Helix and the Arrival Read online

  ‘He’s a strong man,’ I say. ‘If anyone can survive, he can. Come on. You have to come with me to Rockfall.’

  ‘Rockfall? At this time of night? You must be joking! I’ll come in the morning,’ he says. ‘After breakfast.’

  ‘In the morning after breakfast! You’ll be too late.’

  ‘Listen … whoever-you-said-your-name-was. I don’t do cave calls after dark. Never have; never will.’

  ‘But Korg told me to get you –’

  ‘Korg? Korg the Magnificent asked you to fetch me?’

  ‘Yes,’ I say.

  ‘Well, why didn’t you say so … What did you say your name was?’

  ‘Helix.’

  ‘Helix … Never heard of you … I’ll just fetch a few things.’ He bends down and lifts up the corner of a skin rug, revealing a small pit dug into the floor of the cave. It’s full of curious objects, some that once belonged to animals – paws, ears, furs and tails – as well as a collection of sacred rocks of different colours and sizes. He sees me looking at his stash and blocks my view with his body.

  ‘Take this,’ he says, tossing his drink bladder at me while letting out another pop of loincloth wind. ‘Fill it for me.’

  ‘What with?’ I say.

  ‘Suup,’ he says, pointing to the stone pot. ‘I need my suup to keep me strong.’

  I move towards the stone pot and take in its steam. The suup smells a lot like the gas explosions that are coming out of Krike.

  After Krike collects what he needs and places it all in a skin sack attached to his belt, we begin our walk through the night. Krike is slow and wants to rest much too often. By the time we reach Rockfall, it’s so late in the night that there’s no sign of anyone – folk have returned to their caves and are fast asleep.

  I take Krike to Ugthorn’s cave, hoping it’s not too late. When we arrive, the Uglets are asleep in the corner. Ug, Edla, Korg and Speel are sitting around Ugthorn, who still has his eyes closed and is taking short sharp breaths.

  ‘Are we too late?’ I say, almost dragging Krike through the entrance.

  ‘Sh,’ Speel says to me. ‘Ugthorn is weak and needs rest.’

  ‘Your Magnificence,’ says Krike to Korg, bowing before him. ‘I came as fast as I could.’

  ‘As fast as you could?’ I think. ‘A mountain sloth could have made it in half the time.’

  ‘Do what you can to help this man,’ says Korg. ‘He is one of our finest hunters. He is in your hands now.’

  ‘I will do my best, Your Magnificence.’

  Everyone makes room for Krike to get close to Ugthorn. He kneels beside him and raises his hands, palms facing downwards, above Ugthorn’s chest.

  ‘His energy is weak,’ Krike says. ‘The poison is in his blood. It may be too late.’

  ‘Please,’ says Edla. ‘Please help him.’

  Ug still looks like he’s in shock. I don’t blame him. Ugthorn’s skin looks pale and each breath he takes seems harder than the last. It’s as if the life is draining out of him.

  Krike reaches into the sack of objects that he brought from his secret cave pit. He takes out two smooth, round sacred rocks. They are oval-shaped and the size of mountain hen eggs. One is green, the other purple. He carefully places the purple rock beside Ugthorn’s left ear and the green one beside his right.

  ‘What will that do?’ asks Edla.

  ‘The purple rock is a life giver – it takes energy from the heavens and feeds it into your husband. The green rock is an extractor – it will remove the poison from his veins. Do not touch these rocks. They should remain in place for three nights.’

  Ug is looking more alert now. ‘Can you do something for the wound?’ he says. ‘It still bleeds.’

  ‘The wound itself does not need treating,’ says Krike. ‘The sacred rocks are what is required.’

  Ugthorn’s side has been padded with a skin that is now soaked with blood. Even I know that this isn’t a good sign.

  ‘There must be something you can do for the bleeding,’ I say.

  Speel swivels around and gives me a piercing look with his one eye. ‘Do not question the knowledge of Krike, the medicine man.’

  To show his thanks for Speel’s support, Krike lets out another loud burp. Patting his lips, he says, ‘As I was saying, sacred rocks are the first treatment with a wound of this nature. In the morning, when the rocks have had their chance to work, I will make a sacred medicine for him.’

