Through the Kisandra Prism (29 page)

But why was he not trying to escape?

The small being stood confused, rubbing his chest, apparently oblivious to the calls of his family; to hurry back to the scant protection of the fig tree before the giant snake recovered; staved of oxygen, the small humanoid’s brain was still numb… not functioning, not grasping the need to act immediately.

‘Get a move on - escape!’ Blodwyn screams, – ‘before the snake grabs you again.’ Slowly the Ramapithecus male seemed to come to his senses and weakly began to climb the fig tree – watched by the glassy-eyed reptile that was also coming to its senses: Blodwyn knew that pure instinct would make it strike again. Another blast from the space chariot’s laser, right on the snake’s large scaled, triangular head was spot on this time; the huge constrictor wiggled like a wounded worm.

The small humanoid weakly returned to the huddle of his family. The large python, when it finally recovered, glided back into its dark lair like spilled quicksilver. Turning off the light and uncloaking, Blodwyn went to sleep; she was exhausted.

Dawn brought a glorious sunrise – the beginning of another African prehistoric day of tooth and talon. She ate a large ham and mustard sandwich with cress for breakfast and cloaked the space chariot, then ate a leg of roast chicken. The family of small humanoids waited until the sun’s warming rays reached the fig tree before moving – they had survived another night. The Ling chrysalis in front of Blodwyn began to wiggle. She wet a tissue and dampened the outer casing of the chrysalis; she knew the little Sisling would be with her on her next adventure.

Movements to her right made her turn; it was the blue and red faced humanoids making straight for the fig tree: what would happen when they discovered the small humanoids?

The strange mandrill-faced humanoids reaching the fig tree began to eat, collecting the small fruit at the same time. They soon spotted the small humanoids above. Apart from some finger pointing, no other action was taken. Having eaten their fill of figs, the strange humanoids moved on. To Blodwyn’s surprise the small family quickly climbed down from the fig tree and began to follow, without objection from the large strange looking humanoids. The mandrill-faced humanoids seemed to accept other intelligent species, without fear or prejudice.

“Safety in numbers” thought Blodwyn as the group disappeared south into the distance, behind thorn scrub. Having done her bit, she de-cloaked and took off looking for more adventure.

She headed for the deep Olduvai Gorge again. At the edge of the Gorge she spotted several different humanoids accompanied by their children hunkered around a carcass of an antelope; she cloaked the space chariot and landed close by, curious to find out what they looked like. To her surprise these ancient ancestors of man looked just like the drawings she had seen in archeological books: primitive, well built cave men known as the Stone-breakers: Homo Habalis – Handy-Man.

This was a happy group as they butchered the antelope. To her delight and surprise several of the small type of humanoids she had met at the fig tree were around on the fringes of the stone age hunters digging in the ground for tubers. Occasionally the hunters seemed to converse in friendly tones with the small Ramapithecus. Again there appeared to be no animosity between the two species of our distant ancestors. Blodwyn slowly and silently lifted off; there was so much more she needed to see. This chance would never come again.

She turned the space chariot west, to the edge of the great forests and silently flew along the border between trees and golden plain. Just ahead a group of very powerfully built humanoids ambled out of the forests accompanied by some children. There was something very unusual about this group; although hairless they were built like gorillas with short bandy legs; very large stomachs and thick, powerful muscles. Each male held a large pointed stick. This species belonged to the species Austrolapithus Robustus; another distant ancestor of ours that disappeared.

Blodwyn cloaked and landed. A pack of hyenas were soon attracted to this group and slunk around trying to get at the children. The large males formed a circle around their females and youngsters; stones were thrown at the predators. The large males began roaring and beating their massive chests. The hyenas slunk away to find weaker prey. The whole group then settled down to feed, eating leaves and digging in the ground for tubers and roots; the big beings were vegetarian, just like modern day gorillas. They were soon joined by several of our smallest ancestors who appeared from the forest. To Blodwyn’s way of thinking all of man’s ancestors seemed to live in harmony when together and cooperated when in danger of attack from predators. She was very wrong, as she would soon find out – she had yet to meet another ancestor of man!

The red light began to flash on the dashboard – the Time-ship of the Galla Qualls was back – hurrah! She would not have to make her own way back to Earth.

