“Are you sure? I woke up with a shock and grabbed it as it started falling. Maybe you just imagined the rest.
It is probably just some side effect of the sickness – a sort of temporary confusion.
Let’s see if you have any fever.”
L’ki was sure his eyes hadn’t deceived him. He submitted to an examination, but the fever was gone, along with the rash and the headaches. He felt as strong as an ox but he was very hungry.
Awaki pointed him to a cooking skin, which hung over a bed of coals, the savory stew spreading its odor.
“I thought I smelt Anzashi’s cooking! Is she around somewhere?”
“She started the stew when she realized that she was running out of helpers.
You won’t believe what she must have gone through, especially these last couple of days, when everyone else was either in a coma, dead, or had run away. I believe she kept herself going even though the sickness was already far advanced in her.
But she planned everything. All I’ve had to do was add some vegetables and meat to replenish what I used.
Fortunately those who are sick don’t seem to need food, though they do accept fluids. Her tonic seems to be sufficient to sustain them.
But I was extremely happy to see (and smell) the stew after I woke up. I was so hungry!”
He smiled sadly as he handed L’ki a bowl of the fragrant stew. “It’s a good thing this sickness caught us at the end of summer. I don’t know if we could gather enough to support the survivors if we didn’t have a good store of food built up.”
“Are those in the Chief’s hut all who survived?”
“All the men. Anzashi put the women are in her hut.”
“So the Medicine Woman survived the plague! I always thought she was indestructible.” L’ki remarked.
“That still remains to be seen. She held out for fourteen days. When I awoke she was holding on by main strength. Now she is also in a coma. She was all by herself for the last three days - those who didn’t get sick, fled the village in fear.”
“Like I said – she’s indestructible!”
“I just hope she survives the crisis. She told me that all those who died had done so within two days of becoming comatose. I believe that if she is still with us tomorrow, she will survive.”
“Don’t worry my friend – if anyone can survive - Anzashi will.” L’ki consoled him.
They sat talking till the early morning hours, finally falling asleep next to the fire.
*** *** ***
They woke with the sun in their eyes.
L’ki volunteered to go hunting for fresh meat. Awaki would continue caring for the helpless ones.
Having two pairs of hands to take care of the chores made a vast difference. But for Awaki the biggest boon was having someone to speak to.
Anuket – Godstone Day 17, month 1, Year 1
I came out of a deep sleep in a strange place. Everything was very quiet, but the smell of cooking was in the air. I was lying on my back, every bone I my body aching, every muscle stiff. When I sat up I realized that I was in Anzashi’s hut. Lying about me were a number of other women.
When I examined them, I found that they were breathing very slowly. They did not respond to anything I did.
Then I remembered the Plague.
That stone Awaki and L’ki had brought back when they went looking for the fallen star, it had to be the cause – maybe it bore a curse.
Awaki and L’ki had been the first to fall sick.
Soon after a number of those who had handled the stone followed their lead.
Quite a few of the victims had died in the first couple of hours. Many of the villagers who had not yet fallen sick fled, but I couldn’t leave Anzashi alone in such a crisis..
At least I could help by gathering the herbs she required.
I wondered: “Did she make it through unscathed?”
No, there she was lying near the door, in a coma like everyone else here.
But someone must have survived, and whoever it was, was cooking. It smelt like a stew – Anzashi’s stew.
I was very thirsty, and a little weak but somehow I got the strength together to get up and find who was doing the cooking.
Just as I reached the door, Awaki came in. He was carrying a bunch of cups, which my nose told me were filled with Anzashi’s tonic.
“Anuket!” Awaki nearly dropped the cups of medicine he carried. “You’re up. Am I glad to see you!”
“Hi Awaki. So you’ve survived! I smelt something cooking and wondered who else might have recovered.”
“I awoke two days ago, and L’ki last night. He has gone out to see if he can get some fresh meat.”
“I should have known nothing could kill the trickster. He could fall in a swamp and come up with a basket of fish! But isn’t it a bit soon for him to be out hunting?”
