could reach out to her sister by washing her tunic. When it was cleaned, she carried it back up to Emaea who put it on a pole to dry.

  Ki’ti remembered to hug and kiss her new mother before she went to bed. She didn’t want to talk and Emaea understood that well.

  Emaea had unrolled Ki’ti’s sleeping mat and the girl stretched out on it on her belly. Ahriku was at her side immediately. Emaea covered her with her sleeping cover. Ki’ti cried herself silently to sleep. Ahriku licked salt tears from her face. He also licked salve from some of her wounds.

  Emaea went outside and sat on the rock walk edge. Wamumur came and sat beside her.

  “What happened today, my husband?”

  “Have you never slipped in time and known what happened to someone someplace in another time?”

  “No,” she replied.

  “Well, I have. It is so real that it is hard to separate from the present. Ki’ti is so young for this to be happening. It would be more difficult for her to separate the times. What she saw was real. I have no doubt of it at all. Had she not tripped into the other time first, I might have. But I know when and how to stop.”

  “She saw the man on a mission to take healing herbs to his wife and children. He was doing no harm when some of the Others saw him. I guess they didn’t want a stranger in the area where they were living. So they killed him instead of warning him to stay out. His dying thoughts were probably of getting the bag to his family. I got that much myself.”

  “She said they were dripping evil.”

  “Ah, now that is something else. She was seeing inner feelings expressed externally. You and I would see that immediately in body lan
guage. There are other ways to see it, to know how a person feels or what their motivation is. She seems to have been given a lot of abilities at a very early age. I don’t blame her for doing what she did. The ancient wishes of those who are dying float around and can be very convincing. She didn’t seem to get much of a measure of personal safety from Wisdom yet. She was punished severely because she must first do what she is told, no matter what. Obedience is critical. That is her safety at least for now. I have warned her that if she runs off again, I will hit her foot on a rock with a rock so that her walking will be impaired from then on.”

  “Oh, in the name of Wisdom, would you really do something like that?” Emaea, horrified, recoiled.

  “Yes, definitely and in the name of Wisdom. She cannot go running off like that for her own safety, so hunter’s time is not abused, and for the well being of the People. She will become Wise One after us, but she has to live to do it.” He did a strong palm strike.

  Wamumur took Emaea’s hand and caressed it. “I hated doing what had to be done. Wisdom knows I hated it. I don’t want to hurt her. But we live where a life can be ended just for failing to think briefly. I was so worried waiting for the hunters to return with her. I was terrified that they’d return with her dead body. There are cobras out there and other vipers and all manner of large animals, including rhinos. She could so easily have been killed, or one of the hunters. She must do what she is told. Can you think of any other way to reach her?”

  “I have to admit I’m at a loss. The hunters told Totamu and me that when they reached the cave, she was talking to the bodies of the dead people and didn’t even hear the hunters when they spoke to her.”

  “She was deep into the mind web she got caught in.”

  “Well, what will keep her from getting caught again?” Emaea asked confused. “I remember seeing her with her eyes dilated and anxiety showing in her wringing her hands. Those must have been signs that she had entered that other time. Either that or maybe that was a sign that she was not able to be obedient because of the stressful tug of the man from long ago.”

  “When you first get caught in the mind web of another in another time, you know you have one foot in the real and one in some other time. She needs to stay in this time and not allow herself to go wandering in another time. She must refuse. She can do that. Curiosity is what permits wandering in another time web. I will discuss this with her tomorrow. Curiosity can be deadly. The other thing that will help is the punishment. She will hurt for days, but she will remember forever.”

  “I am glad that I don’t have that ability,” Emaea said and then wondered whether she meant it.

  They looked at the stars for a while and then went inside where most of the people were already asleep.

  In another place, when Wisdom returned color to the land, the hunters heading south on the ash had made two days in one compared to the trek to the new place. They were eager to get the meat and return so they traveled as rapidly as possible. The Others could move a lot faster than the People, but they kept to the speed that the slowest member could travel comfortably. The trek was monotonous in the monochrome landscape where silence reigned. They were eager to reach the cave and get it over with. They were going at a much faster rate than with the whole group. Soon, they realized they’d have to put on the booted garments, because they were nearing the ash. They were delighted to find when they reached the ash that the lines and the footsteps of the many People had left a clear trail. The men hoped to get to the cave and back before wind or rain obliterated the trail. They continued to move as quickly as possible.

  In eight days, they had reached the caves. The men were tired and that evening they packed the meat and a few skin drying frames and tools on the stretchers they’d made. They packed to the limit of the stretchers and slept through the entire night before making their turnaround. On the return trip, however, the People pushed themselves to be quicker, since they knew the Others could move a lot faster than they could. They would make the return trip in seven days. They could see storm clouds forming in the south when they reached the green grassland, and they all breathed a sigh of relief. They had enough food to keep them well within a safety net.

