Chapter Six
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One sleepless night opens my eyes to reality.
The disastrous meeting with that disgusting, barbaric tribe taught me a valuable lesson. Not everyone in this day and age are kind and welcoming like the Bat People. Snake-Eyes practically had a meltdown when he saw me. He couldn't possibly know I'm from the distant future. Just like my phone, he likely saw my earrings as evidence of my status as a goddess. But exactly why he had a meltdown remains a mystery. It was like the beast living inside him awoke, took one good look, and decided he didn't like me one bit.
I'm not heartbroken. The dislike is completely mutual.
Upon further reflection, I think I understand why Ewar and Alie were so insistent on giving me a quick caveman makeover. Somehow, they knew my clothing would incite chaos with their unwanted dinner guests. They tried their best to hide my clothes but failed to properly conceal the earrings. None of that is their fault. It's mine. Hindsight being twenty-twenty, I should have done what Alie wanted the day we first met. If I had already traded in my fancy futuristic stuff for their paleolithic counterpart, Snake-Eyes nor his barbarian friends would have never suspected I am different. But instead of doing the smart thing, I was stubborn and brought trouble upon myself.
There's no other option left. Blending in is critical if I want to live beyond tomorrow. My clothes and personal belongings will have to be put away until... until... Well, until I figure out what to do next.
When a new day dawns, I communicate through pointing and gesturing my needs to Alie. She is quick to understand and volunteers to help clothe me in more Stone Age appropriate apparel. To be honest, she seems strangely excited by the prospect.
It's been said that it takes a village to raise a child. I think it must take a village to outfit a reluctant goddess from the future too. Alie escorts me from hut to hut, searching for things I will need. She trades a bag of dried fruit and meat for a small roll of fabric. It's made from nettle fiber and feels like burlap. Another family gives a pair of leather leggings of my size in exchange for just one fish. The time it must have taken to make these things by hand is mind blowing. And for everyone to readily give them to me - a person who is essentially a stranger? No words can properly describe their generosity.
Slowly but surely, my new wardrobe comes together. Alie sews the fabric with the aid of a bone needle and thread. The tunic she creates - once it's paired with the leggings - doesn't look half bad. I've seen celebrities wearing worse outfits during the Met Gala.
Ehmay kindly donates a basket for storage purposes. It's their version of a closet, I suppose. In goes my blouse, undergarments, and jeans. I decide my phone and earrings should be in there too. Can't wear sneakers anymore either. I'll need something else to protect my feet.
For some reason, Alie saved that chore for last. She and I visit one more hut.
Alie loudly clears her throat outside the entrance. Jas steps through the hut's door, looks down at the two of us, and freezes for approximately three seconds. Then he starts smiling like a lovesick idiot. Not at me, though. Just at Alie. But she doesn't seem to notice. She's all business at the moment. He nods here and there while she explains what I need. Eventually, he stoops down and measures my bare feet using only a string.
Ah, I guess Jas has the honor of making me a pair of shoes.
He delivers them the very next day. They're, um... different from what I'm accustomed to wearing. The outside is a single sheet of leather. The inside is stuffed with hay. The shoe stays on the foot thanks to laces woven through the front and back. I take a few cautious steps to try them out. While I wouldn't call them the most comfortable shoes I've ever worn, they're far better than a pair of stilettos. I can live with that.
The days that follow are largely unremarkable. Winds from the north begin cooling the air more and more. Winter is coming soon. That same wind causes my hair to blow all around. It often gets in my mouth and eyes. I have to shove the hair out the way just so I can see. Sometimes I catch Ewar looking in my direction when this happens. I'll tilt my head in question. He only smiles a little in return.
The villagers push themselves harder to harvest the last fruits of the season. Although I now dress the same as everyone else, I remain just as useless as ever. I mostly watch from the sidelines while everyone works. Yes, it is a humbling experience to be so lacking in basic survival skills, but what else can I do? It feels like I've taken on the position of village idiot. Luckily, no one faults me for my ignorance. Well, except for maybe Essa. She smirks whenever I accidentally fuck something up.
