Chapter Sixteen
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We bid Ilium (and Akob, to a lesser extent) a fond goodbye and set off once again on our journey to Ewar's home. The Wolf People are a nomadic tribe. They roam from place to place depending on the season. Their winter settlement, if I recall correctly, is said to be not too far away from Ewar's village. This must be true. No longer do we wander the grassland like a couple of lost sheep. He seems to know the exact direction we need to go. And since Ilium replenished our supplies, we won't be starving or freezing to death either. It's a great relief to have things go right for a change.
Of course, not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Lounging around for several days at the Wolf People settlement spoiled us. I almost forgot how torturous it is to walk in below-freezing conditions for hours at a time. The cold numbs everything from your nose to your toes, and the snow is a bitch to waddle through. It would drain the energy of a trained athlete. But Ewar and I have no choice in the matter. We must push our bodies to the limit if we want to reach safety before another disaster strikes. We travel on foot all day and collapse from exhaustion at night. Every muscle and joint aches, even ones I wasn't aware I had. I lie down, close my eyes to go to sleep, then die on the inside when I remember we'll be doing it all again tomorrow.
Two days go by, each one similar to the day before. Slowly but surely, we come across things that look vaguely familiar. An outcrop of rock here, a weirdly shaped hill there. And where the sky meets the horizon, we catch sight of a smudge of green and brown.
It's the forest surrounding the Bat People's settlement.
The end of our long ass journey is within sight! Ewar and I would break out into cheers if we could, but we must conserve our energy. We limit our excitement to a shared smile and push on.
Hours of walking later, grassland gives way to bushes and shrubs. Trees of green conifers and enormous oak form around us. There's a welcoming, winter wonderland quality to the forest this time of year. Squirrels scamper around on a blanket of snow, searching for buried seeds and acorns. Icicles hang from bare branches, shining in the sunlight like sparkling jewels. I get sentimental when we reach the stream outside of the gorge. It's like bumping into an old friend you thought you'd never see again. I have washed clothes and gathered a shit ton of fresh drinking water from that stream. I dip a finger in it for old-time's sake.
Yep, still cold as fuck.
The gorge narrows as we journey further into its maze-like corridor. Vertical walls loom over our heads. A dusting of white coats every nook and cranny, giving the impression of powdered sugar on the edge of a cake. Surprisingly, the well-worn path is nearly snow-free. To walk on solid ground again is a luxury. How many hours must it have taken the villagers to clear the path? Talk about dedication. The only tools they have are baskets and their bare hands.
We turn a corner and there it is - the entrance to the village. Ewar whistles to signal our return. People swarm out of their homes, curious but also cautious. Ewar removes his head scarf so they may easily identify him.
Relief is etched on nearly every face in the community.
A welcoming committee surges forward. Alie crushes me with a hug. Jas smiles indulgently at her side. Arl, equally delighted by our return, shouts with joy. But Ehmay's reaction is slightly different than the rest of the family. She cries, hugs, and scolds Ewar at the same time. I can't say her scolding is unwarranted. She warned him that we would run into danger if we left the village so close to the beginning of winter. She was spot on. We barely made it back here alive.
I hope he doesn't tell her that, though. She seems like the overprotective type. Ehmay would never, ever let him leave the village again if she knew how close we came to dying.
Once Ehmay has hugged and berated Ewar thoroughly enough, she switches her attention to me. Her hands cup both sides of my face. She coaxes me closer, peering deeply into my eyes. The last time she saw me, I was a blubbering mess. I suspect she is checking to see if our visit to Mayant-hattatar (aka, Alistair) did any good.
I summon a shy smile to alleviate her worries.
Ewar clears his throat and does a head jerk, silently urging me to stand by his side. I do so without question. We must give the impression of a united front. Immediately after I join him, he launches into a long speech for the benefit of the community. I assume he is repeating the story Alistair and I cooked up. This is confirmed by the number of times he mentions "Bella", Mayant-hattatar, plus the name of their beloved fertility goddess.
The celebratory mood comes to a crashing halt.
Very few in the crowd can conceal their disappointment. The news that I am a mere mortal has hit them hard. A couple of grown-ass adults are even pouting. They remind me of children who just found out that there's no such thing as Santa Claus. But, hey, who can blame them? I would feel cheated too if the person I thought was the great and powerful Damara was only the Goddess's human flunky.
One surprising reaction to the news comes from Ewar's family. Judging by their expressions, they are largely unfazed. No, that description doesn't do them justice. They are fucking delighted. Especially Ehmay. I don't think I have ever seen her smile so big. I guess having an ordinary woman as a daughter-in-law instead of a goddess is preferable in her eyes.
All in all, the family took the revelation better than expected... until Ewar reaches the end of his speech. Alie's buoyant spirit takes a sharp nose dive. Arl and Ehmay exchange troubled glances.
I think they just found out Ewar's second marriage has an expiration date.
