Helix and the Arrival (18 page)

Steevor tells us to rest and to make ourselves at home while we wait for Ugthorn's poultice to be made. We are to spend the night in the same roundhouse where we waited before, and there will be a meal in the evening that we are welcome to attend.

We leave Steevor's roundhouse. Outside, I hang back at the entrance waiting for Herb to appear, hoping we can talk. He moves slowly out into the light, aware that I'm waiting for him.

Ug and Saleeka are standing beside me. Saleeka notices me waiting for Herb and says, ‘Come on, Ug. Let's go and explore.'

‘Where?' he says.

‘I don't know … Somewhere. Come on,' she says, grabbing his arm and dragging him away.

I'm not sure what to say to Herb. There are so many things I want to ask him. Where do I start?

But Herb is the one to talk first. ‘Come with me, Helix. Let's sit by the river.'

He leads the way and I follow. We move slowly – Herb has a limp and holds a tall walking stick in one hand. At one point, he asks me to wait as he leans on the stick and stops to get his breath, then we continue the short way to the river.

We arrive at a spot where the river bends. There is a scattering of small boulders. With the help of his stick, Herb lowers himself onto one of the rocks. I want to help him, but am worried that he will see this as a sign of pity.

The first thing he says is, ‘Tell me about your family, Helix.'

The words ‘your family' seem strange coming from his mouth – after all, it is
his
family, too.

‘They're well,' I say. ‘Mum takes care of us. Dad is … well … Dad. And Sherwin, my older brother, is getting married soon.'

‘Lucky for Sherwin,' says Herb.

‘Lucky for Sherwin, but not so lucky for Saleeka. She isn't that keen on marrying Sherwin – or anyone else for that matter.'

Herb nods sympathetically. ‘Sounds like a difficult situation.'

‘Yes, it is.'

Herb's wrinkles tighten as he blinks his eyes slowly, closing and then opening them. ‘And what of Korg – or Crev, as I used to know him? I hear he is still alive?'

‘Yes,' I say. ‘He's still alive, though he's getting old.'

‘I suspect so,' says Herb. ‘We're the same age – look at me … It seems like only yesterday that the three of us crossed the river.'

There's a break in our conversation as Herb's eyes lose focus and he drifts back into the memories of his life long ago. I give him a moment's peace but end it by asking him something that's been on my mind.

‘They all think you're dead,' I say. ‘Dad, Mum, Sherwin … everyone in Rockfall. Why did you let them think that?'

‘It was for the best,' he says. ‘It got to a stage where everyone was sick of my stories and no one believed me.'

‘Was there a time when Rockfall was different?'

‘Oh yes,' he says. ‘People from the mountain have always been a fearful lot but there was a time, when I was young, that they came to know and respect the river
folk. There was free passage over the river, and even the exchange of goods and knowledge.'

‘Why did it change?'

He looks down and takes a deep breath. ‘Change always occurs for a reason, Helix. And there is always someone who benefits.'

‘It was the Storykeepers, wasn't it?'

He nods. ‘It started with Geeldo and continued with his son Baleel, who was the father of your present-day Storykeeper, Speel. Geeldo could see that the river people held knowledge that was missing from the mountain. But instead of forging a path towards learning, he began to make up stories of how the river people lived in filth and despised mountain folk. All lies, as you know.'

‘He did it so that he could control the knowledge and gain power, didn't he?' I say.

Herb gazes hard into my eyes. ‘I'm impressed by your understanding, Helix.'

‘Thanks,' I croak. I feel like I've just been rewarded for being who I am.

‘I am told you can read word signs, Helix,' says Herb.

‘Yes. I don't know how. I just can,' I say.

‘When I was young, nearly everyone could read. That was one of the first things that Geeldo changed – he forbade reading, said it was only for a chosen few. Of course, this made it easier for him to create his own version of what was knowledge.'

‘That's just how it is today with Speel,' I say. ‘No one is allowed to read the tablets except for him, and I'm sure he changes the meaning to suit himself.'

‘Speel.' Herb shakes his head. ‘He was just a child when I left. His father, Baleel, had taken over from Geeldo, and I could see that Baleel craved power just like his predecessor. It was then that I knew for sure that I could no longer live in Rockfall – nothing was going to change.'

‘Baleel made you leave?'

‘No. No one made me leave, Helix. I chose to leave. It was the hardest thing I ever did, leaving my family behind and letting them think I had died. Yes, it was my decision, and in some ways it was a selfish choice.'

‘I don't think it was selfish, Herb,' I say. ‘I think you made the right decision. Look where you ended up – this place is much better than the mountain.'

‘It's not for me to say, but thank you, Helix,' he says, his voice seeming even raspier than before.

‘One thing I don't understand, though, is how I ended up finding your tablet when I stayed on the Dark Side.'

‘Oh, the tablet,' says Herb. ‘I wrote that in better times – Rockfall's golden age, as I like to think of it now. When I left Rockfall for good, the first place I went was the Dark Side. I'm not sure how it is now, but back then it was a wild land, full of angry folk who had been treated badly in Rockfall.'

