The Days of Peleg (56 page)

Peleg could see none of this, however. He only heard the grunts, yelps, and thuds, and was very surprised when a man crumpled in front of him, only to be followed six seconds later by another man landing on top of the first.

Bernifal rose and rushed to Peleg, grabbed him, and they resumed their blind run, this time with no concern for noise. Bernifal shouted a few, simple syllables, forgetting that his companion didn’t know the language. They sprinted through a few more twists and turns, and then slowed to navigate a walkway which was tighter and narrower than any Peleg had yet experienced in this place.

Bernifal led him single file past three more sharp turns, and then Bernifal stopped and placed Peleg’s hands on what seemed to be a wooden bar. Peleg was momentarily confused until Bernifal placed his foot on a lower bar. Reaching up and down, he felt other bars and suddenly determined that he was facing a ladder.

Bernifal placed Peleg’s bearskin around his shoulders, and pushed him to ascend, which he did. They climbed until Peleg was completely unsure of how far above the ‘ground’ he was. Fortunately, no sight meant no vertigo, and he dutifully kept placing one hand after the other as they slowly approached the ‘ground’ above—with no idea of how much farther it was.

Suddenly Peleg’s face plowed into what felt like a nest of twigs and dirt, and a rain of damp particles fell on him. He was unable to brush any of it away without letting go, and the prodding of Bernifal forced him upward and through the debris.

He shook his head, dislodging some of the dirt, not thinking of the fallout on his companion below. Suddenly his head struck what could only be dirty, damp, earth, and he stopped.

Bernifal shouted from below and pushed upward, slapping on Peleg’s calves. Finally, Peleg hunched his shoulders and plowed headfirst into the blockage.

A mound of dirt and turf rose up above his head, and he was instantly blinded by a painful light more brilliant than he had experienced in months. He was on the surface! He closed his eyes and pulled himself up onto the ground where he rolled into a ball, placing his fists over his burning eyes.

Bernifal followed close behind, and turned to reposition the dirt portal. Then he rushed to Peleg and lifted him, prodding him to continue running.

The overabundance of light in the mid-day sun
aboveground
blinded him just as effectively as the absence of light
belowground
. Peleg placed his forearm over his tightly clenched eyelids as Bernifal grabbed his other arm and they continued as before—Peleg forced, again, to totally trust his rescuer. This time, however, they did not worry about silence and stomped noisily through dry leaves, twigs, and other foliage. Peleg wondered if Bernifal was as blinded by the sun as he was. If so, he must know this territory as intimately as the caverns below.

Peleg felt heat on his back and realized he was unaccustomed to the sun beating down on him. They entered an area where he could feel that the surrounding foliage grew higher and soon they were pushing through tall, thick grasses that seemed to rise far above them. Suddenly, the heat diminished, and he knew they had arrived at a covered area, with cooler air and a slightly higher humidity.

Gradually he lowered his arm and peered cautiously through his eye slits. The light in the shade was still intolerable, but he continued to bat his eyes and squint until eventually he was able to focus on a dark patch of ground with one eye closed.

Bernifal sat him down on a large rock and Peleg slowly began to assemble his surroundings as his eyes adjusted.

He focused on a nearby object and discovered Bernifal’s face peering into his own. He had light brown skin with dark blond hair—not like the brilliant yellow which had covered Serug’s head. He smiled as Peleg became aware of him, showing his sharpened teeth once again—but somehow in normal light it wasn’t nearly as alarming.

Peleg looked around and groaned. He was in a cave! He had sworn to never again step foot in a cave should he ever escape. The intense light to which he was slowly adjusting was nothing more than dim day-light streaming through the thick grasses that covered the opening. The actual cave was about five times larger than the room in which he had spent the last few months, but he noticed a second opening that seemed to continue further into the back.

As his eyes re-learned to focus in normal light, he began to make out simple reddish orange paintings decorating the uneven walls of the cave. A huge bear was being attacked by men with spears, and in another, a fierce fight between a large mammoth and a charging
ušemšutum
was portrayed.