The hurt registering on their faces grows by the minute. I look elsewhere to avoid the guilt. The villagers are currently taking turns speaking, and afterward, Ewar gives each of them a response. Whatever he said must do the trick. Many in the crowd nod their heads in agreement.
The tense atmosphere subsides.
The crowd disbands. No one threw any rotten food at my head, so I guess the story we concocted has been accepted with no hard feelings. Even Ichel behaves himself. He keeps his distance, too busy chatting with Essa to pay me any mind. The smirk she sends my way is telling. Essa always hated her husband's habit of wallowing in adoration at my feet. Happily, that obsession of his appears to be a thing of the past. Ichel must have realized worshipping a plain old woman named Bella won't do him much good spiritually speaking.
Hallelujah. Praise Damara.
It's much too chilly to stand around outside all day to chat. Ewar gestures that we should go to his home. I'm all for it. I cannot wait to fall into bed and not move a muscle for at least a dozen hours.
The hut is exactly as we left it. The inside is unheated at the moment, so starting a fire is the number one priority. Ewar stacks logs and twigs in the fire pit. Bannar, one of the elders of the village, donates a couple of flaming sticks from his hearth. The sticks light the kindling in no time, which soon ignites one of the smaller logs. We have a roaring fire in a handful of minutes.
Ewar and I are settling in when we hear a sound. His family enters the hut unannounced. Alie and Jas stay near the doorway. Their body language says they are unsure of how to address the elephant in the room. Arl and Ehmay don't have that problem and do most of the talking. Occasionally, they glance at me and shake their heads. Whatever they said triggers Ewar into pacing. I can only imagine the topic of conversation. They probably think I am somehow taking advantage of their nephew. In a way, they would be correct. He has to treat me like a wife for eight more months. And what am I doing? Plotting my escape.
Even I recognize how awful that sounds.
But has Ewar pointed out the advantages of our short "marriage"? Alistair said that having a supposed emissary of Damara as a wife would be considered a great honor. Ewar will have women fighting over him in a few months' time. So, what's the problem?
I get a clue a few moments later. Ehmay steps forward and jerks at Ewar's fertility pendant. He twists away from her and scowls.
Hmm. Fertility.
Maybe Ewar's aunt and uncle are still worried about all those nasty rumors affecting his future love life. Having Damara's blessing is wonderful, but it sure isn't a cure for all his problems. Who would accept him as a husband if there remains the possibility he can't produce children one day?
I have to strain my eyeballs to keep from rolling them.
The women in the Stone Age must be nuts. They would reject a perfectly nice cave guy just because he may or not be fertile? He wasn't even with anyone long enough to know for sure! And so what if he can't have kids. It's not the end of the world. There's got to be someone out there who will gladly accept Ewar regardless of his sperm count. All we have to do is find her.
Amid the background noise of his aunt and uncle's interrogation, a strategy is born inside my head. Word has gotten out that I'm here to bestow Damara's blessing onto Ewar. A blessing! What can he do with a blessing? Nothing much, really. When you get down to it, the whole worshipping a goddess in hopes she will magically make you a parent is wild. Stone Age society revolves around it! Stupid concept, right? Yes, it is - but I can work with stupid. How?
With tricks and bullshit, generously applied.
Ehmay raises her voice at Ewar. He pinches the bridge of his nose, as though fighting off a headache.
That does it. It's time for me to save him.
Diving headfirst into my plan, I hum the very first song I can think of - Despacito, of all things. It grows in volume until I am competing with Ehmay's voice. But why stop there? I don't remember the lyrics too great, so I switch to some random songs to bridge the gap. Ariana, Taylor, Harry... It doesn't matter which ones, so I use them all. It's not like Ewar's family knows about the Hot 100. To further enhance the scene, I start belting them out, like I would in the privacy of my shower. It's embarrassing, I admit, but I am very much pleased by the results.
Arl and Ehmay are stunned silent.
The look on their faces is killing me. Stifling a laugh, I do a fairy dance over to the water basket and fill up a small bowl. It takes only a twirl and a skip for me to end up where Ewar stands. I dip a finger into the bowl - and with a dramatic flair - sprinkle a few waterdrops onto his hair, like a fucked up version of a baptism. As the wetness drips down his forehead, I dazzle my audience with more of my singing. Thanks for the inspiring words, Sam Smith.
"Mummy don't know Daddy's getting hot. At the body shop, doin' something un-ho-ly..."
Ewar squints his face in confusion. "Bella?" Lunatic asylums didn't exist in 11,000 BCE. But I bet if he knew what they were, he would build one himself right this minute just so he could lock me inside of it.
Ignoring his concern for my mental health, I push down on his shoulders. He bends forward hesitantly. Once he is on the same level as I am, I slip his beloved necklace from over his head.
