Raising A Human

Moshe’s slumber is broken by a touch on his shoulder. Mohag stands above him and is trying to awaken him. Moshe rises on his elbows, “Well, just look at you my little Mohag, you are standing and walking now!” The child has a serious look on his face. He needs something. Moshe rises and departs the tent.

Mohag makes a grunt and a moan, he grabs himself in the middle of his clothing. Immediately Moshe understands. The child needs to urinate. How is it that he has already matured this far? He does not want to wet himself. This is a good development. “Come Mohag.” Moshe takes the child’s hand. “Can you walk with me? You need to relieve a bodily function. I will show you how that is performed.”

He had dug a latrine ditch a few days after he had arrived here. Moshe leads the boy towards one of his first, and most important lessons. With just a bit of Moshe’s direction, Mohag understands and answers nature’s call. At the rate the child is growing he will soon outgrow the diaper, anyway.

Mohag is walking well. Moshe continues his morning activities and has the child follow him. Mohag not only understands that he is to follow and stay close to his instructor, but he is also content to watch what Moshe is doing. The child seems genuinely interested. With each task performed in front of the boy, Moshe speaks aloud, explaining what he is doing.

They make a trip to the beach to retrieve the fish trap. Mohag smiles when he sees the catch of fish. “This will be a part of our morning meal. Here on the island, we have three meals a day. Sometimes, even a few snacks in between the meals, especially if we find fruit that is ripe.” The child looks directly into Moshe’s eyes when he speaks. The boy’s stare is astonishing. Moshe feels as if the child is looking into his soul.

Mohag finds interest in watching the fish cook. Several times, while explaining the process, Moshe says “Fire. Hot. Will harm you!” He takes Mohag’s hand and places it close enough to the flame for the child to feel the heat. The child pulls his hand away quickly. “Good! Good, you need to understand that fire can hurt you.”

Breakfast is simple and contains a few pieces of fruit and some roasted fish. Both diners have a water bottle next to them. Moshe only has to show the child once, and Mohag learns how to drink from the plastic container on his own. After a few bites of food, Moshe takes a drink. Mohag begins to mimic his instructor’s actions.

Moshe gathers the remains of their meal and wraps it in a palm leaf. He hands Mohag the water bottles, “Here, you hold these and I will carry the spear and the food for our friend. Come, I will show you from where we get our drinking water.” Mohag follows Moshe into the forest.

At the pond Moshe takes one container and pushes it into the water to fill. “Look Mohag, this is how we fill our water bottles.” The child fills the second container. “Very well! You are so bright my little Mohag!” The child smiles at the compliment.

Moshe washes his face and Mohag does the same. Moshe hands the boy the leaf packet containing their left-over breakfast. “Come, follow me, we will place the food on our friend’s side of the pond.” Moshe instructs the child where to place the leaf.

Moshe kneels and opens the leaf. “Here we go, now the cat can share in our good fortune. I am sure that eventually, you will get to see the cat. It is a magnificent creature. We must respect it, that’s why I bring an offering of food each day. It was living here before I arrived. We are guest on the cat’s island.”

As the two walk back towards the camp, Mohag reaches out and takes Moshe by the hand. Moshe feels the warmth of their developing relationship. They both enjoy the short journey through the forest. There is a fluttering of wings in front of them. The birds Moshe had seen earlier, now are startled by the humans’ presence.

Moshe has an idea. He begins to gather some small twigs and thin branches. “You know, Mohag, I think I will attempt to build a trap for those birds. Since you seem to like my cooking, perhaps we can dine on island chicken.”

Back at the camp, Moshe stirs the fire pit and adds more fuel. Mohag points to the fire pit and says, “Fia... hut.”

“Fire Hot. Yes, Mohag, very good. Fire, hot.” The child repeats the words exactly. Moshe sits beside the boy near the pit and wraps his arm around Mohag’s shoulders, drawing him into a hug, “You are so special, I am proud of you!” The child is pleased with himself and says the words several times more.

Moshe begins working with the materials he brought from the forest. “While I work at constructing a bird trap, let us also work on your vocabulary. Can you say “Mohag?” Moshe points to the boy’s chest, “You are Mohag.”

The child says “Mohag” several times and even points to himself. He points at Moshe and says, “Mohag.” They both laugh.

