Sky Writing

“Sky Writing”

By Jeffrey Van Dell

I was gathering ria fruit when Kwimi ran up to me yelling, “Mama there’s a monster in the garden, Come see, Come see!”

“What kind of monster it this time Kwimi?” I sighed. “ You know that Papa and Rini hunted all the karsha living in the forest.” Kwimi had a wonderful imagination, not like my two older daughters who thought that storytelling was a waste of time. Kwimi imagined all sorts of fantastic things.

“Over there mama! Come see, please!” Kwimi pulled my arm hard enough to jostle my basket and dislodge several of the ria which fell to the ground.

“Kwimi, pick those up.” I said sternly. “What’s gotten into you today?” She gathered up the succulent ria and put them back into my basked.

“No mama, it’s real. You have to call Papa and bring the spears.”

I took notice at that because Kwimi’s older brother was killed with a spear by one of the sheevers and she had an aversion to touching them. She would not even say the word ‘spear’ if she could help it. I put my basket down and knelt to speak to her face to face.

“Show me where you saw it Kwimi.” She yanked me along by her strong grip and kicking feet.

At the edge of the garden she pushed me to the ground. She wasn’t my “littlest” girl any more. Her arms were strong and she was nearly the age for selecting a mate. We lay close to the ground near the rula, twill, and cordna, which I had planted in hopes of trading with the friendly tribe of dark skinned people from over the mountains.

“Kwimi, I don’t see…”

“Quiet, it can hear you.” She said, pinching my shoulder with her finger claws.

I wondered how long I’d have to wait until she was satisfied. I wanted to get back to the cave and pull apart the ria so that Keller and Rini could have a treat when they returned from hunting. Looking around I saw that the twill needed thinning. If they grew too close together they would not produce strong enough fibers we used for making string, rope, baskets, and nets.

My gaze wandered to some weeds near the edge of the garden. We weren’t alone. My heart froze and my hand reached instinctively for Kwimi’s wrist. I prepared to flee as swiftly as my legs would allow. My mind could not fathom what I was seeing.

It was not like the sheevers, with their long snouts, barbed teeth, clawed feet, and skin that changed to match their surroundings. It was not one of the friendly tribes from over the mountains, who had different colored skin than us, spoke a language we could not readily understand, and sometimes refused our offers of friendship for reasons that were never clear. The thing in front of us was different than any animal or person I’d ever seen, yet familiar in some way.

The creature was colored a bright shade of blue, the kind of blue that came only from the crystals we found in special round rocks. There were bright yellow stripes down the creature’s sides and back the color of the little perka Kwimi and the other children avoided. Their stings could paralyze an adult and kill a child. Was this creature poisonous? The thing’s head had no visible mouth, one large eye that had two pupils set far behind the lense, and two snake-like things that came from where its mouth should have been. It held something flat in its hand.

Its feet and hands lacked fingers and were webbed. The thing moved slowly, as if it was sick or injured. Some creatures moved that way to fool you into moving closer to them so they could eat you. I could not see if it were male or female, which frightened me worse than its lack of a mouth. The thing in its hand shone in the dim light of the garden. If I were alone I would have fled to the shelter of our cave, but Kwimi, strong as she was, could not move as fast as I could and I would not leave her behind. We touch spoke. My fingers made the silent speech we used when danger presented itself or we were hunting in the forest.

“Kwimi, we are going to stay here until Papa and Rini return or the creature leaves. Is it the first time you’ve see it?”

“Yes, I was looking for Kela to play with and I saw it pointing at the garden with its rock. I don’t think it saw me.” She tapped.

“We should name it. It can’t possess us if we give a name before it says its own.” I tapped.

“How about ‘Krelado’? Its head looks hard like the shell of the krela.” Her tiny fingers tapped sloppily and I had to think for a minute before I understood what she said.

“Yes, ‘Krelado’ it is. I got sick from eating one once.” In fact I almost died, but I didn’t tell Kwimi that.

“It’s leaving.” Kwimi lifted her head from the ground and the creature turned and looked in our direction.

“Do not move.” I tapped.

The krelado lumbered towards us. There was a rock near my foot. I picked it up.

“Kwimi, go to the cave and don’t leave until Papa or one of the tribe comes for you. Tell them where I am.” I tapped. She squirmed and kicked up the dirt.

“No! I’m not leaving you.” She cried aloud. She held to my leg like a brina to a rock, cemented and immovable.

The krelado was close enough that I could see its white, double pupils. Better to stand and fight than crouch, I thought. The rock was heavy in my hand and I wondered whether a blow to the head or body was more likely to kill it. We stood. Kwimi was behind me and my rock was at the ready as the creature advanced then stopped. My heart was racing. It stood two man lengths from us, staring.

            It had no spines, no spear and no visible teeth. Was it like the omo which used a spray from its behind to paralyze its prey, eating it alive? It held out its rock in front of us and pushed something on its edge. A brilliant blaze of light and colors spewed forth from it and I was temporarily blinded! So this was its way, blind, then kill!

