Page 35 of Caveman Alien's Touch

“It’s safe,” I assure her, suddenly elated about showing her the camp, the same way Brak had Piper there, with the platform hoisted all the way up to the treetops. “I will keep you safe at all times. Even high up.”

Bronwen gives me a bright smile. “Good. When do we go?”

“Tomorrow morning?” I decide quickly. The sooner I get Bronwen to myself for hours and days, the better.

“I not am busy tomorrow,” she says in her immensely charming way. “Is good time to go.”

The sun is setting fast, and the sky turns red.

“Try the mirror,” Piper suggests. “The jungle is dark now.”

Bronwen gets the shiny disk and reflects the orange sunlight into the jungle. “Where is the Tretter village?”

Piper points. “There, I think. Or there? I’m not sure. Can you see a campfire? It’s far away.”

Bronwen turns to me. “What if close your eyes again? Find nearest campfire?”

I do as she says. At first, I can’t sense anything other than the people around me and the cooling swarm fire. But then, I spot a small point of intense light in the darkness and point. “There’s one.” I spot another fire, and then several others. “That’s the closest one.” I point, but I keep my eyes closed. The sense becomes stronger and more sensitive. As I stand there, other things below me start to become clearer. It’s like staring up at a starry sky after having looked into a campfire — at first you only see the brightest stars, but after a while the full glory of the stars becomes clear.

My mouth opens by itself as I enjoy the sensation of seeingeverything. The whole jungle under me is not like a starry sky — it’s much fuller and more varied than that. There’s a Big making its way through the woods; there’s a pack of Smalls waiting to ambush it. There’s a nest of something; there’s a lonely Big standing still; there’s several Smalls lying close to each other. And there… is a group of men, standing and sitting close together. There’s a fire, but it’s only small.

“Outcasts,” I mutter. “But far away.”

The sensation is overwhelming. I see more and more Smalls, I see every Big that’s nearby, I see the swarm as a vague patch of movement going slowly towards the ocean…

“Noker! Stop!” Someone grabs my hand and pulls me back, hard.

I open my eyes, annoyed at the interruption.

Bronwen is staring up at me, alarm in her dark eyes.

I can see why. I’ve walked to the edge of the plateau without knowing it, and if I’d taken another step, I would have plummeted to my death.

I quickly retreat and pull Bronwen with me. “I was distracted by the jungle.”

“We tried to warn you, but you not hear!”

Everyone stares, Brak tense and frozen in mid-pounce, ready to grab me.

“Apologies,” I hurry to say. “The jungle is marvelous to look at. I never knew it.”

“Looks mostly dark to me,” Bronwen says.

“Not to me. I notice you’ve saved my life again. Twice in one day.”

“Just don’t make it three times,” she says, holding my hand. “Stay where is safe.”

I sit down on the bench. “I will. But it was wonderful!”

“Like Brak, you also have certain gifts from the parts of you that are from a Big,” Melr’ax says. “I thought I knew them all.”

“The legs and jumping,” Bronwen says. “But Noker also can see in dark. Can see things that are warm.”

“I also see Bigs,” I tell her. “They’re not as warm as a fire or a man.”

“We sent light to the Tretter campfire,” Brak tells me. “Many flashes of the red sun that maybe they will see and make Korr’ax think he should come here.”

“It will be too late for the pyre,” I point out.

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