Shanidar Essex Flowers

<center><h1>Shanidar, Safe Return</h1></center> <center><h2>a story in three acts</h2> <h3>by Cecilia Dougherty</h3></center> "Shanidar, Safe Return" opens on a river valley 40,000 years ago in what is now Southern France. Neighboring camps of Cro-Magnons and Neanderthals share hunting and foraging territories. There had been peaceful coexistence for a thousand years, but our story begins at a time of war as our characters Haizea, Esti, Oihana, and Eneko are on the run from a murderous band of Cro-Magnon hunters. They are traveling south in search of a cave called Shanidar, once home to both Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons. Haizea is Neanderthal and Eneko, her son, has a Cro-Magnon father, Uda. Alasne, a Neander toddler, and her canine protector Xuxa have narrowly escaped the Magnons and are searching the forest for Alasne's mother. Read each passage and select the part of the story you'd like to travel to next from the links at the end of the text. Using the red 'back' and 'forward' arrows to the left of the text will take you deeper into the story. The story begins: [[Haizea leads Eneko, Esti, and Oihana through the forest.]] [[Alasne and Xuxa leave the cave.]] [[Uda goes back to the Neanderthal camp.]] *Episode 1 of this story is called "Time Before Memory" and can be found at <a href="https://paleolithic.ceciliadougherty.com" target="_blank">//Time Before Memory//</a>.* [[Recap of Episode 1]]

You and your son Eneko have escaped a massacre at the hands of the Cro-Magnon mammoth hunters. You and Eneko are running through the forest with your Cro-Magnon lover Esti and her friend Oihana. You are running for your lives, but where are you going? You need a plan. Each of you carries whatever supplies you could hurriedly grab. There is only enough food for a day or two. You will hunt and forage on the trail. Eneko carries a doll made of grass and twine. He calls the doll Pala. You remember how much the watchdog Xuxa used to love chewing on Pala, causing Eneko so much distress! You wonder, "Has Xuxa made it out alive?" You smile inwardly, bitterly. Rolling thunder is getting closer. Your group wades along a crystal clear stream. There is a clearing up ahead. Suddenly there is a loud thundercrack and a bright streak of lighting. It begins raining hard. [[You find shelter.]] [[Eneko drops the doll.]]

A three year old Neander child, Alasne, has been hiding in the back of the cave with the Neander watchdog, Xuxa, a large and fearless protector. She has fallen asleep during the storm. The next morning, Xuxa goes to the front of the cave. No one is there. Xuxa smells blood, flesh, and guts. Bones are spread around the floor and charred bones are in the hearth. Xuxa whines and growls almost breaking into a howl. Xuxa goes back to find Alasne and lead her out of the cave. Alasne comes forward and stares into the dying embers of a large pit fire. Flesh and bones are everywhere. She runs to the food storage pit under a pile of carefully stacked stones to the side of the cave. She finds preserved meat and fruit and wraps them in a piece of soft leather. [[Alasne and Xuxa go into the forest.]] [[Uda goes back to the Neanderthal camp.]]

You take shelter in a limestone outcropping at the edge of a clearing. Everyone is soaked through. The storm rages into the night. You will continue your journey in the morning. Eneko has the sniffles and Esti is preparing an herbal brew from her medicine bag. Eneko sulks. He has dropped Pala somewhere in the forest. You make a fire and use rainwater to soak and steep some mushrooms until they produce a dark brown tea. You save the tea in a small bladder. Oihana makes new tools from river cobbles. He thinks about the woodland animals he spotted along the way and plans an early morning hunt. When the sky clears, you will head to the Cave of the Brown Bear and ask the ancestors for guidance. You must find your cousins and tell them to leave this valley. They are no longer safe. [[Oihana goes hunting.]] [[Haizea and Esti forage.]]

The storm rages for most of the night. Oihana carries Eneko in a soft leather sling on his back. Eneko is never a burden. Eneko falls asleep in the warmth and safety of Oihana's sling. He drops the doll, Pala, along the way. The forest canopy protects the band of refugees from the rain. They leave a trail of wet prints in the mud, most of which are washed away by morning. Dawn approaches. The rain stops. [[The group is being followed.]] [[Xuxa follows her nose.]]

You and Esti have become close. She stays with you all the time. She has a great fondness for Eneko, too. You feel the weight of heavy responsibility for everyone's safety. You, Esti, Eneko and Oihana have escaped the massacre. You realize how narrow your escape actually was. You take Esti's hand and she holds onto yours firmly. You run your hand through her hair and rest it on her shoulder. You pull her close and make a silent vow of love. [[Haizea and Esti go back to the shelter.]] [[The group is being followed.]]

