A Texas girl finds herself admiring a light in the sky only to find out it is indeed an alien, which transports her to another time long long ago in Africa and pairs her with a Neanderthal population in hopes that her descendants will populate Nort...
As a gift, the next day Junga brought them a freshly killed boar to eat. Riangi would have eaten it raw but not Julie. They knew she preferred her meat cooked and would bring it that way. It tasted boiled to her, but that was far better than raw. They prepared the food by wrapping it in broad fig leaves and soaking it before setting it on the edges of the fire. But this day Junga brought her a fresh kill.
Julie would have none of it and decided that it was time to start a fire of her own. She sent the children out for wood, explaining to them the kind and quantity, and she prepared the pit. Using one of the Basindi spears she had Riangi spit the beast, and then showed him how to secure it to the pole. Then she gathered some stones suitable for igniting a fire. Only Riangi knew what she was about to do. He skinned and gutted the pig on the black sandy beach and then cutting the entrails and the larger pieces up into smaller manageable sizes he handed them out to the children who went off slurping up the tender, moist organs like they were sweet fruit. Julie nearly vomited at the sight. Little did she know the matrons who collected her placenta from the lake would consume it, first giving some to the clans' shaman.
The Sun rose behind the thick black clouds coming out of the Mountain. Steam rose off of the lake at the foot of the mountain and moved quickly toward the Basindi village. Julie nursed her new baby, smiling at her precious package with his soft blond hair and the bluest eyes she had seen. It was a boy. It was me, Jason. Riangi wanted to named me Jasi, but Julie had already picked a name for her first baby. She wanted Mason. After some discussion, they combined the two names and called me Jason.
Why haven't we seen Junga lately? Julie asked Kamrasi who had kept her company while Riangi left to go hunting.
Tabi told me this morning, said Kamrasi, that he had been seen by the lake trying to convince the clan elders that Jason is evil spirit.
He is Jealous of you Julie, said young Sinomi, who with Tabi had been trying to stay out of trouble in this strange new place and had befriended several of the young strong warriors - children of the clan elders. The children were still gathering near Julie and her friends, curious about the light-colored newborn child, and curious about the pile of wood and flint she had them gather. She looked over at the children and finding the youngest ones, asked two of them to come closer.
How are you called? She asked the two girls.
Baba, said one, Baba, said the younger of the two.
You are both called Baba, asked Julie. Why should I question anything here, she thought to herself. Do you know what I am going to do with this wood?
Make a fire, said the younger Baba.
Yes, said Julie. I'm going to cook this meat that your shaman has given us. The children all chuckled and repeated the word cook. Curious whispers and awkward giggles came from the girls, and defiant harrumph from some of the boys.
Yellow Face, said Tataba, why are you going to do that? We never burn our meat. The shamans always prepare it for us. There are hot waters everywhere.
The oldest boy came forward. He had in his hand, a burning brand, and offered it to Julie. I am called Kitquanna, he said sweeping his arm towards the distant rumbling mountain. His name meant Black Hill, and indeed, he was as dark as the cinders along the beach.
Julie had already gathered the kindling and wood together in a perfect pile and struck the stones together and in an instant, the dry wood sparked into life. Kitquanna pushed the air away and scoffed. Then he turned and walked towards the lake. The other boys seemed unsure whether or not to follow, but a glance back from their leader gave them the answer they needed.
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