Index -|-

Thoka blinked her eyes and slowly stretched. She could feel Kpleeb’s warmth behind her. His breathing was slow and steady, a sure sign that he was fast asleep. He had always slept later than her, but she relished the morning quiet time. In the past, she had always wakened early and worked on tasks that required mental clarity and seclusion, but she had changed in the past few months. Now, she often spent the first thirty minutes of her morning laying in his warmth and mentally tracing the powerful patterns she dreamt about.

She began to expect and welcome her dreams. They were a manifestation of her focus. In the last few months as the child grew inside of her, the dreams also grew in frequency and intensity. Thoka had spent time considering the implications of this correlation over the past few months.

[Are my dreams caused by the child? No, how could they be when the dreams occurred first? Then, how can a cavewoman, bearing a fetus have more dreams when she is pregnant? –It must be hormones… right?]

There was a distinct change, whether she could explain it or not. She felt it in the deepest part of her psyche. The changes that had been applied by the entities, or “gods” as Kpleeb called them, that ruled their prison had begun many, many days ago. It had been at least two hundred days according to Thoka’s calendar. These manifestations that touched her had brought Kpleeb to her, and through him, a child. The modifications had maintained a somewhat steady pace at first, but after Thoka became pregnant, she felt them intensify.

[Time to get up. Have to pee.] Thoka gently rolled out of the warm hollow and Kpleeb’s embrace. Kpleeb was used to the sleeping arrangement by this time and did not stir. Thoka padded to the defecation pit and urinated. She followed her normal routine and drank water before settling in to study the invisible forces that she was learning to use.

She held one of her force rods and examined it closely. The miniscule, hair-thin rods that precisely directed the invisible force had bent ever so slightly.

[Amazing. There must be more nuance to this substance.]

Thoka thought it was impossible for the stone to bend since, due to its brittle nature, she had only ever seen it break. The stone was very strong even when it was thin, but there was a proportionate decrease in strength as her rods shrunk. She had worked for many hours, even days, to manufacture rods of ever thinner dimensions. Her efforts were guided by the fact that each new level of detail yielded greater control over the invisible forces. Small was definitely better. It was possible that there was a limit to this trend, but if so, she had not yet reached that limit.

She placed the handle with the bent rod into her vise on the low, knee-level table in front of her and picked up two of her design rods. In her left hand, held like a pair of eating sticks, was a handle. A single rod protruded from the handle and was slightly angled at the very end. This rod was as long as her hand, of medium thickness, and featureless. The handle itself was thicker than the rod and designed to be held between Thoka’s first two fingers and thumb. The base of the handle facing the working end had delicate swirling pattern etched into the stone.

In her right hand she held the other design rod. The handle was much the same as the other, but on the working end four rods of varying shapes, lengths, and sizes grew outward. Three of the four rods were carved with intricate markings. None of these markings were the same. The fourth rod was so thin that it could only be seen when direct light reflected from its edge.

“Light,” she said quietly, “focus on center minus two degrees north.” Thoka lifted her hands and began to work in her slow and concentrated manner.

After some period of time, she heard Kpleeb rustle as he woke and rolled over to watch her work. She smiled to herself at the familiar repetition that had come of their union. She was an independent cavewoman, strong and smart. She realized now that the cavemen of her village in the wet mountains had all been very intimidated by her. She had been oblivious, but now that she knew, she did not care. Fate had brought her to this place and to this particular caveman.

Kpleeb had been intimidated by her as well. He had spoken of it, but they were in these caves alone and had discovered that they fit together. They had been required, for the sake of their own sanity, to adjust and alter the relationship in minor ways. As a result, they retained the best parts of themselves, their strengths and weaknesses while being balanced by the traits of the other.

[It is a strange series of events that brought us here.] Thoka let herself dwell on the sheer improbability of these last months of her life. [Inconceivable– yet surprisingly welcome.] She her more rustling and put down her design rods.

“Hello beautiful,” Kpleeb said in his tenor voice. His accent was still decidedly from the canyon river, but Thoka liked it that way; rustic, but not stupid.

