Chapter 2: Meet the Neighbors

Over the next few days, I spent a while building some homes, but not for me. Malok had promised me that my livestock would arrive in about a week from when I arrived. I would need a place to put them when they got here.

Since I discovered my friend had a special talent, I found out that apparently it was not just effective against humans. He had convinced the members of the Consortium who were running the experiment that all of the composite material used to make the pod were "not of my Earth" and therefore, alien in origin. Malok had successfully argued that anything made of this material should not count against my weight allowance. This included the pod itself, the cups, the bows, fishing rods, tables, chairs, the sailboat and a number of other items that seemed to be made of wood. In the end, it managed to save me about seven-hundred and fifty pounds of weight allowance. He also convinced them to make an additional onetime animal allowance that I had not counted on, but I would be overjoyed when I discovered what it would be.

As for my original animal allowance, I had requested two dozen prehistoric chickens and a rooster. In addition, I asked for three prehistoric terrier-like pups and a fairly young native colt (to make it easier to train). I would need to built a large fenced-in pen at the bottom of the hill and a chicken coop against the other side of the cave from me. I used my excellent carpentry and modest lumberjacking skills (and what I learned on-line in my skull) to chop down some trees. I then hauled them to the area I had roped off earlier. After playing Paul Bunyan, I proceeded in converting some of the logs to planks and the others to posts. Luckily, the next several days were dry and cool and I was able to build a rather small, but decent horse pen. While it was small and not too pretty to look at, it would be functional, which was all I needed.

My next task would be much easier, as I would need to construct the dog kennel and the chicken coop from a kit that utilized the same composite material as the pods (and therefore did not count toward my weight allowance!). The wood-like pieces just snapped together like a snap-on plastic model. After working four days on the pen, I was sore and tired, so I slept in the next morning (I nicely, but firmly told my wake up call to "go away"). When I eventually awoke, I realized that I smelled pretty rank after all of the work. I took a refreshing bath in the creek, using some olive oil soap to clean off the ick of a few days. While my muscles were still a bit sore, I had forgotten what it was like to have the resilience of youth on my side.

After my cold bath, I felt somewhat refreshed and revitalized. I took the rest of the day off to fish and did a little archery practice. It was amazing how quickly my skills came back to me. The composite material bow was incredibly light, but sturdy. I was able to get a great draw and hit my target with amazing force. I had never aimed at a live target with a bow before, but was convinced that eventually I would make an exceptional hunter. While fishing, I caught a medium and a small trout. When I got back to my camp, I cleaned, gutted and fileted them in a titanium frying pan. The trout made a nice change from the canned goods and the delicious, but familiar steak I had had over the past few days.

The next day, I took another delightfully cold creek bath, washed my bedspread and hung it out to dry on a nearby tree limb. Then, I started work on the coop and kennels. I had finished them and the small chicken pen the next day. That left me one day before the animals would arrive.

I wanted to catch up with the nomadic Cro-Magnon before they pulled up stakes (the day before, Malok told me that they were planning to leave soon). I woke up early and grabbed some items for trade along with my trusty bow. I had decided that I only wanted one mate for now, but understood the necessity of getting at least a couple more at some point.

Malok told me that children grew up a lot faster in these primitive societies, but as I was a product of my society, I was not interested in obtaining a freshly minted "unmated woman". This meant that they would be too young for me to get my head wrapped around having one for a wife. I guess I was willing to compromise my morals on the polygamy front, but I was not going to marry some girl who would be watching "The Disney Channel" if she were living on my old world. For that reason, I decided that I would pursue "older" widowed women (which meant women in their twenties and thirties). While looks were not everything, I wanted someone who I did not find repulsive. From what I understood, Cro-Mags were physically, very similar to modern mankind, so I figured I would find a woman that I would enjoy looking at. Additionally, I decided that I would not mind taking on a mate with a child. That child could be another helper and I would be happy to adopt that child as my own.

Since my trading items were small enough to fit in my pocket, I was hoping that I could drop a small buck on the way, as a gift. As luck would have it, I got my first look at a live target as I walked and I dropped it with a kill shot (good thing it was not moving at the time). I had never been much for hunting and was not sure how I would take to it. My head was able to convince my heart that it was a necessity for me to survive, so I concentrated on its torso as I fired and made a point of not looking into its pretty eyes. It was perhaps a little heavier than I was hoping, but thanks to Malok's friends, I was one of the finest specimens of physical pulchritude in the history of my species. I was only hoping that one day, my species would still be around for someone to best me.

I strode into camp with the buck across my shoulders, like Robin Hood strolling into Nottingham Castle. I always wondered if that made Errol Flynn's back hurt, because between my efforts this week and the buck I was carrying, mine sure did.

