[50024 Years Ago/ The Lake]
Heba stood on the beach watching Mike go. He was now a tiny spot against the white sand.
"That's the funniest thing I've ever seen," Pult said, coming up with his friends in tow. All were laughing.
"It's not funny," Heba said. "Mike goes to save Tagi's boys."
"With blue legs? Mike's a fool, but I didn't think he was that much of a fool."
"He's not a fool. He's a hero."
"He doesn't hunt," Pult said. "How can a man be a hero if he doesn't hunt?"
"He only fishes," one of Pult's friends said. "Like the women do."
"Exactly," Pult said, over more laughter.
Heba knew Mike wouldn't want her to say what she was about to say, but she couldn't help herself. "He saved the tribe from four rock lizards."
"What are you talking about?" Pult said.
"Mike killed four rock lizards on the day we arrived."
"He did not. Don't make up stories, Heba."
"He did, I swear."
"If he did this amazing thing, why didn't he tell anyone?"
Pult's friends gave their support to his logic.
"I . . . I don't know," Heba said, painfully aware of how strange it was.
"Mike couldn't catch a field mouse, let alone kill a rock lizard."
Heba looked to Pult and his friends as they laughed, then she said, "He did it and I can prove it."
"And how's that?" Pult said.
"I can show you the lizards. Mike put them in the reeds." Heba pointed to the western shore.
"Okay," Pult said, "show me."
Determined to prove herself right, Heba walked briskly away along the beach.
Pult gestured to his friends to stay behind. They grinned as Pult went to catch up.
Heba and Pult went along the curving shoreline, then along an antelope trail through the reeds; the same trail Mike had taken.
They came over a low rise and Heba said, "There. See?" She pointed to the remains of the rock lizards. They were mostly stripped clean of hide and muscle and viscera, but there were still dark bulbous parts showing within their exposed skeletons. A putrescent stench was in the air.
"Gods," Pult said, wincing to the smell, but stepping closer to inspect the bodies. He was quiet for a while, then said, "These have been here for longer than three days."
"No, they haven't," Heba said, "and Mike killed them."
"With what?"
"A spear. Oh, and he used a knife to kill one of them."
Pult laughed. "Nobody could do that. Why are you lying for him?"
"I'm not lying. Look at the skull on that first one. See the hole? That's from a spear."
"That's from carrion birds," Pult said. "They peck into the skull to get to the brains."
"It's from a spear, Pult. You know that."
"Nobody just jams a spear into the top of a rock lizard's head," Pult said. "You're making stuff up now." He looked around the remote area.
Heba put her hands on her hips and thought of how to convince this man what she said was true.
"Wait a minute," Pult said. "I see what's going on here."
Heba looked to him, hopeful.
Pult pointed at her. "You wanted to get me alone."
"What?"
Pult took Heba by the shoulders. "There's no need to make up stories to be with me. You could have just asked. There is no shame in this. Many virgins have given themselves to me in secret before they were married to lesser men."
Heba saw that Pult was quickly growing in his excitement. She tried to pull free of his grip, but it only tightened.
Heba then relaxed and smiled, then looked back to the stinking carcasses. "You don't want to have me here," she said.
Pult released her and smiled too. "Where do I want to have you, then?"
"The only place you'll ever have me," Heba said. She leapt out of Pult's reach and onto the remains of the first lizard. "In your dreams." Her foot came down on one of the darkened fleshy masses, and it spurted forth a yellow ooze. Pult had to step back to avoid the spray. Heba slipped through the reeds, then onto one of the tilted rocks, then dove into the Lake.
She came back to the surface to the sound of Pult cursing, but also to another sound. She swam toward the beach where dozens of people were looking to the east. All could hear the distant calls for help coming from somewhere across the still water.
Heba reached the beach, then came running to the crowd. Several young men had just sprinted away.
"They won't be in time," Heba said, softly. "Only Mike can help now."
"What has happened?" Tagi said, coming to Heba. She showed great anger but greater fear.
"I don't know," Heba said.
"Yes, you do. You knew when you said all those crazy things and threw that blue liquid at me."
"I didn't throw it at you," Heba said. "And I don't know what's happened. I just know that something went wrong and Mike went to fix it." Heba took Tagi's hand. "He'll help them."
"Mike?" Tagi said. "How?"
"I don't know, but my dream said he would."
"Your dream? How absurd."
"Mike went to help them?" the chieftain said.
"Yes, Chieftain," Heba said.
He smiled. "Then they'll be all right."
Tagi turned to her husband. "What are you talking about, Tim? He's a fisherman."
"Yes, but our boys will be fine."
"Oh, did you have a dream too?"
"No," the chieftain said, looking to the east. "Just a hunch."