"Come on, E-warr," I trill in a song of my own creation. "They expect me to bless yoouu. So, here I am..." I swing his fertility pendant in his face. "...Because Alistair told me too!"
His mouth falls open, still lost. This forces me to do the previously unthinkable, which happens to be performing an impromptu dance number. It is similar to the one Mayant-hattatar did before he revealed himself to be a time-traveling eccentric. I'm not sure if it's my flapping elbows or my swinging hips that gets the job done, but that doesn't matter in the end.
Recognition has sparked within Ewar's eyes.
Alistair was kind enough to explain before we left that his Wise Man persona is largely an act. He uses the dancing, the chants, and the "magic" of changing a fire's color to create the illusion that he is in contact with the spirit world. It's genius, really. I figure I can borrow that idea and alter it to fit Ewar's needs. If I have to act like Damara's representative, I'm going to do more than just bless Ewar. I'm going to make everyone believe I'm "curing" him of his infertility! (While also making a fool of myself in the process. Oh well. At least it's for a worthy cause.)
I wind his necklace around my wrist. With the fertility pendant held high above his head, I recall something Grandmother Swan taught me when I was a little girl. I use it to my advantage, turning the words into a magical chant.
"Damara, mara, bo-bara
Banana-fana fo-fara..."
As I recite the Name Game song with the utmost seriousness, I lower the pendant. The cold stone statuette drags along the contours of Ewar's face and down his chest. When it reaches the area around his groin, I give the pendant a good shake, making it seem as though I'm forcing the Goddess's magic to penetrate deep into his private parts.
"Fee-fi-mo-mara
DAMARA!"
A gasp comes from Alie. Her husband and parents are similarly affected. They gather around in a tight circle and chatter in hushed whispers while I continue doing my shtick. A change occurs among them. Arl turns on a radiant smile, and Ehmay is floating on cloud nine. After bowing her head in my direction several times, she practically drags Alie and the rest of the gang outside. I suppose she believes Ewar and I deserve lots and lots of privacy while I'm performing these weird, sacred ceremonies on him. Hopefully, they will spread the word of what they saw, and by morning, the entire village will know of Ewar's road to recovery. Girls will be on him like flies to honey when it's time for him to pick a new wife.
I think I just made the world's first foolproof plan.
The second Ewar and I are alone, I drop the voodoo act and slump my shoulders. Convincing his family of my healing abilities was a lot of work. Will they expect me to perform like that all the time?
Wait. Why am I worrying? Five minutes of acting like an idiot is nothing to me. I can do that in my sleep.
Ewar makes a sound in the back of his throat, bringing me back to my senses. Belatedly, I recall that my hand is awfully close to his junk. Given the fact I was performing a fake ritual over it thirty seconds earlier, this should come as no surprise - yet it does.
I pull my hand away as though my fingers were scalded.
Ewar stares at me strangely. There's an intensity to him that makes my face heat up. Oh boy. Only now do I see how inappropriately I behaved. And in front of his family too! Gah. I'm no better than Akob and that stupid dick statue he flashes around. However well-meaning my plan may have been, I should have gotten Ewar's consent before acting on it.
My only choice is to retreat into embarrassment. I look away.
He doesn't accept that, at all.
He pivots my chin until we are eye to eye. Gaze alone holding me in place, he slowly unwinds his necklace from my wrist. He takes one glance at the Damara pendant, then stares at me again. A twitch begins at one corner of his lips. Soon, a smile spreads to the rest of his face. No longer holding back, the rumble in his chest turns into definite chuckles.
"Bel-la..." he sighs in amused exasperation.
I find my breath and smile along with him. He's on board with the plan! I won't delude myself into believing he approves because of the plan's brilliance. No, it's probably more like he can't wait to see what other idiotic rituals I have up my sleeve.
Spoiler alert: I have none. Please feel free to help a girl out, Ewar.
Free from distractions and nosy relatives, we unpack our belongings and start settling in. Wrapped inside my bra is my phone. I want to turn it on to make sure it still works. It's tough, but I manage to fight the urge. Even with it turned off, it's doubtful the phone will have any battery left by the time I can go home. But there's no sense in wasting it either. You never know when I might need it. So, it stays off.
At the bottom of my basket sits a bundle of dried herbs. It's the closest equivalent to medicine they have in these primitive times. The herbs were a gift from Alistair and Onya, meant to be delivered to a certain person at the Bat People settlement.
This gets my mind whirling.
Nearly everyone was outside to welcome Ewar and me back to the village today. I remember seeing Mett and his children standing in the farthest row. Oza, his wife, was nowhere to be seen.
Was she avoiding me on purpose? Does this mean she still blames me for her stillborn child? Will she try attacking me again?
Although Oza was the one at fault, Alistair believed a peace offering of rare herbs might help convince her that I am not the bad guy. It's risky putting myself near her again, but what other choice do I have? She and I will be living in the same community for a long time, and the doors here are made of animal skins. I'd rather make peace with her now than worry she will sneak inside this hut in the dead of night and kill me in my sleep.
