Ice Angel

by Linda Deane

  Soren wasn’t done yet, “Now just before we left the cave, something happened which could have jeopardised all of this. I haven’t spoken of it before because I was so angry and I was not sure what should be done about it.” He told the people how Brin had tried to kill Angelica. There were gasps of shock and dismay. Everyone remembered their cold, desolate cave and the thought that they could still be there or worse had Brin succeeded in killing Angelica made them very angry. Brin turned a bright shade of red.

  “I have finally come to a decision about how Brin shall be punished. From now on, Brin shall have the name Brown as a reminder of how he looked and smelt when he returned to the cave that day.” Bellows of laughter rang out. “For the rest of his life, Brown shall be reminded of his selfish, spiteful deed every time someone mentions his name.”

  “And now I have one more thing to say. Although he is still young, I see in Aric the makings of a wise and courageous man; a man who will one day be able to lead his tribe. As you know, I have no children of my own. I have considered all of you carefully and I have chosen Aric to be my successor. I shall train him to lead this tribe and when I believe he is ready for it, I will hand over my position of leadership to Aric.”

  The people applauded in delight and amazement. Many of them had wondered what would happen when Soren became too old to lead them. There and then Soren ceremoniously presented Aric with the tusks of the mammoth bull, a trophy which was the privilege of the tribe leader to own. They were too heavy for one man to carry. Soren gave the scowling, defeated Brown and the band of boys who were once his friends the task of carrying the tusks to the shelter of Aric’s family.

  Again, the tribe applauded enthusiastically. Aric was dumbfounded. Could it really be true? Would he really one day be the leader, in charge of all these people? Such a possibility had never occurred to him, not even in his wildest dreams. He picked Angelica up and cuddled her, overjoyed. It was all thanks to her that the fortune of the whole tribe and particularly his own fortune had turned around so dramatically. That night he fell asleep overwhelmed with joy.

  Before the sun rose the next morning, Angelica woke Aric up, tenderly licking his cheek. With a sinking feeling, he knew that what he had dreaded was about to happen. She was saying goodbye. “Please don’t go,” he pleaded wordlessly, “I need you Angelica, and I can’t do this on my own.” Angelica gazed at him with her beautiful golden eyes. Aric felt as if he was sinking into a warm pool as the radiant light of her gaze filled him.

  For a few moments, she gifted him with a glimpse of the future. Aric could see what she saw: vast lush plains teeming with animals; a land of abundance and humans everywhere. More and more humans wherever he looked. The landscape began to change. Strange shapes appeared on the land. The people went in and out of the odd things. People were sitting on the backs of animals. Were they horses? The people were clothed in brightly coloured garments such as Aric had never seen before. Were they the skins of exotic animals from far off places?

  Then there were other strange things on the earth. The people climbed into them and they moved along at great speed on grey pathways that snaked back and forth across the earth between rows and rows of the strange ugly shapes which grew ever larger and more plentiful. There were huge, strange birds flying in the sky at terrific speed. Aric was afraid.

  He could see the people fighting, killing each other with sticks. Flames shot out of the sticks and they made a loud noise. There were great big balls of fire that destroyed many of the strange things and many of the people. There were loud noises as the people destroyed the earth and the animals. The water was dirty and poisoned and a dark, foul smelling, poisonous mist hung over the earth, choking the people. Aric felt sad. Angelica too was sad. With a heavy heart, she released Aric from the vision.

  As he hugged her tightly to his chest, he understood that she had to go. Tears ran freely down his cheeks, dripping onto Angelica’s soft, silky fur. Her rough little tongue licked away his tears and he knew it was futile to try to make her stay. Angelica’s work with this tribe was done. Her mission on earth had been accomplished (for now) and it was time for her to return to her heavenly home. She had to go back to her true master for her next assignment.

  There was much for Angelica still to do in times to come. There would be many, many people needing her help in the future. Perhaps she will come to your aid one day or to mine. With one final goodbye lick, Angelica wriggled out of Aric’s arms and leapt nimbly to the ground. He watched her walking slowly but purposefully across the plain, away from the camp. The sun was rising as she turned and disappeared into a meadow of tall grass, Aric could no longer see her. He stood there for a long time wondering why he had been chosen, why Angelica had come to him and led him to be the saviour of his tribe. Why him and why had his tribe been spared?