You are being followed. The scent is familiar and is Neander! Another survivor? Another scent - a wolf? a dog? Then you hear it -- a child is crying somewhere in the forest. So it wasn't all in your mind afterall! Torrential rains, thunder, lightning. Poor conditions for finding someone lost in the woods. And what if it's not someone who needs rescuing? What if it's a trap? Eneko has dropped his doll somewhere along the trail. If an enemy is searching for them, they will surely find the doll. [[Evening approaches.]] [[Alasne calls out.]]

It's nearly dawn when Alasne and Xuxa leave the cave and head out into the forest. The rain has stopped. They drink fresh rainwater from clear puddles. They come to a stream and drink their fill. Xuxa runs ahead and then runs back again, making sure that Alasne is still with her as they travel alongside the stream. Alasne wants her mother, Argiñe. [[Alasne calls out.]] [[Xuxa follows her nose.]]

Oihana has attacked Uda, who stabbed your father, Gorka. He has knocked him unconscious with a hand ax and left him for dead. Uda awakens. He struggles to stand up. He wants to find his son, Eneko. He makes his way back to the Neander camp but his head hurts terribly. He sways on his feet and then rests against a tree for just a minute. Where did Haizea go? Where is his son, Eneko? His mind is a bit blurry. Uda goes to the Neander camp and sees the aftermath of the massacre. The mammoth hunters have killed everyone at the camp! His heart jumps into his throat. Gorka, whom //he// has stabbed, is lying dead outside the cave. Everyone inside the cave is dead. He sees only bones, flesh, guts and blood everywhere. [[The mammoth hunters have been drinking.]]

Haizea (Wind) - Neanderthal woman; healer, leader; the reader Esti (Sweet Honey)- Cro-Magnon/Aurignacian woman; Haizea's lover & companion; healer Eneko (Mine) - Young boy; son of Haizea and Uda Uda (Summer) - Cro-Magnon psychic; Eneko's father; Haizea's ex-lover Oihana (Forest) - Magnon man; friend to Esti and Haizea; partners with men Alasne (Miracle) - Young girl; survivor of the massacre Argiñe (Light) - Neander woman murdered by Cro-Magnons; Alasne's mother Xuxa (Lily) - Watchdog of the Neander camp; a wolf-dog Aito (Good Father) - Magnon elder; storyteller Gorka (Farmer) - Leader of the Neanders; Haizea's father Paio (Rock) - Leader of the Magnons; Esti's father Ion (John) - Magnon; mammoth hunter; involved in the Neander massacre Aritz (Oak Tree) - Haizea's cousin; Neander healer Ortzi (Sky) - Adolescent boy, son of Aritz Gentza (Peace) - Differently-abled Neander; Oihana's lover and companion Bihotz (Heart) - Homo heidelbergensis shaman, an ancient one Chesa (Home) - Neander shaman of the Eastern cousins Aroa (Era, Time) - Denisovan leader Izar (Star) - Denisovan leader Naia (Wave) - Daughter of Aroa and Izar Ibai (River) - Denisovan boat-builder Mendi (Mountain) - Denisovan who camps at Everest [[Haizea leads Eneko, Esti, and Oihana through the forest.]] [[Alasne and Xuxa leave the cave.]] [[Uda goes back to the Neanderthal camp.]]

Alasne, the young girl who hid at the back of the Neander cave while the mammoth hunters killed most of the others, is wandering through the forest with Xuxa, the Neander watchdog. Xuxa is part wolf. Xuxa leads Alasne through the forest knowing that Alasne's life depends on her. In just one day they have consumed more than half of the provisions that Alasne found before they left the cave. At least they have rainwater and spring water. The afternoon sun is low on the horizon. Alasne looks for grubs and insects - the storm has brought them out. Xuxa finds a rabbit and kills it. They eat and then continue on their way. [[Evening approaches.]] [[Xuxa finds Pala.]]

Alasne is afraid and is crying. She calls out for her mother - Amaa! Amaa! AAMAA!! But her mother Argiñe was killed in the massacre of their people. Xuxa follows a trail and picks up a scent. [[Xuxa finds Pala.]] [[Uda regains consciousness.]]

The mammoth hunters leave Uda lying by the stream, unconscious. They have won this war. They are sure that the Neanders will never come back to this valley. No one will take their meat, skins or territories. There's a faint cry coming from the woods near the Neander camp but no one seems to notice. [[The mammoth hunters return to Paio's camp.]] [[Alasne calls out.]]

