An Ancient Tale #135 (part 6)

Athagetten was the youngest apprentice that Horth had ever accepted
He was only eight anos, but he had an exceptional head for remembering
He was a small, thin boy and having a good head would serve him well
Young Ath already understood why his father, Centh,
Rotated planting fields
And which plants made good seed plants and which were for
Harvesting
Young Ath knew the medicine plants that his mother, Getten,
Collected from the rivers edge and from the hills beyond
The Circle
Young ones never knew these things
Ath’s two older brothers would be good farmers, but they did not have a head
For remembering
Getten would mate them with other farmer daughters
Ath had remembered all of the details that Horth had
Told him about the People
And as he walked about the new building
Near the far wall that was not yet finished he was amazed
How advanced life had become
He could smell the brewing of the foamy grain
That Baccath and his apprentices were making for this winter
Gathering
He looked out over the surrounding area and saw as far as he could
Almost to the hills
All of the clans
He knew the importance of the placement of the twelf pillar
And how the walk to the river would honor all who came before
He was amazed that the brick making the surrounding wall and
The walls of the new houses were fire made
And that this was only found a generation ago
A potter named Upop from the next village over had
Fired a pot and it was stronger and could hold water for long times
Then he fired one of the mud bricks and it could sit in the river
And stand like a rock
This method enabled Baccath and his apprentices to make
More foamy grain and it could sit in the fired pots longer than in
Simple sun dried clay pots
This was a great achievement for the People
And he could see the boat with the middle pole and
Dharchu had attached a cloth and could command the winds to take
Him where he wanted to go
He was showing others how to master the wind, God’s breath
Other children Ath’s age were kicking a breath-filled goat belly
Long ago goat bellies were used to carry water
Some father long ago sewed up the belly with air and began playing with
His young ones and now it was all through all of the villages
As he was amazed at the time in which he was living
And knew that his people were the most advanced people
Young Ath walked straight into Goth
Goth, a huge man, important hunter and most likely the People’s leader
Soon
He looked down on Ath and scowled
Ath, red faced, apologized walking backwards until he felt he could turn
And run
Goth roared with laughter as he strode over to Horth’s house

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