The black devils cave, p.23
The Black Devil's Cave, page 23
“But why do you have to hide? What happened?” Jenny asked.
“You. You happened,” the Great Mother responded with a sad expression. “I won’t blame the two of you for the crimes committed by your species, but your race has caused the extinction of many other hominins. Yes, the environment is also a factor, but we’ve survived multiple climate changes, and we’ve managed to overcome the natural obstacles. However, none of the other species of humans was ready for you, the Homo sapiens sapiens.”
The young woman entered the room again and said something in the strange clicking language.
“Naneyu and the others are almost here,” Gideon announced. “Let’s go and greet them. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see you! After that, we’ll have a celebration and a feast.”
“We can continue our conversation some other time,” the Great Mother added. “We’ll try to answer the most fundamental question of all: what does it mean to be human? But now, let’s go and eat.”
Chapter 46
The approaching group was barely visible in the semi-dark corridor, illuminated only by algae. But then, one small silhouette separated from the others and started running in their direction. Soon, Naneyu was in Jenny’s arms, with Sonia trying to hug him at the same time and covering the child’s head with kisses.
“You’re home,” Jenny said, her voice trembling with emotion. “You’re finally safe! Why didn’t you tell us who you were?”
“Would you believe me?” Naneyu responded with a question.
“Probably not. But you could at least bring us here!”
“This is our main settlement, but it’s not my home,” the boy explained. “I live in another village, far away. We were not close enough for the Great Mother to send me a guiding animal. My own mom also went looking for me, but it took a long time before she could find me. Do you want to meet her?”
Not waiting for the response, Naneyu led them to a tall woman. Her clothes were in rags, and her face and arms were covered with cuts, bruises, and dried blood, but her eyes glowed with happiness. Jenny hesitated to offer a handshake, unsure if such a gesture would be understood. Before she made up her mind, the woman wrapped her arms around Jenny’s neck. She then hugged Sonia and said something in her strange language.
“My mom says that from now on, you’re her sisters. Among my people, it means that she’s ready to give her life for you,” Naneyu explained.
“Speaking of giving a life, Sergei’s survived the ambush and is doing much better,” Sonia said. “I’d let you talk to him, but I have no signal in these caves. And I don’t see any charging stations for the Denisovans’ iPhones.”
“I know Sergei’s survived and is going to fully recover. I can feel these things,” the boy responded.
“They’ve told us you’re six years old. I don’t think I’m ready to accept it,” Jenny said hesitantly.
“It is true, although I’m almost seven,” the boy confirmed. “We’re born knowing, and by the time we’re ten, we’re fully mature and ready to start a family. Of course, we still learn, although we don’t have schools like yours. I’ve learned English from Gideon. He’s also taught me about your ways, but your world is still a shock to me. I don’t think any of my people can imagine a big city populated by your species or understand the purpose of all the things you use every day.”
“Can’t they see it with their mind?” Sonia wanted to know.
“It doesn’t work this way,” Naneyu explained. “We feel more than we see. What we see has to come through what we feel. Does it make sense?”
“No, not really,” Sonia shook her head.
“Let me try,” Gideon offered, approaching the women. “Their brains are bigger than ours, and so were the Neanderthals’, but it’s not about the size. It’s how the brain is used. I believe that a large part of the Denisovan brain is wired for heightened senses. That’s what Naneyu means by feeling things. As a result, they’re much better equipped to perceive the world around them and detect even the subtle changes in the environment.”
“Detect what?” Sonia asked.
“Well, I never dissected their brain, and even if I did, I wouldn’t be able to analyze or understand what I saw. But I suspect they can detect electrical impulses and infrared radiation. They have something similar to echolocation, and they are sensing the Earth’s magnetic field. None of these abilities is unique, and these phenomena have been observed among different animals. But, of course, there is more, and there are things I can’t really explain. I’m sure Ennana will talk to you about it.”
