"The Early-Man Catches The Apple"

- CHAPTER I -

The Neanderthals journeyed through the Stoneage, from the time they first appeared in the fossil record until their eventual disappearance.

It is believed that the Neanderthals originally hailed from Africa, with experts hypothesising that about 500,000 years ago a small group of Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa and eventually split into two separate species: Homo sapiens, which eventually evolved into modern humans, and the Neanderthals, who became a distinct species known as Homo neanderthalensis.

The Neanderthals were a robust people, standing between 5 and 6 feet tall, with stocky builds and heavy bones. They had long, low skulls, large noses and no chins. They had strong arm muscles, suggesting that they were experts at throwing spears. They also had large brains, which were slightly bigger than our own.

The Neanderthals used stone tools to cut and shape bone, flint, and antler. They built shelters, made clothing, and kept fire. They were skilled hunters, and evidence suggests they were the first species to use organized hunting strategies. They also gathered plants and cooked them in order to make food more easily digested.

The Neanderthals lived in Europe and parts of Asia for about 200,000 years before becoming extinct about 30,000 years ago.

The world of the Neanderthal was a mysterious one, filled with unknown creatures, environments, and challenges.

For early humans, the main focus was survival; gathering food, sheltering themselves, and learning the behavior of their environment. But the Neanderthals had an extra challenge: figuring out how to communicate and interact with their environment.

They slowly began to learn, but it wasn't without its challenges and occasional embarrassing mistakes. Take the time when young Neanderthal stumbled upon a large creature while out scavenging. Believing it was a giant animal, his kin immediately ran back to the safety of their cave. Little did they know, the creature was only a large boulder!

There was confusion when the Neanderthals encountered a large pond filled with water, believing it to be a limitless source of food. The results were disasterous as you can imagine.

Even the simple things like rock throwing seemed complex at first. It took numerous attempts for the Neanderthals to understand how to throw the rocks far and accurately. Perhaps throwing them was too hard for the Neanderthals, so they tried hitting two rocks together and seeing what kind of sparks were created. This eventually led to the invention of fire.

It began with a spark. A small, curious flame that burned in an unknown cave deep in the heart of the Neanderthal lands. It glowed and burned, ever-changing and mysterious, as the Neanderthal looked upon it in awe.

The Neanderthals had never seen anything like this before, but they could sense its power. They huddled around the flame, experimenting and trying to figure out what it was and how they could use it.

At first, they used the flame to help in their daily lives, setting alight fires to cook their food and keep warm in cold nights. They marveled at how the flame would flicker and change when moved around.

But soon, their use of the flame began to grow. They used it to forge tools and weapons, learning how the fire allowed them to shape metal and other materials. The flame opened up a whole new world for them, allowing them to explore and discover.

As their use of the flame grew, so did their understanding of the natural world around them. They noticed how the sun rose and set and how certain stars appeared in certain seasons. They studied the birds and bees, learning how they were all connected to each other and to the changing of the seasons.

These discoveries helped to deepen and expand their understanding of the world and its many wonders. Far from the flame, they still felt its warmth, and the Neanderthals embraced the new understanding it brought with it.

The Anthropoid and the Pre-flect knew not what it was to be aware of self. They merely were. Each day they moved and ate, slept and played, with no need for greater understanding. The Pre-flect earned its name for this lack of self-awareness, as it merely pre-flected off of its surroundings, like a mirror with no source of light.

But one day, the Pre-flect looked in the river and saw something startling: they saw themselves. They realized they weren't just part of the environment, but rather a distinct and unique being.

The Anthropoid was torn. On the one hand, they were excited by the newfound knowledge of self, but on the other hand, they didn't know how to handle it. But then they went back around to the excitement—they had discovered something so great, something that all anthropoids lacked. And so they began to embrace their newfound awareness.

They soon began to recognize each other as unique and distinct individuals, though it was hard for them to get along at first. The Anthropoid realized that their newfound awareness was both a blessing and a curse—if they could see themselves, then others could too.

Thus began one of the longest standing traditions of the continents—fighting. Though it was often for resource or territory, sometimes it was simply for recognition as an individual. As time passed, the Anthropoid and Pre-flect settled into a peaceful coexistence.

In time, the Anthropoid learned to recognize humor—and sometimes the differences between them were so stark that it was difficult to not laugh. Like when a Pre-flect got stuck in a tree, or when an Anthropoid attempted to move an entire boulder.

And slowly, the two species developed a mutual respect. They never forgot the distinctiveness that they had each found earlier, but they came to recognize their similarities as well. They began to appreciate their differences, and ultimately came to accept themselves and each other.

No longer were they pre-flecting off of the environment, but rather actively interacting and discovering a new found land. Self-awareness had enabled them to be truly human, and share in the joy of living.