Abuba tribe The story of Abuba.

The story takes place long, long ago, in the time of the dinosaurs, when tree-sized ferns sheltered insects the size of birds, and humans, instead of conquering space, were discovering methods of using fire.

Deep in the forest, somewhere on a vast continent, on a small patch carved out of the wilderness, lived a certain community. This group consisted of a dozen or so creatures of the genus Homosapiens, or what we know today as humans. Before a cave carved out by a stream flowing nearby, a woman sat, talking to an old man. The old man's hair was matted and already gray in places. He sat on a pile of skins, attentively listening to the woman's words. She treated him with great respect.

It was because of his gray hair that she and the rest of the people respected him and helped him survive each day. This admiration for the old man arose about five or seven years ago, when Abuba entered a period when he was particularly vulnerable to death. No one known to this group had survived so long that their usually earth-dark hair began to resemble clouds floating in the sky.

Comparing their hair color to strange, unreachable shapes moving above the tallest trees gave people pause. If the clouds are white, and Abuba's hair is white, then they must be connected in some way. Since then, they have claimed that the old man was once an unreachable cloud and now he is on earth. He is among them because he has something to teach them, is wise, and can provide the right solution to every situation. He is their treasure and must be cared for.

In fact, the old man was immune to the diseases that afflicted the rest of the group. This immunity was innate. He inherited it from his grandmother, his mother's mother, whom the tribe found young and lost in a storm. She was strong, so she could be useful in the camp, so adopting her was no problem. Unfortunately, when Abub was about ten years old, Matika (his mother) was kidnapped by one of those hairy, fast animals with large, sharp teeth and claws, so she didn't have a chance to live to the same age as her son. If it weren't for this accident (which, of course, happened very often), she would have become a treasure of the tribe, and it would have certainly cast women in a different light.

Abub wasn't just immune to disease. From a young age, he learned faster than his peers. He devised various effective traps for rodents the size of dogs and for fish swimming in rivers and lakes. When he reached the age when his children were at his feet, he began having strange dreams. At night, pink images passed before his closed eyelids, which he remembered. He was greatly surprised when, a few days after such a dream, these images appeared before him as real events. After some time, he learned to use these dreams and helped protect people from sudden death during hunts and guide them to the right trail of prey. Even then, he was respected, and the younger and sometimes even stronger members of the tribe respected him. Gray hair completed the task. For the first time, the oldest and wisest of men, not the strongest, became the tribe's leader.

This was the introductory story of Abub, a leader and budding magician, who was learning the secrets of his own mind. He is etched in the memory of this community, which has lived as long as the last descendant of this tribe has lived.

II

Andala, Abub, and the rest of the tribe – trust.

Knowing who Abub is, we can focus on the woman who is kneeling at his feet at this very moment, trying to find out where the father of her children has been during the last three floods. She was a very brave and courageous woman. She was the only one who dared to ask and take an interest in the absence of her life's companion, because women should stay in the cave, feeding their children, and picking berries.

"Omniscient Abub," she began, fear in her voice. "I wanted to know what happened to Ryk during the last three floods. I know I shouldn't be interested..." She paused for a moment, then continued her monologue. "...They know what we're doing here, and we'd like to know what they're doing there. If they're going to explore places unknown to us, then we want to know what their eyes see, if we can't see it ourselves." When she finished speaking, she raised her head and looked at the old man. But such behavior was inappropriate, for looking someone in the eye would only anger them. She immediately turned her head away. The old man reassured her, speaking to her in a calm and pleasant voice. Her fear vanished as quickly as a hunter's spear pierces the flesh of the prey. She looked up, and the old man continued.

"Of course, Andala, you women can know what happens to your men." Abub spoke slowly, occasionally pausing, and she stared into his clear brown eyes. "But I cannot reveal to you what they did during the last three floods, and I cannot reveal the reason for my silence."

Abub stopped speaking, and the woman, unable to see him continue the conversation, bowed her head and stood up, wanting to leave and tend to the children.

"Andala," the chieftain said, and she, surprised and a little frightened, turned her head. "Call a meeting of all the women in the camp. Have them come and gather before the fire just before sunset."

Andala nodded and, with even greater fear, returned to her duties.

She entered the cave and whispered something in the ear of the first woman she met, and then the next, each one repeating the same words to yet another.

Andala was a typical woman from the Abuba tribe, which, since the new chieftain ruled, had been named after him. She had brown hair and eyes of the same color, with a hint of green, and a dark complexion. She didn't look much different from the others, but without realizing it, she was somehow mentally connected to Abuba, and only he noticed the connection.

Digging for roots and searching the forest for something to eat, Andala pondered the purpose of the meeting that was about to take place. She was very frightened, and only the work she was doing now calmed her a little.

"What have I done?" Andal wrestled with her thoughts. "All the women will suffer because of me... No, they won't punish them all, only me... I'll be an example to the rest. I was too bold, but Abub was so kind and calm." She turned and automatically began digging, pulled out a root, and continued thinking. "...They can't hurt us, they have to respect us, or we'll stop taking care of the children and the camp." She stepped back and let a large beetle fall from a tree fall to the ground. "We can stop working. But Abub can stop us." She grabbed a stick and struck the large flying insect that lays its eggs in the bodies of mammals and rodents. "No one knows its capabilities. It can do anything..."

With these thoughts, she returned to the camp and, after distributing the plants she had collected, sat down uncertainly next to the five women who had already arrived. They all sat quietly until the fifteen of them had gathered. Most of them looked at Andala with sympathy, some with hatred. As the last tribe member approached, whispers broke out, and all suspicions about the meeting's purpose were unleashed. Suddenly, silence fell. Abub sat down in his seat, padded with double the amount of leather.

"I hope you haven't waited too long for me. You're probably eagerly awaiting what I've prepared for you. I hope you're sitting comfortably, because at Andala's request, I've decided to tell you something." Under other circumstances, a quiet murmur would have passed through the circle, but not now. Now all the women sat quietly, attentively absorbing Abuba's every word, and Andala waited to see which part of the meeting she would be punished. "From now on, we'll meet here every five days and nights, and I'll tell you about the discoveries the men have made. Today I'll tell you the story of the discovery of a colorful flying creature." A sigh of relief and satisfaction could be heard now. Andala also noticed the appreciative glances directed at her. The old man began his story.

"As everyone knows, only insects live here, and we occasionally see one of the reptiles. But where we arrived with our exploration group, we found another flying creature." The group, consisting of me, Ryk, Zdol, Inlis, Tyrps, Morg, and Wylam, sailed to an island we named Ankeip…

Abub began a story that continued late into the night. Occasionally, one of the women would leave the dying fire and return with branches to add to the flames. Every so often, another woman would leave and return with a stone bowl containing a muddy paste mixed with herbs that often repel dangerous insects. The bowl was circulated, and each woman smeared the paste on her body. Abub did the same, but from a different, separate bowl. When Abub finished his story, everyone dispersed to their lairs. The ritual repeated every five days and nights, and Aandala earned the trust and respect of the women of the tribe