  ‘Very good,’ says Korg, nodding, but I don’t sense much hope in his voice.

  ‘If the boy could show me to the guest cave, I would be most grateful,’ says Krike. ‘I am weary from my long and rapid journey and need all my energies to summon a cure from the heavens tomorrow.’

  A cure from the heavens? Is he serious?

  I stand up and lead Krike away. I show him to the guest cave and make sure he is comfortable. He opens his drink bladder and takes a swig of his suup. Then, looking like he’s about to sit, he lets out a goodnight raaaaaarp from the back of his loincloth. It sounds, I imagine, similar to the sound of a hill toad being slowly squashed.

  We both look at each other. It’s an uncomfortable stare for me, though Krike seems perfectly at ease.

  ‘Is there anything else you need?’ I say, holding my breath while talking (which is really difficult).

  ‘I suppose this will have to do,’ he says, still unhappy at being dragged away from his cave so late at night.

  I leave him to his own company, wondering what qualified him to become a medicine man and hoping that I never fall gravely ill in Rockfall.

  The next day begins like any other, except that everyone in my family is saddened by the news of Ugthorn and his ailing health.

  ‘Do you think Krike, the medicine man, will help?’ Dad asks me.

  ‘He didn’t look very helpful when I was there. All he did was place a couple of stones beside Ugthorn’s head.’

  ‘If they were sacred rocks, Helix, then their powers are much greater than you could ever understand,’ grunts Sherwin.

  ‘Anyway, it’s up to the heavens now,’ says Mum, looking upwards.

  ‘How is it up to the heavens to decide?’ I say. ‘Isn’t it up to Krike? He’s the medicine man. He’s the one who’s supposed to have the knowledge to save Ugthorn.’

  ‘What do you mean, Helix?’ says Mum.

  ‘Well, if it were up to the heavens to decide whether Ugthorn lives or dies, why even bother getting Krike to help? We might as well just sit around and wait for the heavens to make up their minds. And even then, I still don’t get it: if the heavens are supposedly as glorious as all that, why would they allow Ugthorn to be savaged in the first place?’

  Mum and Dad look lost for words. But Sherwin isn’t.

  ‘You’re too young and immature to understand, Helix. When you are a caveman – assuming you do actually pass your Arrival – you will have a greater sense of the heavens and the glorious world we live in.’

  ‘Oh. Right. Thanks for that bit of wisdom, Sherwin,’ I say.

  Our cave is feeling pretty cramped today. For once I’m happy to go to one of Speel’s Learnings.

  Just as I get up to leave, a message arrives on behalf of Korg. He has requested that Dad, Mum and Sherwin visit his cave after breakfast.

  I can see Sherwin’s small brain trying to make sense of the message: ‘Me … In Korg’s cave … Something glorious is bound to happen.’

  ‘I wonder what he wants,’ says Mum.

  ‘Maybe he’s going to honour us,’ says Dad.

  ‘For what? We’ve done nothing honourable,’ says Mum.

  ‘Maybe he wants to talk about my torism idea.’

  ‘Yes, perhaps to tell you to stop bothering people with it,’ says Mum.

  ‘Maybe Sherwin’s in trouble,’ I say. ‘Isn’t there a tablet somewhere saying that you’re not allowed to spend more than half of your life asleep?’

  Sherwin shifts towards me, thinking of inflicting some pain, but Mum leans tow
ards her whacking stick and he decides not to risk it.

  Mum quickly brushes her hair with her comb carved from bone. ‘How do I look, Jerg?’

  ‘Fine,’ says Dad, with a dismissive wave.

  ‘You look great, Mum,’ I say.

  ‘Thanks, dear.’

  The four of us leave the cave together. We part ways when I get to Speel’s cave and Mum, Dad and Sherwin continue on to Korg’s.

  I’m surprised to see Ug waiting to attend Speel’s Learning, too. I’d assumed he would be excused because of his father.

  ‘How’s your dad?’ are my first words to him.

  Ug looks off to the side and answers, ‘He is sleeping.’

  I wish I could say something to make him feel better, but I know that the only way to make his sadness go away would be for Ugthorn to recover.

  ‘Do you think he’s better?’ I ask.

  Ug shrugs his wide shoulders. His eyes look heavy and his face is long.