"Ewar." He stops what he is doing to look in my direction. I hold up the herbs, reminding him of their existence. "Oza?"
He scrunches his face. I suppose a visit with his ex-wife doesn't sound so great to him. Regardless, he nods and accompanies me outside. It's a brief walk to Oza and Mett's house. Their doorway flap is closed against the winter cold.
"Mett!" calls out Ewar in lieu of knocking.
The man himself appears from inside. His eyebrows jump slightly at seeing the two of us. After a remarkably short conversation, Mett welcomes us both inside.
I'm not sure what I was expecting exactly, but it definitely was not this.
Enja and Afrin, their son and daughter respectively, are huddled together by the fire. Kids their age should be blabbing nonsense and making fart sounds with their mouths for the fun of it. Not these two. They are eerily quiet, staring at me with their big solemn eyes.
An icy stillness affects the entire hut. When I turn my head, I discover the origin of the gloom.
Oza is in bed, her face turned toward the wall.
Mett utters her name before touching her back. She does not respond. He turns her around and helps her sit up. Who is this woman with those dull eyes and gaunt cheeks? The Oza I remember was a good mother and had a timeless beauty, but this Oza couldn't summon the energy to brush her hair.
Her husband sits by her side, holding her hand. She barely blinks, giving a thousand yard stare at the dirt floor. Mett signals Ewar with a discreet head nod. Ewar hides the shock of seeing Oza in such a state of distress and, I assume, proceeds to explain our presence. I try hard to pay attention to his words.
He places a hand on my shoulder. "Bella." He glances at me, then at Oza. "Nūwān Damara."
Did he just say "Bella is not Damara"?
The rest of what he says is incomprehensible to me, but Mett hangs on every word. And Oza? Her mind is far, far away. She might as well be on another planet.
Ewar exhales sharply through his nose, patience long gone. He grabs my hand and pulls me toward the exit. That shit isn't going to fly with me, though. I jerk away from his firm grasp.
"We can't leave yet!" I hold up the herbal bouquet. "I need to give these to Oza."
Before I can turn around and carry out the simple task, he catches my elbow and draws me closer. Fear haunts his eyes. "No."
"Oh, come on. She's sick! It's not like she can hurt me. I doubt she's strong enough to even lift a finger."
"No!"
"Yes."
"Bella," he growls.
I suck in a breath and point behind him. "Oh my God. What's that?!"
He whips around to see what the trouble is. There's nothing, of course. Ha, he just fell for the oldest trick in the book! Or, maybe it's the newest trick since I'm probably the first person to pull it off...
Hmm. I'm not sure of anything anymore.
While he is distracted, I sneak away. It's only a few steps to the bed.
"Hello, Oza," I begin nervously, making sure I maintain a soothing tone. "I know we sort of got off on the wrong foot, but, um... Now that you've been told I'm not Damara, I was hoping we could start over. You and I are going to be living close by for a while longer, so I figured we should at least try to get along." I pause a moment in my rambling speech. "Mayant-hattatar picked these herbs especially for you. I think I see some chamomile in there, so... Yeah. I hope they will do you some good."
I lay the bundle on her lap and take a step backward, bumping into Ewar in the process. He's glaring at me. He must have figured out that I tricked him. Sorry, but he'll just have to get over it. And he does to a certain extent, once he sees the positive results of my rebellion.
The emptiness in Oza's gaze has begun to clear.
As if drawn by curiosity, her eyes drift leisurely to her lap. She touches the delicate leaves and flowers I gave her with a gentle hand, stopping to examine one dark purple bud in particular. For a brief moment, every person in the room holds their breath. A miracle is taking place before our eyes!
Then, the fog sweeps back in. Oza is once again taken to the dark place inside her head.
Mett is the first to recover. You can hear the disappointed hope in his sigh. Still, he manages to look at me and even smile a little.
"Malāi-smas," he says quietly.
Ewar's forehead wrinkles. He licks his bottom lip in concentration. "Mett say... thank you."
I smile in return, but I don't deserve Mett's gratitude. All I did was bring his wife some dried plants. It's doubtful a cup of chamomile tea will do her much good. There's only one way Oza will recover from her malady. She will have to want to live again. And without the help of modern pharmaceutical drugs and therapy, she must summon that strength all by herself.
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Several weeks have passed since our return to the village. I have not yet seen Oza outside of her home. Ehmay and some of the other women of the village help Mett whenever they can, but childcare and daily chores fall mostly on his shoulders alone.
The days grow shorter and the temperature gets colder. Winter will be around for a long, long time. I follow a routine of sorts to keep myself sane.
During the daylight hours, I help out Alie and Ehmay with chores. Basket weaving, cloth making, tanning animal hides... No, I can't do any of that stuff, and there's no sense in trying to learn the skills when I'll be gone in only a few more months. My limited talents are therefore confined to fetching water, washing dirty clothes, and trying not to get in anyone's way.