            “Kwimi get away!” I screamed, feeling the air stir as my beloved daughter ran away.

            I could sense the krelado’s heat in front of me but was still blinded by the light. I jumped towards it and brought the rock down as hard as I could with both my hands upon what I hoped was the creatures head.

            “Die krelado, die!” I screamed and felt the rock connect with it.

            I brought the rock down again and again on the krelado’s head. Its arms moved to protect itself but I was literally in a blind rage. All the anger from the death of my oldest son at the hands of the sheevers was going from my mind, to my arms, to the rock, and into the krelado’s skull. Something gave and the creature collapsed to the garden floor. I knelt on the krelado’s chest feeling no movement. My sight was returning. First shadow, then indistinct shapes, then shapes without color, finally color returned.

            My arms shook and my hands were bleeding, cut by my grip on the rock’s sharp edges. I slowly brought the rock down to my waist and my fingers relaxed. The krelado had blood coming from its face. It would attract animals so I had to move the body away from us to the place we lay our dead, over the cliff to the abyss.

It’s blood smelled sweet. Bright light from the thing it blinded me with leaked out from its edges, it was now laying face down on the ground. I pushed it into the soft dirt and put my killing rock on it. We would come for it later and throw it off the cliff wrapped in leaves so it couldn’t blind anyone else.

“How could such a thing work, and what made the light?” I asked aloud.

            I grabbed the krelado’s foot and pulled. It was very heavy, but I was very strong. I moved it slowly towards the cave of safety. Where were Keller and Rini and the others? There were always too many people when you wanted to be alone and never enough when you needed them.

            The krelado was leaking bubbles of gas as well as blood, too many bubbles. Was the thing filled with gasses? A constant stream of clear bubbles came from its mouth area where the snakes touched its face. I almost laughed at the absurdity of it. I moved faster, eager to be rid of my foul burden. Keller would be proud of me. I had proven myself on hunts before, between birthings and raising our young, but when Kel was killed by the sheevers we lost confidence in ourselves and our abilities. For the entire growing season after he died we took turns sharing misery with the tribe until finally, we remembered only the good things about Kel’s life.

            The krelado stopped moving and I stumbled forward. Its head was caught between a rock and a branch. I pushed and pulled until it was dislodged then continued my journey. With its arms and legs moving out from its body it reminded me of something I’d seen before but I couldn’t remember exactly what it was.

            “Almost there.” I said to myself. In the distance I saw figures moving towards me that resolved into Keller and Rini. I breathed a sigh of relief and waved to them. Others of the tribe carried a large cow, or parts of one, in a net. The hunt was successful. I moved faster, they could help me get rid of the foul burden.

            I greeted my husband, his brother and the others of the tribe with a joyous shout. Their faces fell as they saw what I was dragging behind me.

I said, “Don’t you see? I killed a monster that was hiding in the garden. It blinded me and would have killed me if I didn’t kill it first with a rock.” Keller’s face was a mask of horror and bewilderment. Rini shook his head in wonder and sadness. The others of the tribe moved to examine the krelado.

            “It’s called a krelado. I named it before it could speak its name. Why are you not joyous with me? I saved Kwimi and myself and probably some of you.” I was getting angry. I had killed a dangerous animal and all they were acting as if one of us had died.

            “Sua, you didn’t kill a krelado, you killed one of the sky people.” Keller held me by the shoulders and turned me around as the tribe pulled in closer to look at it.

            The krelado lay face up on the ground with blood still flowing from its exposed head. When I pulled it free from the rock and branch the head covering came off and exposed the face of one of the sky people. They lived on the mountaintops where no one of our kind could breath. Fear gripped my heart. Red blood swirled around its long yellow hair. I had never seen one of the sky people up close, only silhouetted against the sky as they flew, high above us. The sky person’s strange appearance was a covering it put on to protect itself from our air, which it could not breathe. I screamed and screamed. Keller reached over my head to push on the vein on my neck that would make everything go black and cold.

            Before I passed out I thought, “I’ve killed an innocent being. I am worse than a sheever.”

            I awoke sometime later in the cave of safety. It was night and I sensed the heat from someone close to me.

            “Kwimi!” I pulled her close to me.

            “They let me stay with you mama. I tried to tell them that you saved us but they didn’t believe me. They think that you were taking revenge on the sky people for bringing the sheevers.” She put her head in my lap and I stroked her face, tapping out “Don’t worry,” in the silent speech.

            I was worried. The consequence for killing another person was being tied up and left for the sheevers. It had never happened in our tribe and only in the distance past did anyone in the surrounding tribes have to be given over to them. I heard from my mother that they stunned the person with a blow to the head before they left him so that he would not have to undergo the agony the sheevers were sure to inflict.

            No one had ever communicated with the sky people directly. Sometimes we saw them flying overhead. They would peer down at us and wave. Mostly, they left us alone and we didn’t go near the mountain they lived on. They had not been on the mountain long, only in my lifetime did they show themselves to us. Their language and customs were as different from ours as ours must have been to the sheevers.