Uda slowly opens his eyes. He hears a child crying. Where is Eneko? Did the mammoth hunters kill Haizea? Uda must find them. He must make sure that Eneko is still alive. His head hurts. He tries to stand up. He drops his ax and stoops to pick it up again. He is tired. Everything looks blurry. He falls unconscious again, ax in hand. [[Uda has a dream.]] Uda awakens abruptly and tries to stand up. He leans against a tree for support. Looking down at the ground, he sees tracks - a child and a large dog. He must find Aito. Aito will know what to do. [[Uda finds Aito.]]

It's a new day. The rain has stopped. Eneko is awake and hungry. You and Esti leave your tunics to dry by the fire and go into the forest. Eneko comes with you and you teach him about plants. He has a natural skill and has already found a patch of sorrel. Carrying woven grass sacks, you go deeper into the woods and find chickory, asparagus, garlic, cloves, blackberries, nettles and burdock. Chamomile, mint and bilberry grow in patches nearby. Mushrooms have sprouted overnight. There are grubs, crickets and grasshoppers. You see a partridge and with one toss of your bola you kill it cleanly. There must be a nest somewhere nearby, and eggs. A child is crying - or is that your imagination? You're on edge, nervous. You make a private decision to warn the cousins who live by the High Stone Arch. But first you must go to the place of the ancestors. [[Oihana goes hunting.]] [[Haizea takes Esti's hand in hers.]]

Oihana wakes early the next day and quietly starts a fire. His tunic is still wet from the storm. He slings his tool bag across his shoulder and leaves the shelter to find breakfast for the small band of refugees. His tunic is drying by the fire. You wake up as the fire gets going. The warmth of the dancing flames brings back wistful memories of sweet flowers and peaceful forests. Those days are gone. [[Haizea takes Esti's hand in hers.]] [[The group is being followed.]]

Xuxa leads Alasne along the trail. She picks up a familiar scent. Eneko's doll, Pala, is lying beside the trail. Xuxa pounces and grabs it in her teeth. She runs ahead. She sees someone in the forest. Alasne calls out to Xuxa but Xuxa does not stop. Xuxa runs into the woods ahead of Alasne. Alasne cannot see Xuxa. Where has she gone? Tears well up. [[Xuxa finds Oihana.]] [[Alasne begins crying again.]]

The mammoth hunters leave a bloody trail as they make their way back to Paio's camp. Uda catches up with them by the stream. They have been drinking an infusion of hops and rye. Uda raises his ax. He has a serious head wound and his vision is blurred. He stumbles and falls, ax in hand. The mammoth hunters laugh. They call him a traitor and say that his son is living proof of that. They spit on him. Uda falls unconscious to the ground. [[The mammoth hunters leave Uda in the woods.]] [[Alasne and Xuxa go into the forest.]]

Uda travels back to Paio's camp from the scene of the massacre. Paio and Aito are in conference by the fire. Aito has been waiting for Uda and signals to him to come over by the fire. Aito gives Uda a tea of comfrey and nettles. Aito then tells Uda to lay dow and he applies a poultice of goldenseal, carrot and lobelia to his head wound. Uda is grateful but he is restless. [[Aito tells a story.]] [[Alasne begins crying again.]]

People gather around the fire as Aito nudges it with a stick, sending sparks into the air. Aito clears his throat and begins: "The sea once covered most of the world. A volcano rose up from the floor of the sea and created new land. Animals walked the earth for millions of years and they were giants - when they walked, the earth trembled. A star fell to earth and there was a massive explosion that killed the largest animals and darkened the sky. Smaller animals flew away. The earth was dark and quiet. The new life came out of the ground. Small creatures - mice and voles and rabbits. Then horses and herds - deer, bison, aurochs, elephants and mammoths. New people came up. They walked out from the homeland and walked for hundreds of thousands of years. We walk with them now." Aito says that the Neanders, too, walked with them. Neanders lived at a place between two sacred rivers, called Shanidar. He says their shaman was Bihotz. Bihotz was with them at Shanidar. Magnons were with them at Shanidar. They were together until the weather cooled and the people moved on. "Shanidar is warm now. Bihotz tells me the ancestors are waiting. They came up from the original homeland before the Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon ever walked the earth. Their kind invented fire. Bihotz says spirits are waiting at Shanidar. Shanidar is alive." The mammoth hunters listen to Aito's story. They are quiet and stupid but maybe the story will sink in. Aito looks directly at Uda and Uda feels a chill go up his spine. He thinks, "Maybe Haizea went to Shanidar." He thinks he should find out. He falls asleep. [[Uda has a dream.]] [[Uda asks forgiveness.]]