“And my name is Moshe,” he takes the child’s hand and shakes it, “I am pleased to meet you Mohag. Can you say Moshe?” The child repeats the name multiple times, each time pointing to Moshe’s chest.

Moshe continues working on the trap. He presents Mohag with more words. The child’s ability to repeat words and retain them improves with every new phrase. He may be the world’s fastest learner. Moshe’s mind drifts back to the cocoon and he remembers Mohag’s miraculous appearance. This being was designed to mature and learn quickly. Why?

After a few hours of trap building, the child is speaking with full sentences and Moshe has completed the trap. “Well, my little Mohag, we have worked hard this morning. I am hungry, how about you? Would you like some lunch?”

Mohag answers “Yes, for food. I am hungry.”

“I will cut some fruit and we have some berries left from my last gathering. It will be a light lunch, but hopefully, we will have a good catch of fish tonight, for our dinner.” Mohag enters the tent and returns to Moshe with fruit and berries in his hands. The vocabulary lesson continues during their lunch break.

Moshe has Mohag follow him into the forest. They set the bird trap and bait it with some crushed berries, sliced fruit, and a few fish bones. Moshe attempts to explain how they will prepare a bird for cooking. Mohag thinks it about the explanation for a few minutes and then ask, “The bird gives its life, so we can eat it for food?”

“Yes, that is right, even the fish. Our species has evolved to be omnivores. We consume both plants and animals for our nourishment. Humans have been doing this for a very long time.” Moshe can tell that Mohag is bothered by the thought of killing an animal.

He remembers that he had these same thoughts when he was a child. His parents had taught him to slaughter a goat, and to prepare it for a meal. At a young age he had learned the nature of the world, the tame and the wild, the good and the bad, and everything in between.

He is glad that this child has a soft heart. It is the gift of childhood. Mohag is just as any other human child would be, experiencing compassion for other creatures, simply because they are alive.

The sun is almost below the horizon. The two are seated around the fire pit conversing. The boy is full of things to say and offers comments on objects that are in the surrounding area. His vocabulary improves after each short conversation. Moshe notices that Mohag is yawning. “Yes, my little Mohag, I am tired as well. Let us lay down for the evening, if you promise not to leave the tent until morning.”

The look on Mohag’s face informs Moshe that the child does not understand what he means. He answers, “Moshe, I am here with you.”

He hugs the boy, “Yes, you are here with me. We are together.” Mohag smiles.

Tonight, the moon is radiant. The two of them are asleep, in the tent. Near the pond, the cat follows the fragrance of food. The cat has been able to smell the cooked fish since she descended from the upper cliffs.

She nears the pond. Her senses detect an alarming presence. Though she can smell the fish, there is another odor here. It is wrong, it is danger! She has encountered this smell before. She leaves the cooked fish for the birds and insects to consume and runs away from the pond, and the dangerous scent.

Moshe dreams of his mother. She is preparing a meal. She is baking Taguella, a bread that his people have enjoyed for generations. He delights in the smell of the fresh bread, but there is another odor here. It is an offensive odor. He asks his mother, “What is that horrible smell?”

“It is your corpse, rotting under the sun. Do not let your heart blind you. My son, you are in great danger!”

Moshe is awakened by a kick in his ribs. He looks up. Mohag is stepping over him and returning to his bed. Moshe understands that the lights had beckoned the boy, yet again. He did not hear him leave. Though it is still dark outside of the tent, Moshe rises.

He walks down to the beach and looks out across the waves. He wonders what will become of him and Mohag. Will they eventually be rescued, or have they been chosen to live out this alien experiment, here on the island, for the rest of their lives?

Mohag rises for the day, and just as with his first encounter with the dancing lights, he has no memory of the event. Moshe is preparing breakfast and watches the boy playing with sticks and twigs. He now looks even older. He is taller, still thin, but his body and face are maturing. Moshe thinks that Mohag looks like any other boy that he would have played with as a child.

His communication skills are developing more each day. Sometimes, during a conversation, Moshe forgets he is talking to an alien child. He realizes that he enjoys talking with the boy. Mohag is curious and asks many questions, but his most outstanding feature is his kindness. Moshe thinks that the boy has a good heart. He is caring and compassionate.