‘In some ways, I don't think it has changed much,' I say. ‘There are some odd folk there, but most of them are quite friendly once you get to know them.'

‘I found them friendly after a time, too, Helix,' he says. ‘Anyway, I lived on the Dark Side for about a year.
The tablet you read was the only belonging I took with me from Rockfall. I decided that if I was going to take one thing with me, it would be something that reminded me of the special times, the times I shared with friends.'

‘But you forgot it,' I say.

‘Forgot it or left it on purpose … I don't know, Helix. Anyway, thanks to your thirst for knowledge, which led you to find the tablet, you're here now.'

I think about what Herb is saying. It's as if everything that's ever happened in my short life has been leading me to finding Herb's tablet in that cave on the Dark Side.

‘And then you decided to leave the Dark Side for the lowlands – I mean, for Fenswell,' I say.

‘Yes, but even though that's what I'd decided, it was a hard move to make. It had never been done before – someone from the mountain moving to Fenswell. Even today, I still feel like a bit of an outsider caught between two worlds.'

‘But you wouldn't change anything, right?' I say.

‘Oh no, not for all the skins on the mountain,' he says, smiling at me through his beard. ‘I feel blessed to have lived such a rich life. My fondest memories are with the people of Fenswell.'

I'm happy for Herb. He has lived a life worth living.

We sit, watching the river flow and letting time pass. Herb asks more questions about our family. I tell him everything there is to know. I also mention my Arrival and he shakes his head in sympathy.

‘It is not only hunting and memorising stories that
defines a caveman,' Herb says, and he smiles at me so that the wrinkles in his cheeks come to life.

I nod. This means so much to me: it is comforting to know that Great-grandfather Herb, at least, understands how I feel.

‘I've got something to show you,' I say.

I stand up and walk the few steps to the river, bend down, scoop some water in my hand and return.

‘What is it, Helix?' he says.

I open my hand to reveal the glistening flint.

Herb reaches out and gently takes it from my palm.

‘Dad gave it to me when I set off for my Arrival yesterday. He said that it once belonged to you and it would bring me luck.'

‘It is strange how something so small can bring back so many memories – memories from when I was your age, Helix.' He holds out his hand for me to take the flint back.

‘Keep it,' I say. ‘It belongs to you. It's done its job and helped bring us together. Now it can return to its rightful home, with you.'

Herb nods and closes his hand over the flint. His cloudy eyes swim with the river. After a while he says, ‘Help me up, will you, Helix.'

I help him to his feet.

‘I need my rest. I am not a young man anymore.'

‘Will you be at the meal tonight?' I ask.

‘Of course,' he replies. ‘It is one of the things I love about Fenswell and the river people – the sharing of food. And good food at that!'

He can see by the look on my face – and possibly by the stream of dribble about to slide down my chin – that I'm a fan of river-folk food as well.

I walk Herb to his roundhouse, which is on the edge of the settlement but still a part of it.

‘It was the most wonderful pleasure to meet you, Helix – more so than you could ever imagine,' he says, and disappears through the entrance.

The crushing weight of the mountain has floated away. I'm certain that if I flapped my arms, I would fly up into the evening air and soar above the craggy mountain.

I find Ug and Saleeka sitting on a log, one of many that form a circle around the cooking fire.

Over the fire is a large pot. I can hear it gurgling away, as if it's mumbling to itself. Although there is a lid on the pot, steam is still escaping. I take a few deliberate steps in its direction so that the vapours can reach my nostrils. As they enter my nose, the flavours settle in the back of my throat, just long enough for me to taste it in my mind's stomach. For the first time ever, I am interested in food … In a good way, that is, as opposed to being hungry or dreading my next charcoaled snack.

I sit beside Saleeka. Ug is on the other side.

‘Did you speak with Herb?' asks Saleeka.

‘Yes,' I say.

Ug leans in front of Saleeka. ‘Saleeka told me about your great-grandfather and the tablet. You should have told me.' He seems offended.

‘I would've, but you haven't exactly been in the mood for talking lately.'

Ug stares ahead, his arms crossed, trying to look annoyed at me.

‘Listen, Ug,' I say. ‘Next time I have world-shattering news about a long-lost relative, I'll be sure to tell you before anyone else. Okay?'

‘Make sure you do.'

‘So what did you and Herb talk about?' asks Saleeka.

‘Lots of things – family, the mountain, his life.'

‘How did he come to be here?' asks Ug.

‘He'd had enough of the mountain and its ways. At first he went to the Dark Side, but then he decided Fenswell was where he wanted to be.'

‘Wow,' says Saleeka. ‘Imagine just deciding one day, “That's it – I've had enough of the mountain. I'm leaving.”' She looks up as if she's imagining another life – a life that doesn't involve marrying Sherwin.

‘It is extreme,' says Ug, ‘but I guess he had good reasons.'

‘What were his reasons?' asks Saleeka.

‘Um … He just needed a change,' I say. Although Herb is all I can think about, I'm not ready to share everything I know about him right now. Maybe I'm being selfish, but he's
my
great-grandfather and I've only just met him.