Snake-Eyes has yet to return, which undoubtedly is a great relief. But then a time comes when my relief turns to alarm. A majority of the men of the village leave the gorge. Ewar and Jas are among them. They are gone two whole days. They come back home with enough meat to feed a small army. Apparently, they went on a big hunt and were successful. Some of the meat is hung to dry inside a hut filled with thick smoke. The rest is set over burning coals to slow cook.
And just like that, something changes. Excitement spreads throughout the village. People smile and laugh more. A veritable feast is being prepared. The vibe I'm getting is similar to Christmas time - except there's more half-naked people and less caroling.
As I wander around in confusion, I spy Alie nearby. Her regular clothes are missing for some reason. She now wears a tunic like a dress. The material is soft, almost like suede. A sash tied around the middle gives the outfit a more feminine look. And her fur cape is white instead of the dull reds and browns everyone else wears when it's chilly. Overall, she looks surprisingly pretty.
My curiosity is piqued.
I step over Ichel - who had been worshipping me, much to my annoyance - and meet up with Alie. "Hey," I greet. I wave my hand toward her new clothes. "What's going on?"
She bounces on her toes. "Sīwaz hamanki!"
I heard several others use this phrase today. Regardless, the meaning is unknown to me.
She continues. "Nakku-da iwar anda pesnas?"
I look at her questioningly. She points at her fancy clothing, then at me. I smack my head and laugh at my stupidity.
"Duh! You want to know if I'd like to dress up too." I nod. "Sure. I wouldn't mind getting into the spirit of the holidays. Even though I don't know what holiday we're celebrating..."
Alie's face splits in two. She immediately marches us over to her parents and makes an announcement. Arl seems just as happy as his daughter - thrilled, I dare say. They chatter together like birds. Ehmay, however, is rendered speechless. With wide eyes, she stares and stares at me. It isn't until Alie shakes her to attention does she snap out of it. Taking cautious steps, Ehmay enters the hut and returns with clothing almost identical to Alie's. She hands them over to me, still looking just as surprised as ever. Ignoring her odd reaction, I nod my thanks and take my leave.
Getting dressed turns out to be more work than I anticipated. Alie fusses over every detail of my appearance. First, she encourages me to scrub myself clean with warm water. My hair is partially braided, leaving a few wisps to frame my face. After that, most of her time is spent applying swirling circles to our bare arms using a red pigment. The resulting design reminds me of a simple henna tattoo. As a final touch, a beautiful white fur is draped around my shoulders.
Alie sighs with satisfaction at how we both turned out. Our pampering complete, we head back outside. People smile at us, admiring our transformation. Besides ourselves, I'm surprised to see that only Essa wears something other than her normal clothes.
That's weird. I guess no one else was in the mood to dress up.
A loud whistle echoes through the gorge, interrupting my thought. It's a signal! My heart rate spikes. Has Snake-Eyes returned? Strangely, no one else pays this signal much mind. Not even when a small band of people are seen walking along the footpath. No one is panicking at these new arrivals except for me.
Arl goes to meet them first. And, of course, he just has to flip them the bird in greeting. He and the other tribe's leader are soon slapping each other on their backs. They look like long lost pals meeting for their twentieth high school reunion.
My stiff posture gradually relaxes. These people must not be a threat. I take a moment to study them. Most of the tribe members boast long, black hair and large smiles. Even their leader can't keep a straight face. There's only one thing odd about them. There's a large number of men (both young and old) but very few women.
"Kuwaās cen," a low voice says at my side.
Startled, I whip around. But it's only Ewar. While I knit my brow at what he said, his eyes stray from my face and drift downwards.
"Kuwaās cen?" I repeat. I remember "cen" means "people" in his language, but I haven't a clue what the other word means.
