SABIS the SURVIVOR

Chapter 4: The Hand Is Closing

Chapter 4: The Hand Is Closing

Her fingers stretched and flexed while Eldris untied the Gordion knot made of Qivus cord that bound her ankles so tightly.

"Claris, the material that has been spun into this resilient cord comes from the hair of the bearded beast. Some materials from animals cannot be matched by plant materials for their durability. It is wise to consider both animal and plant life when searching for solutions to a problem."

Then Eldris continued his lesson:

"Look upon how I have fashioned this knot to hold onto any struggling prey. I begin in the center and then I form layer upon layer until the core of the knot is no longer visible."

As Eldris explained the intricacies of his knot, Claris surveyed the Hall for more secrets that she had previously overlooked. On the far side across from the entrance, the wall had been split into sections. Each section was adorned with a blue-green gem that pulsated at regular intervals.

"It is done," Eldris said as he crouched low to the ground. She shook out her feet to regain their full feeling then moved towards the far wall.

Eldris followed her with the Qivus cord now tied loosely around his waist.

"Do you know what that wall holds, my young one?"

Claris thought she knew the answer to that one. She straightened up her lithe yet muscular frame and proudly proclaimed, "Yes, it holds the bodies of our ancestors."

Eldris did not seem impressed.

"Claris, I will tell you exactly what lies hidden in these walls if you can successfully perform this next task."

Claris' knees buckled just a tad. Eldris then pulled out his stone blade and placed it in his open left hand. Its handle was ordinary but the blade that belonged to it gleamed with a bluish-green glow that was almost identical to the gems that pulsated in the wall that they stood next to.

"I will hold my blade very loosely by its handle. You will then try to take it from my hand before I close my hand completely."

Eldris asked her if she was ready. Claris nodded yes.

As her head returned to neutral, Claris dropped down into a squat and placed her two hands onto the ground under her lower back. She rolled to her left while she kicked her right leg at Eldris' still open hand.

Eldris saw her leg whizzing towards him and he surprised Claris by dropping his blade. As he did this, he threw his left arm and entire left side forward and then over Claris' right leg. When her leg met Eldris' left hand, he caught it and trapped her leg with his left upper arm and armpit. He then fell to the ground with his back to Claris and quickly grabbed his stone blade with his right hand and held it up in the air.

"I have it! My hand is now closed."

Claris blushed and frowned. She had been outmaneuvered by an Elder. Lying on the ground, gazing up at the high ceiling, she recalled her dance training from her younger time...

It was approximately two thousand steam cycles ago, when her Father had brought her to the clearing that separated the Under and the OverStrata. This plateau between the warm air below and the cooler air above was named the Under Shteshur. It is where Over and UnderStrata tribe members trade items, complete business transactions, and share heated discussions about tribal affairs. Many members call this plateau the U.S. for short.

Her Father knew a private spot in the U.S. where they could be alone. To find this spot, they first had to rock climb their way to a dead-end where they then moved a large boulder to the side, exposing a low arched passageway to another room with a higher ceiling that was lit by a pale light that descended from the heavens. In this room, her Father liked to hum tunes and do gymnastics. He moved his body like he was hanging in mid-air, half-way to the ground, like he was aiming an arrow without any sound. He grasped for branches that lay just out of reach, with tears of joy on his nose and drool on his cheeks.

"Claris, you can do these movements that I show you."

And her Father helped her to find the coordination and nimbleness that would help her to track and kill, escape dangerous situations, and launch her into a world of thrills.

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Claris continued to lie in the gemstone dust across from Eldris while she recalled her Father's teachings. Then she started to chant:

"Two thousand days have gone by and perhaps more. What awaits me on this journey, lessons about my core? The past happened and lies mostly buried underneath. Now I'm more interested in the lessons that I can bequeath.

Mid-stride is where I aim, right in the middle of the play, huddled in a heap soaked with sweat. Mid-stride I say, in the center of the action. Glad to feel the wind on my back, as I launch myself into eternal satisfaction.

That is how I wish to go, in a messy dirt-bath of effort, not lying down or moving slow. But living every moment and at each new turn, sucking in my last deep breath as I take my final turn."

Eldris sucked in a long and slow breath then extolled the virtues of failure:

"You can learn something from every misstep─it leads to a place that can help you more than if you succeed on your first attempt. What do you think you can learn from this loss?"

Claris looked at the ground where Eldris had fallen on purpose moments before. Then she looked at the Hall of the Ancients in all of its glory. Finally, she looked straight at Eldris.

"I learned that these tests are not about me. They are opportunities to learn about others and the world around me. The best resource and weapon that I possess is my curiosity about the world around me. I can survive without my bone blade and wartis but I can't survive without the power of observation and curiosity."