  The People had made the home cave and environment a convenient place to live. The rock walk led from cave to cave. It was one with the rock wall that overhung the walk, creating a covered promenade that stretched the entire length of the cave system. In a rain, they could walk from cave to cave and never get wet, and it rained more than they were used to. A bath area had been scooped out in the stream and the plants around it that had any height were removed. The area was open to light and gave no refuge to animals or water snakes.

  Wamumur and Emaea had continued to explore the area with a much more subdued Ki’ti, followed by Ahriku. Ki’ti was getting past the physical pain but she still was embarrassed by her own behavior. Fortunately, she had no more encounters with other mind webs. Wamumur and Emaea were very careful to watch her for any behavior changes that might indicate spiritual entrapment.

  While the men were gone, Domur became woman. She began her flow the day the men left. She was so eager to see the return of the men. She wondered how long after the return she and Manak could join. Her dream was so close. Minagle was fascinated with it all. She knew the joining of Domur and Manak would be very special. Her best friend and her brother. How wonderful!

  Blanagah, meanwhile, was not happy. She wanted to have a husband but none of the eligible males was interested. Ghanya had obviously decided on Minagle and it appeared that there was something between Meeka and Lamul. Frequently, she pondered her situation. She did not want to end up without a husband. But the idea of one of the older men did not appeal to her. Sometimes, she would dream of Vanya, not having any idea that the young man was dead at sea. She wondered why People saw her as undesirable and guessed it was because she had been joined already, if briefly. Maybe she was just too desperate. Maybe she was just too unlikeable?

  She was out in a meadow picking plants for the evening meal when Hahami-na saw her. He waved and walked over to her.

  “Are you well, Blanagah?” he asked.

  “Quite well, Hahami-na, and you?” she responded wondering what he wanted.

  “Also, quite well. Are you finding what you seek?” Hahami-na asked.

  “All but the dandelions. Normally they are everywhere. I can’t find any.”

  “Would you like some help?” he asked. “I have seen some.”

  “That would be very kind,” she said.

  “Here, let me carry your basket,” he offered.

  “I don’t want to trouble you,” she replied.

  “It is no trouble,” he said, taking the basket from her. He noticed how the wind played in her short wavy brown hair. She was attractive and her life, like his, had been touched with sadness. His red hair streaked with gray was just coming back in now that shaved heads were not required anymore. She could see that he was balding.

  As they walked to the place he knew dandelions grew, she found herself becoming more and more at ease with him. When the hills were steep, he offered his hand to steady her. When he saw something he thought might interest her, he pointed it out. He even found some other greens that would be good for the evening meal and helped her harvest them. When they reached the place where Hahami-na had remembered the dandelions, again he helped her harvest them. He carried the basket on the return trip.

  “Blanagah, you and I share a recent loss, you of your husband, me of my wife. I know how you must have felt. You probably know how I have felt.”

  “Yes?” Blanagah replied.

  “There are few options for joining in a group as small as ours. I want to ask while we are away from the cave whether you would consider joining with me.” There, it was out. He had tried to do the best presentation he could. Now, he had to wait for an answer. He stared at the ground.

  Blanagah was not too surprised after the afternoon they had spent. He was so kind and considerate
. She thought a bit and then said, “Hahami-na, I would be honored to be joined with you.”

  Hahami-na was filled with joy and Blanagah’s joy was rising. She would be joined and have children and Hahami-na was a good man. It was good.

  When they returned to the cave, Hahami-na met Wamumur and Nanichak-na and he told them his news. They could be joined that night or any other they chose. Hahami-na would have to discuss it with Blanagah. They talked and both decided that night would be good. Both were lonely and wanted to be close to each other. The meat offering was waived. For the immediate present, the People decided that the offering of meat would be unnecessary for any joining.

  Blanagah couldn’t wait to share the news with Olintak. She found her at the bathing area. Olintak was delighted for Blanagah. She knew Hahami-na would be wonderful to her. He was a good man. She smiled wondering whether Blanagah would have children with red hair. She had already wondered whether her children would have red hair.

  Mootmu-na and Amey got the news from Hahami-na. They were delighted. The move to the cave was good. Suddenly, there was a shout. Ekuktu was signaling that the men were returning from the caves with the meat. Everyone looked at everyone else. How could they be back already? All rushed to the trail. Sure enough, the men were on the way and all were there. The People were exuberant. Quickly, the women added to the food being prepared for the evening meal. This was a time to celebrate.

  The men arrived and laid down the stretchers. The meat was immediately transported little by little to the second cave in the series where the place had been cleaned and mats had been placed on the floor. The cave had been prepared several days ago. Food from the trek had been placed there already.