“How many husbands does she have?” Jenny wanted to know.
“She used to have five, but only two are still alive—me and another guy, a purebred Denisovan.”
“Hmmm.… polyandry, one woman having several husbands…. It’s not that common in human cultures,” Jenny commented. “Guys usually prefer it the other way around. Although I believe polyandry has been practiced in Asia, in parts of Nepal, Tibet, China, and India. Maybe influenced by the Denisovans?”
“Maybe,” Gideon agreed, “but I don’t know for sure. All I know is that this entire race has been close to extinction. For some reason, Denisovan women stopped having children. This was when they encouraged women to have multiple sexual partners to increase their chances of getting pregnant. I’ve mentioned their brains and how they’re wired and have heightened instincts. But there’s a tradeoff. They’re not exactly great with science and technology, and they don’t excel in problem-solving. But to their credit, they did everything to ensure their survival. They discovered that exposure to their green algae increased fertility, and they built an elaborate system of tubs and tubes in which women could bathe in water mixed with algae.”
“Wait a minute!” Jenny grabbed the man’s arm. “This sounds VERY familiar. Do they have writing?”
“Yes, they do,” Gideon responded, surprised by Jenny’s reaction. “They didn’t exactly invent it. They willingly admit that they’ve stolen the idea from our species, but they have it, and they’ve even created their own alphabet.”
“Did they write books about bathing in that green stuff?” Jenny was still squeezing Gideon’s arm.
“Of course, they did. They wrote many books with remedies for infertility.”
“What else did they use?”
“Plants and herbs, including some herbal hybrids that they’ve created, and that don’t grow anywhere else,” Gideon explained.
“What else?”
“Well, they always use their spirituality and look into the stars. But why is it important?” Gideon gave Jenny a quizzical look.
“It is to me, and probably to thousands of other scholars, especially historians,” Jenny said. “You’ve just solved the puzzle of probably the most mysterious book ever found. Have you heard of a Voynich manuscript?”
“I think it rings the bell, but I’m not sure.” The man shook his head.
“Doesn’t matter,” Jenny said. “Naneyu was able to read from it, and now I know why.”
“Did it help?” Sonia asked.
“Did what help?” Gideon turned to her.
“Did these green algae help with fertility?”
“Maybe it did, or it was a combination of factors, but the tribe rebounded. There’s now more of them. There are also more individuals, who are the offspring of Denisovans and our species, and it’s always good to mix the genes. Although nowadays, they are careful about interbreeding with our race. Some mixed children entered human societies, and it raised the brows because they revealed their special healing powers.”
“Was one of them that Russian mystic, Grigori Rasputin?” Sonia asked.
“Yes,” Gideon confirmed. “He wasn’t the second generation born to a Homo sapiens mother and a Denisovan father. His grandmother cheated on her husband with a man from the Denisovan tribe. However, these healing powers are not the same for all. Some Denisovans can do it better than others. With Rasputin, they were relatively strong for a human mix.
“Naneyu’s senses are exceptionally powerful, which is why he’s been chosen to go to the United States. The plan was to demonstrate what Denisovans had to offer and arrange for protection for the entire tribe. With some of the latest technologies, they believe they won’t be able to remain hidden for much longer.”
“Well, sending the kid wasn’t a particularly smart plan,” Jenny frowned. “In fact, if you don’t mind me saying that, it was plain stupid.”
“They’re not good at planning,” Gideon explained. “Our species is much better with it.”
“Yeah, which means that you must be the exception.” Jenny looked hard at the man. “If you sent this boy and his not much older guardian to the United States in hopes of starting an inter-species dialogue, I’d say you were extremely naïve. Any other word I might use to describe your so-called plan would be really offensive.”
“I know, and trust me, I blame myself for Oge’s death,” Gideon sighed. “Maybe I’ve been with the tribe for too long because I forget how my own race thinks or acts.”