Bernifal was waving his arms, trying to get Peleg’s attention. He motioned forcibly in a downward sweep, ending with his index finger pointing firmly at the ground. The meaning was clear.

Stay here!

Peleg nodded, and Bernifal dashed out through the grasses, leaving Peleg alone in the cave.

Peleg began to walk around his environment, inspecting the perimeter of the rough coarse rock enclosing him. There were definite signs of previous habitation. Some rolled-up mats, several crude throwing spears, and a few simple pieces of cooking pottery. He approached the pottery and discovered what appeared to be a small fireplace, carved out of the lower part of the wall. Charcoaled sticks, and bits of white ash covered the area, and he tipped his head inside where he felt a slight draft indicating a simple flue.

Peleg wondered how much he should trust this Bernifal. Was he really helping him escape from Shem, or did he have some agenda of his own? Although it was tempting to simply leave the cave and head out on his own, Peleg decided he would stick with his rescuer a little while longer. At least Bernifal knew the area.

A rustling in the grasses made him jump, and he waited nervously until Bernifal suddenly emerged into the doorway. He smiled, and Peleg saw that he was carrying several large sticks of wood along with some spindly branches and dry leaves.

Bernifal walked past him to the small fireplace and proceeded to build a small structure of kindling, laying the larger sticks around the edges.

Eventually, he was satisfied with his preparations and stood up. Bernifal didn’t start a fire, but smiled at Peleg, indicated again that he should not leave, and then disappeared into the thick grasses just as before.

Peleg looked around and shrugged. He wandered over to the only piece of furniture—the rock Bernifal had been sitting on earlier—and sat down. He leaned back against the wall and began to ponder his options.

He was glad to be away from Shem and the other
Gutians
, but he did not have his notes, charts, or instrument—and they were irreplaceable. Was there any way he could communicate with Bernifal and get him to re-enter the complex and retrieve them? He couldn’t just simply return to Ur with nothing to show for his twelve years of exploration. Perhaps if Shem thought Peleg was important enough, some kind of deal could be arranged—with no intention of fulfilling it.

He awoke suddenly and realized he had dozed off. The sun had set and the cave was now darkened, but ambient radiance from a full moon outside filtered through the grasses creating a room that still had much more light than the one he had lived in below.

He stood up and winced; surprised to find that his muscles and joints were stiff and sore. He moved about slowly, tempted to start the fire, but not sure who might notice or how safe it was.

He tensed suddenly as he heard movement in the grass outside the opening. Someone or something was walking heavily through the underbrush, and Peleg pressed himself against the side of the cave to be in the shadows as much as possible. Peleg could see the stalks vibrating in reaction to footsteps, and suddenly a large form cast a shadow that grew against the waving curtain of grass.

A very large person was pressing towards the cave. The gait was definitely too heavy to be Bernifal, and its movement indicated that this intruder knew exactly where he was going. The shadow grew larger and distorted as its steps became more forceful.

Suddenly the silhouette shrunk, and the tall blades of grass divided as the intruder pushed into the cave opening.

Peleg choked back a yelp as he suddenly recognized the outline of the intruder. He pressed himself harder against the wall, trying to become invisible, but the man took another step into the room and sniffed twice.

“Ah, Peleg,” said the voice that Peleg had hoped never to hear again. “I’m glad you made it here safely.”

Peleg remained immobile against the cave wall and said nothing.

Shem moved directly towards him.

“You’re not seriously attempting to hide, are you?” he asked. “I could smell you from far outside the cave. And although you’re wrapped in that smelly blanket, the heat from your face illuminates this room like a light-house.”

Peleg realized he had been holding his breath and exhaled. He was angry and felt betrayed by Bernifal.

“I see you’ve left your cave kingdom,” said Peleg sourly. The need to treat Shem with caution was somehow lessened now that he was on the surface. “What happened to force you up into the real world?”

Shem laughed, irritating Peleg further.