Uda must find Haizea and their son Eneko. He knows it will take many months to get to Shanidar but he cannot see beyond today. He packs too lightly for the journey. His head hurts. His thoughts are still a little foggy. Uda leaves Paio's camp and goes into the forest. He passes the mammoth hunters who have built a fire near the camp. They are leaving Paio's camp and will not return. They remain silent as Uda passes them. Distant thunder threatens. Uda heads south. He hears a child crying. [[Go back to the beginning->Shanidar, Safe Return]] [[Go to Act II->Act II: To the Cave of the Brown Bear]]

Uda dreams of the Cave of the Brown Bear. He knows this place, but how is that possible? He sees a group of people ...Neanders! They turn to look at him. He cannot hide. They are in a circle made of stalagmites. He walks into the center of the circle. The old shaman Bihotz appears, holding a wooden spear. Bihotz says, "We were waiting for you. Welcome!" Xuxa is there, too. Xuxa glares at the shaman and bares her teeth. Bihotz laughs. Uda wakes up, his heart racing. A lion rests nearby. [[Uda asks forgiveness.]] [[Uda leaves for Shanidar.]]

Uda wakes up in a cold sweat. He is sorry for what he's done and is in shock and mourning for the people who were killed. He is responsible for the death of Gorka. An awful thing! Was Gorka really his brother, as Aito says? He has dreamed now about Bihotz and Shanidar. He must put the mammoth hunters behind him forever. Uda's head is throbbing. He finds Aito and bends low in front of him, asking forgiveness. Aito tells him to find Haizea. [[Uda leaves for Shanidar.]] [[Alasne begins crying again.]]

The mammoth hunters are still drunk when they reach the Cro-Magnon camp. On hearing about the massacre, the Magnon leader Paio is angry beyond words, although in his heart he knows he encouraged them. He has killed Gorka, their elder! But a complete massacre?! Paio has the hunters' weapons taken away and orders them to sit down and shut up. Those who did not take part in the massacre of the Neanders have been skinning, cleaning and curing the mammoth killed in the hunt. They stare in silence at the mammoth hunters and then go back to their tasks. Aito builds a fire and the people gather round to hear a story. The mammoth hunters do not want to hear stories right now. They laugh at Aito. Disrespect. But they sit down anyway, drunk and tired. [[Aito tells a story.]] [[Uda regains consciousness.]]

Xuxa, the Neander watchdog, and Alasne, the young girl who hid in the back of the cave while her people were being slaughtered, are walking through the forest in search of Alasne's mother Argiñe. At sundown they find shelter in a small rocky crevice covered over by a thorny blackberry patch. They eat blackberries and what remains of the rabbit that Xuxa caught yesterday. They drink from a stream and continue their search. Xuxa keeps her nose to the ground. Alasne starts crying. She wants to go back to the safe space in the rocks with the blackberries. Xuxa runs ahead. She knows this territory well. Xuxa follows the scent of a small group of people. Alasne follows Xuxa and stifles her tears. It's hard to walk and cry at the same time. [[Xuxa finds Oihana.]]

Oihana stops suddenly. A large dog is running towards him. Is it Xuxa? She's carrying something in her mouth. Xuxa puts Eneko's doll down in front of Oihana and runs back into the woods. She halts once and looks back at him, a signal that he must follow her. Oihana picks up the doll, grabs his spear, and runs after Xuxa. [[Oihana follows Xuxa.]] [[Alasne begins crying again.]]

Xuxa has left Alasne alone, sheltered in a deep crevice between two boulders. Alasne is hungry and scared. Where is her mother? Amaa! Amaa! Where is Xuxa? Xuxa! She cries herself to sleep. [[Oihana follows Xuxa.]] [[Uda leaves for Shanidar.]]

Xuxa leads Oihana to Alasne. She is huddled in the space between two large rocks, hungry and crying. He realizes that she is Argiñe's child! This is a miracle! Alasne is afraid of Oihana. He is a Magnon. Magnons are killers. She pulls away from Oihana, making herself as small as she can possibly be. She cries for her mother. Xuxa runs to Alasne and licks her face. Oihana speaks softly to her. He asks if she is hungry and offers her some dried meat. Alasne nods "yes" and grabs the meat, shoving it into her tiny mouth. Then Alasne takes Oihana's hand and crawls out of her hiding place. Oihana picks her up and they go back to the camp at the limestone outcropping. Alasne clutches the doll, Pala. [[Everyone is together again.]]