  Angelica crawled under a bush. She lay down on her side and closed her eyes. She sighed as she thought of Aric and of how much she loved him. She wished that she could stay but it wasn’t possible. Then she lay still and blew out her final breath as an earthly being. In a flash of brilliant light, Angelica was gone from this world, back to her immortal world and master. A soft, furry, little body lay lifeless under the bush, no longer needed by the heavenly creature who had occupied it.

  EPILOGUE

  Angelica has returned to earth many times whenever she was needed. ? Angelica knew why it was important for Aric to have survived, but the stories of Aric’s descendants and the angels sent to help them in their darkest hour will all be told in good time. She didn’t always look the same or have the same name but as time passed and the legends were told about Angelica, people began to refer to the beautiful, supernatural beings from other worlds as “angelicas”. In our day, we simply call these good and helpful beings angels. Perhaps all cats are angels sent to comfort us and help us when we need it the most. I’ve often wondered why they say cats have nine lives.

  BACKGROUND TO THIS STORY

  Archaeologists study things from the past. They tell us that a long, long time ago; parts of the world were very cold and hostile. People who lived in these cold areas struggled to survive. They sheltered in caves or built temporary houses for themselves from animal bones and hides and whatever material they could find. Food was scarce and conditions were extremely harsh in those days. That time in our history is known as the last Ice Age. Throughout the history of the earth, temperatures and climate conditions have changed and changed again because of changes in the earth’s orbit around the sun.

  During the time of this story, a massive sheet of ice covered about a third of the earth. In some places it was over 200m thick. Huge icebergs floated in the oceans. The land looked very different to what it looks now. Strips of land joined some of the continents because sea levels were so low. As the ice melted later, it caused sea levels to rise and cover vast tracts of land, separating continents and islands from each other again.

  Some of the animals who lived near this ice sheet during that time grew huge, like the woolly mammoth and the woolly rhinoceros. They had thick layers of fat under their skin for insulation and they had warm, hairy coats. They were an important source of food and other resources for people who lived and survived during this incredibly harsh time.

  There were smaller animals who shared our planet too. The European Wildcat, a small, compact member of the cat family shared the territory of our ancestors. Although very scarce, some of them are still around today. They are shy, nocturnal creatures, which originally lived in forest and grassland areas of Europe, Africa and Asia. They prey on small mammals and birds.

  Book 2 Angel Bones - Sneak Preview:

  CHAPTER 1 – ESCAPE DURING THE NIGHT

  The night was cold and dark as the tiny, primitive, boat slid off the bank of sand heading for the open water of The Mediterranean Sea. It inched its way through the gentle waves and out across the channel towards the island, slowly making its way across the calm waters. Melita held her hand lightly over the mouth of her small
daughter reminding her to be as quiet as a mouse as they slipped away from the shore. Little Elena looked up at her mother with huge dark eyes filled with fear. Her heart beat in time with the rhythmic, slap, slap of the oars. She knew instinctively not to make a sound and sat as still as a mouse on her mother’s lap. Her oldest brother, Nico was helping their father Yannis at the oars. They had to be very careful in the dark. Her other brother, Mica was sitting beside their mother, snuggling up as close to her as he possibly could in the chilly night air.

  The family’s two young pigs were settled in their straw-filled crate at the bottom of the boat. A huge pot of grain and some utensils made up the rest of their meagre possessions. Yannis also wore a leather pack that held his most valuable tools, some obsidian knives, and some stone weapons. Melita’s beloved little cat was curled up quietly but warily on her mistress’s feet. The motion of the boat made her queasy and she was terrified of the sound and smell of water all around her but she did not protest. Something deep within her made her understand that she had to submit to a higher purpose.

  The night crept by ever so slowly as Yannis pulled at the oars, gradually taking them further and further away from the mainland. Eventually, the sky began to change from black to dark grey and then to light grey. A rosy blush appeared on the Eastern horizon as the first light of the new day began to colour the sky. Yannis looked south and his heart soared. The perilous journey was almost over. They had been very lucky that the sea had remained so calm. The night had been dark but Yannis knew the positions of the stars well and he had relied on them to keep him on course. Nevertheless, he could not help feeling a little apprehensive in the dark. A constant fear had niggled at the back of his mind. What if he had rowed his precious family into deep waters, away from the island and to their deaths in the black of night? It was with great relief that he pointed out the dark outline of the distant shoreline to his wife and children.