Thoka turned and wrapped her arms around him as he knelt beside her. “Did you sleep well?”

Kpleeb nodded. “I slept great. No dreams. How is the baby?” His hand reached down gently to caress her belly. The baby was just beginning to swell and she appeared slightly larger than her normal size.

Thoka had never been a large cavewoman, nor thin. She still wore her neck piece along with her front and back loincloths. She knew that there was no way to bundle the eventual size away and out of sight as was the custom in the wet mountains. She was still coming to terms with the fact that Kpleeb would see her at her most pregnant.

[But… who else can help me? I must accept and change.]

Thoka ran her fingers through Kpleeb’s curly hair and smiled at him. “I am grateful for you.” She gestured at her work table. “One of these guides bent. I think that is why your rotating device stopped making progress.”

“Bent? How can that be,” said Kpleeb. “Can you fix it?”

“I will make another and use this one to determine how this bending is possible. Also, your shaver rod had been quite effective for the etching and size reduction.” Thoka patted him on his hairy shoulder. “I have an idea about protecting the guides, too.”

“You’re still the smartest person I know, Thoka. Sexy and smart!” Kpleeb grinned. “Can’t lose with you around!”

Thoka shook her head and smiled back at him. “Keep it in your pants, Kpleeb. We’re still here, aren’t we? We are still trapped in this cave by the unknown entities.” She waved her hands at the ceiling. “You are smart too, and we do make a fine team, but we need to get out of here.”

Kpleeb’s grin did not slip, even in the face of their reality. She liked that about him.

“We will escape, Thoka, it’s just a matter of time. I’ll let you keep working. I have a small modification to make on the drill. Let me know when you have the new guide rod and I can start it back up.” Kpleeb stood and walked through the gap into the other cave where his equipment was stored.[He is a good caveman. I got lucky.]

Thoka turned back to her work.

The Index -|-

Kpleeb woke to an enjoyable warmth and softness to which he was entirely unaccustomed. The soft heat of the cave floor did not normally feel so wonderfully encompassing, and he knew that he was dreaming. He sighed and kept his eyes closed. Thoka’s warm body rested next to his, and he could feel her chest slowly expand and contract with her breath.

To his fuzzy mind it was a fantastic dream, and he nestled into the coziness. As with most dreams, nothing remained the same, and after a few seconds he felt a dull ache begin to grow at the back of his neck.

This should not be in my dream.

He shook he head and felt his hair brush something behind him. It feels so real… He reached out hand up and opened his eyes as his fingertips brushed skin.

“Urh… Thoka?” Kpleeb scrambled to his feet as he felt the blood rush to his face.

Thoka stirred and opened her eyes slowly. Her hair was perfect – as usual – and Kpleeb saw her face change from surprise to concern. “Are you okay?” She maneuvered to her knees quickly and reached up to touch his head.

Kpleeb had no idea what she was doing, but he was frozen in place by the swaying of her neck piece. He understood as soon as she touched the bruised spot above his eye.

“Ow! What’s the deal?” he said.

“You fell- or something. I’m not sure. I found you here, facedown earlier. Are you okay?”

Kpleeb took stock of his body at that moment. Bump on head. Wound on neck. Again? Torso: nothing. Disconcerting heat in groin area. He flushed again. Scrape on knee.

“Other than my head and knee, I feel fine. I guess the gods got to me again?”

“Do you remember getting up this morning?” Thoka stood and looked into his eyes.

She has very nice brown eyes. Big too. “Urh… no?”

“You don’t seem sure.”

“Well, I had some kind of dream and I remember walking and then nothing.” Kpleeb shrugged. “Maybe that was it?”

“Kpleeb, I don’t remember ever passing out after the gods changed me. I only remember the fuzzy-brain feeling and being tired and sometimes the dreams. You have the neck wound. Do you not remember the rest?”

Kpleeb paused for a long moment and tried hard to remember. There was a dream, but he could not recall what it was about. He shook his head to test his current level of lightheadedness.