“I thought so too. But one of the strange things about this plague is that once you awake, you have a short period of weakness – about an hour or so. As soon as you recover from that you seem to have above average energy.
We have also noticed a marked improvement in our reflexes and general health.”
“I noticed the weakness just after I awoke, but I am already feeling better. I am just very thirsty!”
“I’m sorry Anuket; I should have thought about that – I was so happy to see you. That is another common factor. Have some water.”
I took the bamboo cup he offered, and drained it, drinking slowly.
In the mean time he was moving amongst the women, administering their medicine. As soon as I finished her water, I joined him.
When we reached the men’s hut, Basmu was sitting up, and Auf was stirring. Awaki helped them to sit up while I fed them some water. Then he got them moving about while he explained what had happened. Meanwhile I administered the medicine to the sick men.
Later we all gathered at the cooking fire. With five of us awake, we could cover more than just the absolutely essential tasks.
We decided that Awaki would carry on with the nursing and L’ki would take care of the hunting. I volunteered to take on the gardens which were becoming overgrown with weeds.
Since we had worked together before, Basmu was assigned to help me while Auf would assist Awaki in taking care of the sick.
We were almost starting to feel; like a tribe again.
Omo Kibish [Ethiopia], Godstone Day 19, Month 1, Year 1
Nineteen days after the disease first struck, three of the women awoke: Renpetet, Saa and Dumu, as well as two men: Kaichen and Dayu.
Over the next seven days the remaining members of the tribe returned to the land of the living and took their places in the daily life of the tribe.
There were no more deaths, but three of the survivors seemed to have lost their minds.
Finally, twenty six days after the explorers returned with the strange stone, Anzashi awoke.
Dumu, whose turn it was to be on watch, fed her some water, and some tonic. As soon as she recovered from the weakness, she went down to the central clearing, where the cooking fire was still burning.
As soon as everyone heard that she was awake, they all gathered around. As Anzashi looked around at the meager remnant of their once prosperous tribe, she felt sad. Yet they had much to be thankful for, with forty five members of the tribe surviving, they had enough to grow from. And maybe some of those who had fled would return once they knew the plague had passed.
Slowly she rose to her feet. She noticed that many of the women were crying, and quite a few of the men.
“Welcome back Medicine Woman, welcome back. It just wouldn’t be fair if you had left us.” Awaki declared as he took her in his arms.
Chapter 2
Harare Airport - Zimbabwe – Southern Africa, 16th April 2035
“Hi Marianne, long time no see!” Michael exclaimed.
He hugged the attractive young woman who ran to meet him at the international arrivals on Harare Airport. “It’s been much too long
since we’ve worked together.”
“Hi Michael. You’re right, the five years since our dive in India have been much too long and the visits we’ve managed were too short. But you’ve been busy these last couple of years.”
“I admit, I had a lot on my mind. Between my practice and my work on languages and writing systems, there was very little time left for field work, or socializing.”
“Have you managed to make something of the India data yet?”
“No. Well, a little, but nothing worth publishing yet. I’ve been puzzling over it, watching everybody running around, trying to salvage at least some remnant of classical archaeological theory. Which, I suspect is going to take a few more knocks before we are finished with that site.
What I have so far is a couple of clues and very vague suspicions.
But I have a nasty suspicion that there is a lot more to be found.
I can not believe that such advanced technology and culture as is displayed by the Maharashta find can be an isolated incident. It must represent a major, if underground force with a workforce and organization.
However, for now, I have done as much as I can.
Thus your invitation was a heaven sent. I need some practical work to clear my mind and give me new perspective.
Also, though I probably shouldn’t admit this in front of witnesses, I missed you.”
“So did I, Michael. I’m so glad you could make it!
But, speaking of witnesses let me introduce you:
Michael, this is David Johnstone. He is my co leader on this dig. He has many years of experience in African archeology – as a matter of fact – in terms of Southern Africa he is possibly the second most knowledgeable person I know. You will be meeting the other one when we get back to camp.