Alie has forgiven me for the sin of intending to leave soon. I don't think she has it in her to hold a grudge. We slipped back into friendship as though nothing ever interrupted it. As for Ehmay, she treats me surprisingly well. She's patient and kind even when I make mistakes. But her eyes don't lie - she is dying to know if Ewar's infertility treatments are helping him. For the time being, Ewar and I have no plans on doing any more public performances. It's way too cold to be dumping water on his head. Aside from me singing at the top of my lungs a few minutes each night so the neighbors can hear, he and I have made it appear the treatment ceremony is being done in the strict privacy of the hut. But when the weather warms up again, we will have to make up for all the secrecy. Maybe we can get creative with it and choreograph something convincing for the community.
Ewar and I spend most of our evenings alone. Even after he has eaten all of his dinner, his hunger for knowledge has no boundaries. Oftentimes, he practices his English with me while also creating animal and spirit tokens out of stone. I don't know how he manages to do both at the same time, but it does seem to help his concentration. He memorizes most words and phrases after only a couple of repetitions. It's truly amazing. If he had been born a few thousand years in the future, he'd easily be among the top students at whatever university he wished to attend.
Living with Ewar hasn't been a bad experience. It's actually been sort of fun. But this is still the prehistoric era. The drawbacks of living here are numerous. Obviously, there is ice in the Ice Age. And guess what? They don't make anti-slip shoes yet. I manage to locate those patches of ice every single day - and I have the bruises on my ass to prove it.
Then there's the food. All the fresh stuff, like berries and green leafy plants, are gone for the season. There are seeds, nuts, dried meat, and some root vegetable that has the consistency of rubber once it's cooked. My taste buds are threatening to go on strike. I'm having caffeine withdrawals, sugar withdrawals, and possibly food coloring withdrawals. What I wouldn't give for something tasty and nutritious, like some nice salty fries and a caramel Frappuccino to wash it down.
Oh, and have I mentioned the problem with the bathroom? The problem largely lies in the fact that there isn't one. When nature calls, you have two choices. One, go outside and find a private bush to relieve yourself behind. Or, two, do your business in a basket and dump it out before it gets full. When the weather permits, I usually go outside. But it's winter now. It's too damn cold to be shivering behind some stupid bush - with your clothes around your ankles - trying to plead with your bladder to work before you freeze to death. So, basket/chamberpot is the only choice during winter.
Everything previously mentioned sucks balls, but I have to say the most annoying aspect of Stone Age life is its lack of personal hygiene products. Soap? No. Shampoo? Ha, in your dreams. Toothpaste and toothbrush? Get a fucking stick and chew on it if you want to clean your teeth.
Do you know what else they don't have in the Stone Age? Tampons. I discovered this for myself only five minutes ago. I need one bad. Thanks to my IUD, my menstrual cycle is light and infrequent. But it decided to show up today and I'm not sure how to deal with it. Asking Ewar for advice on this topic is out of the question. His grasp of English is still in the early stages, so I have to speak in simple terms for him to understand. So, if I said something like, "Ewar, I am bleeding," he would probably treat the situation as an emergency and alert the entire village.
Alie greets me with a smile when I show up at her place. I haven't been too successful learning her language, so we rely on facial expressions and hand signs to communicate. It's not perfect, but it usually gets the job done.
I cross my arms over my lower abdomen. Alie is perplexed until I groan a little. She does some digging through her things and brings out a small basket. She hands the entire thing over to me, like it contains the answer to my problem. There's a leather cord, some pieces of cloth, and wads of dry moss. I stare at the pile before looking up again.
"Alie, what the hell am I supposed to do with this?"
Sensing my cluelessness, she sends Jas out of the hut so she can help me figure out how this is supposed to work. The cord is wrapped around my hips and between my thighs, forming a type of primitive dominatrix underwear. The cloth is stuffed under the cord. On top of the cloth is the moss. It acts as a pad. When it gets full, you throw out the old moss and replace it with the new.
I thank Alie profusely for her assistance.
But I hate it.
The cloth is scratchy against my sensitive skin, and the moss is about as absorbent as a couple of squares of toilet paper. Things could be worse, I suppose. I've heard some cultures banish women to a faraway hut during the times they menstruate. The women are considered too "unclean" to be around society. Ugh. Luckily, that shit would fly around here. Ehmay would probably drill someone a new asshole if they even suggested it. She don't play.
Cramps and a general feeling of blech haunts me for the remainder of the day and night. I suffer in silence. Ewar, however, is annoyingly perceptive.
"Bella sick?" he questions when I refuse to eat all my food.
Yesterday, I introduced first and second-person points of view to his English lessons. He must have forgotten that the third-person pov needs to be cut back.