            Keller and Rini came into the cave, behind them were others of my tribe, carrying ropes.

            “Go wait outside with Kela and her mother.” Keller said to Kwimi.

            “No I’m not leaving mama. You’re going to feed her to the sheevers!” She screamed and stood in front of me looking around for a rock or stick.

            “No Kwimi, we are not taking mama to the sheevers. She killed one of the sky people and they deserve to have the body of their loved one back.” Keller said, kneeling down to talk to her. He looked up at me and said, “Your mama is going to bring back the body to them. If they let her back, so be it, if they keep her, so be it. We have never known them to do anything harmful to us. You have to trust that all will be well.”

            I was surprised that Kwimi accepted it. I couldn’t fathom my sentence. I thought they would either put me to death or dump the body of the sky person into the abyss and forget it happened.

            “Say farewell to your mother.” Keller said to her.

            Kwimi grabbed me around the waist and squeezed. I squeezed back. Kela’s mother, Tam, would take care of her if I did not return. The thought of not seeing Kwimi grow up to join another tribe was the most sorrowful thing I could imagine. I comforted her with words as members of the tribe gave us space to say our farewell.

Kwimi tapped in the silent language. “You’re going to be fine. The sky people will take care of you and let you come back to me.”

            After a short time Keller said, “Time to go little one.” He ushered her to the door and we stood face to face, alone, for the first time since I killed the sky person.

            “I am so sorry Keller. I thought it was a monster, it blinded me with its rock.” He wrapped his arms around me and we touched faces as if we were in our first season of mating. I wanted him to mate with me, to make me with child again as a sign of his faith that I could come back. He did not.

            “We’re taking you to the top of the mountain. You will be tied with the unbreakable knot to the sky person. The body of their tribesman will be returned to them, at least. They can do with you what they wish. I hope they let you return to us, to me. The creature’s light rock will be returned with him. We have wrapped it in leaves so that you will not be blinded again.”

            He pushed the package into my hand. “One last thing, one of the other tribes said that the sky people had been leaving things in their gardens and fields.” He took a shiny rock from his food pouch. “This is one of them. Maybe if you show it to them they will give you favor?” He put it in my food bag and led me outside.

            The sky person was tied to one end of the rope, a circle of rope awaited me and I stood in it, letting my tribe bind me to him with the unbreakable knot. The sky people, if they wished, could undo it for me. I picked up the body of the poor creature I had killed and began moving toward the mountain.

It was an all day journey, with two stops for food and one long detour to avoid the sheever’s hunting grounds. Finally, we were at the base of the mountain. Two of the strongest of our tribe, one man and one woman, followed me up, and up, and up. I led the way and it was exhausting. The sky person’s body was not difficult to carry but I could not look at its face. In my rage I had damaged its head severely. Bits of its head fell out and small amounts of blood still oozed from the head wound. The strange thing on its face it used to breath our air had been put back on by someone. It looked wrong somehow.

“You put it on upside down!” I yelled behind me, but now there was no one there to talk to.

I was alone.

I wanted to take off the face thing and put it on the way I remembered it went. Would the sky people take offense if we returned its body that way? The friendly tribe with different skin color would not accept our trade of cow meat unless all the blood was drained from it. Kwimi could not believe it when I told her.

“The blood is the best part!” She said with horror.

            “They have different customs than us, that’s all.” I said.

            I could see the line where the air I could breath ended. Without a look behind me I walked to the edge. I had never been this high up before.

            The light was brilliant up this close to the mountaintop and it was hot. There was a ledge of some shiny stone at shoulder height in front of me. I could go no higher. I put the body on the ledge and waited. Would anyone come? My fear was that I would be stuck there forever, tied to a dead body. Sky people seemed to come and go as they wished, with no regard for the seasons or times. Or maybe they had their own seasons and times?

            The sky person’s body was still in my air. I reached up and pushed its arm up and out of the atmosphere. My finger touched their air. I pushed a little higher. Now my hand was exposed. I pushed still higher and my entire arm was exposed to the sky people’s world. Could they see it? I grasped the wrist of the sky person’s arm and waved my arm with his as quickly as I could. Maybe they would see it now? My arm got tired and I switched hands waving more frantically. 

            “Please come and cut me loose.” I cried aloud.

            The light from the sky was so warm I thought it would injure my skin. How did they live in such a harsh place? I was about to switch arms again.

            I saw them.

            A crowd of the sky people loomed over me and lifted their fellow into their world. I could hear sounds coming from their mouths unlike anything I had ever heard. As his body was pulled up the rope grew taut. I could not see over the edge of the landing I was standing on but three of them were looking down at me. They were talking with their strange sounds and pointing at the rope. I was terrified of dying but curious to see their world.

            One of them knelt down pulled on the rope. I was pulled onto the ledge, dangerously close to their world. A sky person jumped onto the ledge with a spear point made of some gleaming material in its hand. Bubbles came off of its garments and out of its mouth. The sky person’s spear point was raised above my head and my eyes grew wide with fear. I did not want to die without telling it my name so I spoke.