  Melita too breathed a sigh of relief. This island would be their new home. They could start again, far from their village on the mainland and the enemy who so relentlessly pursued them there. It would take a very brave, strong man indeed, a man like her husband to venture out in such a tiny boat on the open sea, with only a woman and children to help him row (and that in the dark of night). It had been her idea but it had not taken much to persuade Yannis. Perhaps someone would guess where they had gone, but it would take some doing to persuade enough people to man a big fishing boat to follow them. She did not expect anyone to come after them and finally, she felt that her family was safe. Their missing boat may provide a clue to their whereabouts but it was unlikely that they would be pursued. The village would probably assume they had drowned in their attempt to flee.

  She smiled up lovingly at her husband and kissed his big, rough hands in gratitude as they rested on the oars. Initially she had thought it would be madness to flee to the island and had dismissed the idea. It was a mere speck in the distance if one stood on a hill and looked carefully on a clear day. Now she could see it clearly on the Southern horizon - their new home, and she knew she had been right.

  As the sun rose gloriously, the children could see more and more of their new island and they chattered excitedly. Melita smiled at little Elena who was chattering enthusiastically about the new house she would help her father and brothers build and the soft, warm nest she would make for her mother’s pregnant kitty to safely have her babies in. Although everyone in the village was blaming Melita’s cat, the trouble had started long before that incident and went far deeper than a little dispute over a thieving cat, but Melita kept these thoughts to herself. Yannis and Melita and their children were known in the village as The Cat Family because of Melita’s mysterious way of drawing the wild cats to her. Somehow, there were always cats in and around her house. It almost seemed as if they worshipped her. Her favourite cat and closest companion was the cause of the dispute that had arisen.

  Melita dismissed all of these thoughts now as she peered over the edge of the boat to help her husband and sons in keeping a lookout for treacherous rocks hidden beneath the surface. Yannis had spotted a little cove that looked suitable to land his precious cargo. Carefully he steered his boat towards the sandy beach. They were so close to their destination but he could not afford to capsize his boat now or run it aground on a hidden rock.

  At last, the little boat was safely in shallow waters and Nico leapt out to guide it ashore. The whole family scrambled out laughing with joy as they splashed each other playfully. The young pigs squealed nervously in their crate as the little cat appealed to her mistress in terror with a long plaintive Meeeeeooooow. Gently, Melita lifted the little fawn coloured, stripy cat with the swollen belly over the side of the boat and draped her over her shoulder. She dug in deeply with her claws but Melita was used to it and always wore a piece of thick leather like a large collar draped around her shoulders for the cat to grip securely.

  Yannis and the boys lifted the simple crate made of branches and tied together with vines out of the boat and carried it up the beach. It would be a while before they could release the piglets. They would first have to explore the island. A secure pen would have to be built to protect them from predators. This would have to be done before they gave any thought to building their own house. Yannis was excited but wary in this new territory. What wild animals would they find here? Would there be other people here? Would they be friendly or hostile? They would have to be constantly vigilant and prepared for danger.

  The little family secured their possessions as best they could then armed with knives and sticks and reluctantly accompanied by the cat, they set off to explore their new surroundings. The cat was obviously uneasy. Melita constantly had to stop and encourage her to keep up with them. Thinking that she was tired, Melita tried to lift her up onto her shoulder, but for some reason, today the little cat was reluctant to stay there. She kept leaping off and trotting back in the direction they had come. Yannis was getting quite impatient and insisted on leading them along the Western shore despite Melita’s protests and suggestions that they should follow the cat instead. He stressed that their first priority was to find fresh water. “We are most likely to find water if we walk along the coastline. We must search for a river or a stream emptying into the sea. Once we’ve found a good source of fresh water, we can decide where to settle on this island.”

  On and on they trudged over the rocky terrain but as the day grew hotter and they found no fresh water, the small band of people began to despair. Elena sobbed miserably as she walked. She’d had nothing to drink since the previous evening when her mother bundled her into the boat, eager to make their escape. She was also starting to get very hungry and the lack of sleep was taking its toll on the little girl.

  Eventually Yannis decided it was too hot to continue. Despondently they turned back the way they had come. They would go back to the beach where their things were stashed, rest a while and then in the afternoon they would set out along the shore in the opposite direction. Wearily they retraced their steps and made their way back to the beach. Yannis had brought some water with them. It was stashed in his pack in a small jar and sealed with a tight plug of leaves. When they got to the beach, they would share the water and eat the meagre rations they had managed to fit into their tiny boat.

  After what seemed like forever to Elena, they recognised their landing beach and made their way to the bushes where they had hidden their small stash of possessions. Yannis stopped in his tracks. For a moment or two, his mouth just hung open in shock. “Everything is gone!” he cried out in dismay, finding his voice at last.

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