“So you don’t remember?” Thoka said taking his shake for a denial.

“I do not feel fuzz-brained. I do think that I dreamt, but I have no idea what it was about. This is different, but maybe not in a bad way.” Kpleeb smiled at Thoka. “Why were you lying next to me anyway?”

Thoka blushed. “You wouldn’t wake up! I was worried.” She turned and began to walk toward the food outcropping in her cave. “I’m hungry. Are you?”

“Are you trying to change the subject?” Kpleeb grinned widely as Thoka appeared to become flustered.

“I was worried, that’s all. Who knows what these gods will do to us? I thought that maybe you would die or…. be a brain-dead idiot.”

“I do appreciate your concern,” said Kpleeb as he approached Thoka. He boldly wrapped his arms around her in a hug. “Thank you.” He closed his eyes and hoped that she would accept this intimacy from him.

Thoka looked surprised, and though she did not reply, she did return his embrace. They stood there for a drawn-out moment before she let go and turned to speak to the food outcropping.

“Flatbread, please. With melted cheese-of-yak.”

Kpleeb was disappointed. He had thoroughly savored the physical touch and intense feeling of closeness that experienced. He was a caveman after all and no more or less driven by his physical desires than any other caveman. He had some experience with women and had twice before convinced a tundra-girl to share his bed. He was not trying to bed her, but he was not, not trying.

Despite the fact that Thoka was so beautiful, her mind was intimidating to Kpleeb. He had thought from the moment that he saw her that she was different somehow. She was a higher bar even though he was a prisoner in an unknown cave ruled by terribly powerful gods. There were only two of them, and he considered that fact alone to be enough to land him a relationship with any cavegirl. But there was something about her that made him take the situation more seriously.

If Thoka saw the disappointment on his face, Kpleeb could not see any reaction. She appeared as oblivious as she normally did. It was disconcerting to be so dismissed at times when he felt such intense feelings. He was not a quitter.

“Can I have a taste of that?” he asked pointing. “You make such strange food sometimes.”

“Of course.” Thoka ripped a small piece of flatbread off and handed it to him. “This is a quick meal that my nan would make for the kids. In fact, all of the kids in the west mountain tribe called it ‘nan.’ What do you think?”

Kpleeb was still chewing. The bread was slightly chewy and had a nice texture on the outside as if it had been made on a hot stone over a roaring fire. The yak cheese was creamy and pungent, but the earthiness of the bread went very well with it.

“This is very tasty, but you know what this needs?” he said. “Moose-tard.”

“Hmm. Okay, what’s that?”

“It is a tangy yellow sauce. Maybe I can get the outcropping to reproduce it.” Kpleeb made a mental note to complete that task later. “The fab elder Shoofit used to make it the best, and nobody in the whole canyon river tribe knew if he used magic or just had a great secret recipe.”

Kpleeb watched Thoka as she ate and nodded. Having food in the mix definitely meant that she was not thinking about how amazingly great and handsome he was. The moment had passed. Time to move on.

“You know,” said Kpleeb, “I was thinking that you might be able to help me with my rotating wall-breaker device. That is- if you’re interested.”

Thoka nodded and mumbled through her last bite. “Show me what you mean.” She followed him as he returned through the gap into his cave.

“Cave, open a hole here,” he said pointing with his knuckle at a spot in the food outcropping. “Fill this with water.” The cave complied as it always did, and water began to fill the bowl, pour through the opening he had requested, and run down a chute onto his device.

“I have this water wheel. It turns, and this system of wheels here reduce the speed and rotate the final piece. It appears that as the speed of the wheel is reduced it also produces more force. The final piece, the bit, is sharp you see.” Kpleeb put his finger on the point of the bit. “I will push this against the grey stone and let the bit turn slowly and eat at the grey stone wall.”

“Will it work?” Thoka said. She bent and examined the device closely. “It will need to be pressed firmly against the wall, but… the grey stone is so dense. I don’t know what can possibly scar that stone.”