            “My name is Sua. I am sorry for killing your tribesman.” I said, and exposed my neck so it could kill me swiftly.

            The creature took the rope in one hand and held it as he cut through the unbreakable knot, freeing me instantly. I stood there stunned, unsure of what to do. The sky man heaved himself up to the top of the ledge and pulled himself over. He took the rope with him, why I do not know.

            I stood there looking up at him and he at me. There was nothing more to do or say and I purposed in my heart to return home. Reaching into my bag I took out the small thing they had dropped into our world. The shiny piece gleamed in the bright light of the mountaintop. My eyes were adjusting to the brilliance of it. Two of the sky people pointed with open mouths when I held the thing up for them to see. Since it was theirs I held up and into their world with my open palm. One of them took it from me with its short fingers. Ours were longer but they had two extra ones. Their naked skin was pink and looked vulnerable, like our young’s skin before it grew hard and spiny. The blue I thought was its skin was only a false covering, perhaps our air bothered their skin?

            I watched them for a while longer and decided I’d had enough. It was good to be alive and I wanted to go home to Kwimi and Keller. I waved a friendly parting gesture with both my hands. Jumping off the ledge I prepared for the long trip back down the mountain. Only six strides into my journey I saw the crouching figures of at least a dozen sheevers waiting for me. They must have smelled the blood, waited until I was alone, and now I would die anyway after being freed by the sky people.

            I ran for my life back up the mountain and hurled myself on the ledge just as the lead sheever caught hold of my ankle in its hand, tearing the flesh with its claws. I kicked at it with my heel and with nowhere else to go, pushed myself up into the sky people’s world. Nothing could have prepared me for the sensation. I collapsed to the ground feeling as though hundreds of rocks were crushing me and pushing the air out of my chest. My heart pounded in my chest and my open mouth took in great draughts of nothing. The nothing burned my throat and chest. Grit, the color of the sky people’s hair, stuck to my arms and legs as I writhed on the ground, clutching my throat. The sky light, with none of my atmosphere to protect me, burned my eyes.

            A sheever, drunk on my blood, hurled itself up onto the mountaintop and grabbed my leg, pulling me back to a certain death. It seemed to have no trouble standing in the sky people’s world or breathing their air. Once again I tried to say my name but nothing would come from my mouth. Just as the creature was about to pull me over the edge, one of the sky people hurled itself on top of the sheever and pushed it back below the mountain. I watched them both go over the edge. Sky people crowded around me, yelling at each other and pointing to the spot where I pulled myself up. One of them looked into my eyes and spoke something I could not understand. From its mouth came an invisible flow of its air, warm and light. Before I passed out I mouthed a final word, “Kwimi”.

            I noticed two things when I awoke. I was in a cave of some kind and the sky people had done something to my foot. It was covered with some kind of false skin, like leaves but the same color and texture all around. It was attached to my foot with no rope or binding of any kind. I could not flex my ankle far but there was none of the pain that usually went along with a sheever’s scratch.

            The floor of the cave was covered with sand and there was an assortment of foods in a hollowed out shell or rock of some kind. I ate several of the fruits then slept. The next time I awoke I saw where I really was and shook with fear. The cave was set on the ground on the top of their mountaintop and filled with air I could breath. There was an invisible barrier, hard and warm, protecting me from their world. I could see the sky people going about tasks I could only guess at as I breathed comfortably in my little cave. Was I their prisoner? There was a cover on top of the cave to protect me from the sky light.

            One of them pointed to me and then several of them ran over to peer at me through the invisible barrier. From behind me I heard a noise. One of the sky people had come into my cave carrying something. It held the light rock in front of itself as the other one had.

I said, “It is happening all over again. Are you punishing me?”

But this time I was not blinded, instead, the flat rock gave a soft light I could look at. On its smooth surface, images of my tribe appeared. How did they get them? Was my tribe somehow inside the flat rock? I looked behind it and saw nothing. Thousands of questions entered my mind. The sky person pointed to the image-maker and I saw an image of a sky person touching one of the dark skinned people on the arm. They were using tapping speech. In the image the friendly dark person tapped on the rock and the sky person tapped in turn.

I understood. They wanted to talk to me in the tapping language using the flat rock. I looked at the sky person. It took hold of my hand and put it on the edge of the flat rock, then it tapped something on another section of it with one hand. I felt the words form under my open palm. The sensation scared me a little.

“Hello, greetings, welcome, are you well, healthy, not sick, ok?” The creature said to me. It used many words.

I looked at him and he pointed to a small indentation in the rock and I tapped there unsure of how hard to push.

“I am fine. What did you put on my foot?” I asked.

“We put, placed, a mending, bandage, healer strip, on your injured foot, limb, toes. Do you require any food, nourishment, (unknown word), leaves?”

Why would I need leaves? I understood that our languages were different. How had they learned the tapping language? I had a thousand questions but started with the most important one.