Ewar's gaze darts back up. He nods toward the leader of the other tribe and directs my attention to the string around the guy's neck. "Kuwaās."
"Are... are those teeth?" I say incredulously. Some of them look wicked sharp.
Ewar heaves a breath. Frustrated, he throws his head back and lets out a short howl. "Kuwaās," he stresses.
"Oh, wolf! The leader's necklace is made of wolf teeth." I mime fangs using my fingers and howl just like Ewar. ""Kuwaās means wolf, right? Wolf?"
He nods. "Wolf!"
I glance back at the people across the way from us. "So, they're the Wolf People, huh? Interesting. We have Bat People, Wolf People... Does everyone in the Stone Age name their tribes after animals, or is that just a coincidence?"
Of course, this question is too advanced linguistically for Ewar to answer.
Alie retrieves me before I can attempt communicating with Ewar any further. She motions for me to sit with her on a log near the communal fire. Essa is nearby too, and she doesn't appear pleased by our close proximity. Her nose held high in the air, she takes additional effort to avoid looking in my direction.
Moments later, Arl directs a few members of the Wolf People over and introduces them one by one. "Ulei, Ollin, Ateara." Arl places a hand on the shoulder of the final guy, the one who wears only a loincloth in spite of the chilly temperature. "Akob," he ends jovially. He then points at the three of us sitting and introduces us. I'm quick to notice he does not tell the visitors that I am Damara. To them, I am Bella only. Good! No one else needs to know of my supposed "goddess" status.
While Arl goes to speak with the Wolf People's leader, he leaves us to entertain the four young men. Alie's bubbly personality is on full display. Whatever she's saying has them roaring with laughter. I envy her social skills. Essa mostly just rolls her eyes whenever one of the guys tries involving her in the conversation. They soon learn to not bother being nice to her.
Three of the men eventually walk off to do their own thing. Only Akob stays behind. I'm surprised when he goes to sit and focuses solely on me. He's decent looking, I admit. He has a hefty set of muscles and big puppy-dog eyes. I think Alie informs him of the language barrier, but that doesn't faze him. It seems he has enough to say for the both of us.
A minute begins feeling like an hour. Does Akob have something stuck in his eye? He keeps winking at me. If he were from my time, I would think he was doing a shitty job at flirting.
Nearing the end of my rope, I glance at Alie. She's currently giggling behind her hand but offers no assistance. However, she does tilt her head in such a way to call my attention to someone else. I scan the crowd. I find Ewar leaning against his hut. He's all by himself and looking as forlorn as a character from one of Shakespeare's tragedies.
What's wrong with him?
Dinner is served before I can seek an answer. The two tribes intermix. A few villagers break out instruments and put on a performance. The quartet uses only a bone flute and some drums, but their song is lively and upbeat. The music does a good job of drowning out the loud smacking noises Akob is making. He must really like the food. He scarfs it down without bothering to chew. It's honestly like watching a wild dog eat. Or a wolf.
He truly lives up to the namesake of his tribe.
The music switches to a different tune at sundown. Akob abruptly leaves my presence, finally leaving Essa, Alie, and me sitting alone. Arl steps forward with great ceremony, wearing a robe of black leather. He stretches it open, revealing bat-like wings lovingly designed by some talented hand. I smile a little. I'm willing to bet the designer was Alie.
Upon seeing Arl's raised hands, the band stops playing. The speech he gives is long and boisterous. The crowd eats it up. Suddenly, he waves an arm toward the three of us. His gesture reminds me of a Price Is Right model showing off a car you could potentially win.
"Kinuna!" he shouts with a smile.
As he merges back into the crowd, two men walk out from it. One is Ollin, a member of the Wolf People. The other is Jas. They line up in front of Alie and wait quietly. She rises like a queen from where she had been sitting. It is only now that I notice the two men each brought something with them.
Uh... what's going on?