"Try again, Ewar," I answer weakly. "Say, 'Are you sick, Bella?'"
"Are you sick, Bella?"
"No, I am tired."
"What is tired?"
"It means I need to rest."
"What is rest?"
And that's how our night goes, with Ewar being extra hungry for new vocabulary words to learn. He's lucky I like him enough that I didn't automatically kill him. Provoking a woman in my condition is dangerous.
Three days later, I am finally free. My period has ended. This calls for a celebration! Or at least a bath. I'm not picky.
I wait until Ewar leaves to gather more firewood. He will be gone an hour at the minimum. With the hut left to myself, I warm some water over the fire and strip down to nothing. A rag bath is the best I can do. Not that I'm complaining. A rag bath sounds like heaven.
I begin splashing myself with water. It feels amazing. Humming a tune, I bend over to wash my legs. The animal skin covering the doorway gets thrown wide open.
"Hullo, Bella. I-" Whatever he planned to say dies on his tongue.
"EWAR!" I dive under the blankets on the bed, not giving a single shit that I'm currently soaking wet. This is the second time he has caught me naked. "What are you doing here?!"
He swallows hard before responding. "I find..." He digs something from his belt pouch and holds it up. He wants to know the word for it, apparently.
"Mushrooms."
"Yes, I find mushrooms. Make stew."
"That's great, Ewar. But I was taking a bath when you barged in here."
"Bath? What is bath?"
"The cleaning of my body with water."
"Ah."
"Yeah. So do you mind if I finish?"
"Yes. Bella take..." He pauses a moment before correcting himself. "You take bath. I cook."
"No way! You leave, then I take bath."
He shakes his head. "Cook now. Sun gone."
I glance up at the smoke hole in the roof. Yep, it's dark outside. I can't ask him to leave and sit in the cold for another fifteen minutes...
"That does it!" I huff.
I hop out of bed (with a blanket tucked carefully around me, of course). Ewar watches me stomp around while I gather seemingly random objects. First, a rope gets strung up in one section of the hut. Then, a spare blanket is thrown over the rope, forming a pitiful excuse for a wall.
After moving my bath water behind the blanket wall, I wave my hand like a model on a game show. "Ta-da. This is a bathroom, Ewar."
"Bathroom," he repeats.
"Very good. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a bath to finish."
Word spread of our newfangled addition. By week's end, there were blanket walls in nearly every hut. I think I helped invent two completely new concepts: rooms, and privacy. If only I could figure out plumbing, then life here would be almost bearable.
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Ewar and I are having our evening meal when Arl shows up at our door. Their conversation is short but draws a smile from Ewar. As soon as Arl is out of hearing, Ewar turns to me.
"To... To-morrow we go..." His eyebrows crash together, an air of frustration surrounding him.
"We are going somewhere tomorrow?" I prompt in encouragement.
"Yes. Parhūwayas."
"What's parhūwayas?"
"Parhūwayas," he repeats. "Hunt parhūwayas." He flips his hand on its side and moves it in a wave pattern, the thumb stuck up like a fin.
"Fish! We're going fishing tomorrow."
His smile returns. "Fishing, yes."
No wonder the news put him in a good mood. After eating jerky meat for several weeks, fish sounds fucking delicious.
The next morning, we wake up extra early and dress in several layers to keep out the chill. Stepping outside, I discover almost everyone is coming along on this fishing expedition. Excitement fills the air. I had no idea it would be treated as a special event. One lady, Shelba, volunteers to stay behind to look after Oza. For the sake of Mett and his children, I am glad she is so selfless. Oza's family has been stuck inside that dreary hut caring for her for weeks. They have earned a break away from the stress, even if it's for only a few hours.
Ewar's family and I take the lead in walking out of the gorge. Everyone else trails behind. I thought we were just going to mosey on down to the stream and fish there. But, no. We follow the stream like a road for a while and then cut through a dense section of forest. One good long walk later, and I am dumbfounded. We are standing in front of a small, frozen lake. The colors of the forest contrast beautifully against the white sheet of ice. I had no idea this lake existed so close to the village.
Arl steps foot on the ice to test the strength. The section on the left side of the lake is deemed too thin. The ice in the middle and right sides is acceptable. He smiles and urges others to join him. And that's when it finally occurs to me. We're going ice fishing, a sport I have only seen thanks to the internet and television.
"Alie," says Ewar before he joins Arl on the ice. Once he has her attention, he nods at me. Alie moves closer, as though I am a small child who needs constant supervision. Only then does Ewar leave my side. I feel slightly offended by their treatment. I am a fully grown, independent woman! I don't need to be babysat like an infant...
Feeling rebellious, I take a step forward on the ice by myself. My feet slide in opposite directions. I swing my arms around, like a windmill, in hopes it will keep me from falling.
It's not working.
A strong set of fingers wraps tightly around my upper arm, preventing me from busting my ass on the ice. My rescuer is glaring at me big time.