“Why did you save me? I killed your friend, a member of your tribe. I thought he was attacking me with this thing we are using, but he was not was he? He was probably trying to do what you are doing, talking to me, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, he was only trying to communicate, talk, speak, relate, with you. Unfortunately, sadly, (unknown word), he forgot to (unknown word) on the (unknown word) and it caused you harm, distress, temporary (unknown word) injury. It was a mistake, error, bad thing done without foreknowledge, (unknown word). He did not mean to cause you, make you, put you in, (unknown word), pain, injury, blindness, (unknown word) dysfunction. We are sorry, unhappy, (unknown word), grieved, hurt, that we cause you injury.”

The thing we used to communicate was giving me too many words, yet missing some at the same time.

“I am sorry I killed him. Was he of your clan?” I asked.

“He was my brother. His name was Chael.” The man tapped.

I had killed a member of his own tribe, his own brother, yet he was speaking with me. What kind of people were they?

“Why didn’t you kill me? I killed your tribe member, your own brother.” I asked.

“We do not take revenge, hurt for hurt, tooth for tooth, inflict pain as a matter of retribution. I understand it was a mistake, accident, misunderstanding, (unknown word), (unknown word).”

            “Do I have to stay here? Can I return to my tribe?” I asked.

            “Yes, you may go back, return, visit, live again with, your tribe. You are not our prisoner, captive, hostage, guest kept against their will, (unknown word). Do you wish to leave, depart, go, run, (unknown word) now?”

            I thought about the sheevers and wondered if I should wait until my foot was fully healed. There was no blood leaking from the thing they put on it so maybe I would be able to go without attracting attention.

            “Your brother’s name was Chael? What is your name?” I asked.

            “My name is Vid.” He said.

            “My name is Sua. My tribe is waiting for me to return. My daughter is not fully grown yet and needs me.” I looked around the cave. “May I leave now?”

            “Yes, you may also return to this (unknown word), cave, dwelling place of safety, (unknown word). I will show you, teach you, impart knowledge to you, how to return. If you come back, pull this.” He pulled a rope attached to something above in his air and I heard a sharp sound, like rocks hitting one another. It was some kind of signal to them.

            Vid moved to a hole in the corner of the cave and pointed. I moved into it and went down and down and down. I eventually came out at the foot of the mountain from a round opening wide enough to let me through but too narrow for a sheever.

            When I got back to my tribe I was engulfed in their embraces and made to tell my story over and over again. Kwimi did not let go of me until she drifted off to sleep in the cave of safety long after darkness came. Keller mated with me and fed me my favorite foods by hand until morning.

            The next day l picked up where I left off in the garden, thinning, cultivating, and harvesting. Keller and Rini returned to the hunting grounds and other’s of my tribe were closer at hand than they usually were, no doubt to keep sight of me should the sky people stray from their word. After a break for food, Kwimi went with her friend and her mother to learn to make and mend nets. Kwimi had swift and sure hands mending nets and making rope, a skill that would attract a good mate.

            The next morning I found the sky person’s spearpoint buried in the sand at the edge of the garden where I had killed it. Long and beautiful, it was made of some rock for which we did not know the name. It was both beautiful and deadly. Laying aside my basked of food, I told the group near me that I would be back after returning the sky person’s spear point. My fellow tribe members counseled that I should wait until the others, especially Keller, returned from hunting.

            “There is no rush Sua. The sky people can take care of themselves until tomorrow.” Said Lia.

            But I would not be dissuaded. I simply wanted to see them again and this was a convenient excuse to visit. They had, after all, issued an invitation. I was surprised that no one would come with me but set out alone nonetheless.

            Going as quickly as I could, without the weight of a dead body tied to me, I made it there by mid-morning. Moving swiftly up the shaft to their world I entered the tank and pulled the rope to signal them. Outside the cave, several of them waved at me and I saw Vid put on his air breathing things. I had not noticed how quickly they moved in their world. They were faster than we were in our environment, as if their air was lighter than ours was. One of them took a gourd and tipped it over. Out of its small opening came something dark, which it caught with a smaller container. The sky person put that container to its lips ate the substance. Several of the others did this in turn and I wondered how they could eat what looked like our air? Our air was heavier than theirs and they could eat it! “How amazing.” I said aloud to myself.

            I was startled out of my thoughts by Vid moving into the cave. We spoke again using the same tapping language.

            “I am glad, happy, relieved, you came, arrived, returned.” He said.

            “You left this in the garden. I wanted to return it to you.” I pulled the spear point from my pouch.

            Vid jumped back and bubbles came from his mouth area. I turned it around and held the spear point out until he took it by the handle.

            “Thank you. I’m sorry I was startled, scared, frightened. We have had, (unknown word), trouble, mistakes, with others of your kind.” He said.

            “Why do you always use many words to say one thing?” I asked, curious about their strange speech.

