When I woke the ground was trembling and I heard the goats baying in fear. Holly rubbed her side on my knee, and her baby tried to hide under her. Thankfully, the earthquake didn't last long, probably only thirty seconds. The sun was starting to rise over the omnipresent clifftop.
I petted the goats to calm them and got nearly a whole bottle of milk. Holly was recovering well. I walked to my bathroom corner and noticed a lot of loose black rocks at the base of one of the cliffs. Was it coal? There were tons and tons of it! If it really was coal, firewood wouldn't be a problem for a long time.
I picked up an armful and carried it to the fire. I put a few pieces on the remains of the fire from last night. It took a while, but the coal started burning. Great! Coal would burn a lot longer, too, so I wouldn't have to check the fire every hour or two.
I walked over to the wall where I had talked to Anna yesterday, to check if she was still there. A large pile of loose rocks laid below a gap in the cliff wall! I only had to climb five meters of loose rocks, before seeing a shoulder-wide path! I could see the tops of palm trees!
I yelled "Anna? Hello?"
I heard, "Pedro! Help! Please help me!"
I carefully walked through the gap. Anna's area had hundreds of palm trees in the sand, and at least a third of the trees had a coconut or two hanging from them! Coconut would be a nice change from avocados and carrots every day!
"Over here! Help!"
I ran toward her voice, and found her laying on her back, with a large palm tree across her lower legs. I thought of digging her out, but she was on a large rock, instead of the sand.
"I woke up when a tree fell on me, then the ground started shaking! Please, get it off me! I can't move!"
The tree was obviously too big for me to lift or push, but I had to try. I leaned into it and pushed with all my strength. It only moved slightly.
"I have rope, but I don't think it's strong enough to lift this."
Anna surprised me with, "I have an axe, over on the other side of my campfire. Can you try cutting it?"
The axe was actually a sharp rock, stuck in a hole she had burned through a long stick. For being only a rock, it worked well.
It took me about an hour to cut through the log. I made sure to stay at least half a meter away from her, for safety. While I cut, she told me she was 61 and her children and grandchildren had all moved out of town. Like me, a week ago she woke up naked next to a cliff with no apparent reason.
She had been alone most of the time, since her husband passed away five years ago. He was a machinist and blacksmith the thirty years she was with him. Tools and tool making was all he wanted to talk about. She said it bored her to tears then, but she was glad for the knowledge now. She knew how to smelt iron and make iron tools! Using the coal for fuel and mud bricks to build a simple furnace, we could melt down the old car door and make what we needed!
I got her out and saw her legs were badly bruised. She said she didn't think they were broken, but she wouldn't be walking for a while. She pointed out her other few tools, a very sharp obsidian knife with a wooden handle, and a torch igniter she had found.
The igniter used a flint and steel to produce a small cloud of sparks when squeezed, and made fire starting easy. If only I had one of them earlier! I could have saved a lot of time and frustration trying to hold a broken bottle at just the right angle and distance, without even getting a fire.
Anna told me her other food source. Birds would sometimes lay eggs on a hill. She would check the hill every morning, and collect all but one egg from each nest. The birds would stay if they still had at least one egg. Anna joked that she would have offered me eggs the other day, but falling fifty meters would do very bad things to them.
I checked the hill and found four extra eggs! I left them with Anna, and went to get some coal for her fire. Eggs for lunch would be great!
On the way back, I learned Holly had introduced herself when Anna shouted; "NO! My berries!"
Holly had eaten half the berry patch in the short time I was gone. She laid on her side, burping repeatedly. It was rude-sounding, but funny.
Once Anna and I had our eggs and some milk, I built an improvised fence around the berry patch.
I noticed the coal seam continued into Anna’s side of the cliff as well. It would be enough for months, maybe years!
Anna said, "You're so lucky to have bottles! I don't have any way to carry water, so I have to walk hundreds of meters back and forth, four or five times a day!"
She thanked me when I gave her one. It's surprising how something so simple can make a big difference in daily life.
I suggested, "If we had a drill, we could use coconuts to carry water."
She said, "A drill would be good, but even a metal knife would work, with some patience. My obsidian knife would just break."
"I have a sheet metal knife." I handed it to her.
"YES!"
I weaved a purse for Anna, and another to replace the one Holly had eaten.
Anna made a couple of coconut canteens.
We ate some coconut, and decided to call it a day.
As I laid down to sleep, Anna asked, "We don't really know each other that well yet, but would you mind if I cuddle behind you?"
I shook my head. "That would be nice."
It was very comforting to feel another person and know that I had a friend.
-
Report of Caretaker 9042
Species WDT
Subject 071 - Cycle 5
Specimen WDT071 health 23/24.
Contrary to earlier dislike, subject is now using compact combustibles.
Extensive intra-species empathy observed.
Advanced auditory communication observed.
Intra-species food exchange observed.
Rescue and care of disabled comrade observed.
No written language.
No use of electricity.
No buoyant or powered flight observed.
No use of fission or fusion power.
No dimensional rift usage.
Results to date:
Primitive, worth further observation.
Technology level: 5/24
Resilience: 12/24
Progenation: 1/24
-
Supervisor 3614 notes
Allow auditory communication between subjects in x7912y8562 and new subjects in x7913y8562.
Open travel between x7912y8562 and x7913y8562 at Caretaker's discretion.