Raising A Human

He awakens with a dry throat and a strong thirst. There is only a half bottle of water left. A trip to the pond with be his first duty of the day. He gathers the containers, his spear and the remains of his last meal, and travels towards the pond.

He fills the containers and washes his face and then walks to the cat’s side of the pond. He places the food in the familiar place and looks around the area beyond the pond, to the space just outside of the tall grass. He discovers several bushes that are producing berries. Most of the fruits are still green but he locates a few that are changing to light purple. Moshe eats one. It is bittersweet. He picks all the ripe ones that he can locate.

He removes his undershirt and wraps the berries in it for the trip through the forest, and back to the beach. He ties the shirt to a belt loop on his pants and picks up his spear and the water containers. Before he leaves the forest, he visits the baby mango tree, and adds some fruit to his shirt shopping bag.

He hears beeping and chirping sounds nearby. He has heard similar birds calls before. It is a call of alarm. Moshe crouches in the brush, his eyes scan the area. He spots the half dozen wild birds. They remind him of guinea fowls. The birds are in a frantic battle with something. Moshe raises his spear. This is an opportunity to improve his menu list.

As he takes aim, he can see clearer what the fowls are fighting. It is a snake. The birds are hunters. He had seen this scene before when he was with his grandparents in the desert. He lowers the spear and honors the hunters. Perhaps, Moshe might encounter the fowl another time. Today, the flock is allowed to enjoy the spoils of their hunt.

He enjoys a quick breakfast of fruit and berries, then begins weaving grass together. He plans to replace the thermal blankets that are the sides of his tent. The work of weaving grass is enjoyable, and always brings up memories of his childhood.

He had first learned how to weave grass when his family moved to a city and left the nomadic lifestyle of their tribe. They were very poor, by the civilized standard. A farmer took pity on them. Though the man was a Muslim, and Moshe’s people were considered as Unbelievers, he allowed the family to live on his land, rent free. Moshe’s father had constructed a crude shelter for them to live in. Mother taught him to weave the grass to use it as walls for their home. He delights in the warm memories of his mother’s presence.

After a few hours, and with one grass wall already in place, Moshe decides to travel to the tree and check on the cocoon. It is near noon, and he plans to check his fish trap, when he returns to camp. After lunch, he will perform some more weaving and hopefully by nightfall, his tent will be successfully upgraded. He gathers his spear and a few supplies and heads towards the tree.

Most of the cocoon has hardened into a bone like color. It appears as if it is molded to the tree. The black spot in its center is still visible through the opaque, outer shell. It has grown even larger. Moshe moves closer to the tree to inspect the black spot. There is something moving inside the black oval space. He feels frightened and excited by this development. He watches it for a few minutes but cannot locate anything discernible.

He takes a rest on one of the logs, consumes half a bottle of water, and thinks about his predicament. Whatever it is, it is growing. At some point, very soon, the cocoon will bring forth something that is alive. Should he allow it to continue to grow, or should he try to end its existence? These thoughts are heavy on Moshe’s mind. He is in agony trying to decide a course of action.

He rises and approaches the tree. He speaks aloud to the cocoon, “So, my friend, I am trying to decide what is the right thing to do. Should I stop your development, and possibly spare the world from a monster? Or should I allow you entrance into the world? Perhaps you are a miracle?” Moshe feels relief from announcing his thoughts to the cocoon. He leaves the tree and walks back to the camp.

The catch from his fishing pouch is in abundance, today. Moshe eats some of the smaller fish raw, while he prepares the fire pit. He will smoke the fish for several hours. This will preserve some of the meal, for a few days, at least.

While he works and nibbles his raw lunch, his mind reviews the night that he was attacked. The attacker was strong enough to hold him down but chose not to kill him.

Maybe the attacker meant him no harm. It did not kill him because it did not see Moshe as a threat. It simply needed something from him. He begins to weave the grass. He will visit the cocoon again, before nightfall.

For now, his fingers work at weaving. His mind is weaving through his own fears and questions. He finds a rhythm to his work. His mind begins to calm as he releases himself from the urgency of knowing “what in the hell is happening.” As Moshe’s hands work the grass, he slowly transitions into a meditative state.

