David Golemon: Primeval

"Well, someone lost their lunch money," he said, smiling and showing both Sarah and Carl the lost treasure of L. T. Lattimer as it glimmered even through the hundred years of dust.

On the ground were spilled bags, and even some stacked gold double eagles. Lattimer must have done the stacking before he vanished into Ellenshaw's past.

"Now that's impressive," Carl said as he stared at the millions just sitting, spilled on the ground.

Jack shook his head and moved on, shining the light left and then right. He was looking for any trail the girl may have left in the soft earth of the cave's floor, but as it was they only had the giant prints of the beast as it had went this way with its sorrowful load. As he approached the second wagon, he flashed his light on its tarp-covered bed and squeezed by. Close behind him, Sarah stumbled into the wagon's wooden side. It was Carl who heard the sound of cracking wood and ran to push Sarah out of the way. As they cleared the side of the wagon, Jack pulled them out the rest of the way just as bags upon bags of gold double eagles fell free. It was Sarah who saw it first.

"Wow," Everett said and that was followed by a whistle.

Lying among the bags of gold was the skeletal remains of a man dressed in a plaid shirt with suspenders. The skull looked as if it had been crushed as its blank eyes stared out at nothing. Jack saw that the skeletons arms seemed to wrap around two of the large bags of coins and to him it looked as if the skull were grinning.

"The late Mr. Lattimer I presume," Sarah said, staring at the remains.

"Well, he got what he came for," Jack said as he pulled on Sarah's arm. They left the two wagons behind and allowed L. T. Lattimer to have his gold.

As they advanced, the cave became more humid. They saw where several tunnels branched off the main cave. Jack was starting to think it would be an impossible task to find Marla. That was when he heard a sound that sent chills down his back. It was the cry of a baby, or more precisely, several babies.

Everett pointed toward one of the shafts of the cave that bent to the right. Collins shone the light in that direction and then he looked back at Carl and Sarah. He shook his head.

"I wouldn't want anyone barging in on my children, and Charlie's beasts seem to take things the way humans would."

"I am in total agreement," Everett said.

"Look," Sarah whispered.

As Carl and Jack followed Sarah's eyes, they saw the small footprints that led up a small incline and into another shaft fifty feet above their heads.

"At least the tracks don't lead through the nursery," Jack said as he started up in that direction.

As they moved upward from the cave floor, the paintings on the cave walls became more numerous. There were scenes of family life, not of humans or even ancient man, but of the animals that they had encountered that night. The gathering of vegetables and berries, even the killing of small animals were shown in stark detail in a rainbow of colors. Jack was amazed at the differing views that the artist had, a very steady and talented hand was at work here and they all knew by looking at the paintings they were dealing with an advancement of a mammal that went far beyond that of mere evolution. It was like they were looking at themselves a millions years before.

"Jack, look at this," Sarah said as she examined a larger than normal drawing. Collins shone the light and was amazed to see an articulate and colorful painting of a large bird: an eagle.

"Why does it have two heads?" Sarah asked.

As Collins examined the painting, a sense a familiarity came into his mind. The eagle was displayed with wings spread and the heads were facing opposite of one another. The colors were red and yellow. What plants were used to make this he didn't know, the colors were so bright.

"I don't know why it has two heads, but why would that seem strange in a place like this?"

"Point taken," Sarah said as she moved along behind Jack.

As they climbed, they all could smell a change in the air. It was cooler and there was more of a freshness to it after the oppressiveness of the lower cave system. Suddenly, Collins stopped and shut off the flashlight.

Sarah saw it, too. There was light up ahead.

"It must be dawn outside," Everett said standing next to Sarah.

"Listen," Jack said, tilting his head toward the dull light coming through the passage ahead.

"It sounds like crying, or moaning," Sarah said in wonder. She reached for Jack as he started forward, suddenly realizing there were limits to her natural curiosity.

Jack climbed toward the diffused light ahead. Sarah and Everett followed, while Carl was wishing he would have brought the AK-47 along — just for comfort. Jack saw the opening up ahead. The noise coming from outside was sorrowful and again he got the cold chills. It reminded him of a time in Mogadishu and the funeral rites for forty-seven children murdered by a warlord. The sound was that of mothers mourning their young — or a lost husband.

As they came to the large opening that led out onto the top of the plateau, Jack held Sarah close by. When they looked out of the opening, they froze. It was if they were looking at a scene that would have been described by some ancient architect of primordial recordings. Collins had seen pictures and read books about the American Indian tribes and how they respected their dead. The scene spread out before them was one of the most fantastic sights they had ever seen. The trees were the first thing they saw. Among the branches of these trees were placed the bodies of the giant apes that had been killed that night by the Russian mercenaries. Jack counted three of the large animals that were raised to the highest branches of the trees.

"Look," Sarah said pointing from their high vantage point.

The animals, from what Jack could quickly count, numbered in the hundreds as they stood around and watched as some of the larger beasts lifted the bodies of the dead upward into the thick trees. Jack quickly saw their savior as it lifted the body of the beast from the cave. It was as though he was witnessing a father morning his son.

"Is this where the Indians got their burial traditions?" Sarah asked no one in particular.

The moaning and crying was being done by most of the animals on the ground. Some sat on the ground, other stood, but all had the look of bereavement that everyone in the world has felt at one time or another.

When the three bodies were situated in the top branches, Jack could see the large animals remove long straps of what looked like leather, or rawhide. They wrapped these around the dead to secure them to the branches. It was amazing that these giant beasts were smart enough to have a ceremony for the dead and actually grieve, which placed them at the head of the entire animal kingdom and just below the intelligence level of man. They actually knew and understood the concept of death.

"Oh my God," came a voice behind them.

They all turned and saw Charlie Ellenshaw as he took in the scene before him.

"I would give my right arm to have a camera," he said, swiping at a tear that coursed its way down his old cheek.

"Jack, you won't believe this," Carl said as he started shaking his head.

Off in the distance, covering at least ten miles of trees at the uppermost portion of the plateau, were the raised remains of thousands of creatures. Some were old, others ancient, and some looked as if they had died recently. They covered the tops of trees for miles around.

"How long have they been here?" Sarah asked.

Collins could only shake his head.

The ceremony was finished. They saw the larger of the animals drop from the lower branches of the trees after securing the dead. Then the Sasquatch moved off in small groups, in what looked like family units. Then they vanished before their eyes, blending in with the trees and shrubs of the mountain. Jack, Sarah, Charlie, and Carl were silent. To be a witness to what modern man brought with them to the nature of their own world was quite unsettling.