As I approached two men came out to meet me. "My name is Keelor. This is my tribe. What do you want here?"

"Hello Keelor. I am Mike. I have come to trade with you."

"Trade?"

"Yes." I smiled and noticed a change of expression come over his face.

"Trade is good. Come!" he beckoned and I put the deer on a nearby stump under a towel. I had draped a towel over my shoulders to avoid getting a lot of blood on me.

"So, friend, what do you want for the deer?"

"Absolutely nothing. The deer is a gift for food. It appears you are going to leave soon.

"Yes. We have almost gathered all we can from here and it is soon time to go," he said. "Thank you for the generous gift. You dress strangely, but you are quite generous. I hope you can eat with us and then we can talk about a trade."

"I would be honored," I said and spent some time getting to know my host.

We talked for a while and then he asked me an awkward question. "I am curious how you killed the deer. I see no spear or club you are carrying."

"I have a special way of killing. It is called a bow. It requires a lot of training to use, so it would be of no use to you."

"OK," he smiled. "I was just curious."

We had a wonderful dinner of various game birds, boar and the deer I killed; cooked over an open fire. It appeared that Keelor and his lieutenants ate in a separate location than the rest of his camp. They all seemed quite affable and appeared to be very taken with me. I guess Malok was right about the charm power.

When we had finished eating, we moved close to the fire to talk. "Now, my friend, what are you looking for and what do you have to trade?" asked Keelor.

"I'm actually looking for a mate."

"A mate? Mates are quite expensive. We rely on our women to do the gathering and cleaning our kills. It does not seem like you could have much to trade."

First off, I pulled out two canisters of table salt. I was told that salt was a much sought after commodity, as it was used to cure meats and improve flavor. Knowing this, I requested and received a great deal of it (more than I would normally use in thirty years).

"What is that?" he asked.

"Salt," I said pouring a little in his hand.

"Looks strange."

"It is very pure. The best salt in the world."

He tasted it. "Yes, I see what you mean. The salt is very good."

"I will give you the other canister too."

"That is quite an interesting offer, but still too little for a fresh mate. We only have four in camp and three have been spoken for."

"I'm not interested in a fresh mate. I want an older mate. Preferably one who has been married and widowed."

"You want a widow for a mate? Mike, you are a strange man, but I like you. A widowed mate would bring far less in trade. I have several to offer. Do you care if they have children?"

"No. I'd be happy to take any child a widowed mate had, so long as I like her."

"Good! Let me get them for you," he grinned, got up and he ran yelling at his wife to get the candidates.

I was immediately taken with the first one. She had blond hair, blue eyes and a pretty face. She appeared to be in her mid twenties. I could not see much of her body beneath her furs, but every once in a while they shifted and I could see her legs. They looked quite nice indeed. As the nomads wandered, they had probably picked up this young woman in what I would have called Germany (or perhaps Scandinavia) in my previous existence. When she saw that I was looking at her, she lowered her head and began to blush.

"This is Lyna," introduced my host.

"Hello Lyna. I'm pleased to meet you. I'm hoping to trade for a mate. I consider myself a good hunter and would like you to be my mate. Would you like that?"

Lyna raised her head with a confused look, before nodding.

Keelor laughed. You are a very strange man, Mike, but I like you. I like you very much," he paused before adding, "Lyna has a son who has already seen ten summers. His name is Jontar. He is a very helpful boy, but we would be willing to part with him and his mother for the trade you have offered." He then pulled me aside. "To be honest, the men think she is bad luck. Before she was married, she had been promised to a young hunter who died in the hunt. Two summers later, her husband was killed on a hunt. Recently we've had bad winters and people say her and the boy's yellow hair has upset the spirits. Many will be glad when she is gone."

I was surprised when Keelor had let Lyna and her boy go for just two canisters of salt and my friendship. I had prepared to offer him two knives with titanium blades too. I figured that it might be good to limit these people's exposure to modern technology whenever possible. "Then it is a deal."

"You are a shrewd trader, Mike, but I really like you. Hopefully the men are wrong about her and the boy. I would not want any harm to befall you."

"I am very lucky and the Spirits seem to like me so far at least."

"Well, I can see why. I will see that she and the boy will be ready to leave. There is only a short time before dark. Would you prefer to stay as my guest?

"I appreciate the offer, but I have lots of work to do tomorrow and we must go home. It is really a fairly short walk."

"Very well. I wish you well, my friend."

"You too, Keelor."

Before my new bride and son left with me, I had given Keelor a canister of pepper as a gift. He was beside himself with joy when he tasted it and I explained its uses.