            “It is a result, consequence, (unknown word), effect, of the device we are using to talk, communicate, speak, with each other. Does it bother, offend, disturb, you?” He asked.

            “No, it is strange, like so much of your world. You move normally here, in the cave with my atmosphere, but out there you move as fast as joogs, no one can catch a joog!” I said.

            “Our air, atmosphere, world, (unknown word), is thinner than yours. Our bodies aren’t designed to work in (unknown word), that is why we need all of this…stuff on our bodies. We cannot breathe, inhale, your air.” He said.

            “You are so strange, so different than us. Yet you bleed and die. I once thought you could not die.” I said.

            “There is one from our world who died and lived again, and lives forever.” He said.

            “You mean your brother will come back to life?” I wondered if Vid’s brother would be angry with me for killing him. Keller was angry with me for hitting his finger with a large rock while we were opening fruits one day. He got over it.

            “He is alive, in (unknown word), and we will see, view, observe, him when (unknown word) comes to (unknown word) and (unknown word).” Vid was moving his feet so quickly that the cave was getting cloudy.

            “Vid, it’s hard to breathe, stop dancing.” I said. “Where is he? I need to tell him I am sorry for killing him.” I looked out the opening of the cave and saw the other sky people with their heads bowed and eyes closed. “Why is your tribe asleep?” I asked. The cloud of dirt was settling.

            “They’re (unknown word) for your (unknown word) safety, health, well being, future growth.” He said.

            “But I am well. Do they not see that?” Vid tapped wildly and the more bubbles came out of his mouth area. “Are you well Vid? Do the bubbles mean you are sick?” I asked.

            “No, I am well, healthy, fine, alive. The (unknown word) was (unknown word) by my brother, he was making it simpler, easier, faster, to use before he…and none of us has the knowledge, skill, ability, (unknown) to continue where he left off. I’m frustrated, angry, agitated, sad, that the (unknown word) will not work, function, (unknown word), any better than it is. We can talk to the (unknown word) without trouble, hardship, difficulty, but your language isn’t in the (unknown word).”

            I was suddenly tired and hungry. “Do you have any food?” I asked.

            Vid made some kind of signal to his tribe, who woke up from their standing up nap and dropped some fruit into the cave from above. Having no rocks to break open the ria fruit, I took Vid’s picture rock and pounded it down on the edge of the ria to get it open. The sky people crowded around the cave, pointing and yelling, Vid turned around from touching something on the wall of the cave and waved his hands and shook his head.

            “Did you want some ria?” I used his rock to open another and held it out to him. He jumped towards me to remove it from my hands and held it to his face. After I ate another ria fruit we spoke again.

            “Please, request, demand, imperative, do not, negative, use, the (unknown word) to do anything except, talk, communicate, relate. You almost broke, destroyed, killed, smashed, (unknown word). Do you understand Sua?”

            I had made another mistake with the sky people, this time almost killing their talking rock.

            “I am sorry Vid. It was a good rock for opening ria. It seems to be working well.” Several regular rocks had been thrown into the pool. The edge of the flat rock where I had smashed open the ria fruit was bent and scratched. How could rocks bend?

            “It is the only one we have Sua. If we break, destroy, lose, damage, it we won’t be able to talk, communicate, relate, to you. Sua, we don’t know, understand, have knowledge of, how much longer we can stay here, the (unknown word) others, dangerous people, (unknown word) are coming and our (unknown word) to work, share, tell, (unknown word) will expire. I have information to share with you that is important. Can I show you on the (unknown word)?

I said, “I will be sad if you go away. Please show me, but don’t blind me.”

Vid did something to the rock and it showed a story. I loved stories. Keller and I told stories to the tribe at night before sleep. Kwimi learned hundreds of stories already and told some of her own making.

This story was long and strange. One of the sky people was betrayed by his tribe, killed, and lived again. Who could believe such a thing? In the background of the story was the sky person’s father, invisible and remote. Was he dead? I did not understand. There were no words to go with the pictures and the sky people could not speak our mouth language so much of the story was lost.

The sky person who died was telling his tribe to go to other places and tell people about him. I understood now. Vid and the others were here for the sole reason of telling us about their dead tribesman, how strange. The story stopped and we spoke again.

“Your tribesman died and came back to life? That is not possible, for us, maybe for you. When we die we are remembered in story, that is enough. Why would you want to come back?” The light was dimming and I realized I had stayed too long. The sheevers would be out and if I did not want to die I needed to get back.

“I must go, it is late and the sheevers will be out soon. Thank you for the ria!” I scrambled down the hole and out the opening at the base of the mountain.

That night, I explained to the tribe why I had gone and what Vid had shown me. Keller wanted to visit the sky people the next day. Rini and the others told him hunting was more important. “You’re our best thrower. It would be bad for the tribe if you did not lead us in the hunt.” Keller agreed but told me to ask the sky people to send their picture rock with me so the whole tribe could see the story.

“But Keller, it’s such a strange story. They come from a mountain far away. Why should we believe their story? Anyway they are leaving for some reason.” Keller held Kwimi, who was asleep, and we lay down together on some leaves in the cave of safety.