He also has no end of contacts in government, which is how he managed to get us the permits for this new dig.
“Pleased to meet you, Michael. I have heard a lot about you”
“Hi David, it’s a pleasure.”
“Michael, do you need anything from town, or can we be on our way to the site?” David enquired.
“Thanks David, I have everything packed and ready. I have been taking my malaria tablets for the past three weeks, so we can go right ahead.”
At the parking lot David loaded Michael’s baggage into the slightly ageing Land rover Discovery.
David slid into the driver’s seat, while Marianne and Michael took the back seat.
They sat quietly while David threaded his way through the traffic.
“I’ve forgotten about the heat.” Michael remarked, as they turned onto the main road to Beit Bridge – the border with South Africa. They would follow this road to Masvingo, before turning off to Great Zimbabwe.
“I hope you can forget the mosquitoes!” Marianne quipped.
“Mosquito repellent is probably our major expense item.” David added.
“Actually I think that should be sunscreen.” Marianne corrected.
“Tell me about the dig?” Michael requested, “I thought that Great Zimbabwe was pretty well dug out.”
“I suppose that’s true, Michael, if you are only looking for the usual stuff. However, our find in India has caused major waves in organized archaeology. Many of the traditional sites are being reevaluated in the light of the data gained there.
You know that we found clear architectural, and possibly cultural, links to the pyramids, which are definitely older everybody thought. In addition there is the Jomon pottery, with its link to prehistoric Japan, and the possible links to Chinese and maybe even Aztec culture.
The latest theory about the ‘temple’ is that it belonged to some kind of secret society like the Freemasons or the Illuminati. An interesting side issue raises its head, of course. Could said society have survived the inundation of the continental shelf civilization, and if so, what did it become later?
A number of the major institutions worldwide who are active on the archeological or paleo anthropological areas have come together to investigate the implications. These include (among others) the National Geographical Society, the SES and the Smithsonian and a vast number of universities and private institutes.
The purpose of this super organization is to investigate a number of classical sites, to see if we can find any trace of this organization or culture, and define its existence in terms of special and temporal parameters.
This is only the beginning of the exercise. “
“So, why did you decide on Great Zimbabwe?”
David explained: “In the first place, we are looking for the unusual places, where the culture or architecture seems to be ahead of its time or milieu. This would include sites like Great Zimbabwe, the valley of the Rain Queen, and Petra in Jordan.
Of course, we will also be revisiting the pyramids, in Egypt, China and South America, Stonehenge and mount Olympus.
Obviously that is only a preliminary list as there are dozens of others which are also likely candidates.
Equally obviously this team will not be able to handle such a volume of work by itself, so we will need to set up an organized task force to handle it.”
“Sounds like quite a project. You would need very good management and coordination, as well as some pretty hefty financing.”
“Financing is no problem – the budget for this dig alone would make your mind boggle. But you are right about one thing. We need is someone to manage the project.
We are not talking about day to day operations. There will be a management team to handle that as well as accounting and so forth, but the right director will be critical.
We need someone who can handle people – both business and archeologists. He must be able to think out of the box and accept new ideas and technology, and sell this to the stakeholders.
He would have to be able to work with various governments at high level to ensure access to sites as well as the safety of our personnel.
And he needs a strong background in archeology, preferably hands on, to be able to keep up with any developments that may come up. And it would help if he had enough of a rep in the game, to be able to deal with the archeologists on the various teams without giving offense.”
“Wow, That is some CV you have described. Where do you think you will fid someone who fits that profile?”
“Actually we have someone in mind. When the board of directors asked us the same question, we recommended you. This was seconded by at least three of the board members (including your old friend Steve). That’s why they have asked us to approach you with the idea.”
“You’ve got to be joking. What makes you think that I can swig that kind of load?”
“No, my friend, we are in deadly earnest! In fact you are the only person we know with precisely the right combination of skills.”
“But Marianne, I am not a full time archaeologist. You know I have my consulting work. And there are probably a lot of men out there with a lot more experience and formal training.”
As Gods Above Page 4