One of the river folk lights a torch on a pole and raises it high for everyone to see. It must be a sign that food is ready to be served, because folk rise quickly to their feet. They form a line waiting to be served from the steaming pot. We join Steckman and follow their lead.

Beside the steaming pot is a woven basket containing pale brown flattened shapes about the size of my hand, which I assume to be food of some kind. After the river folk have been given a bowl filled with food from the pot, they take one of these flat things as well.

‘What's that?' I ask Steckman, who's behind me.

Steckman finds my question funny. ‘The things you mountain folk don't know … It is called “bred”.'

‘Bred?' I say.

‘Yes, bred.'

‘It looks very pale,' I say.

‘Helix, you've grown up eating charcoaled meat. Anything looks pale compared to what you know.'

‘How do the river folk make it?' I ask.

‘They take the grains that they grow in the fields, crush them into a powder, add water to give it shape and then cook it in the fire.'

Once we've been served, Steckman leaves us and goes to talk to a river person. From the sound of it, he's trying to convince them to purchase Porgo as a pet. I look around for Herb and see he's with Steevor and that they're deep in conversation. I shouldn't interrupt them.

As I'm about to take my seat again, the girl who fired arrows at me approaches. ‘Can I?' she says, pointing to the log.

‘Yes … please,' I say.

River folk are sitting where they choose, now, chatting and laughing as they eat their evening meal. Ug and Saleeka are sitting in the middle of a log with folk on either side of them. They look uncomfortable at first, but soon I see them answering questions from the inquisitive river people.

‘My name is Kalisha,' says the girl.

‘I'm –'

‘Helix,' she jumps in. ‘Yes, we all know who you are. You are the great-grandson of Herb.'

I let out a nervous laugh. ‘That's me,' I say. ‘Aren't you the one who shot arrows at me?'

She smiles and chuckles. ‘Yes, that was me.'

‘Lucky you missed,' I say.

Her look turns serious. ‘Er, yes, I was meaning to miss.' Then she smiles again and her face lights up.

We talk as we eat. She shows me what to do with the bred. Alone, I find it bland, but by dipping it in my food, it takes on flavour.

Kalisha asks me question after question about what it's like to live on the mountain. All of my answers, I feel, are dull and uninspiring. Her life by the river with roundhouses, crops, medicines and good food is far more interesting than anything I can tell her about the mountain. Still, she seems to take a keen interest in me and my life.

We talk and talk until we are among the last to be sitting in the open. Ug and Saleeka have returned to the guest roundhouse, Steckman has returned to his and Herb … Where is Herb? He must've gone to bed, too.

‘Do you want to see the river?' asks Kalisha.

‘Actually, I've already seen it today. I went there with Herb,' I say.

‘Okay, then …' she says, rolling her eyes away from me.

And then I realise that what Kalisha is actually saying to me is, ‘Do you, Helix, want to see the river with me, Kalisha?'

BONEHEAD! If she wasn't sitting beside me, I'd slap myself in the face.

‘Um … Can I change my answer? I actually meant to say “yes”.'

‘Changing your mind is okay,' she says, laughing.

She takes me to a part of the river I haven't seen yet, where the water flows quickly over lots of little rocks.

‘We call this the “white flow”,' she says. ‘It is shallow, but the water here runs with great haste.'

We sit on a log with our feet in the soft, cool grass, our shoulders almost touching. The sun has completely disappeared over the landline and the sky is dark except for the moon and the stars. Kalisha reaches across and takes my hand. She turns it palm-up and studies it in the moonlight.

I remain quiet, not wanting to do anything that would make this moment end.

‘You can tell a lot from someone's palms,' she says. ‘Hmm … Interesting.'

‘What?' I say. ‘What's interesting?'

‘You – there's something different about you, Helix.'

‘Is there?'

‘Yes. You are what we call a “seeker”.'

‘A seeker? What does that mean?'

‘It means you yearn for truth and knowledge and will search for it no matter what forces oppose you.'

I look into her eyes and can only assume that I'm making a goofy cave-idiot smile.

‘There's more,' she says. ‘I can also tell that you are willing to fight for what you believe is right, and that's a very special thing, Helix.'

‘But I'm just me,' I say.

‘“Just you” is fine,' says Kalisha. ‘You don't have to be anything else.'

We stay by the river until the moon disappears from the night sky. By now, I'm getting weary. It's been a long day. Kalisha senses my tiredness. She shows me the way back to my roundhouse in the dark. Our shoulders are pressed together as we walk.

‘Thank you,' I say, as we arrive at my roundhouse.

‘What for?' says Kalisha.

‘For not shooting me that time and for … just for everything.' She can see I'm lost for words.

Kalisha fills in the gap. She leans forward and kisses me once, softly on the lips. She smiles goodnight. Then she turns and leaves.

I'm exhausted, but a part of me feels wide awake, as if it will never sleep again. For the rest of time, I will play back in my mind, over and over, all the incredible things that have happened to me today. As morning breaks, I know, for the first time ever, what it is to feel complete. Is there a way for me to freeze this moment and stand still in time forevermore?

Maybe there isn't. But I know the next best thing.