“The dark friendly people believe what the sky people say. Some of them refuse to kill sheevers because they say that it would be wrong.” He said.

“How could it ever be wrong to kill them? They killed our son!” I shouted. Others of my tribe stirred and told me to keep quiet and sleep.

“I don’t know Sua. I do not understand. I want to know more.” He said in the tapping language.

I had bad dreams and woke up thrashing in the night.

The next day I awoke early and gathered fruit, cultivated the plants, and weeded. I put Kwimi in the care of the tribe and made my way to the sky people. I wanted Keller to see the images and I wanted to ask Vid a question.

“It is good, wonderful, joyous, to see you. How is your foot?” He asked.

The wrapping was still around my foot, so comfortable I had forgotten about it. “It is fine. When should the covering be removed?” I asked.

“Today! We do not want, wish, (unknown word), danger, sickness, to happen because of the (unknown) wrapping, covering. May I remove it for you?” He said.

“Yes.” I held my foot out and he used a shiny, baby spear points to cut away the wrapping. My foot was cold for a moment when he took off the covering. Amazement followed. There were no marks at all from the sheever’s attack. Usually the skin was discolored forever and scars always appeared where they latched on with their claws or teeth, but my skin was perfect!

“How did you do this?” I asked.

“Our (unknown word), healing, repairing, fixing, is good, (unknown word).”

“My tribe wishes to see the images of your dead and now alive tribe member. May I take the seeing rock with me? I will return it soon and no one will use it to open ria fruit.” I said.

“Can you wait, remain, stay, here until I talk, communicate, speak, with the others?” He said.

I watched them from the cave talking in their air. I held my breath and poked my head above the good air into their thin air. Their voices sounded so sharp and harsh. Every sound was loud and it hurt to listen to the normal sounds of their world. At the ledge from where I first came to their mountaintop a hand emerged. Something was in the hand and one of the sky people took it. The hand disappeared. Who hand was it?

Vid returned with the picture rock and we spoke.

“You may have it. Please return it as soon as you can. It’s the only one we have that works, functions, (unknown word), to communicate, relate, talk, with you and the others.” He said.

He showed me what to touch to make it show the story. As I was leaving a group of sky people crowded around the ledge, pulling someone off the ledge. I did not think about it until later.

That afternoon our whole tribe ate cow meat and watched the picture story over and over again until we had all memorized it. No one spoke about the story. It was impolite to discuss another person’s story until a day went by.

“We should show this to the dark friendly people.” Keller said. “They can tell us what it means.”

“It’s just a story. The sky people aren’t so mysterious to me now. They are just like us, only they live on the mountains.” I said.

“They can make things. If they could make a better spear for hunting cows we could hunt more of them.” He said, holding me in the cave of safety after mating. “And they healed your foot.”
            “We can heal our own feet well enough.” I said, although the lack of scars was something I was glad of. I wondered if we healed without scars, would we remember to be as careful of the sheever and other dangerous creatures? “And Vid’s brother did not come back from the dead. If their tribesman could bring people back from the dead, why not him?” I wrapped the picture rock in some leaves. “I’m taking it back tomorrow. If the dark friendly people want to see it I will tell them where to find the sky people next time we trade with them. That should be soon, with all the cow meat you have.” I said.

The next day I went up the tunnel to the sky people’s cave to return their picture rock. As soon as I got into the cave I saw something I could not believe.

On the ground, in the air I could not breathe, sheevers and sky people were standing, talking with hand signals and sounds. Vid had a large piece of white leaf he was making pictures on to show the sheevers. I smashed my fist against the invisible barrier that separated the cave from their air. Did the sky people not know that the sheevers were vicious and likely to turn on them at any moment?

One of the sheevers turned and looked right into my eyes and waved its evil hand as if I were its friend. The sky people had betrayed us by befriending the evil sheevers. I pounded on the wall of the cave and screamed, “Betrayers! Evil ones who befriend the sheevers who took my son!” I shouted.

Vid moved towards the tank and put on his breathing things. I threw the picture rock against the side of the cave and went back down the tunnel, back to my tribe where I told them all I saw.

“You are forbidden from visiting the sky people again Sua.” Said Rini, speaking for the tribe.

“I never want to see them again.” I said. “How dare Vid befriend the murderous sheevers?”

For many days I worked in the garden and tried to forget the sky people, tried and failed. My dreams were troubled. Sometimes I dreamt of Vid’s brother, whom I had killed. He spoke to me and told me to go back to Vid. Sometimes I dreamt of the sheevers who spoke to me, telling me that my son’s death was an accident, but I didn’t believe them. Some nights I dreamt of smashing a rock on a sheever’s head, over and over again until it lay still.

It was a month later that Vid appeared in the garden with another of his kind. Vid pointed to the picture rock and we spoke. My anger had abated a little and I was almost glad to see him.

“Why are you here? Why did you befriend the sheevers? What do you want?” I asked.