  ‘Has Krike been back to see him?’

  ‘He is there now.’

  ‘I don’t understand why Krike didn’t do anything about the bleeding –’

  ‘Helix!’ He meets my eyes now. ‘This is not your business. All right?’

  For once I’m relieved to hear Speel’s voice. ‘Come in, boys. I’m ready for you.’

  We enter his oversized cave and take our seats on the thin skins in front of the raging fire. Crag and Tor are chipping away in front of their small fire. They look up and give us their usual stare of resentment.

  ‘Today’s Learning will be about the lowlands and the people who live there.’

  He says the word ‘people’ as if it creates a bad taste in his mouth.

  ‘Who can tell me how the river people came to this world?’ he says.

  I know the story, but I don’t feel like repeating it.

  Ug says, ‘They grew from the mud.’

  ‘Very good, Ug. And what else grows from this mud?’

  ‘Their food,’ says Ug.

  ‘Yes. And why do they grow their food? Helix, you tell me.’ He locks his eye on me.

  ‘Because they do not have the skills to hunt like mountain folk do,’ I say in a monotone.

  ‘Very true. The river people are an unskilled race who rely on a lesser form of sustenance. These “crops”, as they are called, are only edible to them because they grow out of the same mud that they were created from.’

  ‘Have you tried them?’ I ask.

  Speel opens his mouth to talk, but nothing comes out. He shifts uncomfortably as though he’s sitting on an arrowhead, then says, ‘Ug. Tell Helix why his question is that of a fool.’

  Ug has to think for a moment, but then it comes to him. ‘It is written on the sacred tablets that crops from the lowlands are unclean as they grow in the same mud that the river people were formed in.’

  Speel gestures with both hands towards Ug. ‘Helix, you would do well to keep up with your Learnings like Ug here.’

  Anger swells in my belly, like a river bursting its banks. I want to tell him that I refuse to be told that something is true just because an ancient tablet says it is. The problem, though, is that my instincts are all I have to protest with. If only I had travelled the world, like my great-grandfather Herb (who no one believes, I’ll admit), then I’d be able to stand up and speak the truth.

  ‘And what of their roundhouses,’ says Speel now. ‘Why is it that river people live in roundhouses?’

  I jump in before Ug gets a chance. ‘Why not?’ I say. ‘They’re well-built and look to be comfortable enough for a large family.’ This I know from my own eyes.

  Speel looks to Ug. ‘I think your friend’s imagination is getting the better of him. Ug, can you answer, please?’

  ‘They live in roundhouses because caves were intended for mountain folk.’

  ‘And what of these roundhouses?’ prompts Speel.

  ‘They are made of the mud that the river people themselves grew out of. They are poor, sad imitations of our glorious caves on the mountain,’ says Ug.

  I put my hand up to speak. ‘Can I just say, I’ve seen their roundhouses and they are sturdy, big and clean-looking. There’s nothing wrong with them.’

  ‘Of course they appear to be fine,’ laughs Speel. ‘They are designed to fool our eyes from up on the mountain. But up close they are a sad spectacle, worthy only of those who dwell aimlessly in the lowlands.’

  ‘No. We’ve seen them up close from the grasslands in front of the river. Tell him, Ug.’

  Ug is being pulled in two directions. He hesitates. His eyes shift towards me and then back to Speel. In the end he makes his choice.

  ‘I do not know what he means,’ says Ug to Speel.

  ‘Helix, you’d be wise not to make assertions about things of which you know nothing. I am the Storykeeper and these tablets,’ he says, gesturing behind him, ‘form the truth of our people.’

  It’s hopeless.

  I nod.

  Not only is the Storykeeper against me, but so is my best friend.

  I walk back into my family’s cave to find a celebration taking place. Dad has brought out a piece of dried hard-shell that he was saving for the summer solstice. He’s cutting it up into bite-size chunks. There’s just enough to go around between the four of us.

  Mum has her arm around Sherwin and is smiling from ear to ear.

  Sherwin is the happiest of all. His chest is puffed out and his fists are clenched, as if he’s just speared a bison and brought it back to Rockfall on his own.

  ‘What’s going on?’ I say.

  ‘Helix!’ says Dad. ‘Sherwin’s getting married!’

