Chapter 15

Kara and Mark started their hike shortly before dawn in a misting rain. After walking in silence for about an hour, Mark realized that Kara was being much more quiet than usual. He offered to walk holding hands, and Kara accepted his hand with a grateful smile.

Mark bent and gave her an affectionate kiss. "Worried about what we'll do if we find the tunnel?"

"Actually Mark, I guess not, not yet..."

"So what's on your mind?"

"I don't know how to bring this up. I've already bagged you twice on the issue of polygamy, and I found out this morning I've completed a hat trick."

"Ha! My dear wife, just tell me what's up."

"Before we left, Kikapua came up to me. He wanted to express the gratitude of the entire tribe for the sacrifice I was making for Va'an. He said that it wasn't that anybody disliked her, it was just that none of the other women wanted to give up their husbands while Va'an was still pregnant."

"Huh?"

"Yes, my song exactly! I asked Kikapua what the hell he was singing about. He filled me in on a part of this culture I was unaware of..."

"Kara, before you go any further, don't be worried about our love for each other. I would never let polygamy diminish it. If we have to accept Va'an a little sooner or a little later into our marriage, we can adjust, right?"

"Mark, you're so sweet! It's sooner, by the way. A lot sooner. Kikapua said they would have the siring transfer ceremony this evening, just as soon as we get back."

"Siring transfer?"

"Yeah. It turns out I volunteered you to be the one who is impregnating Va'an..."

"Uh, why don't you start from the beginning?"

"Yeah. The Hopewell believe that a child's spirit gets created at birthing, not at conception."

"Okay."

"They can't forgive the child for being sired by their enemy, because the child doesn't exist yet. So if nobody steps in to take over siring the child, the Hopewell belief is that the pregnant mother should be cut out of the tribe."

"That doesn't make sense."

"With our understanding of conception, of course not. These people are so much better than us in some ways, sometimes we forget that in other ways they're still worse. They think a man's seed is kept in the woman's body, and that the woman uses the seed to nourish and grow the child. In the siring transfer ceremony, you promise to keep nourishing Va'an's child with your seed, to flush out the enemy's seed and replace it with your own. Kikapua sang that Va'an is so visibly pregnant now the siring transfer ceremony is a stretch, but that he and the council will still allow it. That's why I agreed to the ceremony tonight..."

"Oh... What's the ceremony like?"

"Classic Hopewell. Short and bawdy with a lot of symbolism. As the married couple, we stand together facing Va'an. Va'an lifts her shirt to expose her belly. Then I pull your leggings down, masturbate you into an erection, and then lead you by your erection to Va'an. I hand your penis over to her. Va'an leads you by your penis into her hut for the night. My part of the ceremony is to promise to give up all your seed for Va'an as long as she's pregnant. No intercourse for us. Your part is to keep Va'an filled with fresh seed. The Hopewell don't police this, it's the honor system. Nobody's checking if you orgasm very night, but you are promising to couple with her that often... Oh Mark, how could I do this to you?"

"Hey... Kara, none of this is your fault. You didn't know. And nothing will ever come between our love for each other. From your end, are you okay with this?"

"Are you kidding?! I am so incredibly proud of you! There's not a jealous bone in my body about this, not one. I am totally secure that you are my husband. I am Hopewell. I'm not threatened by this at all. In fact, quite the opposite. I really like Va'an. I want to grow to love her, as a sister wife. I'm feeling attitudes that I would have thought impossible just a few weeks ago. So much has changed since we came here..."

Mark stopped to embrace Kara. She hugged him back fiercely. Mark kissed her ear and whispered into it, "Can I still suckle your period?"

"Ha! I actually asked Kikapua that. Yes, we can still see each other privately during the day. We are just promising not to have coitus, and you and Va'an own each other's sleep-rights at night. It'll be for less than four months, maybe sixty days. I will wait for you, my dear sexy husband. You will enter me in my dreams."

Mark nuzzled Kara's neck for a moment, and then they continued their hike.

A few hours later, Kara was standing alone on the top of Blue Spirit, sheltered in the pouring rain by her native poncho. "Really wonderful design," she thought idly. "I'm shedding water like the proverbial duck. Who would have guessed woven grasses could be so completely waterproof?" Suddenly Mark's head popped out of the tunnel before her, and he was standing by her side a few seconds later. "Well Mark?"