Ewar delivers me back to his cousin. "Bella," he grunts. "Stay Alie."
I decipher his command loud and clear. I twist my lips contritely. "Fine. I will stay with Alie."
He eyes me a few seconds longer, as if to assure himself that I'm not going to run off on my own again. He and several other men make their way to the middle of the lake. They chip at the ice using sticks and hammering rocks. On shore, the women gather wood to start a bonfire. This leads me to think some of the fish we catch will be immediately cooked and consumed. I agree wholeheartedly to this plan.
The first hole is burrowed through the ice, then three more are distributed around the lake. The men take turns trying to spear fish. I suppose fishing lines and lures have not yet been invented. As difficult as spearing fish through ice may sound, the men treat the activity as a challenging game. They laugh at one another good-naturedly whenever someone comes up empty-handed. The bad luck doesn't last forever. Wiggling fish are brought up from the water. People cheer. It's nice to see I'm not the only person who's sick of eating the same old thing every day.
CRACK
The loud noise is followed by a scream. The festive atmosphere grinds to a halt. Confusion reigns until Ehmay lifts a finger toward the side of the lake with the weaker ice.
"Afrin!" she screams.
The little girl is thrashing in the water. She holds a small block of ice to stay afloat. Afrin must have wandered away from her father's side and onto the more dangerous section of the lake when no one was looking.
Mett and many others drop what they are doing and race to her aid. The ice creaks ominously the closer they get. If they go any further, the ice will break underneath them and they too will fall into the icy lake.
"Atta!" the little girl cries.
Arl and Ichel grab Mett by the arms to keep him from leaping into the water. He reaches out for her, but his arms only go so far. "Afrin!"
The ice she has been clinging to splits into small chunks. There is nothing to grab hold of. Her head bobs above the water line once, twice, then disappears altogether.
People are either wailing or shouting. For a moment, I am incredibly angry on Afrin's behalf. Why isn't anyone jumping in to save her?! One more look at Mett, I understand the problem.
They don't know how to swim.
But I do.
Without another thought, I take off like a bullet. I hear my name being yelled - by whom I couldn't say. I run and slip and slide, not considering the consequences. The ice opens suddenly like a trapdoor. I fall in.
I thought I knew what cold was before now. I was wrong.
A thousand needles pierce my skin. My entire body goes into shock. I tell myself, "If you stop moving, you die." I don't want to die today. Through sheer stubbornness, I force my arms and legs to move. Vaguely, I realize my waterlogged clothes are weighing me down.
I yank off my cape and shoes. They drift down into the darkness below.
Ignoring the shouts of panicked voices, I take one last lungful of air and dive. The water is murky, but I can see enough to get by. And there she is, a little down and to my right. Afrin floats as though caught in suspended animation. Her hair forms a halo around her head. It's sort of beautiful, but she does not move. I grab her by the shoulders.
She shows no reaction.
I pull her upward, my legs kicking like mad. Her head breaks to the surface, followed immediately by my own. I suck in breaths greedily and check our surroundings. A crowd has formed nearby, marking where the ice is stronger.
That is the direction I aim for.
With an arm wrapped around Afrin, I drag her through the water until we reach the patch of ice in front of the crowd. It breaks into splinters with the lightest touch.
A long tree branch seemingly appears by magic in front of us. I don't question it. I latch on to it like a lifeline. A group of people are on the other end. They pull Afrin and me through the thin ice, splitting it down the middle.
We pause in a no-man's-land where the ice is thicker but not strong enough to support much weight. The smallest man gets down on his belly and crawls to us. He reaches for my hand first. I shake my head and shove Afrin at him.
"Take her!"
He accepts Afrin and holds her in a bear hug. Mett snatches his daughter the instant she is safe and rushes her to shore.
That leaves me here, clinging to the branch all by myself.
I drag myself closer to the ice and try to hoist a leg on top. Each attempt fails. Exhaustion wears me down. It would be so easy to just close my eyes and let go...
A hand grabs me by the nape of my neck. I'm lifted out of the water like a baby.
A pair of burning green eyes stares down at me. It's almost enough to keep me from shivering. Again, almost is the keyword here. It's fucking cold out here.
Ewar carries me to the fire. I can't enjoy the warmth. Through the chattering of my teeth, I hear crying and shouts of despair. Then I remember.
Afrin wasn't breathing when I last saw her.
I summon the energy to stand up. Ewar tries to force me back down but is distracted when Alie and Ehmay show up. I slip around him and track down Afrin. She is laid out on the ground with no sign of life. Mett is crying over her. Her brother Enja, however, keeps tapping at her face, as though she only needs to be woken up from her nap.
I push everyone out of my way and tilt her head back. After pinching her nose, I seal my lips around her mouth. I give two, slow breaths until her little chest rises. I stop to check her pulse. Nothing. I start the chest compressions, counting in my head. I reach for her pulse point again.