The sky is barely a shade above indigo when your small band packs up their provisions and begins the trek south. You and Esti lead the way. Oihana carries Alasne in a sling on his back and Eneko is holding his hand. Xuxa walks by their side. It will take just over a day to reach your first stop at the Cave of the Brown Bear. You will forage along the way and hunt when you make camp. The Cave of the Brown Bear is just on the other side of a river to the south. For over 170,000 years the Cave has been a sacred place to the Neanders. Only Neanders know this place and only Neanders may enter the Cave. Oihana and Esti are Cro-Magnons and have never heard of this place. //This passage marks the beginning Act II of "Shanidar, Safe Return." The full 3-Act interactive story continues online this summer. The drawings in the Essex Flowers show are to be added as the background images for each story passage.// //Cecilia Dougherty// //2022// [[Credits]]

You and Esti were successful in finding food. A partridge and eggs! You will make a good meal for your small group and then you will tell them your plan. [[Evening approaches.]] [[Everyone is together again.]]

Oihana has found Alasne and Xuxa in the forest. He calls out "Haizea!" and you run to the shelter to meet him. Xuxa runs to greet you and is so happy she seems to be crying, if dogs could cry. You give Xuxa a big hug, knowing she saved Alasne's life. You take Alasne in your arms and cuddle her. Oihana has killed rabbits and voles, and with the partridge and vegetables you gathered today, you all have enough for tonight's dinner, with provisions left over for tomorrow morning. Esti builds a fire. Everyone eats. What happened at your old camp could happen again. You must warn the cousins at the Camp of the High Stone Arch as well as those from the Spotted Horses Cave. You must tell them about the massacre and urge them to join your group on the trek south. You tell Esti and Oihana that you must go first to the Cave of the Brown Bear. The ancestors will tell you what to do. You will all leave before dawn. Oihana and Xuxa are on first watch tonight. You and Esti will be on second watch until dawn. The children sleep. [[Go back to the beginning->Shanidar, Safe Return]] [[Go to Act II->Act II: To the Cave of the Brown Bear]]

"Shanidar, Safe Return" by Cecilia Dougherty Research: Ralph S. Solecki, //Shanidar, The First Flower People// Rebecca Wragg-Sykes, //Kindred, Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art// Jean Clottes, //What is Paleolithic Art? Cave Paintings and the Dawn of Human Creativity// Paabo Svante, //Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes// André Leroi-Gourhan, //The Dawn of European Art// Paulette F. C. Steeves, //The Indigenous Paleolithic of the Western Hemisphere// Jean Clottes, //What is Paleolithic Art? Cave Paintings and the Dawn of Human Creativity// Max Raphael, //Prehistoric Cave Paintings// Thanks to: Marija Gimbutas, archeologist, visionary Jean Auel, author, for her inspired //Earth's Children// series of novels set in Paleolithic Eurasia Rebecca Wragg Sykes for keeping Neanderthals at the top of the list Vine Deloria, Jr. for questioning the established record of human existence by honoring oral traditions The IFID for this story excerpt is 40065608-D1C5-4A1E-ABB7-624CD8A551C8. Full story coming in Summer/Fall 2022. Created in Twine. [[Go back to the beginning->Shanidar, Safe Return]]

A band of Cro-Magnons have returned from a mammoth hunt. They invade the nearby Neanderthal camp falsely claiming that the Neanders are planning to steal the meat, skins and ivory from the hunt. They repeat the lie until they believe it themselves. They kill 12 Neanders. However, a few have escaped and run into the woods: a woman named Haizea, her son Eneko, a toddler named Alasne, and the guard dog Xuxa. Haizea and Eneko are on the run with two Cro-Magnons, Esti and Oihana. Esti is Haizea's lover and Oihana is a trusted friend. The small band are traveling South. Eneko holds onto a favorite doll that he has named Pala. When the story opens, Alasne is hiding deep in the cave where her people were massacred. Xuxa, the Neander watchdog, is with her. Uda is a Cro-Magnon hunter and cave painter. He is looking for Haizea's son Eneko. He is Eneko's father. During the attack on the Neander camp, Uda wounded Haizea's father Gorka and left him for dead outside the Neander encampment. In turn, Oihana struck Uda in the head with a hand ax, knocking him unconscious. Uda is trying to find Haizea and Eneko but the head wound he suffers leaves him disoriented. In this episode, you, the reader, are Haizea, the young Neanderthal woman. Choose a path: [[Haizea leads Eneko, Esti, and Oihana through the forest.]] [[Alasne and Xuxa leave the cave.]] [[Uda goes back to the Neanderthal camp.]] [[Cast of characters]]