Lifting off, she set a course for the Time-ship. Blodwyn recognized the fig tree as she passed overhead. About five miles past the tree she slowed down. What she saw below on the golden plain shocked her – she had to stop. A scene of carnage was spread out: blood-framed!

Lying where they fell, were the bodies of the very strange mandrill-faced humanoids and the small family from the fig tree, Blodwyn had very recently protected; they had been massacred! Bending over the slain, looting the dead bodies were another race of our ancestors: Cro-Magnon – modern man! Cro-Magnon did not tolerate other intelligent life-forms. By killing the strange race Cro-Magnon lost the secret of spark producing flint and the benefit of bronze; the bronze-age would have to wait millions of years before rediscovery.

Blodwyn felt sick at the sight before her. She felt like giving the killers a good dose of the laser: that would teach them. Just about to leave, she suddenly noticed movement below the sand. She had seen this before: the Orb-eyed Oga Koya! “Why were the Sand-swimmers moving towards the massacre; were they carnivores – scavengers? If so Nargon the Oga Koya who was trying to persuade her to go underground, had lied – the Oga Koya were not fungus eaters but carnivores!” Blodwyn would have to ponder on this and come to a firm decision in case she met the Oga Koya again.

Spotting the movements towards them under the sand the Homo sapiens quickly left: obliviously afraid of the sand-swimmers. She sadly made her way back to the Time-ship.

When common Earth was ruled by reptile fang and claw:

the same common sun still fell at dusk and rose at dawn.

Fur, feather or flower was as yet unknown;

No scented twilight, no nightingale song;

no glimpse of doe with dainty stepping fawn.

Back on the Galla Quall Time-ship, Blodwyn was excited, for two reasons; firstly, Admiral Sebus announced that the next stop of the ship would be during earth’s Cretaceous period – the true age of the dinosaurs. Secondly, the little Sisling, Boochi began emerging from chrysalis. Blodwyn was delighted; she finally had her own personal little bodyguard.

The first thing the Sisling asks for was pollen toffee. She gave the little Ling one lump and ate a lump herself. This did not go well, as far as the little Sisling was concerned.

‘You are stealing my food!’ The little Ling accuses, stuffing its little mouth.

‘More!’ demanded the little alien Ling.

‘No,’ answers Blodwyn, you must not be so greedy… I have told you we must conserve our food.’

The Sisling pulled a face and gave Blodwyn a little nip on the finger with its sharp teeth; then spits!

‘Ouch – stop that you little sod!’ scolds Blodwyn, ‘don’t do that again.’

‘Grunwalde swears, bites… and spits at me…but I am too quick,’ answers the Ling grinning, eye brows raised over black button eyes.

‘It is not lady like to say or do those things,’ says Blodwyn.

‘You said a rude word,’ answers the little Sisling.

‘You bit me…and it hurt,’ she replies, ‘even so it is wrong to swear.’

‘I only gave a little bite, I did not sting you or inject poison,’ answers Boochi the Sisling, without emotion.

‘I should think not!’ Blodwyn says, ‘you are supposed to be my personal bodyguard not my assassin! You are still not getting any more pollen toffee so there – and the next time you bite me I will….’ Blodwyn knew there was nothing she could do to hurt the little Ling. ‘I am hungry,’ complains the Sisling, ‘let me lick your fingers, then you won’t have to wash them.’

‘Certainly not!’ Blodwyn answers,’ licking is no a substitute for washing – I am not having your sticky hands all over the dashboard of the space chariot. You must wash. We will forage when we get down… just think, we will witness a world full of dinosaurs millions of years ago in the Cretaceous period, that is so exciting don’t you think? We will also look for honey – lovely wild honey.’ Sislings love honey.

On the bridge of the Time-ship:

‘You must be very careful,’ advises Admiral Sebus, stay in the space chariot, there are many dangerous life-forms…in Pangaea… remember not all of them are big.’

‘Where will you be?’ she asks.

‘On the other side of this massive Island in an area you now call China.’

‘Where are we now?’ she asks.

‘The Southern hemisphere,’ answers Sebus, a land Terasils now call Brazil.’

With that the Galla Quall leaves. Blodwyn was now nearly out of food, all she had left was one pork pie, which she ate straight away; keeping some cheese, half a loaf, some pollen toffee and some barley sugars for emergencies. These sweets had to be triple-wrapped to stop the Sisling smelling them and pestering her for sweet-rocks: foraging was now a must.