I feel it this time!
I repeat the mouth-to-mouth. I stop only when she begins breathing on her own. Water pours from her mouth. I flip her on the side so she won't choke. She lets out a hoarse cry. "Atta!"
It's the best sound I've ever heard.
Her father and brother swarm back to her. I step out of their way. They can handle it from here. I put one foot in front of the other, intending to get back to the fire so I can warm myself.
Something falls in front of me, blocking the path.
"Bella!" Ichel chants adoringly from the ground. He manages to kiss my big toe before I can shake him loose.
Shit. I brought someone back to life, so now he's back to worshipping me again.
Essa transforms herself into my savior. She stomps over to her husband and drags him away by the earlobe. Alie and Ehmay descend upon me next. They rip off all my wet clothes without asking. I'm too tired to bitch at them about public nudity. My body is wrapped up in a dry fur cloak I suspect was on Ewar not five minutes ago. My in-laws force me to lie down by the fire. I do so obediently, which probably concerns them more. I am rarely obedient.
My mind goes numb. My eyelids flutter weakly. Each time I reopen them, a new scene takes place.
Essa screaming bloody murder at Ichel, who still won't stop staring this way...
Mett rocking Afrin and Enja in his arms...
Ewar hovering above me, face lined with worry. I fight it, but I lose the battle of staying awake. He calls my name, but the sound is distorted, like it is being echoed from a great distance...
"Bella?"
"Bella?"
"Bella?"
My eyelids spring open. Ewar is still hovering, but the background has changed. Instead of the overcast sky, the thatched roof of his hut is above our heads. He leans closer, not quite believing I am awake and aware of my surroundings.
"Bella?"
"Hey, Ewar," I mumble. "Did I miss anything interesting while I was asleep?"
He narrows his eyes, looking half tempted to strangle me for scaring him.
I laugh a little... until I remember something important. "Afrin? Is she all right?"
He loses some of his annoyance. "Afrin sleep."
I release a breath and smile. Knowing that she is alive and well - and that I had something to do with it - is the best feeling in the world.
Noticing that I'm awake, Alie squeals from the other side of the hut. She practically flies to where I lay. She starts chattering like a parrot while reenacting how I saved Afrin, chest pumps and all. Alie is so hyped up, I bet she could talk like this for five hours straight. And she would if she could, but Ewar covered her mouth with his hand. He has no patience for her exuberance at the moment.
Ehmay shoos them both away from my bedside. Armed with a bowl, she coaxes warm broth down my throat. Ordinarily, I wouldn't allow anyone to fuss over me to such an extent, but the way Ehmay fusses is comforting. After I've eaten my fill, I sink further under the blankets, warm and well-cared for.
Raised voices wake me up sometime later. I hear Alie arguing with someone. Ehmay goes to investigate. I barely have time to blink. The very last person I expected to see barges into the room.
Oza has come for a visit.
She breezes past both of my in-laws. Our eyes meet. Her face is blank as slate. A tendril of fear wraps around my chest and tightens like a noose. I had been dreading this moment. Oza finally snapped out of her depressed funk... and regathered enough of her wits to track me down!
Does she still blame me for her stillbirth? And if yes, will she do more than just slap me this time?
Ehmay runs outside, presumably to seek help. Oza steps closer, treating Alie's protests as though they are merely the buzzing of a housefly. I want to get the hell out of here but fatigue has officially kicked my ass. My body refuses to listen to my brain. All I can do is wait to see what she has planned for me.
Oza stops next to where I lay. Time seems to slow to a crawl. Her upper lip twitches once, twice.
Then she falls to her knees.
Tears stream down her face. Grabbing me by my hand, she stares into my soul.
"Malāi-smas," she weeps. "Malāi-smas."
Thank you. Thank you.
Ewar and Mett come charging into the hut. The event taking place renders them incapable of doing anything except staring in disbelief. Oza showing me gratitude for saving her daughter wasn't on anyone's bingo card. But the way I figure, this is her way of thanking me and apologizing for her past behavior at the same time. That's why I squeeze her hand in return and smile.
There was a silver lining to the near tragedy which took place today. Two people, who were almost dead, came back to life.
00000000000000000000
A/N -
I took creative license with the ice fishing. No one knows for sure if it existed before two thousand years ago, however it is possible Fred Flintstone was doing it then and we just don't have the archeological evidence to back it up. It doesn't get preserved too well, apparently. But this is a story and the Ice Age had lots of ice, so... Ewar's people ice-fished, ok?
Mouth-to-mouth saves lives, people. Learn it. As a reward, you can practice the skill on a willing subject. Here are your choices: Bella, Ewar, or Ichel. Have fun. (As a side note, if you choose Ichel, let me know in the comments. I'm curious if there are any diehard Mike fans out there, lol.)
Thanks for reading. :-)