Alie inspects what's in Ollin's outstretched hand first. It's a small, multicolored basket. It even has a lid. Alie lifts her eyebrows a little in silent approval.
She sidesteps to Jas next. He holds a string of beads. Alie picks them up and gives it a thorough examination. The beads are a lovely shade of yellow-orange. I think it's polished amber. They seem to glow in the fire light. With trembling fingers, Alie slides the bracelet over her right wrist.
It's a perfect fit.
She smiles up at Jas and nods. The crowd responds enthusiastically, clapping and hooting their pleasure. Jas mirrors her affectionate smile and takes Alie's hand. The two of them move out of the way but remain within view of all. Ollin - looking downcast and still holding his little basket - shuffles back to the crowd.
Oh, I get it now! The village is throwing some kind of craft festival, and Alie, Essa, and I are the judges. Jas must have won the first round in the competition.
I wonder who will participate in the second round?
An answer comes soon enough. More men step forward - Akob, Ewar, and Ichel. All three line up in a row in front of me.
Umkay. I guess it's my turn to judge.
Unsure of how this should go, I rise awkwardly from the log. I end up viewing Akob's creation first. My initial glance says it's just a piece of antler, the length a little bit longer than my hand. But under closer scrutiny, I discover it has been carved to resemble something.
Jesus tapdancing Christ. Akob carved a phallus. Or, in less scientific terms, a dildo.
"Oh. Well... look at that." The smile I force feels more like a grimace. "Gee, it's got a head and... everything. You must be so proud."
The light sarcasm I tacked on at the end is lost on Akob. He just smirks at me. I wonder if he modeled the phallus from his own anatomy? Ugh. I'm glad I never touched his little phallus creation. They don't have antibacterial soap in the Stone Age.
Eager to never think of Akob's dick ever again, I quickly move on to the next participant in the competition. Ewar holds a small, white object that's been polished to a shine. It doesn't look phallic, so I gather the courage to touch it. It's vaguely familiar. Mostly flat with three prongs. It looks to have been made from bone. For the life of me, I can't figure out its purpose.
Seeing my confusion, Ewar steps closer. He carefully slides it into the hair dangling in front of my face. His creation pins it back. I move my head all around in amazement. The hair stays in place no matter what I do.
I don't believe it. He made a comb!
My thoughts fly in every direction. This could be used like a hair accessory or a hair detangler. I've been needing something like this for days! But how did he even think to make it? I didn't know they invented combs yet.
Still in awe of Ewar's entry in the contest, I remind myself that one more person is waiting for me to judge them. I give Ichel a friendly smile. He spends so much time on the ground worshipping me, I barely recognize him standing upright. He holds a plain wood bowl. It's not until I look closer do I notice the stew inside.
I suppose in this competition you can enter anything - even food. That's fine with me. I don't mind eating more.
Ichel gives me the bowl. I close my eyes a moment, inhaling the aroma. It smells delicious, so I take a small sip of the broth. Um. There's something slightly off about it. I open my eyes to check why. Tiny blobs are floating around. Initially, I assumed they were some weird, bloated vegetable. But nope. They are, in fact, something far worse.
Ichel tried feeding me fucking grubs!
My stomach threatens to revolt. I don't care if grubs are a normal paleolithic ingredient or not. No way will they be crossing my lips unless we're suffering a severe famine. I shove the bowl back at Ichel and move away, barely hiding my disgust. There's one clear winner of this round of the competition - and it's definitely not Ichel or Akob.
I go to stand in front of the actual winner, nodding encouragingly and smiling. "Congratulations, Ewar."
He beams once he realizes he won. But oddly enough, no one else offers their congratulations. The entire village gasps. The silence that follows is discombobulating.
What's their problem? Do they not think Ewar deserves to win?