Blodwyn looked down from the port hole; the ship was a hundred miles above prehistoric Earth – just think, she was there! The world below looked completely different, the continents were still connected; one total land mass – Pangaea!

Blodwyn and the little Sisling left the Time-ship ship in the space chariot. All this was lost on the little Sisling, who could only keep demanding pollen toffee.

‘Honestly you are not going to shut up are you – you greedy little bug-brained cretin – no wonder Grunwalde Angharad bites, spits and swears at you,’ says Blodwyn. ‘You are enough to make the holiest Buddhist monk hopping mad.’

The little female Sisling sulked a typical Myfanwy sulk; bottom lip protruding, eyes brows angled down; a face as miserable as sin.

‘Really,’ says Blodwyn I am not going to put up with this for the whole trip. You can have one barley sugar when we land.’

‘Lovely sweet-rocks,’ exclaims the smiling Sisling, she then shut up. Blodwyn took the space-chariot just a few yards above the strange world, hundreds of millions of years before man. Everything below was now different. The only tree with branches was the monkey puzzle tree, which looked exactly the same as it does today. All the other vegetation was made up of fern-like plants and tall fern trees. Later some trees she recognized were the occasional palm tree.

The earth was pale yellow and sandy; earth worms did not exist then. Not a single large dinosaur was in sight; however small two legged dinosaurs dashed between cover, leaving bird shaped footprints. She reasoned that with such a massive landmass all the various kinds of dinosaurs were scattered. In the very far distance she could see pterodactyls gliding above cliffs: these flying dinosaurs looked big. She decided to leave them alone for the time being.

‘What are you looking for?’ asks the Sisling.

‘Dinosaurs,’ Blodwyn answers.

‘Do they smell?’ the little Ling asks.

‘How should I know – I have never seen one before,’ she replies.

‘Then how will you recognize one… when you see it,’ the Ling asks.

‘Look… I know what one looks like… Ok?’

‘Then why didn’t you smell it,’ asks the Ling.

‘For the last time – I have seen one in a book – but have never smelt a real dinosaur got it? You are beginning to bore me now.’

Blodwyn lands the craft on a sandy mound dotted with ferns; some trees near by looked almost familiar. Trees with clusters of yellow fruit – dates!

‘Bring some back,’ she tells the Ling. The Sisling flew to the trees tasted a fruit and then bit off a small bunch. Blodwyn tasted, sweet and crunchy young spring dates. This was ideal; dates were almost a complete food and would keep for ages.

‘Get some more,’ she orders.

On its way back with the last cluster, the Sisling was suddenly grabbed by a giant dragonfly about three feet long! To this massive sky-born predator the Sisling was the right size for a meal. However Lings are fluctuating invertebrates; they could also bite and sting. Blodwyn was not worried for the Sisling’s safety. Soon the giant dragonfly was fleeing from the Ling who chased it in an amazing aerobatic display. Catching the giant flying insect, the little Sisling began to ride on its back; for that is the playful nature of Lings.

Game over they now had enough dates to last for ages.

Blodwyn gave the Sisling a barley sugar and listened to it crunch the rock hard sweet with its tiny sharp teeth.

‘More!’ demands the Sisling. (Lings are extremely hungry after breaking chrysalis).

‘No,’ she answers sternly, ‘now we will look for wild honey.’

This seemed to please the Ling. Since she now had a bodyguard, Blodwyn decided to leave the space chariot to help look for honey; she also had her laser.

The smell of this prehistoric world was different somehow. Perhaps it was the absence of soil and flowering plants; they had not evolved as yet; pollination was carried out by the wind. Although very large sting-less bees existed. (There were no honey thieves as yet: bees did not need to defend the hive or pollinated some trees; plants relied on wind pollination.)

Blodwyn walked along a wide sandy path between the tall fern-like trees; the Sisling hovering above her head. This was not the Brazil she had read about; there was no Amazon River; no Matto Grosso. Faint old footprints of four-toed dinosaurs were visible. But where had they all gone? The answer was simple; the various dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurs Rex – the king of lizards, had left the area for fear of their lives; there was a far more dangerous and intelligent dinosaur around: the Malisaraptor!