Jenny looked at the old man’s troubled face and decided to let it go. Instead, she turned to Naneyu.
“So, how did your people manage to rescue you from Krill and his thugs?” she asked the boy.
“They didn’t. It wasn’t them,” Naneyu responded but did not elaborate, leaving Jenny and Sonia wondering how he managed to escape.
Chapter 47
The haze slowly lifted, and Lisa thought she saw the strange-looking people walking away with the boy. But did she? Was it real? And if it was, who were they? Maybe they were not strange-looking at all. Maybe Krill and his men found them and took the child away. Yes, it was the only logical explanation, although she didn’t understand why they would leave her behind. Because they thought she was done and just left her here to die? To avoid adding another murder to their list? One way or another, the kid was gone.
Lisa tried to get up but couldn’t. Instead, she vomited violently, again and again, the entire content of her stomach coming out in torrents until she could vomit no more. The excruciating pain that earlier engulfed her whole body had lifted, but not entirely.
Lisa closed her eyes and saw the sweet face of her daughter. What is Olivia doing now? What time is it over there? Or here…? Whatever Olivia was doing, she was definitely holding her favorite stuffed bunny. Since she learned how to walk, Olivia carried that toy everywhere. Eventually, the bunny became so dirty that Lisa threw it away, but Olivia threw a tantrum and screamed and cried for hours. Finally, Lisa had to give up and fished the bunny back from the trash can.
It was Mike who came up with a brilliant idea of how to get rid of the toy. He told Olivia that her bunny was sick, had to go to the hospital, and daddy would take him.
“When the bunny comes back, he’ll be as good as new,” Mike promised.
“But how will I know it’s MY bunny?” Olivia asked.
Smart girl!
“I know what we can do,” Mike said. “We’ll tie a red ribbon around your bunny’s neck. Then, when he comes back, and the ribbon is still there, you’ll know it’s the same bunny.”
It took Mike and Lisa hours searching all over the Internet before they found an identical toy. After it was ordered and delivered, they told their daughter it was time for the old bunny to go to the hospital. Olivia tied the ribbon around her bunny’s neck and reluctantly gave him to Mike.
When Olivia was asleep, they quickly put the ribbon around the new toy. Lisa drove several blocks to throw the old one into a public dumpster. She had to make sure Olivia wouldn’t find it.
So much fuzz over a dirty toy…. Lisa was a clean freak and expected everything in her house to be spotless. A cleaning lady came twice a week, ensuring that it stayed that way. Clean freak my ass…. Look at me now! Lisa plucked several leaves from a nearby plant and used them to wipe the puke off her pants. It didn’t help much.
She grabbed a branch of a tree and slowly got up, but her legs were still wobbly, and she collapsed. She tried again, that time with a better result, and took several unsteady steps.
Which way should I go? Lisa had no idea where she was, and without the boy guiding her, she felt utterly lost. She decided to go west. West meant back to civilization, and west was easier to follow, based on the setting sun. Just keep going west, no matter what. As long as you move, there’s hope.
Her progress was painfully slow, but Lisa walked for what felt like hours. Her mind became foggy again—maybe from exhaustion, or perhaps she was still sick. When was the last time I ate? As she moved, she looked for food, but all she saw were mushrooms, and she wouldn’t touch them again, no matter what. She needed food to become strong. However, after a while, hunger was numbed by thirst, and it was worse than anything she’d experienced before. Lisa’s mouth, tongue, and throat turned into sandpaper, and her breathing became labored. She tripped over a tree root sticking from the ground, collapsed, but got up and walked again. If I don’t find water soon, I’ll die here no matter what.
She grabbed a piece of wood that could be used as a walking stick. It helped a little, although not much. The forest became less dense. That was good because it became easier to follow the Sun’s direction, but also bad because, without shade, she was fully exposed to the scorching heat and even thirstier. Although she wasn’t sure if being thirstier was even possible. Is it Siberia? The land of ice and snow? Thinking about water became an obsession. One foot ahead of the other. Left…. Right…. Left…. Right…. Keep moving or sit down, and die.