“-Except itself.” Kpleeb nodded. “I cannot get a piece of grey stone to use as the tip of this device. That’s why you might be able to help me.”

“How? I don’t have any grey stone or any substance that is strong enough.”

You have your ugly rod that directs the hidden forces. Can you not use that power to reinforce the tip of my device?”

“Well, maybe? I don’t know. This is a different application than I have ever thought of.”

“I believe in you, Thoka,” said Kpleeb with a smile. “You’re the smartest person I know. When our hammer fell against the wall, it did leave a mark.” He pointed at the spot. “It is small, but it has not changed since then. I thought that it would have repaired itself by now, but it has not changed.”

“But the voice, Kpleeb. It commanded your hammer to become dust. What can we do against that?”

“We must proceed slowly and make smaller portions of damage to the wall. We will learn much as we do so.”

“It seems that you have become as infected with learning as I have,” Thoka said. She placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

“Yes, but not math. I don’t care for math, although I can now believe why it might be important. But about this device,” Kpleeb squatted on hairy calves and quads, “if you can strengthen the tip of my grinding stone, it just might be able to scratch the grey wall. A scratch, in time, will break through. Right?”

Thoka saw what he meant and nodded. “I will build something, just give me time, okay?”

Thoka and Kpleeb talked, ate, and slept (separately). The next few days were spent mostly in isolation. It was not Kpleeb’s wish. He wanted to work and watch Thoka, but she was adamant about having time to work alone.

Finally, one day at breakfast, she spoke.

“I think I have figured out how to strengthen your stone bit.

“I knew you could do it, show me!”

“I will after we eat. I just have to make one more piece. I do have a request of my own.”

“Well, what is it? Of course, I would do anything for you.”

Thoka looked at Kpleeb fondly. “You are a sweet caveman, Kpleeb. Thank you for being so supportive and thoughtful.”

“Kpleeb flushed slightly and shrugged.”

“Anyway, I want you to sleep next to me tonight. If you are interested.”

“Urh-” Kpleeb’s mouth flapped stupidly for a second while his mind reeled at the shock. “I thought… I did not know that you were…” He squared his shoulders. “Yes, I am interested. How could I not be? I have been interested. Why now? What did-“

“-questions for another time. I expect that we have much time, after all, look around us.”

“I understand, let us eat and then you can show me your magic stone strengthener.”

“It’s not magic, but… okay.”

Kpleeb gulped down his remaining few bites, and sat impatiently as Thoka ate at her normal pace. When she was finally done, she picked up a bowl that had been resting on a shelf on the far wall and carried it into Kpleeb’s cave. They worked together for many minutes and the time stretched into the afternoon when the sun was past its prime.

When they were done the device stood unaltered except for the bit. It was now bulbous and engorged with several protrusions. There were three mounts that angled to point at the end of the cone-shaped tip. The mounts were built into the bit’s main shaft and would rotate with the tip. On each mount was one of Thoka’s rods. These were new, though to the untrained eye their purpose would not be obvious.

Thoka stepped close to Kpleeb and slid under the arm he placed around her shoulders. “Okay, cavecraftsman Kpleeb, start it up.”

“Outcropping, fill with water.”

It began. The water filled and moved down the chute onto the water wheel. The wheel turned – slowly at first then picking up speed. The shafts turned, and Kpleeb’s multi-wheel system reduced the speed at the tip. The tip rotated with Thoka’s rods mounted at exactly 120 degrees around the circumference of the shaft.

Kpleeb pulled a lever that extended the bit outward by a finger length. The rotating bit converged on exactly the same spot where Kpleeb’s hammer had fallen many days in the past.

Thoka reached out and placed a small rod with thin, straight hairs into a mount behind the lever. “This should keep that bit pressed tight against the wall.”

They stood together and quietly watched the device for several minutes Now that they had completed their task, Kpleeb’s mind was already on Thoka’s invitation. He looked up at the sun, but he saw no sign of it dimming.

It is going to be a long afternoon, Kpleeb thought nervously.