He tends the evening fire now that his work for the day is complete. The tent has new walls and seems even sturdier than before. Moshe used one of the thermal blankets to construct a few useful items. He now has a shopping bag that will hold more volume than his shirt. He also devised a food pouch for left-over cooked food.

The fire is meant to last through the night. The smoked fish is waiting, wrapped in palm leaves. He will eat his evening meal, after he checks on the cocoon. He gathers his spear for the trip to the tree but stops to pinch off a piece of the smoked fish. The taste is satisfying, dinner will be grand.

The black spot in the cocoon has more than doubled in size since Moshe’s last trip to the tree. It now has definition to the dark mass that moves about. Moshe shoves a log closer to the tree. The cocoon is higher than his height. He wants to view the black spot up close.

He stands on the log and places his hands on either side of the white cocoon. Moshe leans in close and he sees it. He is in shock and jumps down from the log. He feels as if he should grab his spear and attack the “thing.” He realizes that would be a foolish action, but no matter how he views this predicament, he must be honest and face the truth, there is an embryo growing in the cocoon.

He remembers a science article that he had read years before. The article contained photos of embryos from different species. Elephants, apes, mice, and humans all appear similar in development. at the earliest stages of growth.

What will this embryo become? Will it be a Satan or a Savior? Again, his thoughts are filled with questions, his emotions are charged by fear and curiosity. He returns to camp and eats his evening meal. The meal is very satisfying, but the gnawing fear of what is growing in the cocoon ruins his mood.

Before he retires for the evening, Moshe walks down to the beach. He takes notice of the other piles of wood he has made for the bonfires. Since his first fire drew the attention of the thing in the tree, he has not thought about lighting another. He looks out at the sea and wonders if the lights are still swimming out there, beneath the water’s surface.

He awakes before sunrise, feeling refreshed. The meal last night had filled his belly, and he slept soundly. He begins his morning rituals of rebuilding the fire, retrieving the fishing pouch, and a trip to the pond to bathe and collect water.

The catch from his pouch is but a few small fish, but it satisfies his morning nutritional needs. He plans to check on the cocoon, after that he will travel up the northern cliff. He has been eager to explore that part of the island since he first arrived here.

The cocoon’s outer shell has completely hardened. Though he can see through it faintly. The embryo is larger and has developed more. Clearly, he can make out a head, body, and limbs. “How large will you grow, my visitor? When will you come forth into the world? What will you bring, harm or help?” Moshe pats the tree and realizes that his fear is not as strong as earlier. He heads back to camp to gather supplies for his exploration trip.

He follows the beach to the north. He scans the sides of the cliff as he approaches the rising land mass. He selects a path and begins climbing up. As he climbs, his thoughts drift to the cocoon. He knows that soon he will be confronted with the being that is growing there. Strangely, his curiosity is now more important than his fear. With great fascination he awaits this thing that is coming into the world.

At the top of the cliff, Moshe looks out over a flat and green plateau. Though there are no large trees, as in the forest. There are many shrubs and grasses. The middle of the plateau drops down in elevation, like a bowl. He descends from the top, making his way to the small, rounded valley.

Along the way Moshe locates several bushes that have berries, also a small tree that bears an apple or pear like fruit. He gathers samples of all of them. He notices a grassy plant that has an aromatic fragrance. Perhaps he can use this plant to season his meals. He pulls some from the ground and places it in his new shopping bag, alongside the other foraged items.

Further down into the valley he travels. He hears animal sounds. Many of them are making grunts and growls, the sound is low and muffled by the land’s vegetation. Moshe spots the herd of wild pigs. There are several dozen that are grazing and rooting just a few meters from his position. They are a species of pygmy swine.

As he makes his way down the cliff’s edge, back to the sandy beach, he notices the dark clouds that are rolling in from the western sky. There are lightning strikes from cloud to cloud and to the earth, in faraway places. He watches the skyline as he descends the cliff. He will need to secure his tent tonight, and brace for a severe weather event.