“A mutiny, actually,” he said calmly. “Our people have been hunted and hiding underground since the Time of the Confusion, and they will no longer tolerate simply defending themselves.”

He moved over and sat on the rock where Peleg had slept earlier.

“You may recall the angry debate which I quelled as we walked topside to the food preparers?” he asked and then continued without waiting for a response. “They wanted to develop an offensive to go against Sargon and his allies, but I asked them to be patient until I had determined the end of the
Zeh-ra
lineage. And since the
Creator
had brought
you
to
me
, I was certain that it was only a matter of months before
we
would succeed!”

His voice rose.

“There is
nothing
more important!”

Even in the filtered lunar light, Shem’s eyes glowed cat-like, with fanatical fervor.

“But last night they rose up,” he continued heavily, his voice sliding from exhilarated excitement to deep sorrow within the single sentence. “The entire war council of the Gutian Defense Force voted to banish me, and I was given two hours to leave the community, never again to enter any of our complexes.”

It was a tone of deep personal anguish, and Peleg was afraid that Shem’s emotional pendulum would now swing into sobbing. For a brief moment, Peleg actually was sorry for him and felt a slight remorse for his initial greeting. The silence stretched out as Peleg envisioned the large man grappling with the loss of everything that he had lived for—but then Peleg found his compassion turning into a perverse glee as he considered that, perhaps now, Shem knew what it felt like.

A sharp laugh broke the silence as Shem somehow miraculously regained his original excitement.

“But the
Creator
always has better plans than I could possibly make,” he said with unmistakable happiness, his voice rising. “We shall follow the lineage of the
Zeh-ra
ourselves! When the desires of the
Creator
are made known to the latest in the line, the knowledge of
Zeh-ra
will not vanish. The curse will be removed!”

He stopped suddenly and sniffed, looking towards the opening.

“Bernifal arrives,” he said.

“He was the only one I could trust,” Shem continued, more quietly. “I managed to get a message to him and asked him to extract you and meet us in this decoy-cave. I trust your trip here was uneventful.”

Peleg started to respond about the flight—and the fight—but before he could say anything, Bernifal burst through the grasses in front of the opening and into the room.

When he spotted Shem, he called out and dropped what he was carrying. He rushed to Shem, and they exchanged hearty hugs, backslaps, and kisses on the cheeks. Even in the cave’s darkness, Peleg watched the exchange, made comical as the small, wiry Bernifal reached upward and tried to wrap his arms around the tall, large Founder.

Peleg listened as they spoke in their own language. He could understand nothing, but at one point, Bernifal became very animated, and Peleg could tell that he was describing the fight which had occurred during their escape. At one point Bernifal thrust his thumb into the air and spoke a solemn phrase, after which he and Shem burst into laughter for several minutes.

Suddenly, Bernifal gave a look of dismay and began frantically patting at his clothing as if looking for something. Eventually he looked up at Shem and shrugged, a very sad look on his face.

The conversation was over and Bernifal returned his attention to the items he had dropped. He gathered them and went to the small fireplace where he ignited the kindling and coaxed the small flames into a roaring cooking fire.

In the new light, Peleg saw that Bernifal had killed three small rabbits, and he was now in the process of preparing them on spits, which stood next to the fireplace. Along with the rabbits was a skin filled with water which he passed to Shem who drank deeply. Shem then stood up and walked over to Peleg, who still had not moved from the wall, and handed the skin to him with a smile.

Peleg was suddenly aware of how thirsty he was, and he tipped the bag up over his head and drank from the spigot. He sucked the water in as fast as his swallows would allow, and he only quit when he had to take a breath. His eyes were closed as he enjoyed the cool water, and when he opened them, he saw the smiling face of Shem reflected in the firelight.

“What happened to Bernifal?” Peleg asked, feeling somewhat bloated as the large volume of water collected in his stomach. “Did he lose something?”

“Yes he did,” answered Shem. “Apparently his flute fell from its holster during your skirmish back in Haganah. It was very special to him, but he can never return to retrieve it.”

Peleg nodded, but had one more question from watching their exchange.