After lunch the two enter the tent to escape the midday sun. Moshe is constructing another cage for a bird trap. The idea of a different pattern came to him while he was watching Moshe play with sticks. The boy has been creating toys that resemble fish, and birds, the living things that are in his environment.

Mohag sits on the floor across from Moshe. He holds his hands in his lap. He looks at one hand and spreads his fingers wide, turning his hand in different directions. He looks at Moshe’s hand, “I am like you?”

“Yes, we both have ten fingers and ten toes.” Moshe motions with both hands towards his feet.

“I am like you... because... I am from you.”

“What... you mean ... you are my offspring, my child?” Moshe tries to hide the emotion in his voice.

“I am from you, and...” the child turns his head and nods towards the sea, “... those, out there.”

“Yes, I have wondered much about this very thing. Mohag, how is it that you have this knowledge?”

The child makes a slight grimace, as if he is searching for an answer to life’s greatest mystery. “Each new day when we rise from sleep, I am understanding more of...,” he waves his hands and arms out in a sweep, “...everything.”

“I have watched you commune with the lights under the ocean.” Moshe moves his head up and down slowly as he speaks, “I think they may be teaching you, just as I am. But, if THEY are who I think they are, why would they need me to teach you anything? What is playing out here? What are they trying to accomplish? I wish that I knew their plans!”

“I will watch and listen, I will learn more, when I understand, I will tell you, Moshe.” The child’s eyes are clear and true. He gazes back into the eyes of his teacher. The boy is sincere in the purest way.

The two of them carry the new bird trap and set it in the forest. For an afternoon adventure, they travel to the south beach. Moshe tells Mohag about the caves that he spotted up on the cliff. Their conversation while walking on the beach is warm and carefree. Mohag asks many questions about how caves are formed.

Moshe explains how natural forces, the climate, and the weather, shape the land. He mentions their need for better shelter from the elements, and hopefully a place larger than their tent space. If stranded here for much longer, Moshe hopes to create a more established camp. A home for Mohag and himself.

Mohag ask, “So, if we find a cave that is larger than the tent, we will move into it?”

“Yes, if I feel that we can be safe and secure there, we will make it our new camp. A cave will offer us much better protection from severe weather than a tent. I expect that we will experience more tropical storms.”

Seeing the boy’s upbeat attitude makes Moshe happy. They are sharing a peaceful life here, but for how long? Moshe worries that sooner or later, the lights will reveal themselves, or maybe actual rescuers will find them. Either way, sooner or later, their quiet and happy life will change. Things always change.

Moshe hasn’t thought about being rescued for days now. His time and attention have been focused on Mohag. Caring for the child has become more important than being rescued and returning to the modern world. Moshe thinks that if he must live out his entire life here being Mohag’s guardian, that it is not a catastrophic event, but an honor, a joy.

They reach the cliff with the caves. Moshe does not have to give climbing instructions. Mohag begins climbing the cliff, displaying the skills of a professional climber. Moshe follows the boy and watches him. He feels a sense of pride.

The child changes each day and appears older and taller. He is now the size of a five- or six-year-old. He is strong and healthy. He has an excitement for life that shines from his eyes. Moshe is proud to be the boy’s caregiver.

They find two caves that are beside each other. The larger one has a high enough ceiling, so that Moshe does not have to lower his head. The floor is mostly flat and level. The cave is a safer place to sleep than out on the beach.

The second and smaller cave is only a few meters from the larger one. This cave is deeper. Moshe decides that they will claim them both. The smaller cave can be for building a fire pit for cooking, that will be protected from the elements. Also, the shape of the walls will work as a smoker for any meat they may catch.

The happy duo climbs back down to the beach. Moshe decides that in the morning, they will transport all their supplies to the new camp. They visit the pond to swim and gather water. He notices that the food they left for the cat is there, untouched. “Perhaps, the cat has moved to another water source.”

They return to their tent, have their evening meal, and retire for the night.

They have been sleeping for hours. Mohag rises. He in a trance. He walks to the edge of the waves. Moshe follows, sleepily, but loyally. The boy is compelled to perform this duty each night. Moshe has accepted the ritual. He follows Mohag, not to interfere, but to make sure the child is safe.