  ‘What?’ Who would marry Sherwin?

  Dad goes on. ‘Korg has told us that a marriage has been arranged. The girl will be informed shortly, but the family has already agreed.’

  ‘Korg says she’s from a good family and has a strong temperament,’ says Sherwin.

  ‘I knew my boy would find a wife!’ squeals Mum.

  ‘Technically, he didn’t find a wife,’ I point out. ‘A wife has been found for him – it’s not quite the same.’

  ‘Helix!’ says Mum.

  This poor girl, is all I can think. I wonder if she knows she’s marrying one of the oldest bachelors in Rockfall.

  ‘Congratulations, Sherwin,’ I say, because I have to say something. ‘When’s the big ceremony?’

  ‘We’ll set a date soon,’ says Mum. ‘Probably after your Arrival, Helix.’

  ‘I’m going for a walk,’ I say.

  No reply. Mum and Dad have turned their attention back to Sherwin, the only son of theirs who will ever become a proper caveman. I slink out, happy to escape the celebration.

  I decide to head for the Ledge, where I can place Rockfall underneath me, out of my sight. As I make my way through Rockfall, though, I hear a scream coming from Korg’s cave. Saleeka explodes from the entrance, crying. Her parents are following but, before long, they give up the chase and let her go.

  I continue to the Ledge, pretty sure she’s headed there too.

  Sure enough, when I arrive, Saleeka’s sitting there, staring out beyond. Her eyes are hollow. She’s stopped crying, but her tears have formed salt lines down her cheeks. Then I see something that alarms me.

  She’s holding a flint blade in one hand and rubbing her thumb over the sharp edge, daring it to slice her.

  I lower myself slowly and sit down beside her, trying not to focus on the blade.

  ‘Did you know?’ she asks.

  ‘Know what?’

  She turns and faces me. ‘Helix, do not play games with me. Not now.’

  ‘Saleeka, I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ I say.

  She opens her mouth a couple of times but the words won’t come out. On the third try she says, ‘They’re making me marry your brother.’

  ‘Oh no. It’s you.’

  She moves the flint knife towards her neck.

  ‘What are you doing?’ I say. ‘Don’t –�
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  But before I can stop her, she begins cutting. The flint makes a scraping sound as it slices through her matted hair.

  ‘I don’t think that’s going to be a great look,’ I say.

  She keeps cutting. Thick, tangled locks of hair fall onto the Ledge and below. The people of Rockfall must be wondering why it’s raining hair from the heavens. No doubt Speel will find a reason for it in his tablets.

  Saleeka stops cutting when there’s no hair left to grab. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much of her face. It’s pale and soft, and she looks more like a young cavegirl than she did before. Too young to be married, if you ask me.

  ‘It’s not fair,’ she blubbers. Tears seem to be coming from everywhere, now – her eyes, nose and mouth. ‘I don’t want to get married yet. And I want to choose.’

  ‘What if you say no? You said no to that Nobak guy last time.’

  ‘This time it’s different. The marriage has been arranged by Korg and that stupid Speel.’

  ‘What’s Speel got to do with it?’ I say.

  ‘He went through the family-tree tablets to find the best match. Apparently our family lines haven’t crossed for at least three generations, which is supposedly good.’

  ‘But you can still say no, can’t you?’

  ‘Yes, I can say no. But if I do, they will send me to the Dark Side. And if I get sent to the Dark Side, my family will feel they need to follow me, and I don’t want them to make that choice.’

  ‘So you’re going to marry him … It’s so wrong,’ I say.

  ‘Everything about this place is wrong,’ says Saleeka. She wipes the tears from her face and heaves in a long sniff. We stare out blankly into the distance beyond the lowlands, where the farlands fall away to Land’s End.

  ‘You know what this means?’ I say.

  ‘What?’

  ‘You’ll have to eat my mother’s food.’

  ‘Shut up, Helix. Nothing about this is funny.’ She pulls out a skinkerchief and blows her nose.

  ‘Sorry. You’re right.’

  We are both tired of words, so we sit and stare into the distance. Even though the world looks far less complicated with Rockfall below us, I can’t help but think that my two best friends, Ug and Saleeka, need help right now. And although I feel that I should be the one helping them, I’m powerless.