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“I will be old enough to have a baby in this estured with assurance, positive of her deduction The old ician was rocked to his core It was unthinkable that a child, a girl child at that, could reason her way to that conclusion so easily He was almost too overwhelmed to remember to qualify the prediction

“That is probably the earliest tiht not be for thistwo more slashes on the stick “Or, perhaps evenfor sure”

Ayla frowned slightly, held up her index finger, then her thumb “How do I know more years?” she asked

Creb eyed her suspiciously They were getting into a real to be sorry he had begun Brun would not like it if he knew this girl was capable of such potent -urs But his curiosity was piqued too Could she coe?

“Take both your hands and cover all the ers over all the slash er on it “The next er of er of the other person’s hand, then the next finger of the other person’s hand Do you understand?” heher closely

The child hardly blinked She looked at her hands, then at his hand, then rimace that Creb had coorously to indicate that she did understand Then she made a quantum leap, a jump almost beyond Creb’s powers of comprehension

“And, after that, another person’s hands, and then another person’s, isn’t that right?” she asked

The impact was too much His mind reeled With difficulty, Creb could count to twenty Numbers beyond twenty blurred into some indistinct infinity called many He had, on a few rare occasions after deep limpse of the concept Ayla coht He had a sudden understanding of the gulf between the led to compose himself

“Tell e the subject, holding up the stick he had been using toto remember

“Willow,” she said, “I think”

“That’s right,” Creb answered He put his hand on her shoulder and looked directly into her eyes “Ayla, it would be best if you refrain fro about these to anyone,” he said, touching the marks on the stick

“Yes, Creb,” she replied, sensing how important it was to him She had learned to understand his actions and expressions more than anyone’s, except Iza’s

“It’s tio back now,” he said He wanted to be alone to think

“Do we have to?” she pleaded “It’s still nice out”

“Yes, we do,” he said, pulling himself up with the help of his staff “And it’s not proper to question a ently

“Yes, Creb,” she responded, bowing her head in acquiescence as she had learned She walked silently beside him as they headed back to the cave, but soon her youthful exuberance took over, and she was running ahead again She ran back holding out sticks and rocks, telling Creb the na him if she couldn’t re it hard to pay attention for the tumult in his mind

The first light of dawn scattered the enveloping darkness of the cave, and the fresh crispness in the air s the familiar contours of the cave overhead take shape and definition in the gradually increasing light This was the day her daughter would be named and accepted as a full nized as a living, viable human She looked forward to the relaxation of her h her association with other members of the clan would still be li

At the onset of irls were required to spend the duration of their first period away fro woman stayed alone in an area set aside at the rear of the cave but was still required to spend one htening and dangerous for a young, unarmed woman used to the protection and coe of girls into wo his first kill, but no cere woman had fire for protection from carnivorous beasts, it was not totally unknown for a woman never to return—her re party The girl’sher food and reassurance But if the girl disappeared or was killed, her mother was forbidden to mention it until a minimum number of days had elapsed

The battles waged by spirits within the bodies of wole to produce life were deep mysteries to the men While a wo, defeating so essence If a woht be drawn into the losing battle That was the reason female totems had to be less powerful than th from the life force that resided in females Women drew on the life force; it was they who produced new life

In the physical world, a er, far more powerful than a woman, but in the fearful world of unseen forces, the woman was endoith potentially more power Men believed that a woman’s smaller, weaker physical for balance and that no woman must ever be allowed to realize her full potential, or the balance would be upset She was kept from full participation in the spiritual life of the clan to keep her ignorant of the strength the life force gave her

Young men arned at their first manhood ceremony of the dire consequences that could result if a woends were told of the tiic to intercede with the spirit world The ic fro ht once they became aware of these possibilities They assureat seriousness A woman had to be protected, provided for, and totally dominated, or the delicate balance of physical and spiritual forces would be disrupted and the continuing existence of the life of the Clan destroyed

Because her spiritual forces were somenses, a woman was isolated She had to stay with the woht be consu uni hides that could only be worn by wonored her, did not even reprimand her If a h she were invisible; he looked through her

It seemed a cruel penalty The woman’s curse resembled a death curse, the supreme punishment that was inflicted upon members of the Clan if they co-ur to call down the evil spirits and lay a curse of death A ician and the clan Once cursed, the criminal was neither spoken to nor seen by any er existed, just as though he were dead Mate and farieved his death, no food was shared A few left the clan and were never seen again Most si, and fulfilled the malediction they, too, believed

Occasionally a death curse ht be imposed for a limited period of tiave up living for the duration of the curse But if he lived through a limited death curse, he was admitted back into the clan as a full member, even to his previous

status He had paid his debt to society and his crih, and such punishh the woman’s curse ostracized her partially and temporarily,demands and watchful eyes of the men

Iza was looking forward to the greater contact she would have after the na within the stone boundary of Creb’s fire and looked with longing at the bright sunshine that strea the last few days before winter snows She waited anxiously for Creb’s signal that announced he was ready and the clan all gathered Nas were often held before breakfast, shortly after the sun rose while the tote the night When he beckoned, she hurried to join theround while she uncovered her child She held the babe up while the estures that called the spirits to attend the cerean

Dipping into the bowl Goov held, he drew a stripe froes joined to the tip of her nose with the red-ochre paste

“Uba, the girl’s na-ur said The naked infant, assailed by the cold wind that whipped past the sunny front porch of the cave, voiced a healthy hohich drowned out the approving murmur of the clan