By evening, Lisa could barely walk, and her resolve to continue hung by a thread.
The Sun was almost down when she suddenly heard the sound of running water. That alone had a magical effect in restoring some of her strength. She started running in that direction until she dropped to her knees on the banks of a river. Thank you, Lord! Thank you! The water was cold, amazing, delicious, and tasted better than anything in the world.
Lisa spent the night by the river. After a hot day, the night was chilly, and Lisa felt cold, but she didn’t mind.
The following morning, she decided to change her original plan and walk along the river banks until she found a road or people. However, she was unsure if she should go up the stream or down. She remembered that all large rivers in Siberia flew north, into the Arctic, and she certainly didn’t want to walk in that direction. But it applied only to the large rivers, major rivers, while this river was probably just a tributary of something else. If that was the case, something else had to be a bigger river, and bigger rivers should have some sort of human activity. Lisa decided to walk downstream.
She had access to water, but hunger hit her again and with a double force. If she wanted to survive, she had to eat. Lisa saw a lot of fish in the river and decided to catch one or stab it with her walking stick. She was ready to eat that fish raw. It will be like eating sushi, won’t it? However, just deciding to eat raw fish was entirely pointless because catching one was more challenging than she thought. After trying for at least a couple of hours, Lisa screamed with frustration. It was pointless.
She walked toward the nearby woods. She had to find something there, although she was determined to stay close to the river. People can survive for days without food, but being deprived of water means certain death.
Once again, Lisa walked for hours. Then, finally, she spotted something blue and, a moment later, stepped into a meadow covered with wild blueberries. Bingo! They were ripe, sweet, and delicious, and Lisa kept devouring them together with leaves and maybe an occasional bug or two. Good, I don’t give a damn. Insects are a source of protein!
As much as she wanted to stay, Lisa knew that her only chance of surviving was moving on. She collected as many blueberries as she could into the bag she grabbed from the truck before leaving with the boy and returned to the river. I have food, I have water—maybe I’ll make it after all. That evening Lisa fell asleep with a renewed hope that she might survive.
She woke up startled by some noise. Lisa opened her eyes and froze—no more than a few steps away, a gigantic brown bear was ripping apart her bag, huffing and growling in the process. Lisa didn’t move, didn’t even blink. The animal was enormous, with gigantic paws, armed with deadly and probably razor-sharp nails. The bear finally got to her blueberries and started eating them, still woofing. Finally, the berries were gone, and the animal slowly approached Lisa. She closed her eyes, prepared for the worse, but the bear just sniffed her, huffed, and slowly walked away.
It took a while before Lisa was able to breathe again. She felt hot tears racing down her face, and gut-wrenching sobs tore through her entire body. Oh, Mike, why didn’t I listen to you? Why did I have to come here? The realization that money meant nothing, that career wasn’t important, and that her family was all that mattered came too late. She might never see them again, and her child would have to grow up without a mother. While Lisa didn’t consider herself religious, her Catholic upbringing and perception of guilt made her think that maybe she deserved it. She thought that perhaps everything that happened to her was a punishment bestowed on her by the Almighty for what she did to the boy.
And yet, for some reason, God allowed her to live. Maybe she had to atone for her sins and still had a chance to be absolved. For the first time in years, she said a silent prayer. Somehow, it helped. Lisa wiped her tears, grabbed the stick, got up, and started walking.
Chapter 48
Jenny and Sonia struggled with defining their experience inside the Denisovan settlement. Words like exotic or different were not adequate to describe what they saw. The feast and the ceremony they were invited to were not just unique but peculiar. The food was decent, Jenny thought some dishes were even delicious, but almost everything they were served was odd. The clothes people wore were not merely extravagant; Jenny couldn’t figure out the purpose of some items. The same applied to food.