“We only wanted to help, aid, fix, repair, the war, anger, danger, between your tribe and theirs.” He said.

“They are beasts. They only kill. They killed my son.” I said.

“I spoke with them. They wish to have peace between your two tribes. We have taught them the (unknown word) and they do not wish to harm, injure, kill, disable you. The tribe that lives over there, in that direction, across the mountain, have made peace with them.” He said.

If the dark friendly people had befriended the sheevers they were stupid. Still, Vid had never said an untruth to me. My tribe appeared around us and I communicated to Vid for them. A council was called and we all went to the cave of safety to talk.

It was decided, rather quickly in my opinion, that I would go with Keller and Rini to the sky people’s mountain and we would talk to one of the sheevers. The good of the tribe was the most important thing so I went along with their decision. I put a spear point in my bag before we left.

When Vid, his friend, Keller, Rini and I got to their cave at the top of the mountain there was chaos. Sky people of a different tribe were herding the sky people of Vid’s tribe into a shiny box, against their will. There were a dozen sheevers dead on the ground and I saw the sky people dragging their bodies to the ledge and throwing them back down the mountain. Vid and the his tribesman went out of the cave into their air and were grabbed by the alien tribe, hit on the head with some kind of stick and dragged into the shiny box.

One of the foreign sky people saw us in the cave and pointed his stick at us. The wall of the cave cracked and our atmosphere fled downward. I had to crouch down to breath and Keller pulled me towards the opening in the floor. I heard a loud sound and the wall of the cave collapsed outward. The rest of the atmosphere disappeared. I held my breath and saw Rini dive into the tunnel, Keller went in to the tunnel feet first and held my hand, dragging me down. The picture rock was just out of my reach. I pulled away from Keller and dragged my heavy body across the floor to grab hold of it. With my last bit of strength I threw it to Keller’s outstretched hand. As I lay there one of the sky people moved to the cave and stepped over the broken wall, kicking me in the chest. The last bit of atmosphere blew out of my mouth and I gasped for air. The sky person looked down and me and pointed its stick at my head. My death would be quick.

 All of a sudden arms grabbed the sky person from behind and pulled him away from me. I crawled towards the hole in the floor. Keller appeared and took hold of my feet hands and pulled my legs into the tunnel opening and into safety. With a last glance backward I saw the sheever ripping the sky man’s neck open with its claws.

I tried to forget the sky people. The tribe watched the story on the picture rock for many nights and various opinions were shared as to the meaning. We gave it to a neighboring tribe who eventually gave it to the sheevers, who had asked them for it. We had to move from our lands because the gardens all died and the cows moved to a different feeding ground. As we traveled to our new home we saw a strange sickness infects all the plants. Some say it is from the sky people, whose giant houses now dot the sky, spilling foul smelling stuff down upon us. Long tubes from their sky houses often push into the ground, wrecking everything around them. Sludge comes up from the ground where the tubes go, killing everything it touches. There is always noise and sometimes strange lights from the sky.

Rini and Keller had begun trading cow meat with the sheevers for ria and other things we were able to grow in our new home. I did not approve of interacting with the sheevers but we needed the food. The sheevers did not attack us any more. I do not know if this was because they had changed or because they wanted to be our friends now. Vid’s words about peace between our tribes came to me whenever we traded with them.

I was gathering ria when Kwimi ran up to me. “Mama, there’s a sheever in the garden, he has something to trade!”

“Get papa and Rini, hurry!” I said.

In the garden a sheever was standing there with the picture rock, it was still playing the story. The sheever held it out towards me.

“We wish you to have this.” He said.

There were bits of food between his teeth. It carried no spear and its food bag was empty.

“We have nothing to trade now. Go away.” I said. Others from my tribe came into the garden. Only one of the women carried a spear, and that was because she’d come back from hunting.

“Klukil, we will give you some food to take home with you.” Said Rini. Others in the tribe nodded and someone produced a bag of fruit for him.

“Sua, take the picture rock.” Said Keller.

I thought about attacking the sheever, Klukil, and killing him. The good of the tribe was above the anger I felt.

“It was you I should have killed, not the sky person.” I said as I handed him the bag of food and took the picture rock.

He bowed to me and took the food. “The sky people have shown us life.” He said, pointing to the rock. “When we find more cows we will bring them to you to trade. If you having nothing to trade we will give you some.”

I was about to respond when one of the sky people’s flying houses appeared high above us.

We all looked up at the sky people’s house. Everyone hoped it would keep moving. It stopped and stayed right above us.

“Do we have to move again mama?” Kwimi asked in a whisper.

“We will help you. The sky people taught us we should help each other.” Said the sheever. “Will you let us help you?”

A great plume of foul looking brown matter gushed from a hole in the bottom the flying house. It was falling towards our heads, slowly.

Klukil moved towards me, opening his hands palm upward, he asked again, “Will you let us help you?”

I looked around and it seemed as though everyone in my tribe, everyone in the whole world, was awaiting my answer.

The End