Alie breaks the spell. Her hoots and hollers could probably be heard from outer space. Jas soon joins her. One by one, more people do the same until nearly everyone is cheering. Akob and Ichel aren't celebrating, though. Akob stomps away to join his tribe. With crossed arms, he plops down to sit. His friends point and laugh at him. And Ichel isn't acting any better. He's pouting just as much as Akob.
What's with these guys? To be upset just because they lost one little contest? Ridiculous. There's always next year.
Still on Cloud Nine, Ewar takes my hand and leads me over to where Alie and Jas are standing. She gives me an enormous hug. I smile back, amused by her excitement. It's nice that she is so supportive of Ewar's win.
Arl calls out Essa's name. It is a reminder that she is next to judge. The final round of the competition is underway. Only one contestant steps up this time. Ichel comes forward to meet her - which is a shock, I must say. Contestants can enter the competition multiple times?
Frowning, Ichel presents her with his entry. Essa snatches the same bowl I rejected and downs the stew all at once. Afterwards, she seizes his hand and practically drags him to where we're standing. The crowd shows polite if not enthusiastic cheers. I suppose there being only one possible winner during this round lessened their excitement somewhat.
Arl hurries over to the six of us and delivers another passionate speech. Through its entirety, Alie is delirious with joy. Her soft gaze is aimed on Jas, and he gazes back much the same way. Weird. They're acting like teenagers on their very first date.
Something squeezes my hand, snapping me out of my reverie. I just now realize I haven't once let go of Ewar's hand since he won the contest...
"Mehur ishai parnassa!" Arl yells at the top of his lungs.
The crowd reacts unexpectedly, cheering and chanting in unison. Like an ocean's wave, we're swept away by the throng of people. I grip Ewar's hand tighter so I won't lose him in the madness. Somehow we end up in front of the hut I've been staying in. People file in empty-handed but come out carrying loads of household items.
I tug at Ewar's arm. "Hey! What are they doing? That's Alie's clothes. And those are her baskets." One particular basket captures my attention. I suck in a breath and point. "And that's mine! What the hell? They're stealing it!"
We're swept away again before he can attempt a reply.
The swarm of people takes us to Essa's residence. Her things are taken too but are immediately delivered to Ichel's hut. Before going inside, Ichel stops to gaze at me. Essa gives me one last pissy glare and then pushes the poor bastard through the doorway. She closes the flap, thereby shutting out the world.
Now with two less people, we soon end up at the hut belonging to Jas. Once Alie's belongings are set down inside, she and Jas are allowed to enter the dwelling. Ehmay is misty-eyed as she closes the doorway flap. But before it shuts all the way, I see something that nearly steals my breath.
Alie and Jas are kissing like lovers.
The basket containing all my worldly possessions is delivered last. Wearing a bashful smile, Ewar motions for me to follow him inside the hut. His hut. I'm stunned motionless by the deep affection shining within his eyes.
What's happening? Do they expect me to live with Ewar now? Why would they...
I force myself to reconsider the events from tonight, looking at it from every angle. The conclusion I reach is heart stopping. Maybe I wasn't judging a fun little craft competition. Maybe I unwittingly participated in another event, one that is far more life altering.
Well, shit. I think I just got married.
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A/N -
Phallic artifacts dating from prehistoric times are a real thing. They look, um, like sex toys but were made from bone and antlers. (Yeah, ouch.) Were they used for "self love", or were they merely for weird ceremonial purposes? *Shrug* Until we can get the time traveling machine up and running again, your guess is as good as any archaeologists.
A guest reviewer asked what Devensian means. Nope, I didn't make up the word. Look back at Chapter One, the part where Bella is fielding questions during the museum tour. She explains it then. But, in summary, Devensian is an archaeological time period which covers the end of the ice age.
Don't you just hate it when you accidentally get married? Will Bella be a enthusiastic bride or an uncooperative nervous wreck? People who review are encouraged to give her advice on how to handle this unexpected situation. After all, it is her honeymoon.
Thanks for reading. :-)