Back at camp he has a quick meal of berries and fruit. Before retiring for the day, he grabs his spear and travels into the forest to check on the cocoon. He thinks of his self-appointed duties, which have developed since he arrived here, feeding the cat, and monitoring the cocoon. He smiles when he realizes that he enjoys these duties.

The cocoon is fully hardened. Moshe cannot see the embryo now. He can still sense the pulse of energy coming from the mass. Somehow, he knows, it is still growing, developing into something. He is eager to see what will come forth from this alien cocoon.

He returns to his tent, builds a fire, and places some stones around the cane poles that support the structure. He has been watching the incoming storm. The wind velocity has already increased. Moshe expects that the night will be filled with stormy weather.

He thinks about the incoming rain and moves some of the firewood into the tent. If it rains tonight, he will still need to build a fire in the morning, to cook his breakfast. As he attempts to fall asleep, his thought drift towards the cocoon. He hopes that it can endure the storm.

Hours later, despite the howling wind, Moshe finally drifts off to sleep. In the dream, he fights with a crowd of angry people. They are trying to take something from him. He fights with his free hand as he tries to run away and protect that which he is holding. He hears his grandmother’s voice. She is pleading with him to drop the thing. She tells him that he is in danger.

Moshe’s dream is interrupted by an explosive, crashing sound. He awakes and hears the wind and heavy rain. The grass walls of his tent are taking a beating from the tropical storm’s fury. He looks outside of the tent and sees the sky filled with ribbons of lightning. That’s the sound that awoke him from his dream. Lightning has struck something that is close by.

He immediately thinks of the cocoon and begins to worry that the tree was struck. The cocoon may be in danger. Perhaps, the thing is dead. Maybe that would be better for him and the world. His concern about the thing’s safety overwhelms him. He wraps a thermal blanket around himself and begins to run towards the forest.

As he approaches the tree, he can smell the scorched wood. He sees a trail of smoke being pushed to the east by strong winds. He arrives at the tree and sees that the top of it is black and smoldering. It was burning, but the heavy rain extinguished the flames. The cocoon is no longer on the tree.

Moshe finds it on the ground a few meters from the tree. It is broken. The shell is empty and contains a clear fluid that is leaking out onto the forest floor. There is a trail of fluid. He follows the trail a short distance and finds the small being. It appears to be dead. It is the size of a human infant. It has a humanoid shape with a head, body, two arms and two legs, but it is not human.

He stands over the small being to examine it more closely. Its face is strange. It has a small slit for the mouth, the eyes are closed, also as two slits. Where a human face would host a nose, the being has two nostrils, and a slight bump just above them. In the place where a human would host ears, it has openings. Its skin tone is pale and has a mottled color. It is hairless.

Moshe kneels beside the alien being. He is wondering if the thing survived the lightning strike. The being reacts to his close presence, it moves and opens its mouth. The thing is moaning, attempting to cry. It is shivering in the cold rain that is pelting them both. He wants to help the frail thing but is afraid to touch it.

As he watches the child like creature, he begins to a feel an overwhelming desire to protect it. He reaches down and lifts it. Moshe holds it against his chest and covers it with the thermal blanket. He heads back to the safety of his tent.

In the tent, Moshe places the being on the bed and begins to rummage through his gear. He locates the remaining piece of fabric from the life jackets. As he wraps the cloth around the small thing, he speaks to it in a calm and low voice. “Welcome to the world, little one. I do not know if I can care for you, but I will try. Sleep now, tomorrow we will figure out what to do with you.”

Moshe lies beside the child. He places a hand on the child’s chest. It is breathing and sleeping. Moshe does not sleep; his mind is working out ways to care for his new guest. He awaits the sunrise, eager to have a look at this child, in the full light of day.

He rises before daybreak and refuels the fire pit. He is hesitant to leave the child alone but hurries into the forest to fill his water containers and pick some fruit. Once the sun has risen, he will inspect the child and try to feed it. He decides that he can grind up some fruit in water and see if the little being can consume it.

He returns to his tent and checks on the child. It is still sleeping. He hurries to the beach to retrieve his fish trap. He finds a nice catch of two crabs and three fish. The child may not be able to consume this feast, but Moshe can. He will need the protein to fuel his brain, as he tries to figure out how to be the child’s caregiver.